Going the extra mile

An air miles credit card allows consumers to earn air miles when they make purchases using the credit card, which translate into travel rewards. These include complimentary air tickets, priority boarding and airport lounge access - perks popular with frequent flyers.

Although earning air miles is the essence of such credit cards, consumers can redeem the points earned for rewards, depending on their needs. In general, air miles credit cards provide a wide range of benefits across air travel and hotel bookings. Frequent flyers can enjoy benefits such as priority boarding, complimentary seat upgrades and airport lounge access that offer them a respite from sapping routines such as braving long lines to board the plane or hunting for a seat at the departure lounge. 

Similarly, miles can also be used to redeem for hotel stays.After a long flight, earn miles and enjoy perks like complimentary room upgrades, complimentary breakfast and late checkout.

However, it is important to keep in mind the frequent flyer programmes and partnering hotel loyalty programmes where you can redeem your miles at. However, do note that miles also have a limited validity period. You should also check if the rewards gained from your spending can be used to offset the annual fee of an air miles credit card, which can go up to as high as S$500.

Expanding horizons

With the refreshed Maybank Horizon Visa Signature credit card, globetrotters can get the best of both airline and hotel as part of the benefits of the credit card.

From 1 November 2023, the card allows you to earn miles when you spend abroad, with no cap. Furthermore, new sign-ups can enjoy a promotional rate of 3.2 miles per dollar (mpd) on foreign spend (FCY) both in-store and online, and on air ticket purchases (capped at S$10,000 per calendar month), till 30 June 2024. Existing cardmembers will also enjoy this bonus earn rate from now till 31 January 2024.

After the promotion period, cardmembers can earn up to 2.8mpd on foreign spend and air ticket purchases, and those who meet the minimum spend of S$800 in a calendar month will see upsized benefits for FCY spend and air ticket purchases.

Beyond foreign spend and air ticket purchases, cardmembers can earn miles across different categories of local spend, including hotel booking, shopping and transport expenses, at 1.2mpd - triple the previous earn rate.

Cardmembers can also earn miles on categories such as insurance, utilities, education, charity donations and private hospitals.

The Maybank Horizon Visa Signature credit card’s lower entry barrier is another draw. A minimum income of S$30,000 per annum is required to qualify, which is a boon for young working adults. This is about two times lower than what other premium miles credit cards require. Annual fees are also waived for the first three years.

With its flexibility and new attractive benefits, the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature is a good credit card option to add to your stash of cards for miles-chasers.