Quick Answer
Use the card whose bonus conditions this purchase still meets. In the example, a S$120 online order earns 480 miles on a made-up 4 mpd online card. A 1.2 mpd everyday card earns 144 miles. Three things decide if the bonus applies: how you pay, the category the bank gives it and your cap left this month.
The Useful Number: On a S$120 online order, a made-up 4 mpd card earns 480 miles. A 1.2 mpd card earns 144 miles. That is 3.3 times as many, until the monthly cap runs out.
What Three Conditions Decide A Headline Rate?
Miles cards advertise rates such as 4 miles per dollar (mpd). Each usually depends on how you pay (online, phone tap or card tap), what the bank thinks you bought and how much bonus spend you have used this month.
Miss one and the purchase can drop to 0.4 mpd. So at the checkout, ask which of your cards still qualifies for this purchase.
How Many Miles Does A S$120 Online Order Earn?
These rates are made up and describe no real card. On a S$120 online order, a 4 mpd online card earns 480 miles and a 1.2 mpd everyday card earns 144.
But say you have used S$950 of the online card’s S$1,000 monthly bonus cap. Only S$50 earns 4 mpd and S$70 earns 0.4 mpd: about 228 miles, still above 144 but less than half the 480. Track the cap.
- S$120 Online Order
- S$50 At 4 mpd (Cap Left): 200 miles
- S$70 At 0.4 mpd: 28 miles
- Total, Against 480 Uncapped: About 228 miles
Data as of . Source: MoneySense — Managing Your Money.
Who Decides Which Category A Purchase Falls Into?
Banks award bonuses by merchant category code (MCC) and how you paid, not the shop’s name. One brand can code differently in store, online and in an app. Paying from a wallet balance usually counts as a top-up, not a purchase.
Minimum spends, statement or calendar-month caps, per-transaction rounding and excluded categories such as insurance, education and top-ups all change the result. Rules change often, so check the date beside each card’s terms and the tool page’s dated list of rule changes.
How Do You Keep Track Of Monthly Caps?
Save your regular spends once and enter what you have charged this month; the plan shows where each cap runs out. Check your first statement to confirm the bonus came through.
Only compare cards you already hold. For a new card, use the credit-card comparison and read the bank’s terms first. Pay every statement in full: interest outweighs any miles.
Quick Check
Three statements from this guide. Tap True or False to check what you have read. Nothing is saved.
Card 1 Of 3
The shop’s name decides whether a purchase earns bonus miles.
Why? Card 1 Of 3
The same brand can code differently in store, online and in an app. Check your statement after the first month to confirm the bonus came through.
Card 2 Of 3
With S$950 of a S$1,000 monthly cap used, the S$120 order earns about 228 miles on the 4 mpd card.
Why? Card 2 Of 3
That still beats the everyday card’s 144 miles, but it is less than half the 480 miles shown before the cap ran out.
Card 3 Of 3
Paying from a wallet balance usually counts as a purchase for card bonuses.
Why? Card 3 Of 3
Excluded categories such as insurance, education and top-ups change the result. Rules change often, so check the date beside each card’s terms.
Your Score
Pick One Of Your Own Cards For A Purchase
Tick the cards you hold, and pick what you are buying and how you pay. See the cap and condition behind each estimate.
Which Card Here? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Shop’s Name Decide Whether I Earn Bonus Miles?
No.
Banks award bonuses by the merchant category code and how you paid, not by the shop’s name. The same brand can code differently in store, online and in an app. Check your statement after the first month.
What Happens When A Monthly Bonus Cap Runs Out?
Spend above the cap earns the base rate.
In the example, S$950 of a S$1,000 monthly cap is already used. Only S$50 of the order earns the bonus rate. The rest earns 0.4 mpd, giving about 228 miles instead of 480.
Should I Apply For A New Card To Earn More Miles?
This tool only compares cards you already hold, and it does not recommend a card.
Thinking about a new one? Use the credit-card comparison and read the bank’s terms first. Pay every statement in full, because interest outweighs any miles.
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Sources & Assumptions
- DBS — Woman’s Card Terms And Conditions ↗
- UOB — Preferred Visa Card Terms And Conditions ↗
- Citibank — Citi Rewards 10X Terms And Conditions ↗
- MoneySense — Managing Your Money ↗
Sources checked 28 September 2026. These are examples only. Check the stated assumptions and limits before you use a result.
Rates are made up to show how it works. We recommend no card, and this guide is not financial advice. The merchant’s payment processor and the bank decide category codes. Check current terms with your bank.