What happened to the StanChart X Card? SCB Journey Credit Card review

"Spend your way to your next getaway", Standard Chartered (SC) proclaims of their newly rebranded Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card. The idea they're trying to sell you is simple: Charge purchases to your SC Journey Credit Card, and they'll reward you with miles for your everyday spending. So that Gojek ride? That Foodpanda delivery? They'll all count towards your next flight to your dream destination.

The SC Journey Credit Card may sound like a low effort way to afford your next holiday, but so are many other air miles credit cards. And on the surface level, a lot of these miles cards seem to offer pretty much the same thing-earn miles on stuff you buy. Is the SC Journey Credit Card just a regular entry-level miles credit card on the scene, or is it a cut above the rest? Let's take a closer look.

Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card review

1. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Summary

The Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card is the rebranded version of the now defunct Standard Chartered X Card, which had its 15 minutes of fame back in 2019 with its whopping 100,000 miles sign-up promo.

What went wrong with the X Card? This high-flying card was aimed at the higher echelons of society, with its almost $700 annual fee and $80,000 minimum income requirement. But with the SC X Card's decidedly average earn rates of $1 = 1.2 miles locally and $1 = two miles overseas, it's no wonder Standard Chartered X-ed the X card in lieu of the friendlier, entry-level Journey Credit Card.

In a word, the rebranded SC Journey Credit Card is average. It's nothing to shout about, but is also nothing to complain about. It's got an average minimum income requirement ($30,000). It's got average earn rates (the exact same as its predecessor X card, in fact, which speaks more of the X card than of it).

And it's got average additional perks, such as complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges. Having said that, that doesn't mean you should write off the SC Journey Credit Card. There's a space in many a wallet for a decent everyday rewards card, and the SC Journey Credit Card just might fit the bill.

One thing I want to say about the SC Journey Credit Card: Don't label it as a miles card just because Standard Chartered has been selling it as one, or because it has the word "journey" in its name. Technically, the SC Journey Credit Card earns you 360 Rewards Points, not miles. These points can be used to redeem air miles, sure, but also cash rewards or shopping vouchers. Your choice! 

2. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Eligibility

The Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card is definitely in entry-level credit card territory. These are its eligibility conditions and income requirements:

• Minimum income for Singaporeans: $30,000

• Minimum income for non-Singaporeans: $60,000

• Age: 21 to 65 years

The only condition that might make the SC Journey Credit Card less friendly is its income requirement for foreigners, who need to earn at least $60,000 a year to be eligible for the card. Comparatively, many other miles cards with a $30,000 income requirement for Singaporeans only impose a $40,000-$45,000 income requirement for non-Singaporeans. Here's a quick look at the minimum earn rates of miles cards with similar earn rates:

Minimum income requirements
Air miles credit card	For Singaporeans	For non-Singaporeans
SC Journey Credit Card	$30,000	$60,000
Citi PremierMiles Card	$30,000	$42,000
HSBC TravelOne Card	$30,000 (salaried worker) / $40,000 (self-employed or commission-based)	$40,000
DBS Altitude Visa Signature Card	$30,000	$45,000
OCBC 90°N Card	$30,000	$45,000

3. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Annual fees

Thank goodness Standard Chartered has come to realise that no one in their right mind is going to pay $700 in annual fees for a credit card that gives you a very average 1.2 miles per $1 earn rate.

Now, the new and improved SC Journey Credit Card gives…the same average earn rate. But! At least it's brought its annual fees down to an equally average amount of $194.40, with the option of waiving the annual fee for (at least) the first year.

There's also no annual fee for any supplementary card(s), all in all making the SC Journey Credit Card the next best thing after a no annual fee credit card.

4. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Earn rates

The SC Journey Card works just like many other air miles credit cards-charge money to the card, and earn Rewards Points that you can turn into miles, cash rewards, or shopping vouchers. That's right-although the SC Journey Credit Card is advertised and categorised as a miles credit card, it actually earns you 360 Rewards Points that give you the flexibility to choose what you want to redeem them for.

This sets it apart from, say, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, which earns you KrisFlyer miles directly.

Here's what you can expect to earn with the SC Journey Credit Card:

Earn rates with the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card
Per $1 spent on	360 Rewards Points	Air Miles
Online transactions: Transportation, Grocery and Food Delivery Merchants	7.5 Rewards Points (of which 4.5 Rewards Points are considered bonus points)	three miles
Overseas spend	Five Rewards Points	two miles
Local spend	Three Rewards Points	1.2 miles

Do note that there is a cap to the number of bonus Rewards Points you can earn. In each month, you can only earn a maximum of 4,500 Rewards Points, which basically means a spend cap of $1,000.

This cap only applies to the $1 = 4.5 Rewards Points bonus earnings, and doesn't apply to the regular $1 = three Rewards Points earnings you get from local spend. So, past the $1,000 mark on the bonus earn categories, further spending will continue to earn you the usual three Rewards Points (1.2 miles) per dollar.

5. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Bonus earn categories

To get the most out of your SC Journey Credit Card, you're going to want to max out the bonus earn categories that give you the highest earn rate on the card of $1 = 7.5 Rewards Points.

These apply only to online transactions in three categories: Transportation, Groceries, and Food Delivery. Here are the eligible merchant category codes and merchant examples:

Bonus earn rate transaction categories	Qualifying MCCs (online transactions only)	Examples of merchants with those MCCs
Transportation	4111 4121 4411 4789	Gojek, Cabcharge Asia (they work with ComfortDelGro), Tada, Ryde Technologies, Royal Caribbean Cruises
Food Delivery	5814 5811 5812	Foodpanda, Deliveroo, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza
Groceries and Food stores	5411 5462 5499 5921	NTUC FairPrice Online, NTUC FairPrice app, Nespresso

Once again, there's a spend cap of $1,000 for the categories above. Past the $1,000 mark, further online transactions under the categories above will just earn you the usual rate of $1 local spend = three Rewards Points / 1.2 miles.

6. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Rewards Points redemption

With the SC Journey Credit Card, you'll earn 360 Rewards Points that can be redeemed for air miles, cash rewards, or shopping vouchers. The miles conversion rate is 2.5 Rewards Points = one mile, while the shopping voucher conversion rates vary by merchant, and you'll need to log in to the online Standard Chartered 360 Rewards Points catalogue to view the cash reward details.

You'll also use this platform to redeem your Reward Points. But for now, to give you a rough idea, here are the conversion rates for everyone's favourite, good old trusty Capital Mall vouchers:

• 6,900 points = $20 eCapitaVoucher

• 17,250 points = $50 eCapitaVoucher

You'd need to spend $920 via online food delivery/grocery/transport transactions to amass the 6,900 reward points needed for a $20 eCapitaVoucher. Essentially, that's like getting a 2.17 per cent "cashback" rate-not too shabby compared to an unlimited cashback credit card with very general spend categories, but falls short of other cards' cashback rates for specific categories. 

It may seem quite troublesome to some to have to log in and convert the points to miles/vouchers/cash rewards, but that's the price we pay for flexibility. Plus, one big advantage to the 360 Rewards Points you'll earn is that these points do not expire. So feel free to hang on to them and accumulate them to your heart's content before using your hard-earned points.

7. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Benefits and privileges

If the SC Journey Credit Card were a burger, it would be a McChicken. It's no limp and flat hamburger, but it's a far cry from the hearty, juicy Big Mac everyone's got their eye on. The SC Journey Credit Card has two main permanent benefits that are guaranteed to stick around:

• Two complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges worldwide each year

• Complimentary travel insurance coverage of up to $500,000

Aside from these, there are also some limited-time privileges that we can only hope will either be extended or replaced with an equivalent perk:

• $0 foreign transaction fee for overseas spend made and posted in June-July, November-December 2023

• $10 off Grab rides to or from Changi Airport (limited to the first 2,000 redemptions)

• 45 per cent off all single trip plans with MSIG TravelEasy Insurance

See what I mean about the McChicken? These aren't benefits you'd crave and long to have, and you probably won't be getting the SC Journey Credit Card solely for the perks above. But things like discounted Grab rides and insurance are certainly complimentary add-ons that anyone would welcome. Plus, the knowledge that you don't have to pay a cent in foreign transaction fees while travelling is as reassuring as the knowledge that you're always going to get to enjoy McDonald's signature burgers all over the world.

8. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Sign-up promotion

From now till Sept 30, 2023, Standard Chartered is offering up to 45,000 miles for those who sign up for the SC Journey Credit Card. But before you get too excited at the prospect of 45,000 miles, it's important to break this down to see what conditions it comes with:

Gift condition	Rewards Points awarded	Equivalent KrisFlyer Miles
Pay the annual fee of $194.40	25,000	10,000
Get five miles for every $1 of eligible transactions within the first 30 days of card approval, capped at $5,000	62,500	25,000
Get two miles for every $1 of eligible transactions in foreign currency under the Standard Chartered Credit Card Rewards Promotions	25,000	10,000
Total	112,500	45,000

So to hit the 45,000 mile welcome gift, you'll need to spend/pay a total of $10,194.40: 

• For 25,000 miles: Spend $5,000 within 30 days of card approval

• For 10,000 miles: Transact $5,000 worth of foreign spending

• For 10,000 miles: Pay the annual fee of $194.40

If you don't fancy paying the annual fee and also don't foresee yourself spending overseas, you're looking at only 25,000 miles-assuming you spend $5,000 in a month. Tough. Lesson learnt: Don't be blindly lured by the promise of 45,000 miles!

On the plus side, it's also worth mentioning that Standard Chartered isn't going to give you miles directly, but 360 Rewards Points that can be converted to miles. So if you would prefer converting these points to cash rewards or shopping vouchers instead, go ahead!

9. Should I get the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card?

The SC Journey Credit Card is a good entry-level rewards card with decent earn rates, especially for its three miles per $1 earn rate on online transactions for transport, grocery and food delivery. That's perhaps its biggest draw- it's definitely not a credit card you're going to get for its lacklustre travel benefits or difficult-to-attain welcome points. Here's a summary of why you should or shouldn't get it:

Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card
Pros	Cons
Higher than average earn rates on online transactions for transport, grocery and food delivery: 7.5 Rewards Points / three miles per $1 spend 360 Rewards Points never expire Reasonable annual fee with first year waiver available, and no annual fee for supplementary cards Low minimum income requirements for Singaporeans (a bit higher for non-Singaporeans)	Travel and other benefits fall short Alleged 45,000 mile welcome gift is difficult to get-you'd need to spend pay $5,000+$5,000 and pay the annual fee of $194.40

Our advice is to only get the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card if you know you can make full use of the three miles per $1 spend on online transactions for transport, grocery and food delivery. That means maxing out the spend cap of $1,000 each month. Otherwise, consider these alternative cards below.

10. Alternatives to the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card

Here are some air miles credit cards with similar or slightly higher earn rates:

Citi PremierMiles Card: Similar earn rates (1.2 Citi Miles per $1 local spend/ two Citi Miles per $1 overseas spend) but a sign-up bonus that's a lot easier to get. Plus, Citi Miles also never expire.

OCBC 90°N Card: Slightly higher earn rates (2.1 miles per $1 foreign currency spend, 1.3 miles per $1 local spend), with no cap on miles earned per month. Additionally, comes with a sign-up bonus that's juicier and easier to get.

UOB PRVI Mastercard Miles Card: Higher earn rates (2.4 miles per $1 foreign currency spend, 1.4 miles per $1 local spend), and the first fee waiver comes with the sign-up bonus instead of being a prerequisite to receive the welcome gift.

P.S. Here's our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric

In case you're wondering, here's how we decide on our credit card rankings.

ALSO READ: 10 best cashback credit cards in Singapore (2023)

This article was first published in MoneySmart.