7 ways to save money this Valentine's Day (2024): All you need is your credit card

So you've done your best to plan an affordable date, but your significant other has other plans — it's a hotel staycation, expensive luxury watch, or nothing. You don't want to break their heart... but you also don't want to break the bank. What do you do?

The next best thing is to purchase whatever you need for Valentine's Day 2024 in the most cost-effective way. One easy hack? Use the right credit card for the job.

From dining to shopping, we've compiled the best Valentine's Day credit card promotions in Singapore in 2024.

Book a romantic getaway at up to 10 per cent off

If you and your boo are in dire need of some quality time together, there's nothing quite like a romantic getaway to do the job. This Valentine's Day 2024, why not book an overseas trip together?

5 per cent off EVA Air with HSBC, Citibank, DBS and more

Use any HSBC credit card, Citibank credit card or debit card, or DBS/POSB credit card or debit card to get five per cent off round-trip flights to selected destinations on EVA Air (or 2.5 per cent for one-way trips). You don't need any promo code, just make your booking via the respective landing pages to snag the discount:

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

Be sure to purchase your flight ticket by Dec 31, 2024 for travel dates anytime from now till Dec 31, 2025.

The deal is valid for flights from Singapore to the following 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

Up to 10 per cent off airfares on Emirates, Fiji Airways, Japan Airlines and more with Citibank

If you needed a reason to get a Citibank credit card, I've got you — five times over! Citibank cardholders can enjoy up to 10per cent off flights on Emirates, Fiji Airways and Japan Airlines, plus up to eight per cent off on China Airlines and up to $100 off Royal Brunei Airlines. Here's a summary — click on the links for more information:

Once you've booked your trip, don't forget to check out the other hotel deals from Citibank. There are too many to include here, and the best ones for you really depend on where you're going. Having said that, your Citi card can get you 20per cent off worldwide hotels on Agoda (capped at $60), so that opens up a lot of doors.

Up to 10 per cent off airfares on Qantas, Qatar and more with DBS

DBS/POSB cardholders can enjoy a slew of flight deals and promotions:

DBS airfare promotion	Departing from/Destination	Booking period	Travel period
Redeem American Flyer luggage with Singapore Airlines	–	Now till 21 Feb 2024	Now till 20 Mar 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	No restrictions
$20 off Air Asia flight bookings on weekends (min. spend of $250)	Singapore to selected destinations in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand	Now till 11 Feb 2024	Now till 31 Jun 2024
10per 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/$100/8per 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 10per cent off Qatar Airways with promo code DBSQR23	From Singapore to selected destinations.	Now till 31 Mar 2024	Now till 15 Jun 2024

Check out other travel deals and promotions from DBS.

Up to 10 per cent off flights on Qatar, Qantas and more with UOB

UOB airfare promotion	Departing from/Destination	Booking period	Travel period
10per 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 10per 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 10 per cent off flights on Qatar, Qantas and more with OCBC

OCBC airfare promotion	Departing from/Destination	Booking period	Travel period
10per 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
Up to 10per cent off Qatar Airways	From 18 territories to selected destinations.	Now till 14 Feb 2024	Up to 12 months from date of booking
Up to 10per 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

Up to 10 per cent off Qatar Airways with Maybank

On Qatar Airways, get up to 10per cent off Convenience/Comfort fares and up to seven per cent off flight bookings for Classic fares with your Maybank credit card or debit card. These discounts apply to flights from Singapore, Malaysia,  Philippines, Indonesia or Cambodia, for journeys towards various destinations — see this page for the full list.

You'll need to use the promotion code MBQR23. Make your booking by March 31, 2024 and travel by June 15, 2024.

Pro tip: Use your HSBC card to book your flight (maxing out the cashback), and use one of the credit cards in the section below to book your hotel. 

Let this romantic getaway pay for your next one

Escaping on a romantic getaway overseas for Valentine's Day 2024? If you haven't booked your hotel yet, use the Citi PremierMiles Card or the DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card to earn miles that can offset your next overseas trip.

With the DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card, you'll get 10 miles for every S$1 spent on hotel transactions at Kaligo and up to six miles on flight, hotel and travel packages at Expedia from now till March 31, 2024.

For each S$1 overseas spend on hotel bookings with the Citi PremierMiles Card, you'll earn 10 Citi Miles with Kaligo's Bonus Miles promotion and 7 Citi Miles with Agoda's Bonus Miles promotion.

Additionally, pay for your purchases with the Citi PremierMiles Card overseas to earn 2 Citi Miles per $1 spend. The best part? Citi Miles never expire, so accumulate them in your own time.

Make your partner a discounted home cooked meal

There's nothing that says "I love you" more than presenting your significant other with a home cooked meal that you poured your heart into making.

With the Citi Rewards Card, you'll earn 10X Citi Rewards for each S$1 online spend on groceries from stores like Cold Storage, NTUC FairPrice, Giant, Sheng Siong, and Don Don Donki. For an immediate discount on your groceries purchase, there are also some limited-time promotions on GrabMart, valid till March 20, 2024:

• MCC5: SGD5 off with min SGD30 spend on GrabFood or GrabMart
• MCC10: SGD10 off with min SGD60 spend on GrabFood or GrabMart

Can't cook to save your life but still want to spend a cosy Valentine's Day at home? Order food in. You'll earn the same rate of 10X Citi Rewards for each S$1 spend on online food delivery. If you order on GrabFood, use the promo codes above to save.

Another good choice is the HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card, which gets you 5per cent cashback on groceries and petrol. Should your plans for a delicious home cooked meal go awry, this card will also get you 5per cent cashback on dining!

Buy your squeeze a nice gift

We're not saying you should try to buy anyone's love. But if you want to impress your partner with a nice gift on Valentine's Day, don't whip out just any credit card — for your wallet's sake. Make sure you use one that gets you a discount on your online shopping.

One good option is the Citi Rewards Card. With this credit card, you'll earn 10X Citi Rewards per S$1 spend at department stores like Shopee App, Lazada, Taobao App, as well as clothing, shoes, and bags retail stores. If you're shopping on Shopee, spend a minimum of $70 to get $6 off on weekdays.

Go out to a nice restaurant

Celebrating Valentine's Day without having a good meal is, in the eyes of some people, criminal.  The problem is, restaurant prices are sorely inflated on 14 Feb and many credit card restaurant promotions aren't valid on Valentine's Day and the eve of it. 

One workaround is to have your romantic dinner for two a few days before or after Valentine's Day. If you and your partner are cool with that, you can pay with an American Express credit card to enjoy up to 50per cent savings. Check out the applicable American Express Love Dining programme restaurants and hotel restaurants to plan your date.

Another good option to save money on dining is to use the ENTERTAINER with HSBC app. This gives you 1-for-1 offers at over 150 merchants with any HSBC card, and over 200 if you have a HSBC Visa Infinite Credit Card.

Aside from the ENTERTAINER with HSBC app, there are lots of other food discount and rewards apps in Singapore, such as Chope and Burpple. Read our review to decide which is best for you.

What if you want to have a special meal on Valentine's Day itself but all the restaurant promotions aren't valid then? Instead of spending 200 bucks per pax on an overpriced dinner, opt for these wallet-friendly menus to romance your partner.

Get a little tipsy on discounted drinks

Is your partner more into drinks than dinner? Use any of the following American Express credit cards to get complimentary or 1-for-1 drinks at over 10 bars in Singapore:

• The Centurion® Card
• The Platinum Card®
• American Express® Platinum Reserve Credit Card
• Platinum Credit Card

ALSO READ: 5 activities to spark romance this Valentine's Day

This article was first published in MoneySmart.