Best for Low Minimum Spend and EZ Link Auto Top Up
Citibank SMRT Credit Card
SimplyGo transactions
Sign-up Gift
Minimum Spend
Offering a low minimum spend limit and some superb cash rebate benefits, the Citibank SMRT card is a great choice for young and budget-conscious consumers who enjoy both traditional grocery stores and online shopping.
It also doubles-up as an EZ Link card and offers EZ Link auto top up and/or EZ reload, making it one of the best credit cards for commuters, too. That said, bigger spenders might want a cashback credit card that packs a little more punch.
Citibank SMRT Credit Card Rewards
Key Features
- Enjoy a low minimum spend limit of just $500 per monthly statement
- Earn as much as you like in SMRT$ cash rebates with no monthly cap
- Get up to 5% SMRT$ on groceries, online shopping, SimplyGo transactions and taxi or private hire rides
- Take advantage of EZ Link auto top up and EZ reload by using the EZ Link mobile app to register your Citi SMRT Card as an EZ Link Card
- Get a two year annual fee waiver for 1x primary and 2x supplementary cards
Groceries
Whenever you buy groceries online or in-store, you’ll be able to earn up to 5% SMRT$ with your in-person or online shopping spend. This will be credited to your Citi card or bank account at a base rate of 0.3% or a bonus rate of +4.7% – but you will need to meet that $500 minimum spend limit to secure the higher percentage.
Online Shopping
All online shopping spend will also earn you up to 5% SMRT$. However, this excludes any travel related transactions, which currently don’t count as eligible spend for any kind of cash rebate. Again, it’s important that you meet that $500 minimum spend limit on your monthly statement retail purchases to incur your online shopping spend SMRT$ at the best possible rate.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Works great as an everyday spending and EZ Link Card rolled into one
- Enjoy a cash rebate on in-store and online shopping spend at grocery stores, on eligible goods and on private hire rides
- Most online transactions and SimplyGo transactions qualify for SMRT$ cash rebates
- No monthly cap imposed on cash rebate earnings – meaning unlimited cash back potential
- Very low minimum spend limit of just $500 total monthly statement amount
Cons
- Although there’s no monthly cap, annual cash rebates are in fact limited to 600 SMRT$ p.a. – so be careful
- Buying groceries online with your cashback credit card will only earn you 1x 5%
- Travel related transactions do not qualify for any cash rebate or cash back
- Lower interest charges can be found on other credit cards elsewhere
How to Apply
Age Requirement
21 years old and above
Minimum Annual Income
Singapore and Permanent Residents
S$30,000
Foreigners
S$42,000
Fees and Charges
| Annual Fee | S$192.60 |
| Fee waiver | Waive for First 2 Years for Primary & Supplementary Cards |
| Annual Interest Rate | 26.9% p.a. |
| Late Payment Fee | S$100 |
| Cash Advance Fee | $15 or 6%, whichever is highest |
| Minimum Monthly Spend / Monthly Payment: | $500 to qualify for bonus rate of +4.7% on top of the 0.3% base rate for cash back / Either $50 or 1%, whichever is highest |
| Foreign Currency Transaction Fee | 1.8% |
Income Documents
- NRIC/Passport
- Income Tax Notice of Assessment or last 12 months’ CPF statements
- Last 3 months’ bank statements for self employed individuals
- Work permits and bill statements for foreigners
Disclaimer: This information may differ from what you see when you visit other financial service websites or the product’s official site, but Loan Advisor continues to keep every detail updated and accurate. This site may be compensated through third-party advertisers. However, the results of our comparison tools which are not marked as sponsored will always be based on objective analysis.
How Does the Citi SMRT Card Compare with Other Credit Cards in Singapore?
Let’s take a quick look at how the Citibank SMRT card shapes up against some of the other best credit cards available to Singaporeans right now:
| Minimum Income | Interest | Cash Back | Min Spend | Rewards | |
| Citibank SMRT Card | $30,000 (Singaporean) $42,000 (Foreigner) | 26.90% p.a. | +4.7% bonus rate available with qualifying monthly spend Base rate on cash rebate is 0.3% Customers who exceed the monthly spend limit will earn 0.3% + 4.7% = 5% overall | $500 low minimum spend limit to qualify for +4.7% rebate rate | All customers earn up to 5% SMRT$ on online shopping, buying groceries online and in-store and private hire rides Use your Citi SMRT Card as an EZ Link card for EZ Link auto top up and EZ reload on public transport |
| OCBC Plus Visa Credit Card | $30,000 (Singaporean) $45,000 (Foreigner) | 26.88% p.a. | Cash rebates and discounts at FairPrice Unity and Warehouse stores Fuel savings, bonus Linkpoints and more | $500 monthly spend outside of FairPrice (or $400 monthly outside of FairPrice for OCBC NTUC union member customers) | Up to 7% off in store purchases at FairPrice Up to 3% off FairPrice online purchases Amazing fuel savings of up to 20.3% Save money on Telco bills and other essentials Increased percentages for customers with NTUC membership |
| DBS Takashimaya Visa / American Express Card | $30,000 (Singaporean) $45,000 (Foreigner) | 26.80% p.a. | $30 worth of Takashimaya gift vouchers earned with every 100 Takashimaya bonus points Even greater perks available to Takashimaya Amex card members | $300 | Up to 300 Takashimaya bonus points per transaction for DBS Takashimaya Amex card members Redeemable Takashimaya rebates and gift vouchers for all customers |
| Standard Chartered Unlimited Cashback Credit Card | $30,000 (Singaporean) $60,000 (Foreigner) | 26.90% p.a. | Up to 1.5% Unlimited cap | N/A | 2 year fee waiver Up to 22.61% fuel savings at Caltex |
| American Express True Cashback Card | $30,000 (Singaporean) $60,000 (Foreigner) | 26.90% p.a. | Up to 3.0% Unlimited cap | N/A | Additional 1% cashback on foreign currency spend No minimum spend or cap |
| DBS Live Fresh Card | $30,000 (Singaporean) $60,000 (Foreigner) | 26.80% | Up to 5% available both online and via contactless payments | $600 min spend per month | 1 year fee waiver 0.3% earned on all other types of spending |
Citi SMRT Card – Our Verdict
It’s clear from the comparison table above that the Citibank SMRT Card is a great choice for budget-conscious spenders, with its relatively low minimum monthly spend limit and broad range of transaction types that qualify as eligible spend for cash rebate purposes.
What’s more, being able to use your Citibank SMRT Card as an EZ Link Card with just a few clicks of the EZ Link Mobile App is going to be a big draw for younger consumers and regular public transport users, too.
That said, while Citi SMRT is certainly one of the best credit cards for these kinds of buyers, bigger spenders might not like the annual cap on cashback earnings potential – or the fact that travel related transactions such as air tickets purchases won’t qualify for any SMRT$ at all. Just as when applying for any other financial products, deciding whether this card is right for you will always be a highly personal decision.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Citi SMRT Card
What does Merchant Category Code (MCC) reward-based earning mean?
Citibank SMRT Card purchases will only qualify as eligible spend at selected merchants. Your bank account rewards program will award you SMRT$ based on the Merchant Category Code or “MCC” of each transaction. You can find more details about this here.
Are all Grab transactions eligible for bonus SMRT$?
This all boils down to the MCC code of your Grab transaction, which you can view in your GrabPay wallet, Apple Pay or Citi app. Taxis and private hire vehicles logged as “MCC 4121” will qualify, but only if you have linked your GrabPay wallet to your Citi SMRT Card beforehand – so be careful here.
If I make a transaction on online groceries and meet the minimum spend of S$500, do I earn 10% (5% x 2)?
No, under these circumstances you would only earn 5% on the transaction. More details and bonus rate queries can be found on the Citibank website here.
Is there a minimum amount to earn 5% on auto top up transactions?
Yes, you’ll need to hit the $500 minimum monthly spend limit we mentioned earlier to qualify for the bonus rate of 4.7% cash back plus the base rate of 0.3%, totalling an earn rate of 5% overall on qualifying auto top up and other transactions.
Is there a cap on the maximum amount of SMRT$ I can earn? Are there any changes to this?
At the time of writing, customers are entitled to earn a maximum of up to SMRT$600 per card anniversary year. That said, you should keep a close eye on Citi’s terms and conditions here for any unexpected changes.
Citi SMRT Card Final Thoughts
So, the Citibank SMRT Card has some great public transport benefits, offers tons of cashback and cash rebate opportunities on groceries, online shopping and private hire rides and is a good fit for budget-conscious spenders – but is it right for you? We’d recommend considering the following factors before you apply:
Not all transactions qualify as eligible spend
If you do a lot of SimplyGo transactions, are always ordering groceries online and shopping at eligible spend stores, you’ll enjoy tons of cash back potential with this card. Just remember big ticket purchases and travel related transactions won’t qualify as eligible spend for bonus rate cash back.Regular public transport users will benefit most
Using your Citi SMRT Card as an EZ Link Card for EZ reload and EZ Link top ups is great if you’re a frequent commuter but might not be an ideal perk for everyone.The annual fee waiver only lasts two years
Don’t forget that if you choose to sign-up after reading our Citibank SMRT Card review, your annual fee will only be waived for the first two years – then you’ll be eligible to pay.
For more details and in-depth reviews of the best credit cards in Singapore, check out Loan Advisor’s blog page. If you’re looking to compare credit card terms or search for personal loans, home loans and other amazing financial products, Loan Advisor is here to help.
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