For those of our readers who are into the miles game, you will know that the available mass market (those with the usual $30,000 annual income requirement) miles credit cards out there can be roughly split into two types
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General spending cards that give 1.1-1.4 MPD (Mile Per Dollar spent) on all local spend such as the DBS Altitude, Citi PremierMiles, UOB PRVI Miles, and AMEX Krisflyer/Ascend
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Specialist cards that give up to 3-4 MPD on specific categories such as the UOB PPV (contactless spend), DBS WWMC (online spend) and OCBC Titanium/Citi Rewards (shopping spend)
Adding to the already rather crowded and relatively undifferentiated space of general spending miles cards, OCBC just launched its latest offering in the mass market miles space, the OCBC 90°N Card.
With a pretty stylish looking card!
The Basics - 1.2 local MPD, 4.0 overseas MPD, no miles expiry, no miles redemption charges
The OCBC 90°N card offers terms that are very similar to the other general spending cards out there, but with some small differences that we would say make it slightly better than its competition for now.
| OCBC 90°N | DBS Altitude | Citi Premier Miles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Annual Income | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Annual Fee (First year waived) | $192.6 | $192.6 | $192.6 |
| MPD (Local) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| MPD (Foreign Currency) | 4.0 / 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Miles Expiry | No | No | No |
| Minimum block for miles transfer | 1,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Miles redemption fee | $0 | $26.75 | $25 |
| Complimentary Lounge Access | None | 2x Priority Pass | 2x Priority Pass |
While the local earning rate of 1.2 MPD is consistent with other similar cards, the 90°N Card does offer a promotional 4.0 MPD rate on overseas spend from now until 29 Feb 2020, after which it will return to the standard rate of 2.1 MPD.
For us, the key differentiator of the 90°N card is that it has no miles conversion fee and allows transfers in blocks of 1,000 miles - this will make it much easier for users to withdraw their miles since other similar cards typically charge a $25+ fee for withdrawals and require minimum blocks of 10,000 miles, which makes it really easy to have orphaned miles leftover (anything under 10,000 miles) after a withdrawal that go to waste if you stop using the card.
4 MPD on Singapore Airlines, 8MPD on travel bookings & Airbnb until 29 Feb 2020
In addition to the standard local and overseas spending miles award rate, the OCBC 90°N Card is also offering a promotional 4 MPD and 8 MPD rate on selected travel-related merchants from now until 29 Feb 2020
At these promotional rates, the OCBC 90°N Card is much better than the other cards that you may be using for your online bookings (such as 4 MPD on DBS WWMC), and is perfect for anyone who is planning to make any travel bookings over this second half of the year.
With a first year annual fee waiver and generous mile redemption policy, it makes sense to get this card even if simply for making a few travel bookings and then withdrawing your miles (for free) and going back to using your other cards.
Conclusion
While we would generally always recommend using the specialized miles cards to get 3-4m MPD on all your spending, the OCBC 90°N Card definitely has some especially strong merits for certain groups of our readers, such as those who are:
- currently using DBS Altitude, Amex KF, Citi PremierMiles
- planning to make large travel bookings in the next 6-8 months
- using the OCBC 360 Account and need an alternative to the OCBC Titanium card for getting miles on general spending
With its current promotional rates, the 90°N Card is generally better than its competition, but we would be really interested to know what the bonus miles awards for travel bookings after this initial promotional period to decide whether this card can indeed stand out from its competition over the long-term.
Learn more about the OCBC 90°N Card and apply for it here
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