The Ultimate Guide to Waiving Credit Card Annual Fees

Credit cards are handy tools for us to maximise our spending.

Aside from awesome sign-up promotions and earning cashback or miles as we spend, some credit cards even give us complimentary travel insurance, airport lounge access, 1-for-1 deals, and more.

BUT,

There comes a time when we have to pay for these perks, in the form of annual fees, which are $192.60 for most entry-level credit cards.

And depending on how much you spend or utilise said perks, these fees may end up costing you instead of allowing you to save.

Luckily, you can waive credit card annual fees simply by contacting your card issuer which is typically a bank!

Intrigued? Here’s how you can do it, along with some useful tips on how to be successful with a waiver!

TL;DR: Waive Credit Card Annual Fees Singapore Guide

Jump to:

• American Express Credit Cards
• Bank of China Credit Cards
• CIMB Credit Cards
• Citibank Credit Cards
• DBS/POSB Credit Cards
• HSBC Credit Cards
• Maybank Credit Cards
• OCBC Credit Cards
• Standard Chartered Credit Cards
• UOB Credit Cards

How Do You Request a Fee Waiver?

In general, you will have to call your credit card issuer or bank’s hotline to request a fee waiver. However, the annual fee waiver is not guaranteed!

No one really knows how banks or card issuers grant annual fee waivers, with the exception of those that give you an automatic waiver if you hit certain minimum spends ($10,000, $15,000, or even $25,000) within the year.

We do have a few useful tips based on our experiences!

Tips to Improve Your Chances of a Successful Annual Fee Waiver

• Concentrate your spending on one credit card: If you happen to have multiple cards, try to spend more on the credit card that is due for an annual fee payment, and remember to pay your credit card bills on time! You’ll be in good standing in the eyes of your card issuer and have a higher chance of getting a fee waiver.
• Be polite: When calling the hotline to speak to a representative, be as polite as possible when requesting a waiver! The representative may be more inclined to DEcline your waiver request if you’re being a prick.
• Be persistent: When on the call with a representative, you’ll also want to be persistent when it comes to your request. If you get hit with a rejection initially, try to plead your case tactfully.

What Do I Do if My Fee Waiver Request Is Still Unsuccessful?

If you’ve applied the tips above but to no avail, you may consider canceling the card. But before you do so, make sure that you don’t have any leftover cashback, points, or miles in your account.

If you feel that you are getting more out of the card than the annual fee itself (eg. you get $500 cashback in a year which far exceeds the annual fee of $192.60), you can simply just pay the fee instead.

Some may just lan lan suck thumb (slang for suck it up) and pay the annual fee for the sake of maintaining a good credit score, which helps you get a better chance of loan approvals with banks.

How To Get Annual Fee Waivers From Banks and Card Issuers

To save you the trouble of calling the bank, these are the banks you can request an annual fee waiver without calling!

American Express (AMEX) Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

AMEX In-app Fee Waiver:

You can request a fee waiver via the chat function on the AMEX app:

1. Go to your AMEX app
2. Select the chat icon (top right)
3. Select Chat With Us
4. Type “fee waiver”
5. You’ll be connected with a Customer Service Officer to confirm the card you’re requesting a waiver for

Unlike other card issuers, there are specific hotlines to call depending on which American Express credit card you have.

AMEX Hotline

Simply look up your credit card hotline in the table below and call the number to request a fee waiver.

Lucky for you, AMEX customer support is well known for its top-notch services, and calling them shouldn’t be a hassle.

If you’re looking for an AMEX card, here are some to consider:

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Bank of China Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

Bank of China does not offer an annual fee waiver via an app or online.

You will have to call its hotline to ask for it:

1. Dial 1800 338 5335
2. Press 1 > 2 > Key in 16 digit credit card number > Key in mobile number 

It would take roughly two weeks for your waiver request to be processed.

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CIMB Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

Lo and behold. CIMB does not charge annual fees for any of its cards!

Sounds like a good deal? You can apply for one without thinking about these pesky fees:

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Citibank Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

Unfortunately, Citibank doesn’t have the in-app option to raise a waiver request.

You can still call the hotline though, and it’ll direct you to confirm the fee waiver without speaking to a customer support officer.

Follow these steps:

1. Call 6225 5225
2. Press 1 > enter NRIC > 1 (NRIC starts with ‘S’) or 2 (NRIC starts with ‘T’) > 2 > 4 > 1 > Enter OTP 
3. Press 1 to confirm the fee waiver

If you’re not a Citibank cardholder, perhaps it’s time to consider having one because we all know the Citi Rewards card is a game-changer for miles chasers!

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DBS/POSB Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

DBS/POSB customers can submit credit card annual fee waivers through the DBS digibot or phone banking, so you won’t need to go through the hassle of speaking to a customer service officer.

DBS Digibot

1. On your DBS digibank app or the DBS website, look for the following icon and click it to access the DBS digibot:

2. Type “Fee Waiver” into the chat

3. After authentication, select ‘Credit Cards Fee Waiver’

4. Select the credit card account to be waived

5. Review and tap on ‘Confirm’

6. DBS will review your waiver eligibility and an email/SMS will be sent to you within three working days.

DBS Phone Banking

1. Call 1800 111 1111 (from Singapore) or +65 6327 2265 (from Overseas).

2. Follow and choose the menu options accordingly

3. DBS will review your waiver eligibility and an email/SMS will be sent to you within three working days.

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HSBC Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

HSBC is another bank that only allows you to call in order to request an annual fee waiver.

Follow these steps:

1. Dial 1800 4722 669
2. Select 8 > 1 > 2 > Enter 16 digit credit card number > Mobile phone number

With all that said, the HSBC Revolution is a versatile rewards card that can be used for online spending, dining, and entertainment, and easily earn 4 miles per dollar!

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Maybank Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

Maybank doesn’t have an automatic fee waiver for most of its cards except if you hit a minimum spend on these cards:

• Maybank Manchester United Platinum Visa (S$3,600)
• Maybank DUO Platinum Mastercard (S$6,000)
• Maybank FC Barcelona Visa Signature (S$10,000)
• Maybank Horizon Visa Signature ($18,000)
• Maybank World Mastercard (S$24,000).

By calling the hotline, you should be able to get a waiver within seven business days.

Follow these steps to ask for a waiver:

1. Dial 1800 629 2265
2. Select 1> 1> 1> 1> 1> Enter 16 digit credit card number > 1 > Enter mobile number > 1

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OCBC Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

How to Waive OCBC Credit Card Annual Fee

OCBC customers can submit credit card annual fee waivers through the OCBC Digital app, OCBC Internet Banking website, or OCBC’s phone banking service.

OCBC Digital app (mobile)

1. Log in to OCBC Digital app
2. Tap on the top left menu
3. Tap on “More services” → “Card services” → “Credit card fee waiver”

OCBC Internet Banking

1. Log in to OCBC Internet Banking
2. Go to “Customer Service”
3. Select “Credit card fee waiver”

OCBC Phone Banking

1. Have your credit card at hand
2. Call 1800 363 3333 or +65 6363 3333 from overseas, and when prompted, say “credit card fee waiver”
3. Key in your 16-digit card number when prompted
4. OCBC will notify you of the outcome immediately.

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Standard Chartered Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

For Standard Chartered customers, you can submit your fee waiver requests via Standard Chartered’s mobile app or Online Banking service.

1. Log in via Standard Chartered Online Banking or the mobile app

2. Select ‘Help & Services’ and navigate to ‘Service request by category’

3. Select ‘Card Management’, followed by ‘Credit Card Fee Waiver’

4. Select up to five fees waiver-eligible card(s)

5. Select ‘Next’, agree on the terms and conditions, then select ‘Yes’

6. Select the annual fee transactions you would like waived

7. Check your fee waiver request details

8. You will see an acknowledgment screen where you can check the status of your fee waiver request

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UOB Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

Important: Besides the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX (min. S$50,000 spent per membership year) and the UOB EVOL (min. 3 transactions per month each month of a membership year), UOB automatically deducts your UNI$ from your rewards balance! It’s usually at 6,500UNI$ and that’s A LOT.

Thankfully, you can request a fee waiver via the TMRW app:

1. Go to the UOB TMRW app
2. Tap Accounts
3. Select the card you wish to request a fee waiver for
4. Tap Settings, then Waive Fees
5. Select Annual Fee and confirm

You may do this within three months of being charged the annual fee.

Once you’re successful, there should be a crediting of new UNI$ which has a new two-year expiration time!

UOB Hotline:

If you want to call, you just have to dial: 1800 222 2121

That said, for those who’re new to the miles game, the UOB Preferred Platinum and UOB Lady’s card are hardly missed.

And for cashback chasers, the UOB Absolute Cashback card is one that you shouldn’t miss too.

Get yours today!

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Credit Cards With No Annual Fees

In Singapore, CIMB credit cards and cards like the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card and HSBC Revolution Credit Card come with no annual fees!

However, do make sure that your accounts are in good standing to enjoy zero annual fees on these credit cards.