CardsPal Reviews – Save more on big-ticket items! Best credit cards for your vacation, wedding, reno and more

CardsPal Reviews – Save more on big-ticket items! Best credit cards for your vacation, wedding, reno and more

 

Is the HSBC Revolution Credit Card or the UOB PRIV Miles AMEX Credit Card more suitable for you? 

Big milestones in your life come with big changes and often big purchases. Planning for your wedding, renovating your home, or making other decisions that may take a significant amount from your funds?  

Minimise that dent in your wallet by using cards that give you the maximum amount of rewards! When a greater amount of spend is at stake, choosing the right payment card becomes more crucial than ever. 

This time, we compare the HSBC Revolution Credit Card against the UOB PRVI Miles American Express Card. 

Eager to find out which can give you more perks and benefits? Let’s find out! 

 

UOB PRIV Miles American Express Credit Card HSBC Revolution Credit Card

Which is better?

Miles earn rate 1.4 miles per $1 spend locally

20k loyalty miles awarded with min. $50k spend a year

6 miles per $1 spend on major airlines and hotels worldwide
10X Reward points (4 miles per $1) on online purchases and contactless payment

1X reward point for every S$1 on all other spending
UOB PRIV Miles American Express Credit Card

Cap on miles or reward points None Cap of 10,000 reward points per month
UOB PRIV Miles American Express Credit Card
Minimum monthly spend $0 $0 Draw
Card privileges Travel Insurance – Complimentary personal accident coverage and emergency medical assistance of up to $500k Free ENTERTAINER pass

Travel insurance: up to $300k coverage when you charge travel expenses to card
UOB PRIV Miles American Express Credit Card

Welcome promo for new to card customers
(T&Cs apply)
Receive S$300 cash credit
(For first 100 new-to-UOB credit cardmembers, till 31 Oct 2021)
$30 when you apply with Myinfo via Singpass

$50 cashback by making 1 qualifying transaction

$120 cashback with min. $500 spend
UOB PRIV Miles American Express Credit Card



Annual fee S$256.80, waived for the first year

None HSBC Revolution Credit Card
Annual interest rate 25% 25.90% UOB PRIV Miles American Express Credit Card

Late payment fee S$90 S$55 HSBC Revolution Credit Card
Card association American Express

Visa Draw

Wireless payment Apple Pay
Google Pay
Samsung Pay
Visa Contactless
Apple Pay
Samsung Pay
Google Pay
HSBC Revolution Credit Card

Annual supplementary card fee $128.40 yearly None HSBC Revolution Credit Card

Income requirement For Singapore Citizens and Residents, a minimum income of over S$30,000 p.a.

For Expatriates, a minimum income of over S$80,000 p.a.

For Singapore Citizens and Residents, a minimum income of over S$30,000 p.a.

For Expatriates, a minimum income of over S$40,000 p.a.



HSBC Revolution Credit Card

If you have a monthly expenditure of over $4,170 charged to the card, and are focused on racking up miles… 

You can count on the UOB PRIV Miles AMEX Credit Card.

When looking at the two cards, it may seem that UOB PRIV Miles American Express Credit Card’s miles earn rate of up to 1.4 miles per $1 spend is significantly lower than that of HSBC Revolution Credit Card, at 4 miles per $1 Spend.  

However, the game changer comes for cardholders who spend at least $50k per year, which breaks down to about $4,170 per month charged to the card. If you belong in this group, congratulations! You’ll receive a bonus of 20k loyalty miles in addition to the miles accumulated from your spend. Best part? There’s no cap on miles earned. 

For those planning a renovation or wedding that costs an average of $30,000 to $50,000, charge it to the card to easily hit the benchmark! 

Kdrama and Kpop fans, all set to jet off to South Korea for a vacation? Earn 6 miles for every $1 spent on major airlines and hotels! You’ll also be thrilled with the comprehensive travel insurance offered – complimentary personal accident coverage and emergency medical assistance of up to $500,000. 

The bottom line: Pick this if you anticipate spending at least $50,000 per year and have travel plans in the future. 

If you’re looking for a well-rounded card with fewer card fees, that also double up as an everyday card… 

We’d recommend the HSBC Revolution Credit Card instead.

The 10X reward points perk, on online payments and future travel bookings, is the show-stopper of this card. Imagine getting a furniture haul from online marketplaces and the reward points you could earn! This card is also ideal for booking flights for your next vacation (so many vaccinated travel lanes opening soon!).  

With no annual fees and no supplementary card fees charged, and a lower late payment fee, there are fewer fees that offset the rewards you chalk up with the card. In general, this is a fuss-free card with no spend limit and super straightforward bonus points categories. 

Expatriates, this card also requires a minimum income of just over $40,000 per year, as compared to the $80,000 stipulated by the UOB PRIV Miles American Express Credit Card! 

For everyday use, the 10X rewards points can be earned from food deliveries as well, and payments through the widely accepted Visa payWave. For every other types of spending,  there’s 1x reward point.  

The bottom line: Pick this if your spend on food and online shopping is consistently $1,000 or more, prefer contactless payment, and love easy tracking and redemption of rewards points. 

Real-life situations to help you decide better: 

Monthly spend amount Cashback from
UOB PRIV Miles AMEX Card

Cashback from
HSBC Revolution Credit Card

Which is better?

$900 airline ticket (online) 900 x 1.4 miles = 1,260 miles

900 x 10 =
9,000 points
HSBC Revolution Credit Card
$2,000 on electronic appliances 2,000 x 1.4 miles = 2,800 miles

2,000 x 10 = 20,000 points

(Capped at 10,000 per month)
HSBC Revolution Credit Card
$10,000 on home décor and furniture for your home 10,000 x 1.4 miles miles = 14,000 miles 10,000 x 10 = 100,000 points

(Capped at 10,000)
UOB PRIV Miles AMEX Card

$40,000 on your wedding 40,000 x 1.4 miles = 56,000 miles
40,000 x 10 miles = 400,000 points

(Capped at 10,000)
UOB PRIV Miles AMEX Card

$50,000 on renovation works 50,000 x 1.4 miles miles = 70,000 miles

+20,000 bonus miles

Total: 90,000 miles
50,000 x 10 miles = 500,000 points

(Capped at 10,000)

UOB PRIV Miles AMEX Card

Fun fact: You can get 2 return tickets from Singapore to Seoul, with Singapore Airlines, with a redemption of 4,312 miles per pax.   

That $50,000 reno spend can hence power a free trip for 2 to South Korea! 

As such, it boils down to the amount of your purchase. For spends of $2,000 and below, the HSBC Revolution card would chalk up more rewards. However, any spend amount above that would mean that reward points are capped at a maximum of 10,000, making the UOB PRIV Miles AMEX credit card your better card. 

An ardent supporter of the HSBC Revolution card? Pay for your big purchases in installments in order to chalk up points without hitting the maximum cap! 

Maximize Your Rewards with CardsPal     

Looking for other ways to earn privileges with your credit card? Don’t worry! In fact, some cards allow you to be rewarded without paying a dime for your annual fees. Read here to find out more. Furthermore, read about common credit card mistakes that lower your credit score here.  

Your credit card also offers deals and discounts at different restaurants and shops where you can enjoy savings upfront. Can’t keep track of the perks that come with your cards? Check out our Cardculator to view card recommendations in 3 categories to give you the best cashback for your spending. 

On top of that, CardsPal is an all-in-1 deal discovery platform, showing you the best deals for dining, retail, entertainment and more, wherever you go. Merchant exclusive deals on the app offer in-store promotions plus discounts and rewards specially for our CardsPal users.  

Download the app on the App Store or Google Play Store now and get the latest deals, tailored according to the cards you own! 

 

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