What Cards to Use for the new iPhone 12?
It’s iPhone season again! If you’re looking to buy a brand new phone for yourself (in this economy?!) or to resell for profit, here are some cards you can use to maximise your rewards.
The iPhone 12 is really pricey, from the “lowest end” iPhone 12 mini going at $1,149, all the way to the 512GB iPhone 12 Pro Max going for a princely $2,299. While this is quite a chance to be earning cashback/miles, the high price tags also present some issues for the maximum capacities of most conditional cards.
Amex True Cashback + GrabPay Mastercard
Use for: Anywhere, max cap of $10,000 per month (GrabPay limit)
Rewards: 1.5% cashback (3% for new cardholders) + 0.8% Grab points
The Amex True Cashback card is the sole survivor after Mastercard and then Visa moved to reclassify Grab top-ups, rendering most cards ineligible for rewards. At present, the Amex TCB gives 1.5% cashback when you top up your Grab wallet, after which you can use your GrabPay Mastercard for your iPhone purchase and get further rewards in the form of Grab points which represents another 0.8% in rebate.
If you’re a new to the Amex TCB, check out the current rewards that make it even more compelling. At time of writing, the Amex card gives $120 via PayNow for new cardholders, and you get 3% cashback on your first $5,000 spend in the first six months.
Amex
True Cashback
New to Amex
Receive*
3% cashback on first $5,000 of spend (Grab top ups get 1.5% instead)
OCBC Titanium Rewards
Use for: Best Denki, Apple, electronics retailers
Rewards: 4 miles per dollar, or 3.70% rebate in vouchers; +2% if bought at Best Denki!
The OCBC Titanium Rewards card is unique for being one of the only conditional rewards card that does not have a monthly cap. Instead, it has an annual cap of $12,000, and this makes it really useful for big ticket items like iPhone purchases; you can buy five sets of the 512GB iPhone 12 Pro Max before even coming close to the annual limit.
Even if you are not a miles person, the OCBC$ points earned by the Titanium Rewards card can be traded for various vouchers, and the effective rebate yield is 3.70%.
Do take note that this only applies to direct purchases from Apple or other electronic stores, and telcos (eg. phone purchases from Singtel, M1, Starhub etc.) are not eligible. On the bright side, if you can find stock at Best Denki, there’s a really nice additional 2% cashback on your purchase!
OCBC Titanium Rewards
🔥 👍🏼
New OCBC Cardholders
Choose:
- Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) (worth S$362.35)
- Hinomi H1 Classic V3 (with Headrest)
- Ergonomic Office Chair (worth S$459)
- S$280 eCapitaVoucher
- S$250 Cash via PayNow
Charge at least S$500 within 30 days from card approval
⚠️ Fill up SingSaver rewards form in email to choose your gift. No form completed = no reward given
Until 28th September 2023
Terms and conditions:
- Tap here (save a copy for your own reference)
Get 4 miles per dollar or 2.78% cash rebate on up to S$13,330 of eligible spend per membership year! No monthly cap so it is perfect for big transactions. Eligible spend includes things like electronics, Shopee, Lazada, IKEA, clothing etc. Limited time: get 6 miles per dollar or 4.19% cashback for cards approved up till 30th September 2023. Terms and conditions
DBS Woman’s World Card
Use for: Online purchase $2,000 and under
Rewards: 4 miles per dollar or 2% in cash rebate (capped at $2,000 and must be online)
If you are purchasing online – which is probably the option Apple and telcos are encouraging given the pandemic – you can opt to use DBS Woman’s World Card for 4 miles per dollar. You can make full use of the monthly cap of $2,000 for all but the most expensive models. Unlike the OCBC Titanium Rewards, you can use this for telco’s online shops, and with subsidies from your phone plan, it is likely your upfront payment falls below the $2,000 mark even for the highest end iPhone.
DBS Woman’s World Mastercard
Promo code: 150CASH
👍🏼
New to bank
- Apply and use promo code
150CASH - Charge a minimum of S$800 within the first 60 days from card approval date
- Get S$150 cashback!
Consider the DBS Yuu Card as your first DBS card for a better promo
Get 4 miles per dollar on online transactions. Men can apply too! Tap here for review
Maybank Family and Friends
Use for: Purchase from telco between $800 to $1,000
Rewards: Up to 8% cashback
If you’re getting your iPhone from your telco, Maybank Family and Friends is a great choice. The sweet spot to aim for is between $800 to $1,000 of spend for 8% cashback, but even if your phone is around $1,400 after subsidy, you still get 8% on the first $1,000 and 0.3% on the subsequent $400, netting you $81.20 in cashback which is an effective 5.8% cashback yield. That’s still much higher than most cards can get you.
Maybank
Family and Friends
🔥 👍🏼
New to Maybank Customers
First 5,000 applicants: apply for both an eligible Maybank Credit Card and a CreditAble Account, make a min spend of S$600 per month for 2 consecutive months, and receive:
- A pair of American Tourister Linex 66/24 Luggage TSA; or
- AirPods (3rd generation) with Lightning Charging Case; or
- S$200 cash credit
Note that you need to apply for the CreditAble account, although you do not need to use it.
Application Steps
- Sign up here
- Note down the Application Reference number (at the end of Application, starts with REF-XXXXXXX)
- Fill up this Google form
Please view the terms and conditions here and save a copy for your reference.
Get 8% cashback on selected categories like groceries, telco, and more! Read the review here
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