Review: Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card – A High-earn 6% Cashback Card Without Minimum Spend?!

This article is written in collaboration with Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited (“Standard Chartered”). All views expressed in the article are the independent opinions of Sethisfy.com. All information provided is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed as advice or an offer for any product or service. Standard Chartered is not liable for any informational errors, incompleteness, delays, or for any actions taken in reliance on information contained herein

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Minimum spends and noisy schoolchildren on a bus share a few things in common: they’re annoying, and sometimes they feel a little too much. Unfortunately for people who prefer cashback, it seems like minimum spends and high-earn cashback cards go hand-in-hand these days. I can’t think of a card beyond 2% cashback that doesn’t have a minimum spending requirement. 

The Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card is a little different. 

Provider	Standard Chartered
Type	Conditional cashback
Earn Rate	6% cashback (19.2 Rewards Points) on spend at: – Fast food – Coffee and toast – Digital Subscriptions – Daily Commute 0.5% cashback (1.6 Rewards Points) for all other spend
Conditions	No minimum spend 6% on selected categories
Limits	14,400 Rewards Points cap on 19.2 Rewards Points earn rate
Tracking	Transactions posted in statement month

 No minimum spend, no annual fees, no fuss

The Smart Credit Card, unlike many high-earn cashback cards, does not have a minimum spend requirement!

It gives 19.2 Rewards Points per dollar spent (6% cashback) on the following: 

• Fast food: McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, Burger King
• Coffee and toast: Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Toast Box, Fun Toast
• Digital subscriptions: Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, Disney+
• Daily commute: BUS/MRT via SimplyGo

One typically wouldn’t spend a lot on such categories compared to things like electronics, but these are pretty common areas of spend for many of us. 

While I pride myself as being an “optimiser” (I maintain an Excel spreadsheet to track if I hit the minimum spend for some cards I own), some month-ends are a period of anxiety for me if I have not met the minimum spend for a few cards I have. Having no minimum spend means that there is very little effort needed to use this card.

There is also no annual fee ever and no cash advance fee for this card,.

The Smart Credit Card gives 19.2 Rewards Points per dollar spent on eligible categories, which you can redeem for cashback at a rate of 3,200 for $10. That’s $166.67 of spend per $10, making 6%, and it does mean you have to manually redeem the cashback.

It also means that you can redeem for other things in Standard Chartered’s online rewards catalogue including things like hotel stays, vouchers, or miles. In this climate, cashback is king, but CapitaLand vouchers do look particularly attractive at 5,600 points for $20.

Break big purchases into smaller payments

EasyPay is Standard Chartered’s instalment service that lets credit card users break big purchases into smaller ones. Credit card instalment plans typically charge an upfront fee, and offer no rewards. Until 31^st December 2022, Smart Credit Cardholders will receive 100% cashback on the service fee for 0% interest 3-month tenures, and also earn the base 0.5% cashback rate on such payments. Smart Credit Cardholders also enjoy a waiver of the S$150 cancellation fee if any EasyPay instalment plan is terminated early for repayment. 

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services have become quite commonplace of late, and this is another option for shoppers looking to split their big purchases into smaller payments. While BNPL services have to tie up with retail merchants to offer their services, Smart Credit Cardholders can convert any retail transaction of at least $200 into EasyPay transactions. They can also decide to do this up to 30 days after the purchase is complete, giving them more time to plan their budget. 

Sign-up bonus

Conclusion

I like new cards, and I love useful ones. For now, the new kid on the block Smart Credit Card is both. I literally just bought McDonald’s, took a bus home, and continued my binge re-watch of Modern Family, and the Smart Credit Card would have given me 6% cashback on all of these spending.  

It’d be great if the categories were widened, but we’re talking about a 6% cashback card without a minimum spend. As it is, people who don’t have high monthly expenditure and find themselves only getting 1.5% cashback due to their frugal spending habits will surely find this card useful. 

The good:

• High earn rate of 19.2 Rewards Point (6% cashback)
• No minimum spend!
• No annual fee ever
• Condition is easily met: categories are common areas of spend
• Ability to convert purchases to 3-month instalment plans with no fees and continue to earn Rewards Points

The bad:

• Categories of spend may be rather limited for some
• Manual redemption of cashback  

* For full terms and conditions, please click here

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