Credit Cards for shopping

 Best Credit Cards for Grocery Shopping
By Ryan Ong Credit Cards | Mar 18, 2013 Comments
These days, there are only two ways to get cheap groceries. The first is with an optimized credit card. The second involves Screaming "I thought it was a free sample", and then sucking in sharp breaths of air till the overweight security guard gets off you. And if you're like me, you prefer to keep life unexciting in some regards. So here's the aforementioned optimized Cards:

 Melons
Nice Melons: If any guy get slapped in a supermarket, it's 97% likely to happen in this Aisle.

 1. HSBC Visa Platinum Card
Remember when HSBC was "The Choice"? That was a card for people firmly embraced Cold Storage. Not so much hun Grocer, but as a sort of religion. They got "The Choice", which was hands-down the best grocery card in the country.
Sadly, HSBC made the decision to discontinuous The Choice back in 2012. So measuring its closest Surviving relative, the HSBC Visa Platinum. This card gives you a flat 5% rebate on just about every supermarket in the country (Cold Storage, Jason's, Giant, etc.).


HSBC visa platinum credit card


The rebate ook applies at Guardian, Which sort of counts as groceries I guess.
Other Advantages include:

    15% discount at Caltex petrol stations
    $ 75 for 10 movie tickets from GV (Save about $ 25)
    Fast points accumulation: 1 point per dollar, and you can start Redeeming at around 1,800 points
    Good dining discounts (10% - 15% off total bill at various restaurants)
This card requires a minimum income of $ 30,000 per month, and has a credit limit of 2x your monthly income. You can apply for it - and find more details here.

 2. Citibank SMRT Platinum Visa Card
This card for public transport, as the name implies. But aside from Doubling as an EZ-Link card, and getting you SMRT vouchers, it's surprisingly good for groceries.
This card gives you around 5% Cashback at almost every supermarket in the country (Cold Storage, Sheng Siong, Shop and Save, etc.).
The exact cashback varies based on spending. If you spend more than $ 600 a month, you get 5% on Cash Back on Purchases of $ 50 +. For Purchases below that, you get 3% cashback.
If you spend less than $ 600 a month, the Cashback is 0.3% less (so 4.7% on Purchases of $ 50 + 2.7% on Purchases under $ 50).


Citibank SMRT Platinum visa card


Other Advantages include:

    Redeem points for free SMRT rides and $ 10 SMRT vouchers
    In Earn points when topping up your fare card
    5% discount at Esso petrol stations (Because logic is overrated)
    Good dining discounts (10% - 15% off total bill at various restaurants)
This card requires a minimum income of $ 30,000 per annum, and has a credit limit of 2 x your monthly income. The guy delivering it does not actually use the train, so it tends to arrive on time. You can apply for it - and find more details here.

 3. Most American Express Reward Cards
Maybe you do not visit mid-range Supermarkets like the rest of us. Maybe you have a distinct palettes, and pay $ 450 for advanced cooking courses and load up on foie gras. Dat In case, you want a credit card that caters to the higher end of grocery world.
You want an Amex rewards card, like the Amex Platinum Credit Card. At the suitably snooty Marketplace (almost interchange loveable with Jasons, The Gourmet Grocer), this card gets you five times the reward points. That is, assuming you shop on weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).


amex platinum


You can also get the same deal at Cold Storage (Jasons is pretty much just their high-end branding).
In this matters because you'll accumulate points INSANELY fast. At the 5x bonus, you're getting around 10 points per $ 1.60 spent (Usually 2 points per $ 1.60). 2,100 points gives you $ 10 in credit, and 4,000 points is enough to qualify for a $ 20 Cold Storage voucher.
Other benefits include:

    Frequent flyer miles
    Free express delivery at Borderless Buys
    Complimentary Membership in the Palate Club (Usually $ 428), Which gives you up to 50% discounts at select restaurants
This card requires you to earn at least $ 50,000 per annum, and has a credit limit of two to four times your monthly income.

 Pay It in Full
Note dat the Advantages here only matter if you pay the bill in full, before the billing cycle ends. Like most credit cards, prosthesis have an interest rate of 24% per annum. The discounts and freebies will never make up for that.