Hoarded a bulk of reward points but not too sure what to expect when doing a miles conversion?
Unless you’re using a miles credit card that earns miles directly, you’ll realise that in order to actually redeem miles, you’ll have to convert your bank reward points into miles with your preferred loyalty program.
So here’s all you need to know about converting your points to miles, conversion fees, and how best to do it!
TL;DR: Miles Conversion Fees, Conversion Rates & Hacks
Jump to:
- How Much Are Miles Conversion Fees?
- What Are The Miles Conversion Rates?
- Which Miles Cards Have No Conversion Fees?
- Which Miles Cards Have Conversion Fee Waivers?
- Things To Note When Converting Miles
How Much Are Miles Conversion Fees?
Click the links to view the credit cards available:
| Card Issuer | One-time Conversion Fee | Annual Option (flat fee for unlimited conversions in a 12-month period) |
|---|---|---|
| American Express | $20 + GST | N.A. |
| Bank Of China | $30 | N.A. |
| Citibank | $25 + GST | N.A. |
| DBS | $25 + GST | $40* + GST |
| HSBC | N.A. | $40 + GST |
| Maybank | $25 + GST | N.A. |
| OCBC | $25 | N.A. |
| Standard Chartered | $25 + GST | N.A. |
| UOB | $25 | $50^ |
*Automatic conversions in blocks of 500 DBS points (1,000 miles) each quarter. Ad-hoc redemptions can be done for free.
^Automatic conversions in blocks of UNI$2,500 (5,000 miles) each month for balances above UNI$15,000. Ad-hoc redemptions cost $25.
When converting your points into miles, the above illustrates how much you would need to pay in conversion fees. These fees are the same no matter the amount of points you transfer/convert.
Aside from one-time conversions, some issuers offer an annual option where you pay a flat fee for automatic conversions. In some cases such as DBS, you can also do unlimited conversions within that 12-month period for free!
What Are The Miles Conversion Rates?
Not to be confused with miles redemption rates, here are how many points you’ll need to convert them for X miles:
| Credit Cards | Conversion Rates |
|---|---|
| Amex Credit Cards | 450 Membership Rewards points to 250 Miles |
| Amex Platinum Card | 400 Membership Rewards points to 250 Miles |
| AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Cards/AMEX Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit Cards | Earn Krisflyer miles directly |
| HSBC Credit Cards | 25,000 Reward Points to 10,000 Air Miles |
| BOC Elite Miles MasterCard | 45,000 Reward Points to 10,000 Krisflyer Miles 27,000 Reward Points to 6,000 Asia Miles |
| Citibank Credit Cards | 25,000 Citi ThankYou Points to 10,000 Air Miles |
| Citibank PremierMiles Card | 10,000 CitiMiles to 10,000 Air Miles |
| DBS Credit Cards | 5,000 DBS Points to 10,000 Air Miles |
| SAFRA DBS Credit Card/POSB Everyday Card | 245 SAFRA$ or Daily$ to 10,000 Air Miles |
| Maybank Credit Cards | 25,000 TREATS Points to 10,000 Krisflyer Miles 12,500 TREATS Points to 5,000 Asia Miles Miles |
| Maybank World MasterCard/Maybank Visa Infinite Card | 25,000 TREATS Points to 10,000 Krisflyer Miles 12,500 TREATS Points to 5,000 Asia Miles Miles |
| StanChart Credit Cards | 3,500 Reward Points to 1,015 Air Miles |
| StanChart Visa Infinite X Card | 2,500 Reward Points to 1,000 Air Miles |
| OCBC Credit Cards | 25,000 OCBC$ to 10,000 Air Miles |
| OCBC VOYAGE Card | 1 Voyage Mile to 1 Air Mile |
| OCBC 90°N Cards | 1000 Travel$ to 1000 Air Miles |
| UOB Credit Cards | 5,000 UNI$ to 10,000 Air Miles |
| KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cards | Earn Krisflyer miles directly |
Which Miles Cards Have No Conversion Fees?
Co-brand Singapore Airlines credit cards such as AMEX Singapore Airline Credit cards do not charge a conversion fee since you will earn miles that are directly credited into your KrisFlyer account.
Woohoo! Free conversions!
On the flip side, however, this means that your three-year KrisFlyer miles expiry starts immediately and you don’t have a chance to convert your points to other transfer partners.
Which Miles Cards Have Conversion Fee Waivers?
Some miles credit cards also have the option for conversion fee waivers.
However, just like annual fee waivers, you’ll have to call in to ask for a waiver.
| Credit Card | Min. Annual Income |
|---|---|
| OCBC 90°N Mastercard | $30k |
| OCBC 90°N Visa Card | $30k |
| The American Express® Platinum Credit Card Apply Now | $80k |
| Maybank World Mastercard | $80k |
| OCBC VOYAGE | $120k |
| Maybank Visa Infinite Card | $150k |
Things To Note When Doing Miles Conversions
Apart from the associated conversion fees, you should also note that converting points to miles may take up to two weeks! So you’ll need to plan ahead if you want to redeem an award flight with miles.
For those who spend a lot and accumulate points for conversion quickly, these miles conversion fees are more of an annoyance. As such, going for an annual option would be a good choice since it will do automatic conversions for you.
On the other hand, for those who want to maximise the value of their miles, saving up and converting once is the best option.
What is your miles conversion strategy? Share with us your thoughts in the comments!
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