Demi ZhuangAfter the changes that takes effect from 01 May 2024 for HSBC Revolution, Citi Rewards Credit Card could be your next best alternative for an easy 4mpd without having to crack your brain thinking what qualifies and what doesn’t.
HSBC Removed the following from 01 May 2024
- 5499 - Misc Food Stores - Food Delivery
- 5411 - Grocery Stores / Supermarkets
- 5814 - Fast Food
What Qualifies for 4 mpd?
In-person Transaction with 💳
MCC 5311 | Department Stores |
MCC 5611 | Men’s and Boy’s Clothing and Accessories Stores |
MCC 5621 | Women’s Ready to Wear Stores |
MCC 5631 | Women’s Accessory and Specialty Stores |
MCC 5641 | Children’s and infant’s Wear Stores |
MCC 5651 | Family Clothing Stores |
MCC 5655 | Sports and Riding Apparel Stores |
MCC 5661 | Shoe Stores |
MCC 5691 | Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores |
MCC 5699 | Misc. Apparel and Accessory Shops |
MCC 5948 | Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
Online Merchants (excluding Mobile Wallet and Travel)
- Mobile Wallet - Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay etc!
- Travel
MCC 3000 to 3350 | Airlines, Air Carriers |
MCC 3351 to 3500 | Car Rental Agencies |
MCC 3501 to 3999 | Lodging – Hotels, Motels, Resorts |
MCC 4112 | Passenger Railways |
MCC 4411 | Cruise Lines |
MCC 4511 | Airlines, Air Carriers (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
MCC 4722 | Travel Agencies and Tour Operators |
MCC 5962 | Direct Marketing– Travel-Related Arrangement Services |
MCC 7011 | Lodging – Hotels, Motels, Resorts (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
MCC 7512 | Car Rental Agencies (Not Elsewhere Classified) |
public transport simplygo is not a qualifying transaction, you’d have the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card that gives you 5.6 mpd or 6% cashback!
The beauty of Citi Rewards?
Link your Citi Rewards with Instarem Amaze to convert Offline (in-person txns) to ONLINE
And that allows you to earn 4mpd!
Sign up for Instarem here ➡️ https://bit.ly/49fngBD
What is Instarem?
- Transfer Money Internationally
- Multi Currency Card (Amaze) → Prepaid Wallet OR Pair with a Mastercard
- 10 Currencies available for you to lock in rates in advance
- Otherwise load up SGD and spend using the Instarem Amaze card giving you great foreign currency exchange rates!
If you want to know how good is Instarem Amaze rates when using the prepaid wallet instead? Refer to this video for detailed comparisons!
You essentially get 4mpd on almost any of your everyday spendings excluding 🚌 public transportation, making this your next best alternative to the HSBC Revolution Credit Card.
Note that the maximum charge per statement month allowing you to earn 4 mpd is $1,000 in qualifying transactions!
The standard list of exclusions like your insurance payments, educational institutions, non-profit organizations etc do apply full list ➡️ linked here.
Point System for Citi Rewards
Base (1x) | Round down to nearest $1 | No Cap |
Bonus (9x) | Round down to nearest $1 | Cap at 9,000 Bonus point / Statement month |
Points Credited | 1-3 working days after transactions are posted | |
Points Validity | 60 months | All points expire 5 Years from when you get approved for the card + 3 months grace period |
Great as it rounds down to the nearest $1 as compared to other cards that has the $5 rounding blocks, a pain in the butt. 😅
Note that the points do not pool together with other Citibank Credit Cards that you might hold!
Citi Rewards 4mpd cap at $1,000 spendings goes by per statement month, not calendar month! Banks Card that counts by Calendar Month instead?
- DBS Womans World Mastercard
- HSBC Revolution
What can you use your Points for?
Points required | Redemption Value | Cashback % / Other Notes | |
Pay with points | 440 Points | $1 | Spend $44 = 440 points
Cashback % = $1/$44 = 2.27% |
Cash Rebate | 22,000 Points | $50 | Spend $2,200 = 22,000 points
Cashback % = 2.27% |
Vouchers | depends on what you redeem | ||
Transfer points | 25,000 Points | 10,000 Miles | up to 14 working days transfer
+ $27.25 Admin Fee |
If you’re a cashback person, the points accumulated can be redeemed for cashback at a rate of 2.27%!
Transfer Partners
- British Airways
- Cathay
- Etihad Guest
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Flying Blue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Royal Orchid Plus Miles (Thai Airways)
- Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles
- IHG Rewards Club Points
Conclusion?
I know how it feels like having to remember specifically what qualifies and what doesn’t. I’ve made my fair share of mistake on cards like UOB Lady’s and HSBC Revolution… 🤦🏻♀️ To eliminate that, use a card like Citi Rewards (paired with Instarem Amaze) where you only have to remember, Travel Transactions, Mobile Wallet i.e. Apple pay, Google Pay etc won’t qualify for 4mpd! (+ the standard list of exclusions)