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 |
| Chocolate Finance + HeyMax | 0.25% spread | Best for school fee, taxes & AXS payments etc. Capped at 1000SGD per month | Chocolate Finance sign up HeyMax sign up |
Important
No annual fee and minimum spending!
Miles Strategy as a Student
Important
In my opinion, a miles card isn’t worthwhile unless you spend at least $500 a month on eligible purchases and are aiming for premium flights.
Otherwise, it takes a long time to accumulate enough miles, and their value tends to be low. Especially if you’re content flying budget airlines like Scoot, which are often much cheaper than full-service carriers like Singapore Airlines, even in economy.
| 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 ask for yearly fee wavier for Citi rewards card.
What role does Amaze play?
Starting from 10 March 2025, 1 % fee on every SGD transaction, minimum S$0.50 per transaction.
It converts all transactions, including in-person transactions, into online transactions, since some card rewards are only given for online transactions.