How to fulfill the salary requirement as a student?
Most credit cards require you to have a minimum yearly salary of 30k. As a student, you can meet this requirement by taking an internship that pays you 2.5k and above that give CPF contributions. Just one month of CPF contribution will allow you to apply for those credit cards!
Cashback Strategy as a Student
| Card | Benefits | Foreign Transaction Fee | Key Features | Referral Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maribank Credit Card | 1.7% cashback for Shopee & 5% cashback in coins for Shopee purchases | 3% foreign transaction fee | Best for local spending and Shopee purchases, but cannot be used on SimplyGo | 3ZXJ62TK |
| Tiger Debit Card | 1% cashback in Nvidia shares for spending | 0.25% spread | Ideal for overseas transactions, no foreign transaction fee, can be used on SimplyGo | Tiger account sign up Tiger debit card sign up |
| Trust Card | Unlimited withdrawals for overseas money withdrawals | 0.25% spread | Best for overseas money withdrawals, no foreign transaction fee | XG3BKJ15 |
Important
No annual fee and minimum spending!
Miles Strategy as a Student
Important
In my opinion, I feel the miles card isn’t worth it if you don’t spend much per month, like at least five hundred dollars that qualify for miles rewards, and are okay with cheap flights like Scoot. This is because it takes much longer to accumulate miles, and the value of miles decreases significantly, as cheap flights are much cheaper, even in economy class, compared to Singapore Airlines, for example.
| Card | Benefits | Foreign Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amaze + Citi Rewards Strategy | 4 MPD & Amaze reward points | 2.5% foreign transaction fee | Spending capped at SGD 1000 for rewards, ideal for accumulating miles over time, high exchange cost for overseas spending |
Important
No minimum spending! You can for yearly fee wavier for Citi rewards card.
What role does Amaze play?
It converts all transactions, including in-person transactions, into online transactions, since some card rewards are only given for online transactions.