DBS Altitude Review (2026)
Miles cards that offer around 1 plus miles per dollar are generally unexciting, and DBS Altitude is no exception with just 1.3 miles per dollar earn rate on local spending. It used to offer a decent 3 miles per dollar on hotel and flight bookings, but that has sadly been removed years ago.
But with 2 complimentary airport lounge visits a year, DBS Altitude remains a useful card. If you are already earning miles within the DBS ecosystem, it can also serve as backup card when the situation calls for it.
| Quick Info | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Earn Rate | 3.25X DBS Points per S$5 on local spend (1.3 miles per dollar) 5.55X DBS Points per S$5 on foreign currency (2.2 miles per dollar) | Bonus Earn Rate | None |
| Min. Spend | None | Spend Cap | None |
| Miles Expiry | No expiry | Tracking | Transaction date Calendar month |
| Apply | Tap Here | Annual Fee | S$196.20 (waived for first year) |
Free airport lounge visits
The Visa version of DBS Altitude comes with two complimentary lounge visits every 12 months through the Priority Pass network. This is one of the more useful reasons to have DBS Altitude, though note that the American Express version does not get this benefit.
2 visits obviously isn’t enough if you’re flying often, but for an occasional traveller, it can still be quite useful. You can also increase the number of free visits you have by applying for other cards that offer free lounge visits, and it’s good that DBS Altitude is one such option.
1.3 miles per dollar for local spending means this shouldn’t be your primary card
DBS Altitude earns 1.3 miles per dollar on local spending, with no minimum spending requirement or cap on this earn rate.
Given the many cards that can earn 4 miles per dollar without much hassle, one shouldn’t be using DBS Altitude as their main card. 4 miles per dollar cards, however, almost always come with monthly caps, so DBS Altitude could come in useful as a backup for situations one’s higher-earn cards are maxed out.
As with cards of this nature, the reward is given on just about any transaction as long as they are not explicitly excluded.
2.2 miles for overseas spending, but don’t bother
For overseas spend, DBS Altitude earns 2.2 miles per dollar on transactions made in foreign currency.
As with many cards, there is a 3.25% foreign currency transaction fee. This means that you are effectively paying roughly 1.48 cents per mile should you choose to use DBS Altitude for your overseas spend.
It’s not the worst rate if you can use your miles effectively, but like local spending, other cards that give you at least 4 miles per dollar for your spend should take priority. Examples include UOB Preferred Visa or UOB Visa Signature gives you 4 miles per dollar with the same 3.25% fee, while Citi Rewards can be paired with Amaze for 4 miles per dollar with around 2% markup.
How DBS Altitude awards points
DBS Altitude awards miles in the form of DBS Points, with 1 DBS Point = 2 miles. The bank states that points are awarded for every S$5 block, but this is quite different from UOB’s version because DBS’s calculation is a lot more forgiving.
DBS Points earned by Altitude do not expire and pool with other DBS cards
DBS Points earned by DBS Altitude do not expire and can be redeemed together with DBS Points earned by cards like DBS Vantage or DBS Woman’s World Mastercard.
Once miles are transferred to KrisFlyer, for example, you then have to deal with the airline programme’s own expiry rules. Keeping them as bank points until you actually need them therefore gives you more flexibility.
Of course, miles themselves generally lose value over time as airlines increase redemption requirements, so “never expire” doesn’t mean you should hoard them forever.
DBS currently charges S$27.25 each time you manually DBS Points into airline miles, so it’s good that DBS Points pool. You can use your DBS Altitude alongside DBS Woman’s World Mastercard, and you can redeem points collected by both cards at the same time to reduce the number of conversions you have to make.
Few airline partners to choose from
DBS Points to miles conversions can only be done with 3 airline partners, and need to be done in blocks of 5,000 DBS Points.
| Airline | DBS Points : Miles |
|---|---|
 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 5,000 DBS Points: 10,000 miles |
 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 5,000 DBS Points: 10,000 miles |
 Qantas Frequent Flyer | 5,000 DBS Points: 10,000 miles |
No EVA Air Infinity MileageLand nor Avios makes this a pretty boring card in terms of airline selection.
Spend counts towards DBS Multiplier or POSB Cashback Bonus’ requirement
As a DBS credit card, spending on the DBS Altitude counts towards the spend requirement of DBS banking products like DBS Multiplier and POSB Cashback Bonus.
Visa or Amex?
There are Visa Signature and American Express versions of DBS Altitude, and both earn the same rates of 1.3 mpd locally and 2.2 mpd on foreign currency spending.
For most people, I think the Visa version is the straightforward choice because it offers 2 complimentary lounge visits a year. The Amex version does not have much going for it, save for the occasional Amex offer that you can get with other American Express cards.
The Good
- 2 complimentary Priority Pass lounge visits a year on the Visa version
- No minimum spend and no cap on earn rates
- DBS Points earned by Altitude do not expire and pool with other DBS Cards that earn DBS Points
- Spending can count towards DBS Multiplier and POSB Cashback Bonus requirements
- Relatively forgiving points calculation compared to cards that award miles strictly in S$5 blocks
The Bad
- Earn rate is generally unexciting
- Only 3 airline transfer partners
- Miles have to be transferred in relatively large blocks of 10,000 miles
The Verdict
At just 1.3 miles per dollar locally, there are simply too many cards earning around 4 miles per dollar for DBS Altitude to make sense as your primary miles card. Its 2.2 miles per dollar foreign currency earn rate is not particularly attractive either once you factor in the 3.25% foreign currency fee.
Where DBS Altitude does make sense is as a supporting card. If you are already collecting DBS Points with something like DBS Woman’s World Mastercard, Altitude gives you somewhere to put spending after your higher-earning cards have hit their caps or when a transaction does not qualify for bonus miles elsewhere.
For many, the strongest reason to own this card is because the Visa version gives 2 complimentary Priority Pass lounge visits every year. This is a benefit you can use without ever spending with the card. Depending on the sign-up promo, it can also make a lot of sense to apply for the card to enjoy welcome rewards.
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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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