Yahoo Finance What Happened To The StanChart X Card?—SCB Journey Credit Card Review
“Spend your way to your next getaway”, Standard Chartered (SC) proclaims of their newly rebranded Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card. The idea they’re trying to sell you is simple: Charge purchases to your SC Journey Credit Card, and they’ll reward you with miles for your everyday spending. So that Gojek ride? That Foodpanda delivery? They’ll all count towards your next flight to your dream destination.
The SC Journey Credit Card may sound like a low effort way to afford your next holiday, but so are many other air miles credit cards. And on the surface level, a lot of these miles cards seem to offer pretty much the same thing—earn miles on stuff you buy. Is the SC Journey Credit Card just a regular entry-level miles credit card on the scene, or is it a cut above the rest? Let’s take a closer look.
Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card Review—Is it MoneySmart? | ||
Overall: ★★★☆☆ | ||
Category | Our rating | The deets |
Earn rates: 360 Rewards Points |  | – 360 Rewards Points do not expire, and can be redeemed for miles, cash rewards, or shopping vouchers |
Earn categories | | |
Annual fees and charges | ★★★★☆ | S$194.40 (first year waiver available) / No fee for supplementary cards |
Accessibility | ★★★☆☆ | Minimum income requirement: $30,000 (Singaporeans) / $60,000 (non-Singaporeans) |
Extras/periphery rewards | ★★☆☆☆ | – 2 complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges worldwide each year |
Sign-up bonus | ★★☆☆☆ | Up to 45,000 miles: |
See our credit card ranking rubric to find out how we rank credit cards.
Contents:
1. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Summary
The Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card is the rebranded version of the now defunct Standard Chartered X Card, which had its 15 minutes of fame back in 2019 with its whopping 100,000 miles sign-up promo. What went wrong with the X Card? This high-flying card was aimed at the higher echelons of society, with its almost $700 annual fee and $80,000 minimum income requirement. But with the SC X Card’s decidedly average earn rates of $1 = 1.2 miles locally and $1 = 2 miles overseas, it’s no wonder Standard Chartered X-ed the X card in lieu of the friendlier, entry-level Journey Credit Card.
In a word, the rebranded SC Journey Credit Card is average. It’s nothing to shout about, but is also nothing to complain about. It’s got an average minimum income requirement ($30,000). It’s got average earn rates (the exact same as its predecessor X card, in fact, which speaks more of the X card than of it). And it’s got average additional perks, such as complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges. Having said that, that doesn’t mean you should write off the SC Journey Credit Card. There’s a space in many a wallet for a decent everyday rewards card, and the SC Journey Credit Card just might fit the bill.
One thing I want to say about the SC Journey Credit Card: Don’t label it as a miles card just because Standard Chartered has been selling it as one, or because it has the word “journey” in its name. Technically, the SC Journey Credit Card earns you 360 Rewards Points, not miles. These points can be used to redeem air miles, sure, but also cash rewards or shopping vouchers. Your choice!
2. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Eligibility
The Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card is definitely in entry-level credit card territory. These are its eligibility conditions and income requirements:
Minimum income for Singaporeans: S$30,000
Minimum income for non-Singaporeans: S$60,000
Age: 21 – 65 years
The only condition that might make the SC Journey Credit Card less friendly is its income requirement for foreigners, who need to earn at least $60,000 a year to be eligible for the card. Comparatively, many other miles cards with a $30,000 income requirement for Singaporeans only impose a $40,000-$45,000 income requirement for non-Singaporeans. Here’s a quick look at the minimum earn rates of miles cards with similar earn rates:
Minimum income requirements | ||
Air miles credit card | For Singaporeans | For non-Singaporeans |
SC Journey Credit Card | $30,000 | $60,000 |
$30,000 | $42,000 | |
$30,000 (salaried worker) / $40,000 (self-employed or commission-based) | $40,000 | |
$30,000 | $45,000 | |
$30,000 | $45,000 | |
3. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Annual fees
Thank goodness Standard Chartered has come to realise that no one in their right mind is going to pay ~$700 in annual fees for a credit card that gives you a very average 1.2 miles per S$1 earn rate. Now, the new and improved SC Journey Credit Card gives…the same average earn rate. But! At least it’s brought its annual fees down to an equally average amount of S$194.40, with the option of waiving the annual fee for (at least) the first year. There’s also no annual fee for any supplementary card(s), all in all making the SC Journey Credit Card the next best thing after a no annual fee credit card.
4. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Earn rates
The SC Journey Card works just like many other air miles credit cards—charge money to the card, and earn rewards points that you can turn into miles, cash rewards, or shopping vouchers. That’s right—although the SC Journey Credit Card is advertised and categorised as a miles credit card, it actually earns you 360 Rewards Points that give you the flexibility to choose what you want to redeem them for. This sets it apart from, say, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, which earns you KrisFlyer miles directly.
Here’s what you can expect to earn with the SC Journey Credit Card:
Earn rates with the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card | ||
Per $1 spent on | 360 Rewards Points | Air Miles |
Online Transactions: Transportation, Grocery and Food Delivery Merchants | 7.5 Rewards Points (of which 4.5 Rewards Points are considered bonus points) | 3 miles |
Overseas spend | 5 Rewards Points | 2 miles |
Local spend | 3 Rewards Points | 1.2 miles |
Do note that there is a cap to the number of bonus Rewards Points you can earn. In each month, you can only earn a maximum of 4,500 Rewards Points, which basically means a spend cap of S$1,000. This cap only applies to the S$1 = 4.5 Rewards Points bonus earnings, and doesn’t apply to the regular S$1 = 3 Rewards Points earnings you get from local spend. So, past the S$1,000 mark on the bonus earn categories, further spending will continue to earn you the usual 3 Rewards Points (1.2 miles) per dollar.
5. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Bonus earn categories
To get the most out of your SC Journey Credit Card, you’re going to want to max out the bonus earn categories that give you the highest earn rate on the card of S$1 = 7.5 Rewards Points. These apply only to online transactions in 3 categories: Transportation, Groceries, and Food Delivery. Here are the eligible merchant category codes and merchant examples:
Bonus earn rate transaction categories | Qualifying MCCs (online transactions only) | Examples of merchants with those MCCs |
Transportation |
| Gojek, Cabcharge Asia (they work with ComfortDelGro), Tada, Ryde Technologies, Royal Caribbean Cruises |
Food Delivery |
| Foodpanda, Deliveroo, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza |
Groceries and Food stores |
| NTUC FairPrice Online, NTUC FairPrice app, Nespresso |
Once again, there’s a spend cap of S$1,000 for the categories above. Past the S$1,000 mark, further online transactions under the categories above will just earn you the usual rate of S$1 local spend = 3 Rewards Points / 1.2 miles.
6. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Rewards Points redemption
With the SC Journey Credit Card, you’ll earn 360 Rewards Points that can be redeemed for air miles, cash rewards, or shopping vouchers. The miles conversion rate is 2.5 Rewards Points = 1 mile, while the shopping voucher conversion rates vary by merchant, and you’ll need to log in to the online Standard Chartered 360 Rewards Points catalogue to view the cash reward details. You’ll also use this platform to redeem your Reward Points. But for now, to give you a rough idea, here are the conversion rates for everyone’s favourite, good old trusty Capital Mall vouchers:
6,900 points = S$20 eCapitaVoucher
17,250 points = S$50 eCapitaVoucher
You’d need to spend $920 via online food delivery/grocery/transport transactions to amass the 6,900 reward points needed for a $20 eCapitaVoucher. Essentially, that’s like getting a 2.17% “cashback” rate—not too shabby compared to an unlimited cashback credit card with very general spend categories, but falls short of other cards’ cashback rates for specific categories.
ALSO READ: 11 Best Cashback Credit Cards in Singapore
It may seem quite troublesome to some to have to log in and convert the points to miles/vouchers/cash rewards, but that’s the price we pay for flexibility. Plus, one big advantage to the 360 Rewards Points you’ll earn is that these points do not expire. So feel free to hang on to them and accumulate them to your heart’s content before using your hard-earned points.
7. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Benefits and privileges
If the SC Journey Credit Card were a burger, it would be a McChicken. It’s no limp and flat hamburger, but it’s a far cry from the hearty, juicy Big Mac everyone’s got their eye on. The SC Journey Credit Card has 2 main permanent benefits that are guaranteed to stick around:
2 complimentary visits to Priority Pass lounges worldwide each year
Complimentary travel insurance coverage of up to S$500,000
Aside from these, there are also some limited-time privileges that we can only hope will either be extended or replaced with an equivalent perk:
S$0 foreign transaction fee for overseas spend made and posted in June-July, November-December 2023
S$10 off Grab rides to or from Changi Airport (limited to the first 2,000 redemptions)
45% off all single trip plans with MSIG TravelEasy Insurance
See what I mean about the McChicken? These aren’t benefits you’d crave and long to have, and you probably won’t be getting the SC Journey Credit Card solely for the perks above. But things like discounted Grab rides and insurance are certainly complimentary add-ons that anyone would welcome. Plus, the knowledge that you don’t have to pay a cent in foreign transaction fees while travelling is as reassuring as the knowledge that you’re always going to get to enjoy McDonald’s signature burgers all over the world.
8. Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Sign-up promotion
From now till 30 Sep 2023, Standard Chartered is offering up to 45,000 miles for those who sign up for the SC Journey Credit Card. But before you get too excited at the prospect of 45,000 miles, it’s important to break this down to see what conditions it comes with:
Gift condition | Rewards Points awarded | Equivalent KrisFlyer Miles |
Pay the annual fee of S$194.40 | 25,000 | 10,000 |
Get 5 miles for every S$1 of eligible transactions within the first 30 days of card approval, capped at S$5,000 | 62,500 | 25,000 |
Get 2 miles for every S$1 of eligible transactions in foreign currency under the Standard Chartered Credit Card Rewards Promotions | 25,000 | 10,000 |
Total | 112,500 | 45,000 |
So to hit the 45,000 mile welcome gift, you’ll need to spend/pay a total of S$10,194.40:
For 25,000 miles: Spend S$5,000 within 30 days of card approval
For 10,000 miles: Transact S$5,000 worth of foreign spending
For 10,000 miles: Pay the annual fee of S$194.40
If you don’t fancy paying the annual fee and also don’t foresee yourself spending overseas, you’re looking at only 25,000 miles—assuming you spend $5,000 in a month. Tough. Lesson learnt: Don’t be blindly lured by the promise of 45,000 miles!
On the plus side, it’s also worth mentioning that Standard Chartered isn’t going to give you miles directly, but 360 Rewards Points that can be converted to miles. So if you would prefer converting these points to cash rewards or shopping vouchers instead, go ahead!
9. Should I get the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card?
The SC Journey Credit Card is a good entry-level rewards card with decent earn rates, especially for its 3 miles per S$1 earn rate on online transactions for transport, grocery and food delivery. That’s perhaps its biggest draw— it’s definitely not a credit card you’re going to get for its lacklustre travel benefits or difficult-to-attain welcome points. Here’s a summary of why you should or shouldn’t get it:
Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card | |
Pros | Cons |
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Our advice is to only get the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card if you know you can make full use of the 3 miles per S$1 spend on online transactions for transport, grocery and food delivery. That means maxing out the spend cap of S$1,000 each month. Otherwise, consider these alternative cards below.
10. Alternatives to the Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card
Here are some air miles credit cards with similar or slightly higher earn rates:
Citi PremierMiles Card: Similar earn rates (1.2 Citi Miles per S$1 local spend/ 2 Citi Miles per S$1 overseas spend) but a sign-up bonus that’s a lot easier to get. Plus, Citi Miles also never expire.
Sponsored
MoneySmart Exclusive
$1 = Up to 4 Miles (Limited Time Only)
Citi PremierMiles Card
MoneySmart Exclusive:
Apply and Spend $500 to get an Apple iPad 10.2-inch 64GB, 9th Gen (worth $503.65) OR a Nintendo Switch OLED (worth S$479) OR a Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (worth S$575) OR S$300 Cash via PayNow. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 20 Jun 2023
More Details
Key Features
S$1 = 1.2 Citi Miles on Local spend (no min. spend)
S$1 = 2 Citi Miles on Foreign currency spend
Bonus: Earn additional 2 Citi Miles on qualifying foreign currency spend while overseas between 1 March and 30 June 2023. Bank T&Cs apply.
Annual Fee Applies
Earn 10,000 Citi Miles upon renewal of annual membership and payment of annual fee
Citi Miles never expire
Priority Pass™ membership gives you access to more than 600 airport lounges twice a year
Priority Pass membership is on application basis and is reserved for the Principal cardmember only, limited to 2 complimentary visits per calendar year
Complimentary Travel Accident Insurance up to S$1,000,000 coverage, Medical Assistance Programme and Travel Inconvenience Coverage
With Citi PayAll, you can earn and accumulate Citi Miles, Citi ThankYou PointsSM or Cash Back quickly when you pay your big-ticket bills such as rent, insurance premiums, education expenses, taxes, utilities and more
At MoneySmart, we strive to keep our information accurate and up to date. This information may be different from what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider, or specific product site. MoneySmart shall not be liable to compensate the Customer should the information is not as updated as our Partner.
OCBC 90°N Card: Slightly higher earn rates (2.1 miles per S$1 foreign currency spend, 1.3 miles per S$1 local spend), with no cap on miles earned per month. Additionally, comes with a sign-up bonus that’s juicier and easier to get.
Online Promo
Earn Miles That Don't Expire
OCBC 90°N Card
Online Promo:
Apply and spend S$500 within 30 days from card approval to get a Samsonite Polygon Spinner 28" Luggage (worth S$640) OR spend S$1,000 for 2 consecutive months within 60 days from card approval to receive S$250 Cashback. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 30 Jun 2023
More Details
Key Features
1.3 Travel$ with every S$1 spent on Local Currency
Travel$ that do not expire - Convert Travel$ to loyalty points at 9 airline and hotel partner programmes.
Get cash rebates at up to 2.1% from your earned Travel$. No minimum spend and no caps
All online purchases on your OCBC 90°N Card come with e-Commerce Protection, which safeguards you against non-delivery or defective goods or if the seller fails to reimburse you.
UOB PRVI MASTERCARD Miles Card: Higher earn rates (2.4 miles per S$1 foreign currency spend, 1.4 miles per S$1 local spend), and the first fee waiver comes with the sign-up bonus instead of being a prerequisite to receive the welcome gift
Online Promo
FLASH DEAL
UOB PRVI MASTERCARD Miles Card
Online Promo:
Get up to 50,000 miles when you successfully apply for a UOB PRVI Miles Card and spend a min. of S$1,000 on their new UOB PRVI credit card for 2 consecutive months from card approval date, payable first-year annual fee and SMS registration required. Receive an additional 4,800 miles with min. overseas spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months. T&Cs apply.
Valid until 30 Jun 2023
More Details
Key Features
Earn 6 miles with every S$1.00 spent on major airlines and hotels booked through Expedia, UOB Travel, and Agoda
Earn 2.4 miles for every S$1.00 spent overseas (including online shopping from overseas websites), and 1.4 miles for every S$1.00 spent locally
Choice to redeem for miles, cash rebate or vouchers
Complimentary Public Conveyance Personal Accident cover of S$500,000 and up to S$50,000 Emergency Medical Evacuation & Repatriation including illness due to COVID-19. T&Cs apply.
At MoneySmart, we strive to keep our information accurate and up to date. This information may be different from what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider, or specific product site. MoneySmart shall not be liable to compensate the Customer should the information is not as updated as our Partner.
P.S. Here’s our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric
In case you’re wondering, here’s how we decide on our credit card rankings.
Is that credit card MoneySmart? Our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric | |
Category | Our rating |
Overall | The average rating for the credit card on the whole, calculated from the ratings for the individual categories below. Plus, we’ll give you a one-liner on who we think the credit card is best suited for. |
Earn rates: Air miles / Cashback / Rewards points | Air miles / Cashback / Rewards points . This category looks at the depth rather than breadth of earn rates.  
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Earn categories | This category looks at the breadth rather than depth of your earnings.
|
Annual fees and charges |
|
Accessibility | Minimum income requirements:
Exclusivity: We dock 1-2 stars if there is/are another category/categories that make the card exclusive and very specific to a certain clientele. |
Extras/periphery rewards | These include:
We count the number of benefits and award between 0.5 to 2 stars for each, depending on how good the perk is. |
Sign-up bonus |
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