Good news if you hold a Standard Chartered credit card in Singapore other than just the new X card. The bank’s latest list of 11 new points transfer partners, additional to KrisFlyer and previously only open to X card members, is now available to others such as Visa Infinite cardholders as well.
The development isn’t too surprising – it was always a bit strange how the X card got access to a better list of partners than the others when converting 360° Rewards Points. Nonetheless here are the details if you have at least one different Standard Chartered card in your wallet.
12 loyalty programmes
In addition to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, which remains a transfer partner as usual, you can now transfer into the following 11 frequent flyer programmes and hotel loyalty schemes from your Standard Chartered credit card points.
The downside is that the transfer ratios don’t all match the 2.5 points to 1 mile enjoyed for the KrisFlyer programme.
We first revealed the transfer ratios to these 11 new loyalty programmes in July this year, when we were exploring the options for your 100,000 miles from the (original, short-lived) X card sign-up bonus.
If you’re still interested, the X card is offering a 60,000 miles sign-up bonus, the highest currently on the market.
| Standard Chartered Airline Partner Conversion | ||
| FFP | Conversion Ratio | Minimum Points to Convert |
 |
2.5:1 | 2,500 |
 |
2.5:1 | 2,500 |
 |
2.5:1 | 2,500 |
 |
2.5:1 | 2,500 |
 |
3:1 | 3,000 |
 |
3:1 | 3,000 |
 |
3:1 | 3,000 |
 |
3.5:1 | 3,500 |
 |
3.5:1 | 3,500 |
 |
3.5:1 | 3,500 |
| Standard Chartered Hotel Partner Conversion | ||
| Loyalty scheme | Conversion Ratio | Minimum Points to Convert |
 |
2.5:1 | 2,500 |
 |
5:1 | 5,000 |
A nice mix including some more ‘exotic’ FFPs for Singapore miles collectors, like Lufthansa Miles & More and United MileagePlus.
Unfortunately as you can see there are only three frequent flyer programmes and one hotel scheme where you’ll get the same transfer ratio from 360° Rewards Points as you currently get to KrisFlyer from the SCVI card, for example.
For all the others you’re taking a hit due to the higher transfer ratio, so do be aware and calculate carefully whether it’s worth it. Points can be transferred into some of these loyalty schemes, for example, from Citi at the ‘standard’ 2.5 : 1 rate.
How to transfer to the new partners
If you have a Standard Chartered Visa Infinite card and you usually transfer using the desktop site, it’s a slightly complicated affair to transfer to one of the 11 new partners.
Instead of the usual method (which still works for KrisFlyer transfers), once you have selected your Visa Infinite account after logging in you’ll need to click the ‘Card Details’ link first.
At the bottom of the details page there is an option ‘View My Rewards’, which will take you to the new transfer partners and allow you to proceed with the conversion.
If you would rather use the mobile app to make a transfer it’s much easier. Simply tap the menu icon at the top left of the screen after logging in, then click ‘Credit Card Rewards’.
This takes you directly to the transfer option for the 11 ‘new’ partners, though ironically it doesn’t allow you to transfer to KrisFlyer. That’s still only possible the ‘old fashioned’ way through the desktop rewards portal.
Transfer blocks are small
One benefit of being able to transfer your combined Standard Chartered points balance into these new programmes is the ability to do so in 1,000-point ‘batches’ (at the loyalty program side).
Each transfer costs S$26.75 including GST, so you won’t want to be making small conversions, but if you want to transfer into Lufthansa Miles & More for example and your have 38,500 rewards points, these will transfer nicely into 11,000 miles (3.5 : 1 ratio).
With many reward programmes, like Citi, you must transfer in 10,000-mile blocks. That can be quite restrictive.
Your highest balance is deducted first
As we highlighted in August this year, if you have more than one set of Standard Chartered points from multiple credit card accounts (for example, the SCVI card and the X card), the bank will deduct points from the card with the highest points balance first if you are making a partial transfer (i.e. not emptying out your combined rewards account in one go).
This takes some thinking about if you want to empty out the smaller account balance, but leave the higher one intact (e.g. to use up your 100,000 miles from the X card before cancelling, but keeping your larger SCVI points balance intact). Our article explores some options for you there.
Unfortunately one of those options at the time, which was to transfer your X card points to a ‘new’ partner before cancelling and leaving your SCVI points intact, will no longer work as your SCVI points will now be used first in this case, assuming it is higher.
Summary
Standard Chartered 360° Rewards Points now ‘truly’ transfer into 12 different loyalty schemes, a benefit only available to X card holders (and limited to points accrued on the X card) until now.
Unfortunately while the list of options is quite nice, unlike Citi which also boasts a wide range of FFPs the transfer ratios are less attractive in the Standard Chartered case. In some cases the ratio is double, meaning you’re only getting half as many points or miles in the destination loyalty scheme as you would with KrisFlyer.
Nonetheless more options is a good thing, and you may have some use for a few of these new miles ‘currencies’, or know some good sweet spots you can exploit.
(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)