OCBC 90°N Card review: Is this one of the better air miles credit cards?

For the longest time, OCBC simply did not have a decent air miles credit card in their lineup. Sure, there's the OCBC Voyage Visa Infinite, but that's for those with super-high incomes ($120,000 to be exact) and out of reach for most.

The closest thing to a miles card for regular people was the OCBC Titanium Rewards Card, which is a very good credit card for earning rewards points, but not exactly a miles card.

All that changed when OCBC launched the OCBC 90°N Mastercard in 2019. At long last came an air miles credit card from OCBC! Late last year, they followed up with the launch of the OCBC 90°N Visa.

Despite its impossible-to-remember name (I've heard it referred to as the "OCBC 90 Degree Card" and even "OCBC N90 Card"… you think what? Haze mask ah?), the OCBC miles cards have some excellent features that should make any globe trotter sit up and take note. 

Let's dive in.

Higher earn rate for travel bookings and bonus categories

Let's start with the OCBC 90°N Mastercard.

When you book your accommodations on Agoda.com, the earn rate for foreign currency gets bumped up to seven Travel$ per $1 on bookings made in foreign currency and six Travel$ per $1 on bookings made in local currency.

If you have travel coming up on your calendar, this is a fast track to accumulating miles.

If you're sticking to staycays for now, claim your complimentary 12-month Elite membership and enjoy up to 30 per cent off hotel rooms. Not just that, from dining vouchers to spa credits, there are plenty more perks to pick from.

Or, if your favourite four-letter word is cash, you also enjoy up to 2.1 per cent cash rebates from your Travel$. For every 1,000 Travel$ earned (based on 2.1 Travel$ earned for every $1 in foreign currency spend, you need to spend $476), you can redeem a cash rebate of $10. You might just be better off converting Travel$ into miles.

The OCBC 90°N Visa, on the other hand, offers higher earn rates for bonus categories. Until the end of last month, OCBC 90°N Visa Card holders could earn up to 20 Travel$ per $5, which converted to four miles per dollar, on online retail, food delivery, groceries and overseas spending. 

A pretty sweet deal but if you missed the boat, you can still earn up to 15 Travel$ per $5 on online entertainment and 7.5 Travel$ per $5 on online retail, food delivery, and groceries. The bonus component is capped at 500 Travel$ every month. 

It might not be the best earn rate we've seen but given that the miles do not expire and there are no conversion fees, it's still something to think about. Plus, if you have both the Mastercard and Visa, you can stack your Travel$!

READ ALSO: 11 best cashback credit cards in Singapore (2022)

Miles have no expiry, no conversion fee, low minimum for conversion

If you're a seasoned player in the miles game, you would know to pay close attention to the boring back-end details such as expiry dates and conversion process. The nitty-gritty details are just as important as the headlining promos and perks of miles cards.

In fact, that's where OCBC's miles card stands out as a sustainable long-term miles card that you'll want to keep around even after the generous promos end.

OCBC lets you earn miles in Travel$ (Travel$1 = 1 KrisFlyer mile), and they never expire, so you can earn them for as long as you like. Ka-ching! 

This puts the OCBC 90°N Card in the same category as the beginner-friendly air mile cards DBS Altitude and Citi PremierMiles credit cards, whose miles also do not expire. 

But both the OCBC 90°N Miles Visa and Master Cards are actually better in several ways. There's also no conversion fee for redeeming miles (this normally costs $25 with other cards) and miles can be redeemed in blocks of 1,000 (as opposed to 10,000 typically).

Here's a quick comparison of the four entry-level miles cards. All three cards have the same minimum income ($30,000) and annual fee ($192.60, first year waived):

The OCBC 90°N Cards are definitely the best in terms of redemption flexibility. 

Major drawbacks: Only KrisFlyer miles supported, no lounge benefits

If you're familiar with miles cards, you know how it is. There are the good things and then, there are the compromises that you have to make with each card.

It's just the way it is - like there are no perfect partners in the world, you just have to find one that compliments you the best. Here are a few things to note with the OCBC 90°N Miles Visa and Master Cards. 

First, OCBC Travel$ is not particularly flexible as miles currency. The only frequent flyer programme it supports is KrisFlyer, so you cannot redeem miles under any other programme. 

This is a shame because you can redeem flights for fewer miles with other frequent flyer programmes, such as Cathay Pacific's Asia Miles. SQ has also been known to devalue KrisFlyer miles from time to time, which can make earning miles frustrating if you have no other options.

The OCBC rewards catalogue also isn't fantastic, so if you ever decide to stop accumulating miles or want to redeem your orphaned miles, hm… Not ideal lah. Cannot even redeem CapitaLand vouchers. 

A second possible dealbreaker: No airport lounge benefits. It's now standard for even the most entry-level of miles cards (like the DBS Altitude and Citi PremierMiles mentioned above) to provide 2 x free access to airport lounges a year. 

The OCBC 90°N MasterCard only gives you paid access to the LoungeKey network at US$32 (S$43) per visit. The OCBC 90°N MasterCard, on the other hand, has no airport lounge benefits at all. …Nah.

READ ALSO: A Singaporean's guide to Visa credit card surcharge fees

OCBC 90°N Miles Cards terms & conditions

Conclusion

The OCBC 90°N Mastercard and Visa cards key draws would be that the miles have no conversion fees, do not expire, and there's a low minimum for conversion.

Considering that the world is still in the midst of opening up and you might not be travelling as often as you'd like, being able to keep your miles is a saving grace!

This article was first published in MoneySmart.