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Miles Conversion Fees, Conversion Rates & Hacks

Miles Conversion Fees, Conversion Rates & Hacks

profileJustin Oh

Hoarded a bulk of reward points but not too sure what to expect when doing a miles conversion?

Source: Giphy

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

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How Much Are Miles Conversion Fees?

Click the links to view the credit cards available:

Card IssuerOne-time Conversion FeeAnnual Option (flat fee for unlimited conversions in a 12-month period)
American Express$20 + GSTN.A.
Bank Of China$30N.A.
Citibank$25 + GSTN.A.
DBS$25 + GST$40* + GST
HSBCN.A.$40 + GST
Maybank$25 + GSTN.A.
OCBC$25N.A.
Standard Chartered$25 + GSTN.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 CardsConversion Rates
Amex Credit Cards450 Membership Rewards points to 250 Miles
Amex Platinum Card400 Membership Rewards points to 250 Miles
AMEX Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Cards/AMEX Singapore Airlines PPS Club Credit CardsEarn Krisflyer miles directly
HSBC Credit Cards25,000 Reward Points to 10,000 Air Miles
BOC Elite Miles MasterCard45,000 Reward Points to 10,000 Krisflyer Miles
27,000 Reward Points to 6,000 Asia Miles
Citibank Credit Cards25,000 Citi ThankYou Points to 10,000 Air Miles
Citibank PremierMiles Card10,000 CitiMiles to 10,000 Air Miles
DBS Credit Cards5,000 DBS Points to 10,000 Air Miles
SAFRA DBS Credit Card/POSB Everyday Card245 SAFRA$ or Daily$ to 10,000 Air Miles
Maybank Credit Cards25,000 TREATS Points to 10,000 Krisflyer Miles
12,500 TREATS Points to 5,000 Asia Miles Miles
Maybank World MasterCard/Maybank Visa Infinite Card25,000 TREATS Points to 10,000 Krisflyer Miles
12,500 TREATS Points to 5,000 Asia Miles Miles
StanChart Credit Cards3,500 Reward Points to 1,015 Air Miles
StanChart Visa Infinite X Card2,500 Reward Points to 1,000 Air Miles
OCBC Credit Cards25,000 OCBC$ to 10,000 Air Miles
OCBC VOYAGE Card1 Voyage Mile to 1 Air Mile
OCBC 90°N Cards1000 Travel$ to 1000 Air Miles
UOB Credit Cards5,000 UNI$ to 10,000 Air Miles
KrisFlyer UOB Credit CardsEarn 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.

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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About Justin Oh
Your average Zillennial who is obsessed with anime, games, movies and of course, personal finance. Join me as I break down personal finance into easily digestible and fun bits!
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