Credit Cards 101: What Counts as Online or Contactless Payments?
| Online | Contactless Payment With Card | Mobile Contactless Payment | Swiping Physical Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Citi Rewards | 🟢 (Excludes mobile wallets) | 🟢 With Amaze card, fee applies | 🟢 With Amaze card, fee applies | 🔴 |
 Citi SMRT | 🟢 | 🔴 Only groceries and SimplyGo | 🔴 Only groceries and SimplyGo | 🔴 Only groceries |
 DBS Woman’s World Mastercard | 🟢 | 🔴 | 🔴 | 🔴 |
 DCS Flex | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🔴 |
 HSBC Revolution | 🟢 Specific MCCs | 🟢 Specific MCCs | 🟢 Specific MCCs | 🔴 |
 UOB EVOL | 🟢 | 🔴 | 🟢 | 🔴 |
 UOB Preferred Platinum Visa | 🟢 Specific MCCs | 🔴 | 🟢 | 🔴 |
 UOB Visa Signature | 🔴 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 For Foreign Currency |
When you’re trying to earn more cashback or miles, you’d notice that some cards require you to make transactions online for the bonus earn rate. Others require contactless payments, with a few even requiring “mobile contactless payments”. Confused? Read on to find out more.
Contactless Payment vs Mobile Contactless Payment
Contactless payment refers to the act of paying at a contactless payment terminal. In Singapore, it is popularly understood as “Paywave”, though to be pedantic this is Visa’s marketing name for contactless payment (Mastercard’s equivalent is “Mastercard Contactless” which unsurprisingly did not take off like Visa’s.)
Both tapping the card and using a smartphone (with the card added to the smartphone wallet) at a contactless terminal count as a “contactless payment” for the purpose of card rewards. To be perfectly clear, do not insert the physical card into the payment terminal if you want it to be a contactless payment.
There are, however, a few cards like UOB Preferred Platinum Visa and UOB EVOL that specifically require mobile contactless payments. As the name suggests, you must add your card to a smartphone wallet and pay with your smartphone (or smartwatch) for bonus rewards to be given.
| Contactless Payment | Mobile Contactless Payment | |
|---|---|---|
| With Physical Card | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| With Smartphone | 🟢 | 🟢 |
Apple Pay and Google Pay: in-app vs payment terminals
To make things a little bit more confusing, Apple Pay and Google Pay – perhaps the two most dominant smartphone wallets – also support website and in-app payments. For instance, you are able to buy a new iPhone or MacBook on Apple’s website via Apple Pay. These are generally considered online transactions.
Again, to be counted as a contactless payment, your payment must be done at a contactless payment terminal at the shop. Therefore, a mobile contactless payment has to be done with a smartphone or smartwatch at a contactless terminal payment.
| Mobile Contactless Payment | Online Payment | |
|---|---|---|
| At a Payment Terminal | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| In-app or Website | 🔴 | 🟢 |
Online payments
Online payments, as the name suggests, have to be done online. This is typically done when you are purchasing something through a website, whether you are entering your card details online or using Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Paying via an app typically converts your in-person spend to an online transaction. This includes wallet apps like Kris+, ShopBack Pay, FavePay etc. even if you are making payment at a physical location. Instarem amaze also works similarly, though it has been excluded by many banks with the notable exception of Citibank.
Recurring payments, however, can be a hit or miss. Some subscriptions like Netflix are quite reliably online ones, while others like telco and gym payments may count as offline transactions for subsequent payments. Atome payments, too, are often iffy when it comes to subsequent payments. The best way to make sure your transactions count as online ones would be to pay online manually (e.g. go to your telco’s website and pay online each month).
Summary
| Payment Mode | How-to | Take Note |
|---|---|---|
| Contactless Payment | Use a physical card or mobile device to pay at a contactless payment terminal | Do not insert or swipe the physical card |
| Mobile Contactless Payment | Use a mobile device to pay at a contactless payment terminal (e.g. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay) | Do not use the physical card at all Using Apple Pay or Google Pay in-app counts as online instead |
| Online Payment | Pay via a website or app (Apply Pay or Google Pay via a website or in-app is generally an online transaction) | Recurring transactions may not be counted as online |
Some online and contactless payment cards
Here are a few popular credit cards that give their bonus earn rates on online and/or contactless payments:
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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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