Most Exclusive Credit Cards in Singapore (2025)

The credit card market in Singapore can roughly be divided into three segments based on income requirements.

At the $30,000 mark lie the entry-level cards. Annual fees fall in the $200 range and are usually waivable upon request. However, the trade-off is that there isn’t much in the way of additional benefits.  

A step above is the $120,000 segment, where annual fees range between $500 and $700. Here is where banks start to get serious about cardholder perks. Cardholders can expect benefits like unlimited lounge access, complimentary airport transfers, as well as special dining and hotel privileges. 

Beyond that, we have the $500,000 segment, which is a bit of a misnomer – although some of these cards state a minimum annual income requirement of $500,000, others are invitation-only. Annual fees here can go up to $3,000, for which cardholders can expect bespoke service, free hotel stays, concierge assistance, and invitations to exclusive closed-door events like watch shows and luxury car launches. Oh, and the annual fees are strictly not waivable, so don't embarrass yourself by asking for one.

So exclusive is this segment that many of the offerings are not well known, but in this post, I’ll share with you what is known about these cards, their benefits, and what you have to do to get one.

DBS Insignia Visa Infinite Card

• Seedly rating:  / 5

• Rewards earned: Up to 2 mpd on overseas spend(1.6 mpd on local spend)

• Monthly spend: None

• Annual fee: S$3,210

• Min. annual income: S$500,000 (Have to be a Treasures Private Client of DBS, with a minimum Assets Under Management sum of S$1.5 million)

Product details 

• Complimentary two nights’ stay at a selected hotel every year

• Complimentary accident travel insurance

• Welcome gift of 100,000 airmiles (awarded as 50,000 DBS Points)

• Four complimentary airport lounge access with SpeedPass per calendar year

• Fast tracked immigration

• Assisted service by airport SpeedPass agents

• 67 Pall Mall membership, where members get access to a collection of 6,000 wines

• Grand Vitality fitness and wellness membership

• Insignia luxury yacht access

SingSaver’s take

The DBS Insignia Card is a great addition to your wallet if you enjoy the finer things in life, especially if you are a frequent traveller. From free hotel stays to fast tracked immigration, this one little card is your ticket to a luxurious travel experience. Even within Singapore, there are many privileges to take advantage of, from enjoying the thermal-hydroptherapy facilities at Grand Hyatt Singapore to tasting the many wines available at 67 Pall Mall. 

UOB Reserve Card

• Seedly rating: 5 / 5

• Rewards earned: Up to 2.4 mpd on foreign currency spend (2 mpd on local luxury spend, and 1.6 mpd on all other purchases)

• Monthly spend: None

• Annual fee: S$3,924

• Min. annual income: S$500,000(By invitation only)

Product details 

• Receive 100,000 airmiles (UNI$50,000) upon payment of annual fee

• Receive bonus 100,000 airmiles with a minimum spend of S$250,000 per year

• Receive additional 70,000 air miles upon successful application for UOB Private Banking clients with a minimum Assets Under Management (AUM) sum of S$5 million

• First supplementary card is free for life

• Annual fee is not waivable

• Priority Pass membership that comes with access to over 1,600 airport lounges worldwide, with complimentary refreshments and snacks

• Two complimentary airport Meet and Greet services per calendar year

• Enjoy exclusive deals at Hideaway, including curated massage treatments

SingSaver’s take

The UOB Reserve Card is the perfect match for those who spend consistently on luxury items. As cardholders receive 100,000 bonus airmiles for spending a minimum of S$250,000 annually, this is one card where spending really pays off! Additionally, cardholders can enjoy a whole range of privileges both locally and internationally, including unlimited airport lounge access, even for supplementary cardholders.

American Express Centurion Card

• Seedly rating: / 5

• Rewards earned: 

• Monthly spend: 7.1 mpd on EXTRA merchants(0.87 mpd on all other spend)

• Annual fee: S$7,490

• Min. annual income: By invitation only

Product details 

• Earn up to 8 mpd on spending at EXTRA merchants, including American Tourister, Fred Perry, and Montblanc

• S$7,490 fee payable upon successful application

• Receive a pack of welcome vouchers upon successful application

• Receive 62,500 bonus miles (100,000 MR Points) for spending a minimum of S$250,000 in a year

• Two free supplementary cards for life

• MR Points don’t expire and can be converted to miles with eight frequent flyer programmes or points with two hotel partners

• Priority Pass membership with unlimited lounge access and the right to bring two guests, for the primary cardholder and one supplementary cardholder

• Complimentary airport limo and Meet & Greet service

• Complimentary elite status with five hotel partners

• Instant Emirates Skywards Gold membership

• Instant Avis/Hertz elite status 

• Up to 50% off dining at selected restaurants with the Love Dining programme

SingSaver’s take

If you want the best of what Singapore’s credit card market has to offer, the AMEX Centurion Card is it. Colloquially known as the Black Card, only selected AMEX clients are invited to apply. Keep in mind that this is more of a lifestyle and benefits card than a miles earning card – if you travel, dine out and buy luxury items frequently, this card will suit your purposes perfectly. However, if your main objective is racking up the miles? Not so much.

To qualify for a DBS Insignia, you need an income of at least $500,000, or a private banking relationship with DBS (minimum Assets Under Management: S$1,5 million). That, plus an annual fee of $3,210, earns you a card that literally has your name on it --  it comes laser engraved.

You’ll earn 1.6 miles per dollar (mpd) locally and 2.0 mpd overseas, and get 100,000 miles plus a two-night luxury hotel stay at selected premium resorts like the Six Senses, COMO, Taj or Alila as welcome gifts. Airport benefits include an unlimited Priority Pass membership as well as fast track immigration at airports in Asia with SpeedPass. 

In Singapore, you’ll also enjoy a Club at the Hyatt membership which gives up to 50% off dining and special room rates at Hyatt hotels worldwide (excluding Canada, Carribean and the USA). Cardholders will also enjoy complimentary high tea for two persons (on weekdays only), dining vouchers, "The Shop" voucher, 10% off special events organised by the hotel, 30% off dry cleaning, pressing and laundry service!

The UOB Reserve allows you to qualify in four different ways:

1. Have a private banking relationship with UOB

2. Earn a minimum of S$500,000 a year

3. Spend over S$200,000 on personal cards in the past 12 months

4. Have a high social/business profile

If you meet the qualification criteria, paying a $3,852 annual fee will get you a UOB Reserve made of Alpaca Silver. This gets you 100,000 miles each year, plus a bonus 100,000 miles if you spend $250,000 over a 12-month period.

UOB Reserve cardholders earn 1.6 mpd on local spending and 2.4 mpd on overseas spending. Purchases at luxury merchants like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Bvlgari, IWC, Tiffany & Co, Chanel, Hermes and more will also earn a promotional rate of 2.0 mpd, capped at $20,000 each month. UOB Reserve cardholders who still need more miles can buy as many as they want (subject to their credit limit) at 1.9 cents each through the UOB Reserve Payment Facility. 

Each cardholder will receive an unlimited Priority Pass, and UOB periodically offers special tie-ups with airlines and hotels to provide upgrades or exclusive privileges.

The most bling thing about the UOB Reserve? Cardholders who spend at least S$1 million in a membership year will be upgraded to the UOB Reserve Diamond. This upgrade comes with additional benefits, such as a complimentary night stay each quarter when booking two or more consecutive nights through the UOB travel concierge.

If there’s one mystery card to rule them all, it’s the almost mythic AMEX Centurion, otherwise known as the Black Card. Officially launched in 1999, the card was a response to urban legends that circulated in the 80s and 90s about a supposedly super-exclusive card that AMEX only issued to billionaires and celebrities. 

The qualification criteria is as opaque as the card itself. High spenders on the AMEX Platinum Card are sometimes invited to apply, but more often, this is a card which finds you, not the other way round. 

The annual fee is a jaw-dropping $7,490 a year, and in the first year you’ll have to pay an additional $7,490 initiation fee. $14,980 just to get your foot in the door? It dwarves all the other cards we’ve mentioned here, although if you qualify for a Centurion, an initiation fee that’s roughly a third of the annual median Singapore income is not going to faze you.

Surprisingly enough, the Centurion doesn’t have particularly good miles earning rates. Cardholders get a paltry 0.87 mpd on all spending, with the exception of EXTRA merchants like Bulgari, Cartier and Tiffany & Co, where you earn 7.1 mpd.

But no one gets the Centurion to earn miles. You get it to enjoy a laundry list of benefits, including:

• Hilton Honors Diamond, IHG Platinum Elite, Shangri-La Golden Circle Diamond, Radisson Rewards Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status

• Emirates Skywards Gold status

• Unlimited access to Delta SkyClubs, Escape Lounges, Plaza Premium Airport Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, AMEX Lounges and Centurion Lounges

• Discounted premium cabin tickets through the International Airline Program on carriers like Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines and American Airlines

• Access to Centurion Reserved Restaurants, where the program books one table in their name at selected restaurants to always be able to guarantee members a seat

• Tower Club Access

• Love Dining privileges

• Private shopping privileges

If you’re hoping to get a Centurion, it may interest you to know that the total number of members in Singapore is allegedly capped at 1,500. That’s a figure from 2012 and may well have changed, but suffice to say this is the classic example of ‘If you have to ask…’

You won’t be seeing advertisements (or SingSaver sign up deals!) for any of these cards any time soon, but hopefully this helps to shed some light on this ultra-exclusive segment. 

If it’s any consolation, none of them are needed to play the miles game right. In fact, it’s entirely possible to earn a huge stash of miles by carefully planning your spending and taking advantage of sign up bonuses, even if you only qualify for entry-level cards. So chin up, the miles game is for everyone!

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