How to Retire in Malaysia: A 2025 Guide for Singaporeans
Considering retiring in Malaysia? This guide breaks down the average cost of living, top cities and the MM2H programme.
American Express (AMEX) offers a great selection of credit cards you can use to earn rewards, miles, travel perks, and lifestyle benefits. You might choose an AMEX miles card to earn KrisFlyer miles directly as you spend. Or you could choose a card with reward redemption options that lets you redeem AMEX membership rewards points to KrisFlyer miles, or as cash back, vouchers, or other great gifts.
This guide looks at some popular American Express miles card options, so you can pick the best AMEX card for miles based on your spending patterns, preferences, and travel plans. We'll also introduce the Wise card, a handy travel companion to make seamless card payments when you're overseas.
If you’re specifically thinking of using a credit card to earn KrisFlyer miles directly or convert AMEX points to KrisFlyer Miles, you’ve got a few great options. Rewards can also be redeemed for other perks and benefits, offering flexibility for different customer needs.
Before you choose the card for you, it can pay to examine the AMEX miles credit card conversion rates so you’ll know you’re getting the best rewards available. You’ll also need to check out:
Depending on the specific card you select, when you spend with your American Express card, you may earn American Express credit card miles directly with an airline, such as Singapore Airlines, or you might receive American Express rewards that you can trade in for miles later.
In this guide, we look at the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card and the American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card, which reward your spending directly with KrisFlyer miles.
If you fly with Singapore Airlines or Scoot often, earning AMEX KrisFlyer card miles without needing to convert first might make a lot of sense.
An alternative is the American Express Platinum Card, which is a little different. This is a charge card rather than a credit card, and rewards you in AMEX points. You can then use your points to buy air miles, book a flight or hotel, get vouchers, or even cash back on your next bill.
If you’re not sure whether you’ll want to redeem your rewards as miles, cash, or vouchers, taking advantage of the AMEX Platinum charge card and then converting later may suit you better.
When comparing cards, bear in mind that applications are subject to internal assessment. AMEX will need details of things like your income and employment to assess whether or not you fit their eligibility criteria. If you’re unsure about your best card, you may want to reach out to the team to ask which card may be best suited to your situation.
Let’s start with a head-to-head comparison of the cards we’ve selected, before diving into the details of each one right after.
Card name | Annual fees (SGD) | Earn rate per $1 spent | Perks |
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Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card¹ | 397.85 |
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Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card² | 179.85 (waived in year 1) |
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Platinum Card³ | 1,744 |
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*Details correct at time of research - 3rd September 2025
Best for: Strong miles earner, including extra miles on foreign spending, and when you renew your card every year
The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card has a moderate annual fee and offers great earning rates as you spend. You’re rewarded directly in KrisFlyer miles, so there’s no need to exchange or redeem your points separately.
There are some great extras here too - spend 15,000 SGD on SIA and get an upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Gold membership tier, plus 10,000 KrisFlyer miles on renewal of your annual fee. You might also get additional miles if you meet spending requirements in a foreign currency - but bear in mind that foreign transaction fees do apply here.
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At the time of research, there’s a new customer bonus offer which could mean you can get a voucher for 17,000 miles - enough to get you to Taipei - if you spend 1,000 SGD with your card in your first 2 months of using it.
Best for: No annual fee in year 1, allowing you to accumulate miles with no fixed cost
The American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card has a relatively low annual fee, which is waived in year one to give you a chance to test out the card’s suitability for your needs. You can earn 2 miles per dollar spent on Grab, Singapore Airlines, Scoot & KrisShop, and 1.1 miles per dollar on everything else. Other perks include discounts on car hire and some complimentary travel insurance.
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At the time of research, the new customer bonus offer for this card could get you 11,000 miles - enough to get to Bali- if you spend 1,000 SGD with your card in your first 2 months of using it.
Best for: Flexible reward redemptions with free hotel stays and lounge benefits thrown in
The American Express Platinum Card has a high annual fee and is a charge card rather than a credit card. This means you don’t have the option of rolling over your bill, and you need to repay in full every month. You earn AMEX rewards with this card, which you can then redeem as cash back, vouchers, or directly with airlines or hotel chains. The card also offers a large number of ways to earn credit you can then spend on things like dining and entertainment.
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At the time of research, there’s a new customer bonus offer if you spend 8,000 SGD with your card in your first 3 months of using it, which could cover the costs of a return flight all the way to Seoul.
👀 Looking for a travel card to maximise your overseas spending? See how Wise compares with other multi-currency cards like Revolut and Youtrip in Singapore.
If your card offers AMEX membership rewards rather than directly allowing you to earn airline miles, you’ll need to know how to convert your points to redeem them. You’ll be able to view the full range of redemption offers on the AMEX Rewards website⁷, which also has handy guides on your options.
Points do not expire, and there’s no cap on the number of points you can accumulate in your account if you're saving for something special.
You can earn AMEX Rewards points by choosing a card that offers reward points rather than letting you earn air miles directly with an airline scheme. In this guide, we've selected the AMEX Platinum Card as a good option to earn rewards.
With this card as an example, you can get 5x rewards on SIA flights, 2x on other spend, and 10x on partner merchant spend to get an extra boost. The exact mechanics of points earning will depend on the card you select, so make sure you’ve read the card’s terms and conditions when you sign up, so you can make the most of the card.
There are several different ways you can redeem your AMEX points, including against flights with popular airlines like Singapore Airlines and Scoot.
To book travel with your AMEX Rewards, you can go to the flights page of the AMEX Rewards site⁸. Here you’ll be able to enter the details of the trip you want to take, which may be flights, hotels, or both. This will show you the cost of the trip, and you'll be able to toggle a slider button to see your options for redeeming points.
Redeem your points against the cost of the trip in full, or as a part payment, depending on your preference. Once everything is confirmed, you’ll get an updated statement in a few days to show your new points balance.
While air miles credit cards offer excellent rewards for travel, remember that foreign transaction fees can add hidden fees when used abroad.
The Wise card lets you spend in 40+ currencies at the mid-market rate including MYR, JPY, CNY, and USD so you know you'll be getting a great deal in over 150+ countries. Simply create a free Wise account, order a card and top-up SGD to get started.
Virtual cards are free and can be added to your Google or Apple Pay wallet, while a physical Wise card can be ordered for a low fee of 8.50 SGD. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as 2 free ATM withdrawals to the value of 350 SGD each month, before low fees start.
While abroad, you can choose to spend with directly in SGD and let auto-conversion do the trick, or convert to your desired currency with your Wise account. Either way, you’ll get the exchange rate you see on Google, with low, transparent fees from 0.26%.
Sources used:*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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