When is the bonus paid?

After you meet the spend or fee condition, often within a few weeks to a few months. Each card shows the condition as the bank states it.

Best sign-up bonus credit cards

These cards give new cardholders bonus points, miles or cash once a set spend or fee is met. Compare the bonus, what you need to do to get it and the annual fee, with every figure from the bank's own pages.

Bonus points or miles for new cardholders
Some bonuses need only the first fee or a small spend
Earn the usual rate on top

Featured

American Express

•••• •••• •••• ••••

Credit Card CompareAmerican Express

American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card

16,000 bonus points
Complimentary travel insurance

Application

Compare 8 sign-up bonus credit cards

Credit card comparison table with rates, fees, rewards and apply links.
Card	Name and rating	Rewards program	Sign-up bonus	Earn rate	Annual fee
CitiSignature •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareMastercard	Citi Prestige Card	Citi ThankYou Rewards	112,500 pts	5 pts per S$1Uncapped	S$651.82	Application
HSBCSignature •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareVisa	HSBC Revolution Credit Card	HSBC Reward points	42,000 pts	10 pts per S$1Capped	S$0	Application
CitiSignature •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareVisa	Citi Rewards Card	Citi ThankYou Rewards	40,000 pts	10 pts per S$1Capped	S$0	Application
OCBC •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareMastercard	OCBC 90°N Mastercard	OCBC 90°N Miles	22,000 pts	6.5 90°N Miles per S$5Uncapped	S$0	Application
American Express •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareAmerican Express	American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card	Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer	16,000 pts	2 pts per S$1Capped	S$0	Application
CitiSignature •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareMastercard	Citi PremierMiles Card	Citi ThankYou Rewards	30,000 pts	1.2 pts per S$1Uncapped	S$196.20	Application
MaybankPlatinum •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareMastercard	Maybank XL Cashback Card	—	—	—	S$0	Application
CitiPlatinum •••• •••• •••• •••• Credit Card CompareVisa	Citi M1 Platinum Visa	—	300 pts	—	S$0	Application

Sign-up bonus by the numbers

Cards compared

37,543 pts

Average sign-up bonus

10 pts per S$1

Top earn rate

S$675

Highest-value sign-up bonus

Citi Prestige Card

S$106

Average annual fee

Sign-up bonus credit card FAQs

Usually only new cardholders. Many banks exclude anyone who has held one of their cards recently; the bank's terms set the rule.

Pros

Sign-up bonuses can be sizeable, often enough to cover a return flight or kick-start a rewards balance once you meet the spend.
Earn points on everyday spend, so the shopping you do anyway builds toward flights, gift cards or cashback instead of earning nothing.
Plenty of cards here charge no annual fee, so they cost nothing to hold as a backup or low-use card.
Some cards keep purchase rates well below the market average, softening the cost in any month you carry a balance.

Cons

Sign-up bonuses require hitting a minimum spend in a set window, so the points only land if you would spend that much anyway.
The premium cards here carry high annual fees, so they only pay off if you use enough of the perks to cover the cost.
Higher-end cards can ask for a substantial income, so not every card here suits every applicant.

Questions and answers

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Related card types

Rewards credit cards

Sources

Credit Card Compare: How CardIQ scores cards