One common concern about playing the miles game is that holding multiple credit cards will require paying multiple annual fees.
Fortunately, that’s simply not the case. I have 30 different cards (or rather “had”; that number has come down slightly following my recent Marie Kondo exercise), and only regularly pay the annual fee for a couple of them.
The fact of the matter is that banks are very ready to waive annual fees, even if you don’t meet the published minimum spend requirement.
Annual fee waivers are generally not granted for cards with S$120,000 income requirements, with the exception of the DBS Vantage and OCBC VOYAGE (both subject to a minimum spend)
Annual fee waivers are impossible for cards with S$500,000 income requirements
Still, it can be a hassle to call up the bank, navigate complicated menu options that “have recently changed” (yeah right), and listen to all those unskippable “we are experiencing higher-than-usual call volumes” messages (protip: it’s not higher-than-usual if you play it every time).
To save you the trouble, I’ve put together this compendium which summarises:
| Bank | Online | Hotline |
| American Express | App | Link |
| Bank of China | – | 1800 338 5335 |
| CIMB | No annual fee | |
| Citibank | – | 6225 5225 |
| DBS/POSB | App or website | 1800 111 1111 |
| HSBC | – | 1800 4722 669 |
| Maybank | – | 1800 629 2265 |
| OCBC | App or website | – |
| Standard Chartered | – | 6747 7000 |
| UOB | App | 1800 222 2121 |
The full details can be found below.
AMEX has no published criteria for automatic fee waivers.
Fee waivers can be requested via the chat function on the AMEX app, or via the AMEX hotline.
Bank of China has no published criteria for automatic fee waivers.
Fee waivers can only be requested via the BOC hotline.
Fee waiver decisions take two weeks to process.
CIMB does not charge annual fees for any of its principal or supplementary cards. You can enjoy them free for life.
Citibank has no published criteria for automatic fee waivers.
Fee waivers can only be requested via the Citi hotline.
A fee waiver will be granted automatically for the following cards with the following minimum spend in a membership year:
Fee waivers can be requested via the DBS digibot, which is available through both the mobile app and desktop website. Fee waiver requests cannot be made between 11.45 p.m to 12.30 a.m and 2.30 a.m to 2.45 a.m daily (excluding Sundays and public holidays).
If you hold a DBS Altitude or DBS Vantage Card, do note that 5,000/12,500 DBS Points were credited at the time the annual fee was charged. You must have 5,000/12,500 DBS Points in your account before requesting for a fee waiver, or else you’ll be charged at S$0.0388 per DBS Point.
Fee waiver decisions will be processed within three business days.
Automatic fee waivers are available for the following cards with a minimum spend of S$12,500 per membership year:
As a reminder, the HSBC Revolution has no annual fee, and the HSBC Visa Infinite’s annual fee cannot be waived.
Fee waivers are only available via the HSBC hotline.
Automatic fee waivers are available with the following minimum spend per membership year:
Fee waivers can only be done via the Maybank hotline.
Fee waiver decisions will be processed within seven business days.
A fee waiver will be granted automatically with a minimum spend of S$10,000 in a membership year, except for the following cards:
Fee waivers can be requested via the OCBC Digital app or OCBC Internet Banking.
Standard Chartered has no published criteria for automatic fee waivers.
Annual fee waivers used to be available via the SC Mobile app and online banking portal, but at the moment only late fee waivers can be requested.
In the meantime, you’ll need to request an annual fee waiver via the hotline instead.
Annual fees are automatically waived for:
You need to take special precautions with UOB cards, as UOB’s idea of a fee waiver is to deduct UNI$ from your balance to cover the fee! In other words, don’t rejoice just because you see an annual fee waiver granted in your statement. It’s more likely than not that your UNI$ have been garnished to cover it.
Fee waivers can be requested via the TMRW app.
For avoidance of doubt, you can request a fee waiver this way regardless of whether you’ve been billed in cash, or via a deduction of UNI$.
If it’s any consolation, any reversal of the annual fee involves a crediting of fresh UNI$, with a new two-year expiry period.
Annual fees are always charged upfront, in respect of the upcoming year.
For example, if my card with a first year fee waiver is approved on 1 July 2022, I’ll be charged the second year’s annual fee on 1 July 2023 (which covers the period until 1 July 2024).
Some people mistakenly believe that by the time they see the annual fee on their statement, it’s too late to waive (because the year has gone by). That’s not true. You can request a waiver, and if it’s not granted, cancel the card for a full refund.
Certain cards like the DBS Altitude Card and Citi PremierMiles Card award miles (in the form of bank points) for paying the annual fee.
If the fee is subsequently waived, those points will be clawed back.
Don’t try and pull a fast one by cashing out the points, then requesting a fee waiver- your account can reflect a negative points balance, and the bank reserves the right to charge for shortfalls.
If you request an annual fee waiver through one of the automated channels and it’s rejected, there’s still one last shot.
Call up the bank and request to speak with a CSO (ignore the pre-recorded messages that say fee waivers can only be done via the automated system). Tell them you wish to cancel your card because of the annual fee, and they might be willing to offer a waiver in order to retain you.
If the bank refuses to grant a waiver, you’ll need to decide whether the benefits of membership outweigh the costs, and for most entry-level cards the answer will likely be “no”.
There’s no shame in walking away, since you can always reapply further down the road (and qualify for a first year fee waiver, if applicable).
Before cancelling a card, it may be necessary to cash out your points. This depends on whether it’s your last card with the bank, and whether the bank in question pools points. Refer to the article below for more details.
Credit card annual fees are pesky, but requesting a waiver is fairly straightforward for most banks. It’s your responsibility to monitor your account and raise a request when the time comes, so make a habit of checking your monthly statement (look at the expiry date on your card- the month is when the annual fee is billed).
How’s your luck been with annual fee waivers?
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Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.
