If you love travelling, great travel benefits may be what you’re looking for in a credit card. Most banks in Singapore offer credit cards with great travel perks.
Two of these include Citi Prestige and OCBC Voyage. Both cards offer promising travel benefits and increased miles rewards for purchases made during travel.
Here’s how each card can benefit you.
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The difference between Citi Prestige and OCBC Voyage
Both Citi Prestige and OCBC Voyage offer miles rewards for all local and foreign spending, which can be converted to miles of their partner mileage programs. However, they slightly differ in their miles per dollar rate for these purchases.
They both also offer complimentary airport, hotel, and transport benefits, but other complimentary benefits may differ.
Below are the rewards and travel benefits you can enjoy from each card.
Miles per Dollar
Both Citi and OCBC offer a rate of 1.3miles/$1 spent locally.
While Citi offers this for every dollar spent, OCBC offers this for every $5 spent.
For foreign currency spending, OCBC offers a higher rate of 2.2 miles/$1 spent on foreign currency which is also rewarded for every $5 spent. In comparison, Citi offers 2 miles/$1 spent rewarded for every dollar.
You may want to note that both Citi and OCBC list several exclusions from their miles rewards as listed in Citi’s Exclusion Terms & Conditions and OCBC Voyage’s Terms & Conditions.
Here is a summary of the miles rewards rate for each card.
| Citi Prestige | OCBC Voyage | |
|---|---|---|
| Local Spending | 1.3 miles/$1 | 1.3 miles/$1 |
| Foreign Spending | 2 miles/$1 | 2.2 miles/$1 |
| Increments | Rewarded for every $1 | Rewarded for every $5 |
Minimum Spend
While both Citi Prestige and OCBC Voyage do not require a minimum spend amount for their miles rewards, OCBC only rewards miles for purchases in increments of $5.
Maximum Reward Cap
Both Citi and OCBC also do not have a reward cap. This means you can earn points as long as you keep using your card!
Reward Points Expiry
Aside from offering no reward cap, you can also keep your rewards for both Citi Prestige and OCBC Voyage for as long as you like and redeem them whenever you want as they both offer rewards with no expiry.
Rewards Redemption
With either Citi Prestige or OCBC Voyage, you can redeem your miles rewards for vouchers from their long list of partners from the following:
- Dining
- Shopping
- Travel
- Rebates/Annual Fee Credit
Citi has a wider range of partner programs where you can convert your ThankYou points or miles to. You can convert 10,000 Citi miles for 10,000 miles of the following mileage programs:
| Citi’s Partner Mileage Programs |
|---|
| Asia Miles |
| British Airways Executive Club |
| Etihad Guest |
| Eva Air Infinity MileageLands |
| Flying Blue |
| IHG Rewards Club |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer |
In contrast, OCBC only offers transfer of VOYAGE miles to KrisFlyer miles (1 VOYAGE mile = 1 KrisFlyer mile). However, whereas Citi allows conversion of their miles to the miles of their partner airlines, OCBC offers direct redemption of their miles for tickets from any airline.
Complimentary Benefits
Both Citi and OCBC offer unlimited complimentary access to VIP airport lounges around the world.
However, you may want to note that Citi offers free access to the primary cardholder and one guest through their Priority Pass, whereas OCBC offers free access only to the primary cardholder (additional guests above 2 years of age will have to pay US$36 each).
Citi also boasts over 1,000 partner airport lounges, while OCBC only has 80 partner airport lounges.
For a full list of lounges covered by Citi, you may log in to your Citi Priority Pass account and search for your desired location. To view the full list of airport lounges covered by OCBC, you may view their Plaza Premium list.
Both Citi and OCBC also offer complimentary one-way limousine airport transfers when you reach their minimum spend amount. However, while Citi offers up to two rides per quarter, OCBC offers up to two rides per month. OCBC also has a lower minimum spend amount than Citi.
Here is a summary of the complimentary airport transfer services of each card.
| Citi Prestige | OCBC Voyage | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Complimentary Limousine Transfer | 2 one-way rides per quarter | 2 one-way rides per month |
| Minimum Spend to Unlock Limousine Transfer | $12,000 within the quarter | $5,000 within the month |
Citi offers complimentary hotel nights and golf games
Owning a Citi Prestige will also entitle you to one complimentary night when you book four consecutive nights at any hotel through Citi Prestige Concierge.
This means that you can earn back your payment for the fourth night in the form of a statement credit within your next two billing cycles.
Citi also partners with golf courses across Asia to provide complimentary games. You can participate in three local green fee rounds and three regional green fee rounds in participating golf clubs per year. This is surely a benefit if you’re a golfer as this is a total of six complimentary golf games per year!
Here is the list of participating golf clubs.
| Local | Regional |
|---|---|
| Sentosa Golf Club* | Mission Hills Golf Club |
| Sembawang Country Club | Dongguan Hillview Golf Club |
| Marina Bay Golf Course | Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club |
| Tropicana Golf & Country Resort | |
| Glenmarie Golf & Country Club | |
| Ria Bintan Golf Club | |
| Klub Golf Sukajadi |
* One accompanying paying guest is required to avail of the complimentary game
For a complete list of travel benefits, you may view Citi’s Terms & Conditions.
OCBC offers KrisFlyer administrative fee waiver, online purchase insurance, and fuel discount
Using OCBC Voyage will entitle you to a waiver of the $25 administrative fee when you convert your earned OCBC miles to Krisflyer miles.
Moreover, OCBC offers coverage for losses of up to US$1,000 per year when you purchase goods online using your Voyage card. The following instances are covered by the insurance:
- Non-delivery of the purchased item after 30 days of scheduled delivery
- Wrong or incomplete delivery of the purchased item
- Physical damage to the delivered item
This is through the eCommerce Purchase Protection of VISA.
Your OCBC Voyage card also entitles you to a 19% discount for fuel purchases from any Caltex station in Singapore when you use your card:
- Platinum 98 with Techron®
- Premium 95 with Techron®
- Regular 92 with Techron®
- Caltex Diesel with Techron® D
Here is a summary of the benefits of the two cards.
| Citi Prestige | OCBC Voyage |
|---|---|
| Access to airport lounges | Access to airport lounges |
| One-way limousine airport transfers | One-way limousine airport transfers |
| One-night credit for four consecutive nights at a hotel | Waiver of administrative fee when converting to KrisFlyer miles |
| Six golf games | Insurance for online purchases |
| Discount on Caltex fuel |
Eligibility
Citi and OCBC have the same requirements for credit card applicants.
| Citi Prestige | OCBC Voyage | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 21 years old | 21 years old |
| Minimum Annual Income | $120,000 | $120,000 |
The annual income requirement is much higher compared to other credit cards which have a minimum of $30,000, such as the Citi Rewards card.
Other Rewards
When your application for a Citi Prestige card gets approved, you are entitled to a bonus of 25,000 miles (62,500 ThankYou points) as a welcome gift. Paying the annual membership fee will also entitle you to another 25,000 miles. That’s 25,000 free miles a year!
On the other hand, paying for the annual membership fee of your OCBC Voyage will entitle you to a bonus of 15,000 miles.
In addition to this, applying for OCBC’s VOYAGE Payment Facility will entitle you to earn 1 VOYAGE mile for every $1 charged on your VOYAGE Payment Facility. This includes charges that are not covered by the rewards program of OCBC Voyage card!
Fees
Citi’s primary card requires a higher annual fee than OCBC’s, but there are no annual fees for Citi’s supplementary cards.
| Citi Prestige | OCBC Voyage | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee – Principal Card | $535 | $488 |
| Annual Fee – Supplementary Card | None | $188 (first two cards are waived for the first year) |
If you are an OCBC Voyage cardholder, you may also opt to upgrade your annual service fee to $3,210 for one year to receive a bonus of 150,000 VOYAGE miles. For subsequent years, you will be charged $488 and receive 15,000 miles/year.
OCBC offers a lower interest rate for credit card transactions, while Citi offers a lower rate for cash advance transactions.
| Citi Prestige | OCBC Voyage | |
|---|---|---|
| Interest – Card Transactions | 26.90% p.a. | 26.88% p.a. |
| Interest – Cash Advances | 26.90% p.a. | 28.92% p.a. |
Final Verdict
Both Citi Prestige and OCBC Voyage offer great miles per dollar and promising complimentary benefits.
With both cards having no minimum purchase amount required for rewards redemption (notwithstanding the $5 incremental reward system of OCBC), no rewards cap, and no rewards expiry, either card is a great choice.
Here is a summary of the rewards, benefits, and fees for each card.
| Citi Prestige | OCBC Voyage | |
|---|---|---|
| Miles per Dollar for Local Spending | 1.3 miles/$1 | 1.3 miles/$1 |
| Miles per Dollar for Foreign Spending | 2 miles/$1 | 2.2 miles/$1 |
| Exclusion Categories | Utilities Quasi-Cash/Financial Services Education Institutions Professional Services & Membership Organizations Government Services Nondurable Goods Other Miscellaneous | Tolls & Bridge Fees Utilities Medical Equipment & Supplies Quasi-Cash/Financial Services Education Institutions Professional Services & Membership Organizations Government Services Direct Marketing Insurance Nondurable Goods Other Miscellaneous |
| Minimum Purchase Amount to Unlock Rewards | None | None (but rewards are awarded for every $5 spent) |
| Maximum Rewards Cap | None | None |
| Rewards Expiry | None | None |
| Rewards Redemption | Citi Miles can be transferred to miles of 9 partner mileage programs | VOYAGE miles can be transferred to KrisFlyer miles only, but you can use VOYAGE miles to redeem any airline voucher |
| Complimentary Benefits | VIP Airport Lounges Airport Transfers Hotel Credit Golf Games | VIP Airport Lounges Airport Transfers KrisFlyer Administrative Fee Waiver Online Purchase Insurance Caltex Discount |
| Annual Fee | Primary – $535 Supplementary – None | Primary – $488 Supplementary – $188 |
| Bonus Miles upon Annual Fee Payment | 25,000 miles | 15,000 miles (annual fee can be upgraded for one year to receive additional miles) |
| Interest – Card Transactions | 26.90% p.a. | 26.88% p.a. |
| Interest – Cash Advances | 26.90% p.a. | 28.92% p.a. |
Citi Prestige is for the casual leisure traveller
If you travel abroad for leisure vacations once in a while, Citi Prestige is a good choice with its long list of VIP airport lounges that you can access all over the world. Casual travellers will benefit from Citi’s free airport transfer services of up to two per quarter and its one-night hotel credit for four consecutive nights of stay.
You can also transfer the bonus miles you earn every annual fee payment to miles of their partner airlines!
If you’re a golfer who enjoys travelling to play, Citi is surely a great choice with its six complimentary local and regional golf games per year!
OCBC Voyage is for the frequent business traveller
If you travel to different countries all over the world regularly, OCBC Voyage may be better for you as it offers two complimentary airport transfers per month. This is great if you travel once a month!
You can also redeem your VOYAGE miles for any airline ticket which makes it a good choice for frequent travellers. Plus, you can also waive the administrative fees when you transfer your miles to KrisFlyer Miles!
The additional benefits such as online purchase insurance of up to US$1,000 and the 19% discount from Caltex are also great for your everyday spending.
Although OCBC offers fewer bonus miles for your annual fee than Citi, you can upgrade your fee for one year and earn a whopping 150,000 miles. Note that these miles do not expire so you will be able to use them whenever you want!
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