Standard Chartered Unlimited vs Spree – Which To Choose?

Last updated on June 17th, 2021

Standard Chartered has 2 different cashback cards: Spree and Unlimited.

How are they different and which one should you choose?

Here’s what you need to know:

The difference between Standard Chartered Unlimited and Spree

Both the Standard Chartered Unlimited and Spree cards are cashback credit cards. They mainly differ in terms of the cashback that you receive, as well as the cashback limit.

Here is an in-depth comparison between these 2 cards:

Cashback and limits

Both of these cards have the same kind of rewards, which is cashback.

For every eligible transaction that you make, you will receive a percentage of it at the end of the month!

However, how their cashback benefits work is slightly different:

Standard Chartered Unlimited has a flat 1.5% cashback

For any eligible transaction you make with the Standard Chartered Unlimited card, you will earn a flat 1.5% rate.

There is no minimum spend required to start receiving the cashback. So long as you make any eligible transaction, you will be able to receive the cashback!

This is also similar to the Standard Chartered JumpStart debit card.

Moreover, there is no limit to the cashback that you can earn! You will continue to earn cashback with every eligible transaction you make.

Standard Chartered Spree has different tiers of cashback

In contrast, the Standard Chartered Spree card has different tiers of cashback, rather than a flat rate:

Type of Transaction	CashBack
Eligible Foreign Currency Online Transactions	3%
vPost Transactions	3%
Eligible Local Currency Online Transactions, contactless and mobile payments	2%
Eligible Local Currency Transactions	1%

Here are the definitions of the different transactions:

Category	Definition
Foreign Currency Online Transactions	Online transactions charged in a foreign currency
vPost Transactions	Eligible transactions on vPost with the merchant description “PAYPAL *VPOST” , “VPOST SHIPPING”, “VPOST SHIPPING SERVICE
Local Currency Online Transactions, contactless and mobile payments	Online transactions charged in SGD Transactions made with mobile wallets Contactless transactions
Eligible Local Currency Transactions	Any other eligible transactions that do not fall in the other categories

The reason why vPost transactions has such high cashback is because Singpost is a partner of the Spree card.

You are able to add your Spree card to any mobile wallets to earn the 2% cashback as well! This includes:

1. Google Pay
2. Apple Pay
3. Samsung Pay
4. Fave

It may not be worth spending in foreign currency to get that 3% cashback

When you are using foreign currency for online transactions, don’t forget to take note of the FX fees you’ll incur!

According to this document by Standard Chartered, you will be charged a 3.5% foreign currency fee.

Moreover if you choose the Dynamic Currency Conversion, you will still incur a 1% fee!

To get the 3% cashback, you are charged with a 3.5% fee. As such, it is not recommended that you should spend in a foreign currency, just to get the cashback!

If you spend a lot of money in foreign currencies, you may want to consider a multi-currency card instead, such as:

1. MCO Visa Card
2. BigPay
3. YouTrip

Spree’s cashback is capped at $60 monthly

The cashback you earn from Standard Chartered Spree is capped at $60.

Assuming you only earn the 2% cashback, the maximum you can spend each month with the card is $3,000!

This is because majority of the transactions that you make will fall in the 2% tier.

If you are wondering how contactless payments like Visa payWave differ from NETS, you can check out my comparison of these payment methods.

Both have similar transactions that are not eligible for cashback

Both cards are Standard Chartered cashback cards. As such, there are certain transactions that do not qualify as a cashback transaction.

Some examples include:

1. Cash advances
2. Credit Card Funds Transfer
3. Monthly instalment of EasyPay transactions
4. Top-ups to EZ-Link, FlashPay or PayPal
5. Transactions with certain Merchant Category Codes

Eligibility

Both cards have the same eligibility criteria before you can apply for either card:

Condition	Definition
Age	21-65 years
Minimum Annual Income	Residents and PR ($30k) Foreigners with Employment Passes ($60k)

If you want to apply for a supplementary card, you will need to at least be 18 years old.

This criteria is the standard for most credit cards in Singapore.

Other rewards

Besides the cashback reward, here are some other offers you can get with both cards:

SC EasyBill

You are able to receive extra rewards when you pay your bills, including:

1. Rental Payments
2. Insurance Premium Payments
3. Latest tax payable to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS)
4. Education Institution Payments

You can find out more about this promotion on Standard Chartered’s website.

SC EasyPay

You are able to convert your bill payments into instalment plans which are 3-12 months long with this feature.

However, you’ll need to pay a fee to convert your bill payment to an instalment! This usually costs around 5% of your entire bill.

0% Interest Instalment Plan

If you spend more than $500 on selected merchants, you are eligible for a 0% interest instalment plan from 6-24 months.

One example of a selected merchant is the Apple store.

However, there are many terms and conditions that may apply for this benefit!

Exclusive deals (The Good Life)

Standard Chartered has exclusive deals for both credit and debit card holders under The Good Life programme.

You are able to get deals from certain merchants when you pay using your Standard Chartered card!

However, some of the deals may be only limited to either Visa or Mastercard cards.

This is something to take note since the Unlimited card is a Mastercard, while the Spree card is a Visa card!

Card-specific rewards

There are also some exclusive deals for each card:

Double cashback for Unlimited card with Unlimited$aver account

If you open an Unlimited$aver account with Standard Chartered and link it to your Unlimited credit card, you can receive 3% cashback instead of 1.5%!

However, you’ll need to maintain at least $100k in this bank account!

Moreover, the interest rate is 0% which does not make this promotion really worth it!

The extra cashback is only capped at $100 too.

As such, there is quite a bit of limitations for this promotion.

Exclusive privileges for Spree card

You are able to get exclusive privileges when you shop at certain shops with your Spree card, such as:

1. Lock + Store
2. vPost
3. Smartpac
4. Singapore Post

Overall, these benefits may not really be that useful. However if you use these services frequently, they are definitely an added bonus!

Charges

Here are the charges you’ll need to pay for both cards:

Fee	Amount
Annual Fee	$192.60 (Waived for first 2 years)
Annual Fee (Supplementary Card)	Free (up to 5 cards)
Finance Charges	Min. 26.9% p.a. effective interest rate
Cash Advance	6%
Late Payment Charges	$100 (if minimum payment not received by due date)

Both cards have similar fees since they are offered by Standard Chartered.

Verdict

Here is a comparison between the Standard Chartered Unlimited and Spree cards:

	Unlimited	Spree
Payment Network	Mastercard	Visa
Cashback	1.5%	1%-3% (depending on transaction)
Minimum Spend	None	None
Cashback Limit	None	$60
Other Rewards	Double cashback with Unlimited$aver	Exclusive privileges with certain shops
Annual Fee	$192.60	$192.60
Annual Fee Waiver	First 2 years	First 2 years

Both of these cards are very similar. So which one should you choose?

Choose Unlimited if you spend more than $4,000 a month

If you spend more than $4,000 a month, then the Standard Chartered Unlimited card may be more suitable for you.

This is because it has no cap on the 1.5% you can earn!

With the 1.5% cashback, you will get $60 cashback when you spend $4,000. This is similar to the cap for the Spree card.

If you spend more than $4,000 a month, then the Unlimited card is more suitable for you. This card will allow you to receive more than the $60 you can get with the Spree card.

Choose Spree if you spend less than $3,000 a month

The Spree card has a higher 2% cashback for:

1. Local online transactions
2. Contactless payments
3. Mobile wallet payments

This will most probably be the type of transactions that you’ll make most of the time.

Spree’s cashback is capped at $60. This means that you can only spend up to $3,000 each month to fully benefit from the cashback.

Once you hit the $3,000 mark, you may want to use another card to receive more benefits.

You can even use the Unlimited card to get 1.5% cashback on your spending that exceeds $3,000!

If your spending is less than $3,000, then the Spree card will be more useful due to the higher cashback rate.

Conclusion

Both credit cards are really attractive as they do not have a minimum spend requirement to receive the cashback.

Due to the Spree card’s cashback limit, the card that you choose depends on your spending habits:

1. Unlimited card if you spend more than $4,000 a month
2. Spree card if you spend less than $3,000 a month

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Standard Chartered Unlimited

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