CardUp Flash Deal: Buy Miles From 0.98 to 1.31 Cents Each With Lowered 1.6% Fee

Following Citi PayAll’s promo announced a week ago, CardUp is offering a reduced 1.6% fee for a one-time payment until 31st October 2023. In case one wonders if Citi PayAll’s promo had anything to do with this flash deal, CardUp even namedrops Citi PayAll and explicitly calls out its competitors’ 2.2% fee in their promotional email:

Promo details

To enjoy the lowered 1.6% fee, use the code FLASH16 as an existing CardUp user. The promotional rate is for one-time payment only for up to S$10,000 and you can only use locally issued Visa cards for this.

Transactions must be scheduled on or before 31st October 2023. See full terms and conditions here.

Are you a new user? Use the below code to get a free payment instead:

I’m also going to test to see whether new users can use SETHISFY for the first transaction, then use FLASH16 as an existing user. But if you try it first, do let us know in the Telegram or the comments below if it is possible.

Buying miles from 0.98 cents

I have written a guide on CardUp and its close competitor ipaymy, and the gist of such a service is that you pay a fee to make transactions with your card that normally would not get you card rewards.

In essence, you are buying miles or getting cashback in excess of the fee you have paid.

For miles:

Earn Rate	Card(s)	Cost Per Mile (1.6% service fee)
1.6 miles per dollar	DBS Insignia, Citi Ultima	0.98¢
1.5 miles per dollar	DBS Vantage	1.05¢
1.4 miles per dollar	UOB PRVI	1.12¢
1.3 miles per dollar	Citi Prestige, DBS Altitude, OCBC 90°N	1.21¢
1.2 miles per dollar	Citi PremierMiles, StanChart Journey	1.31¢

For cashback

For cashback, OCBC FRANK and Bank of China Family should give 3% cashback on CardUp. Assuming you have no other spend on those cards, you can make a transaction of S$787.41 that would be a round S$800 after including the 1.6% fee.

This should get you S$25 of cashback from either card.

Compared to Citi PayAll

As long as your card earns you at least 1.3 miles per dollar or higher, this promo is mathematically better than Citi PayAll’s when it comes to buying for miles.

Other factors come into play too. For instance, Citi PayAll can work with Citi Prestige to get you free limousine rides. Also Citi points are generally more valuable than other banks’ because of how many airlines you can convert your Citi points to.

This flash deal is also only for a few days, and limited to just one payment of up to S$10,000. Citi PayAll lets you pay for all manners of things over the next few months and up to a sizeable S$120,000 of transactions.

Finally, Citi PayAll is fuss-free and does not require invoices which CardUp does, though with CardUp you can do things like car loans and mortgage which Citi PayAll does not support.

Of course, you don’t need to pick one or the other. I’m personally going to take advantage of both offers! Cheap miles are always welcomed.

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H/T: Milelion

Seth Wee was a licensed financial adviser representative from 2009 to 2025, with over 16 years of experience in Singapore’s financial advisory industry.

He started Sethisfy.com in 2019 to share practical insights on credit cards, banking products, and miles strategies, helping readers identify financial products that deliver the best value. Seth has been featured in CNA, Channel 8, Today, and a host of other publications. In 2025, he was also part of a panel at CPF’s Ready For Life festival.

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