Note: DBS and Agoda have extended this offer to 31st December 2020, and hiked the bonus earn rate to 10 mpd for Singapore staycation bookings. See our updated article for full details.
Most of you probably aren’t rushing to book a hotel stay given the current coronavirus outbreak leading to some serious travel uncertainty over the coming months, however we thought we’d let you know about a new enhanced miles partnership struck up between DBS and Agoda this month.
If you hold the DBS Altitude (Visa or Amex), DBS Woman’s World Mastercard or DBS Woman’s Platinum Mastercard, you’ll be entitled to 4 bonus miles per dollar when booking through a dedicated link on the Agoda site, worth up to 8 miles per dollar in total spent on hotel stays completed over the next six months.
There’s a monthly upper spend limit for each card after which the rate drops to 4 miles per dollar in addition to your card’s basic earn rate.
Let’s take a look at how it works.
The offer
For bookings made via the dedicated Agoda / DBS landing page between now and 30th September 2020, which are also completed by 30th September 2020, here are the earn rates applicable depending on which DBS credit card you use.
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DBS Altitude Visa / Amex |
| Qualifying Spend (per calendar month) | Miles Earned |
| First S$5,000 |
7 mpd total |
| S$5,001 onwards |
5.2 mpd or 6 mpd total |
As you can see for the DBS Altitude cards this taps in to the bonus 3 mpd earn rate (capped at S$5,000 spend per month) when calculating the 7 mpd total for bookings through this special site.
After that the rate drops to 5.2 mpd or 6 mpd, which remains competitive since it still includes the 4 mpd bonus for these Agoda bookings.
Note that if you have already used some of the S$5,000 monthly allowance on other flight and hotel transactions with your DBS Altitude card, only the amount remaining in that category for the month will earn 7 mpd using the Agoda dedicated link.
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DBS Woman’s World |
| Qualifying Spend (per calendar month) | Miles Earned |
| First S$2,000 |
8 mpd total |
| S$2,001 onwards |
4.4 mpd total |
For the Woman’s World card it’s only the first S$2,000 of accumulated spend per calendar month that’s eligible for a very attractive 8 mpd for Agoda bookings, thereafter a 4.4 mpd rate applies.
Note that if you have already used some of the S$2,000 monthly allowance on other eligible online transactions with your DBS Woman’s World card, only the amount remaining in that category for the month will earn 8 mpd using the Agoda dedicated link.
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DBS Woman’s Platinum |
| Qualifying Spend (per calendar month) | Miles Earned |
| First S$1,000 |
6 mpd total |
| S$1,001 onwards |
4.4 mpd total |
For the Woman’s Platinum card it’s only the first S$1,000 monthly spend via the dedicated link that’s eligible for a 6 mpd total earn rate, after that like the WWMC card it’s down to 4.4 mpd for any additional Agoda bookings.
Note that if you have already used some of the S$1,000 monthly allowance on other eligible online transactions with your DBS Woman’s Platinum card, only the amount remaining in that category for the month will earn 8 mpd using the Agoda dedicated link.
Important: Only rates where the payment is made directly to Agoda are applicable, so this won’t work for rates where you pay directly to or at the hotel itself. Look for the “Promo Eligible” tag on the room types search results page.
Taxes and service charges are included in the total cost assessed for the bonus miles, however no other incidental room expenses will qualify.
How to book
Bookings must be made via the dedicated landing page: www.agoda.com/dbsmiles
Payment must be made using one of the four DBS credit cards listed above to qualify for the bonus points. You must also provide your bank registered mobile number as per DBS’ records at the time of booking, as registration with incorrect information may result in you not qualifying for the promotion.
When do the bonus miles credit?
Assuming you remain within the higher bonus spend level each calendar month (e.g. S$5,000 for the DBS Altitude card):
- For the DBS Altitude cards you’ll initially earn at the 1.2 mpd (SGD) or 2 mpd (FCY) rates for these transactions. The first bonus, rounding this up to 3 mpd, will be credited in the middle of the following month. The 4 mpd Agoda bonus will be credited within 2 calendar months after the end of the promotion period (i.e. by 30th November 2020).
- For the DBS Woman’s World card you’ll initially earn at the 0.4 mpd (SGD) or 1.2 mpd (FCY) rates for these transactions. The first bonus, rounding this up to 4 mpd, will be credited at the end of the following month. The 4 mpd Agoda bonus will be credited within 2 calendar months after the end of the promotion period (i.e. by 30th November 2020).
- For the DBS Woman’s Platinum card you’ll initially earn at the 0.4 mpd rate for these transactions. The first bonus, rounding this up to 2 mpd, will be credited at the end of the following month. The 4 mpd Agoda bonus will be credited within 2 calendar months after the end of the promotion period (i.e. by 30th November 2020).
As you can see whichever card you use, you’ll be waiting until the end of November 2020 for at least half of the points you would earn from this campaign, so it’s certainly not a fast way to rack up the miles balance.
Which loyalty schemes can I transfer into?
DBS Points can be transferred into:
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Qantas Frequent Flyer Points
Those three open up a wide range of redemption options across Star Alliance and oneworld alliance airlines.
You can also transfer your DBS Points to Air Asia BIG Points, however the value is extremely poor.
Expedia 6 mpd has ended
With this new Agoda partnership, the DBS Altitude 6 miles per $1 spent on specific hotel bookings and flights with certain airlines on Expedia SG has now ended (it was applicable until 31st March 2020).
Expedia transactions with the Altitude cards continue to earn the base rate of 3 mpd for online flight and hotel bookings, capped at S$5,000 per month.
Citi PremierMiles 7 mpd extended
Citi has also extended its longstanding agreement with Agoda this month, a deal originally due to end on 31st March 2020.
It offers 7 miles per dollar along broadly the same terms but with bookings made using its PremierMiles Visa or PremierMiles Mastercard via its own dedicated landing page – www.agoda.com/bonusmiles.
This offer is good for bookings made up to 30th June 2020 for stays until 31st December 2020, though it’s typically renewed each quarter. Do check the specific terms and conditions for that deal at the above link.
Check Kaligo first
DBS has an ongoing bonus miles relationship with hotel booking site Kaligo, offering 10 miles per S$1 spent as standard (capped at S$5,000 spend per month). That might work out better than this offer, depending on your choice of hotel and the rates available, so remember to check Kaligo first before committing to the Agoda deal.
Always remember the golden rule – check the best available rate directly with the hotel of your choice and other online travel agents like Expedia, as you may find you are paying more to accrue miles with these other sites and the cost per mile must always be justifiable (1.9 cents per mile or less is our personal cap).
Card reviews
We’ve got full reviews of the DBS Altitude and DBS Woman’s World cards (men can get the latter one too!). Check them out for a detailed look at their other features.
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Summary
Making hotel bookings between now and the end of September 2020 probably isn’t high on your agenda right now due to the global travel restrictions in force, however this deal on Agoda bookings is one to keep in mind for when (as we all hope) the situation improves and we can get travelling again.
Furthermore if it’s anything like the Citi PremierMiles Agoda offer it might well be extended, providing a nice alternative worth up to 8 miles per dollar for DBS WWMC cardholders and 7 miles per dollar for those of you with the Altitude card.
(Cover Photo: UNICO Hotel)