Best bank offers in Singapore (March 2024): Win a trip to Paris Olympics 2024, $148 Singapore Airlines flights, and more

Everybody loves credit card sign-up promotions, but not many of us realise the promotions don't end with a welcome gift. Banks actually shower us with tons of lifestyle deals and perks just for owning and using their credit cards or debit cards.

Once in a while, we even get super exclusive deals like priority early access to concert tickets — everyone's been talking about the exclusive Taylor Swift deal that Singapore scored, but let's not forget the UOB pre-sale in 2023 that saw an onslaught of Swifties flood them.

Here's a look at all the ongoing bank offers and deals in Singapore that you can enjoy with your credit card or simply with your banking app, including lucky draws, cashback or gift promotions, and flight deals.

Bank offers in Singapore: Giveaways, rebates and more

HSBC: Visa Olympic Games Paris 2024 Lucky Draw

Dive into the heart of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 excitement with HSBC and Visa. You could be jetting off on an exhilarating, all-expenses-paid adventure for two, worth a whopping USD26,000 (S$34,800)!

Here’s what you'll win:

• Tickets to the athletics on Aug 10, 2024 and the closing ceremony on Aug 11, 2024, at the Stade de France
• All-day access to the HSBC Visa lounge serving drinks and snacks
• Four nights at a boutique hotel in Central Paris, including breakfast
• Welcome dinner in an iconic Parisian venue on the 1st night
• €200 Visa prepaid card and €30 Paris metro card, per person
• Business class return flights to Paris, and transfers to the hotel

Getting in on this action is as easy as a sprinter off the blocks. From now till April 15, 2024, simply apply, activate, and let your HSBC Visa Credit and Debit Cards take you closer to Paris with every purchase.

1. Register with the code PARIS by April 15, 2024 to make sure you’re in the race. 
2. Apply, activate and spend with your HBSC Visa Credit or Debit Card from now till April 15, 2024 to earn more chances. 

Mark your calendars for May 15, 2024, because that's when the lucky winners will be drawn. If you're one of them, you'll find out via registered mail by May 24, 2024. 

Ride for free with DBS/POSB debit cards

Bus and MRT costs are one of the expenses that creep up on you. You don't think much of paying $1.50 for a ride to the city via train… until you realise that you've spent about $100 on public transport by the end of the month.

DBS knows our struggles with such everyday expenses. So to help, they're giving customers $20 in transport rebates on bus and MRT rides till April 30, 2024!

Nothing is really for free-you need to complete these easy steps to enjoy the rebate.

1. Register on PayLah! from the 21st of each month. Go to the "Rewards" tab and join the "Ride for Free with DBS/POSB Debit Cards" promotion. You can also view your personalised spend goal here.
2. Pay for your groceries and shopping with your DBS/POSB Debit Cards and meet your spend goal.
3. Tap with your DBS/POSB Debit Card via SimplyGo to enjoy your rebates. It’ll be credited by the end of the following month and is capped at $20.

Rinse and repeat! Remember that the promotion is limited to the first 100,000 registrations and resets every month on the 21st, so register on DBS PayLah! as soon as possible.

CIMB: Free Samsonite Gritt Spinner

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On top of credit card sign-up promotions, banks also give customers gifts along the way simply for charging spending to their credit cards. CIMB is one such bank.

From now till April 30, 2024, charge a minimum of $4,000 to your CIMB credit card to redeem a complimentary Samsonite Gritt Expandable Spinner or Samsonite Gritt Spinner 2-piece set. Both gift options come in a sleek matte finish and are equipped with a TSA combination lock, a double tube trolley system, and smooth double wheel for maximum security and comfort.

Tier	Qualifying spend amount	Gift	Eligibility
A	Minimum of S$4,000 in a single eligible transaction	Samsonite Gritt Expandable Spinner 24”, available in blue (worth S$600)	Cardmembers are eligible to receive the gift from only 1 tier.
B	Minimum of S$5,888 in a single eligible transaction	Samsonite Gritt Spinner 2-piece set (20” Luggage in Dark Grey & 24” Expandable Luggage in Orange) (worth S$1,060)

Bank offers in Singapore: Travel

There’s no shortage of airfare discounts from banks like DBS, Citibank, HSBC and more. I’ve trawled through their promotion pages to summarise them here.

5% off EVA Air with HSBC, Citibank, DBS and more

Get five per cent off round-trip flights (or 2.5 per cent for one-way trips) to selected destinations on EVA Air with your HSBC, Citibank, DBS/POSB, OCBC or Maybank card. There’s no promo code, just go to the respective landing page to get your five per cent discount:

• 5 per cent off EVA Air with HSBC
• 5 per cent off EVA Air with Citibank
• 5 per cent off EVA Air with DBS/POSB
• 5 per cent off EVA Air with OCBC
• 5 per cent off EVA Air with Maybank

Book your flight by Dec 31, 2024 and fly anytime from now till Dec 31, 2025.

There is a small catch — you can only enjoy this deal if you're flying from Singapore to these cities:

• Asia: China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea and Taipei
• Europe: Amsterdam, London, Milan, Munich, Paris and Vienna
• North America: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto
• Australia: Brisbane

This deal is also perfect if you’re travelling with your kids because the discount applies to adult, child, and infant fares.

Citibank flight promotions (2024)

Here's a summary of Citibank's ongoing flight promotions in 2024.

Citibank airfare promotion	Departing from/Destination	Booking period	Travel period
Up to 10per cent off on Emirates	Singapore to Melbourne	Now till 31 Jul 2024	Now till 31 Aug 2024
Up to 8per cent off China Airlines (6per cent after 1 May 2024)	Selected destinations in North East Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South East Asia and more	Now till 31 Dec 2024	Now till 31 Dec 2025
10per cent off with Fiji Airways with promo code ‘VISA2023’	Departing from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong	Now till 30 Apr 2024	Now till 14 May 2024
$100 off Royal Brunei Airlines with promo code CITI100	Singapore to Brunei, Melbourne, Dubai, London	Now till 31 Mar 2024	Now till 31 Oct 2024
$40 off Royal Brunei Airlines with promo code CITI40	Singapore to Brunei, Tokyo, Beijing, Nanning
Up to 10per cent off on Japan Airlines	Singapore to Japan	Now till 31 Mar 2024	Now till 30 Sep 2024

Book your flights with the Citi PremierMiles Card to earn Citi Miles that never expire.

DBS flight promotions (2024)

From complimentary luggage bags to 10 per cent off airfares, DBS has a lot of ongoing flight promotions:

DBS airfare promotion	Departing from/Destination	Booking period	Travel period
Up to 6 per cent off China Airlines	Selected destinations in North East Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South East Asia and more	Now till 31 Dec 2024	No restrictions
Up to 10 per cent off Korean Air with the promo code KEDBS2024	Incheon (Korea), selected destinations in Japan and China	Now till 11 May 2024	Now till 14 Nov 2024
10 per cent off Qantas or British Airways with promo code FLYDBS	Qantas operated flights from Singapore to Australia, New Zealand, London plus eligible British Airways flights from London to the United Kingdom or Europe.	Now till 31 Dec 2024	Now till 31 Dec 2025
$150/$100/8 per cent off flight bookings on KLM	Discount varies by destination and plane seat classes.	Now till 31 Dec 2024	No restrictions
$100 off Economy and Premium Economy/Comfort class flight bookings on Air France (promo code: AFKLXDBS24)	Singapore to Europe, USA, Canada, Central and South America	Now till 31 Dec 2024	No restrictions
$150 off Business class flight bookings on Air France (promo code: AFKLDBSBIZ)
Up to 10 per cent off Qatar Airways with promo code DBSQR23	From Singapore to selected destinations.	Now till 31 Mar 2024	Now till 15 Jun 2024

The DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card is a great travel buddy. Pay for your travel expenses with it to earn up to 10 Miles per $1 in the form of Miles for Life! DBS Points that never expire.

UOB flight promotions (2024)

UOB airfare promotion	Departing from/Destination	Booking period	Travel period
10 per cent off Qantas or British Airways with promo code FLYUOB	Qantas operated flights from Singapore to Australia, New Zealand, London plus eligible British Airways flights to Europe when flying from Singapore to London	Now till 31 Dec 2024	Now till 31 Dec 2025
Up to 10 per cent off Qatar Airways with promo code UOBQR23	From Singapore to selected destinations.	Now till 31 Mar 2024	Now till 15 Jun 2024
Up to 8 per cent off China Airlines	From Singapore to selected destinations in Japan, South Korea, North America, Canada, and Europe.	Now till 31 Dec 2024	Now till 31 Dec 2025
Up to 10 per cent off Fiji Airways for UOB Visa cardmembers with promo code VISA2023	To Fiji or transiting in Fiji from Singapore, Narita (Japan), Hong Kong and selected cities in Australia and New Zealand.	Now till 14 May 2024	Now till 14 May 2024
Up to 10 per cent off Emirates with promo code SGUOB01	From Singapore to various destinations.	Now till 30 Jun 2024	Now till 31 Jul 2024

View all of UOB's flight deals.

Although the UOB flight deals above don’t have any for Singapore Airlines, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is a great way to earn KrisFlyer Miles on your Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Scoot, KrisShop, and Kris+ purchases.

OCBC flight promotions (2024)

OCBC airfare promotion	Departing from/Destination	Booking period	Travel period
10 per cent off Qantas or British Airways with promo code FLYOCBC	Qantas operated flights from Singapore to Australia, New Zealand, London plus eligible British Airways flights from London to the United Kingdom or Europe.	Now till 31 Dec 2024	Now till 31 Dec 2025
Flight deals from $148 on Singapore Airlines	Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and more.	Now till 21 Mar 2024	Selected periods from now till 31 Jan 2025
Up to 10 per cent off Emirates flights with promo code SGOCBC1	10per cent off flights from Singapore to Melbourne; 5–10per cent  off flights from Singapore to other Emirates destinations	Now till 31 Oct 2024	Now till 30 Nov 2024

Although the OCBC 90°N Card is OCBC’s signature miles card, I suggest you check out the OCBC INFINITY Cashback Card for the highest unlimited cashback rate with no minimum spend in town at 1.8 per cent — for a limited time only.

Maybank flight promotions (2024)

Maybank doesn't have as many airfare promotions as the banks above, but it's got a good deal for flights on Qatar Airways.

Enjoy 10 per cent off Convenience/Comfort fares and up to seven per cent off Classic fares when you purchase your plane ticket using your Maybank credit card or debit card. 

You don't necessarily need to fly from Singapore — Malaysia,  Philippines, Indonesia or Cambodia also work for this discount. There's also a long list of destinations you can fly to-view the full list.

Book your trip using the promotion code MBQR23 by March 31, 2024 and travel by June 15, 2024.

Make the most of your travel spending by charging your air ticket to the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature card. You'll earn 3.2 air miles (8X TREATS Points) for every S$1 spent on air tickets and foreign currency transactions!

Credit card privilege programmes in Singapore

If you own a credit card, you're entitled to dining, travel, and other lifestyle offers you may not even know about. Each bank has their own privilege programme or deals catalogue that makes claiming a deal as easy as applying a promo code or claiming a voucher on your banking app. 

These differ from rewards programmes that let you redeem gifts using points accumulated from your credit card spending — for example, redeeming a $5 NTUC voucher with 100 points. Here, we're talking about catalogues of deals and promotions that you have the privilege of accessing simply because you have a credit card with that bank — for example, showing your credit card at a restaurant to enjoy a 1-for-1 offer on all main courses.

Here's a list of credit card promotion/privilege programmes in Singapore for UOB, DBS, and more. 

UOB: UOB Rewards+

UOB Rewards+ is the UOB rewards programme that all UOB Cardmembers are entitled to. It also claims to be the largest rewards catalogue in Singapore. So if you have a UOB card, make sure you download the UOB TMRW app to browse all deals. You can also view dining deals at The Dining Advisor.

Standard Chartered: The Good Life

The Good Life Privileges is a deals and rewards programme open to anyone with a Standard Chartered credit or debit card (or both).

Citibank: Citi World Privileges

Citi World Privileges is full of deals for not just the rest of the world while you’re on holiday, but when you’re back home in Singapore too.

DBS privileges and offers

DBS may not have a fancy schmancy name for their credit card offers programme, but they’ve still got a ton of good deals you should check out.

American Express: Love Dining and Chillax

Amex Platinum cards aren’t the most accessible, but give you access to tons of dining deals and privileges. Check out their Love Dining deals for offers at restaurants and hotels, and their Chillax programme 1-for-1 drink offers and welcome cocktails at bars around the island.

HSBC credit card promotions and deals

Like DBS, HSBC doesn’t have a dedicated name for their HSBC credit card promotions programme. An HSBC credit card also gives you access to standard offers on The Entertainer with HSBC, although only selected cards give you premium offers.

OCBC credit card promotions

Another nameless programme, OCBC’s credit card promotions and deals span across food, fashion, health and many other categories.

Maybank credit card promotions

The Maybank credit card promotions are all listed online, but don’t forget to change the filter to see the promotions you want. Categories include: dining, beauty, travel, wellness, shopping, and more. There doesn’t seem to be a way to see all categories at once.

CIMB credit card promotions

Check out CIMB’s credit card deals across categories like dining, travel and lifestyle, e-commerce, and beauty and wellness. You can also select "near me" to see deals based on your location.

ALSO READ: 4 key questions to ask yourself before signing up for a credit card

This article was first published in MoneySmart.