How to use travel rewards to upgrade your staycays

As staycations are currently the only hassle-free option for a getaway, you may be looking at how you can make use of your credit card to offset some of the costs. In this case, travel credit cards are your best bet.

Not only do these credit cards often partner with hotels and travel portals to give you discounts on your bookings, you’ll also be able to earn and redeem hotel points and other travel rewards. Continue reading to find out how you make full use of your travel credit card to elevate your staycation in Singapore.

1. How to redeem hotel points for staycations in Singapore

Hotels in Singapore partner with certain credit cards that allow you to transfer miles earned into hotel points, which you can redeem to offset the cost of your stay. For instance, Citi PremierMiles and CitiBank Rewards cards have partnered with InterContinental Hotels Group, giving you the option of transferring your Citi Miles or ThankYou points into hotel points.

Before considering that option, you should determine whether it’s cost effective to transfer your miles into hotel points. To do so, calculate the reward redemption value, and compare that to the value per hotel point.

The easiest way to calculate the redemption value is to divide the dollar value of the reward by the number of points required to redeem it and multiply by 100 to convert dollars to cents. For example, if 15,000 points are required for a room rate of S$360, the cents per point (CPP) is 2.4. If the reward redemption value is less than the CPP of the hotel points, it wouldn’t be worth transferring.

Points Earned	Redemption Method	Redemption Total Value	CPP
15,000	Hotel points	$360	2.40
Hotel points	Cost	CPP
200,000	S$1,000	0.5

If the reward redemption value is less than the CPP of the hotel points, it wouldn’t be worth transferring miles to hotel points. Since hotel points are rare in Singapore, usually the best way to generate hotel points is to purchase them outright when they go on sale. For instance, IHG has previously run up to 100per cent bonus sales at U$1000 (S$1320) for 200,000 points, bringing the CPP down to US$0.50 (S$0.7).

2. Book your stay through travel portals

While booking directly with the hotel gives you quicker access to customer service in case of emergency, it may be worth booking your stay through travel portals once in a while to take advantage of promotions.

Travel portals such as Expedia, Agoda, Airbnb often partner with banks to offer their cardholders discounts and promotions of up to 10 per cent on bookings. Besides that, you can also earn miles and cashback when you pay the bill using a credit card from the portal’s credit card partner.

Credit card	Current promo	Rewards	Limit
Citi PremierMiles	10 per cent off hotel booking with promo code CITIHOTEL10 on Expedia	3 Citi miles or 7 Citi ThankYou Points or 2.5 per cent cashback for every S$1 spent on flights & hotels.	n/a
DBS Altitude (all variants), DBS Woman’s World Mastercard or DBS Woman’s Platinum Mastercard	7per cent off global hotel bookings on Agoda Traveloka: Up to $88 off* with a min. spend of S$250 Promo code: HUAT88 Up to $50 off^ with a min. spend of $150 Promo code: DBSCNY. Booking period: From now till 13/02/2021 Stay period: From now till 13/02/2022	10 mpd on staycations booked through Agoda to June 2021. 10 mpd on Kaligo, 6 mpd on Expedia, 3 mpd for other hotel	$5000/mth
UOB PRVI Miles (All variants)	n/a	6 mpd on Agoda, 6 mpd on Expedia, 6 mpd on UOB Travel	n/a
Maybank Horizon Visa Signature	n/a	3.2 mpd for bookings made at Agoda	Min $300 total card spending per month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card	Up to 9 per cent off worldwide hotel bookings valid till Dec 31, 2021 for stay period till 31 Dec 31, 2022.	3 mpd on Agoda, AirBnB, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Kaligo, Traveloka, Trip.com, UOBTravel	Min $500 spend on SIA-related transactions per year

3. Look out for staycation card promos

To save on the costs of your staycation, look out for card promotions from your bank via email newsletter, social media, website or browse through travel aggregators and online travel agents like Klook or JTB regularly for updates.

Credit card issuers/banks also partner with hotels and travel sites to offer exclusive deals such as complimentary upgrades, cashback, booking discounts, and packages only for card members.

Credit card	Participating Properties	Current offer details
UOB	Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road, Singapore Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard, Singapore Pan Pacific Singapore PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, Singapore	10 per cent savings on Best Available Rate Pan Pacific DISCOVERY members enjoy additional 10 per cent savings. 20 per cent off total dining bill (including beverages) Complimentary breakfast for up to 2 adults
Citibank	The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore	One night stay for 2 person Deluxe Kallang from $598.00 per room per night Deluxe Marina from $698.00 per room per night Price inclusive of complimentary breakfast for 2 people, and complimentary breakfast for children under the age of 11 years old accompanied by parents (maximum 2 children). Complimentary room upgrade to Deluxe Marina from Deluxe Kallang Complimentary room upgrade to Deluxe Suite from Deluxe Marina Early check-in at 11am & late check-out at 4pm $100 hotel credit with minimum 2 nights stay (not applicable to Shiraishi & SPA/Retail products) 25 per cent off on second room booked by same family (terms and conditions apply) Complimentary JTB Care Gift Bag upon check-in $50 JTB Travel Voucher per booking Free cancellation or amendment 10 days before check-in date
OCBC	The Fullerton Hotel Singapore	Book and stay by March 30, 2021. Pure Relaxation Package at S$370 nett Comes with: Premier Courtyard Room Breakfast for 2 adults Dining Credit of $80 nett per stay Complimentary Wi-Fi for unlimited devices (From Sunday to Thursday only)
HSBC	Hilton Singapore	Complimentary upgrade to Deluxe Plus room with Prosecco, ocean inspired high-tea set for 2 from $245++

4. Dine at the hotel restaurants

Staycations are a great opportunity to dine at upscale hotel restaurants at a discount. Most staycation card promos (see table above) include a complimentary breakfast while some such as Citibank and OCBC offer dining credits which can be spent in the hotel’s restaurants. Hotels also run dining deals independent of staycation promos, so check your card issuer’s website for ongoing deals.

Credit card	Restaurant	Dining credit/promo
DBS	n/a	1-for-1 & 50 per cent off dining deals via Chope from now to 31/03/2021
OUB	Town Restaurant, The Fullerton Hotel	1 dines free with every 3 paying adults for Sunday Brunch* and Dinner Feast at Town from now until 31/03/2021
OCBC	Asian Market Café, Fairmont Singapore	50 per cent off lunch & dinner from now until 11/04/2021
Citibank	Marriott Cafe, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel	Up to 25 per cent off on total food bill until 30/04/2021
HSBC	Andaz Singapore - Alley on 25	1-for-1 Afternoon Tea at $48++

If your booking doesn’t include dining credits and the hotel’s restaurant isn’t offering discounts, check restaurant booking platforms such as Chope, Eatigo or Entertainer for exclusive dining deals specific to your bank. Otherwise, opt for a 1-for-1 buffet promotion elsewhere, or pay with a dining credit card to earn cashback for dining.

5. Book activities and experiences on travel aggregators

Wondering how to stretch the $100 Singapore Rediscovers Voucher (SRV) even further? If you’re a UOB card member, you’re in luck. Klook has partnered with UOB to offer card members exclusive discounts of up to $40 that can be applied on top of your SRV when you check out using a UOB card.

Take $5 off a minimum $30 spent on top of your SRV, $10 off a minimum spend of 60 or $20 off a minimum of $200 spent on top of your SRV. Discount will apply automatically on the check out page when an eligible UOB card is used, limited to 2 checkouts per card member.

When you should redeem your travel rewards

Depending on the current price per hotel point, transferring your rewards or miles into hotel points isn’t always the most cost efficient way to use your travel rewards. Unless your miles are about to expire, it’s better to buy hotel points when they go on sale.

Besides hotel points, you can take advantage of discounts and promos offered by your credit card issuer and its partner hotels, restaurants, and travel aggregators. When you’re ready to book a staycation, search for deals, discounts, and offers on your card issuer’s website and you can elevate your staycation while stretching your dollar.

This article was first published in ValueChampion.