Credit score Card Rewards in Singapore Are Getting Worse

Methodology

We continuously monitor the bank card area in Singapore and have been amassing knowledge on bank cards and their rewards. For this particular examine, we sampled 51 of the preferred bank cards from the entire main card issuers and in contrast their present rewards program in 2017 to what they had been in 2016.

To calculate how a lot worth a card can generate for a median shopper, we created a hypothetical shopper whose spending behavior is just like the Singaporean common in response to the federal government’s expenditure survey. By modelling every card with this hypothetical individual, we had been capable of calculate the worth of rewards (i.e. cashback and air miles) that one might earn over 2 and three years, whereas additionally adjusting for the impression of annual charges.

Of observe, we’ve excluded some one-off and promotional perks like x% off at a choose variety of eating places or outlets, and so on functions of evaluating direct advantages of every bank cards. As these advantages are continuously altering and may be typically too complicated for customers to make use of, we deemed them to be much less influential in a bank card consumer’s economics. We additionally solely thought-about a card to have modified if its greenback worth (by way of money rebate and air miles an individual can earn over 2-3 years) elevated or decreased by a minimum of S$100.

Key Findings: Credit score Card Rewards Are Declining

For a median shopper with a month-to-month expenditure of S$2,000, we discovered that 2-year greenback worth of playing cards has declined by about S$34 on common. 3-Yr greenback values have declined by about S$55 on common. These figures truly under-represent the magnitude of this pattern that we’ve seen.

As an example, some banks have launched welcome bonus promotions that quickly improve these common figures. When most of those applications expire on the finish of February and March, the typical decline will improve meaningfully, particularly for 3-year or longer time frames the place these “one-time” boosts begin to matter a lot much less.

Largely, we’ve been noticing some playing cards had modified their set of rewards over the previous few months, whereas some have additionally raised their annual charges. In complete, we discovered that 7 bank cards out of 51 (or 14%) grew to become considerably worse for customers, whereas just one grew to become meaningfully higher. Let’s focus on every consider element one after the other.

Change in Reward Program

About 8% of the 51 bank cards we sampled in Singapore have diminished their rewards charges by a major quantity in comparison with 2016. These playing cards had been: OCBC Titanium, ANZ Platinum Visa Card, ANZ Swap Platinum Card and POSB On a regular basis Card. By both altering the rewards charge or altering reward classes, they ended up offering much less by way of both air miles or money rebate to the cardboard holder.

As an example, the POSB On a regular basis card deprived its customers by shifting advantages from a excessive spending class to a low spending class. Beforehand, the POSB On a regular basis card supplied as much as 9% of cashback for eating bills, however now decreased this rebate charge to 0.3% whereas shifting the advantages to abroad spending, which elevated from 0.3% to five%. Whereas this alteration could seem “truthful” on the floor, that is much less helpful to the typical shopper who would solely journey a couple of times a yr.

Equally, OCBC Titanium card fully modified its set of rewards to deal with procuring. By providing 4 miles per S$1 spent on procuring, it seeks to attraction to lively customers. Nevertheless, that is additionally disadvantageous to the typical shopper as a result of all one other spending solely earns 0.4 miles, whereas it used to earn 1 mile per S$1 earlier than the cardboard’s rebranding. Two ANZ playing cards talked about above had a comparatively easier change, as they eliminated the 2-20x rewards level buff for classes like petrol, journey, leisure and groceries.

Annual Charge Enhance

By way of annual charges, we noticed a complete of three playing cards that elevated the price of utilizing them for the buyer. Two playing cards did this by instantly rising the annual charge quantity: UOB OneCard and OCBC Plus! Visa bank card. UOB One card, which returns as much as 5% of flat charge money again on each greenback you spend, used to cost solely S$128.4 of an annual charge, which was waived for the first yr.

Whereas the waiver nonetheless exists, now the annual charge elevated to S$192.6, a whopping 50% improve. OCBC Plus! Card elevated its charge from S$80 to S$107. One remaining card, OCBC Robinson Card, simply removed their charge waiver applications, which successfully will increase the price of utilizing this card by S$192.6 over 2 to three years. Excessive annual charges offset the good thing about their rewards applications in a significant approach and will encourage some customers to vary to a distinct card.

Moreover these, a number of playing cards have additionally elevated the minimal necessities for qualifying for annual charge waivers, like OCBC’s Frank and 365 playing cards. Nevertheless, their necessities are nonetheless comparatively lenient as they solely require one to spend S$10,000 on the cardboard per yr.

Playing cards That Improved

There was one card that improved in a major approach in Singapore: Maybank Horizon card. Beforehand named Maybank Horizon Platinum Visa Card, it was rebranded right into a a lot better Maybank Horizon Signature Visa card. That is the way it modified. In 2016, Maybank Horizon card used to supply 2 miles for S$1 spent on petrol, journey, procuring and utility-related bills, with 0.4 miles awarded for S$1 spent on all the things else.

Now, it awards 3.2 miles for S$1 spent on petrol and eating, and one other 2 to three.2 miles for travel-related bills. For all different bills, it nonetheless supplies 0.4 miles per S$1. Whereas they raised the annual charge from S$150 to S$180, they nonetheless waive this annual charge so long as you spend S$18,000 per yr (beforehand S$12,000 per yr), that means you solely should spend S$1,500 on the cardboard per 30 days. Total, we expect this card improved in greenback worth by S$164 over 2 years.

Another playing cards additionally improved, however in a lot much less vital methods. As an example, DBS is offering S$160 money rebate for brand spanking new clients till 31 March 2017, up from S$100 rebate they used to provide in 2016. UOB is working an identical program of S$50 rebate for brand spanking new clients till 31 March 2017.

Nevertheless, these “bonuses” are simply up-front incentives which have much less impression on the long-term utility of a bank card. Not solely that, within the occasion that banks roll again these incentives, their playing cards may have no enchancment over their choices from 2016.

Potential Causes

From an analyst standpoint, this can be a traditional approach of controlling price. Historically, the banking enterprise fashions have all the time been about controlling prices & gaining scale as a result of their merchandise are comparatively much less differentiated than different shopper merchandise like vogue items. In reality, there was a pattern in the direction of price discount for banks in Singapore recently.

In response to Straits Instances, Citibank simply raised the minimal complete relationship steadiness for patrons. Servicing an account has a variety of price gadgets related to it, like customer support, compliance, authorized, and so on. If a buyer’s account is simply too small, it won’t be price a financial institution’s time to service it.

That’s why they’re elevating each the account service charge (from S$10 to S$15) and the minimal complete relationship steadiness wanted to get the account service charge waiver (web page 4 of this doc). There was an identical improvement within the US after Dodd-Frank elevated compliance price for banks, and banks needed to increase the minimal steadiness.

A doable cause for these strikes is that banks are both feeling margin pressures or are feeling safer about their aggressive surroundings. What we do know is that we’ve additionally been noticing some decline in shopper advantages on bank cards in Singapore in the previous few months, i.e. greater annual charges for main or secondary holders, rising APRs charged on playing cards, and declining total advantages in types of money again, air miles or welcome bonuses.