5 Credit Card Hacks to Maximise Miles for Your Home & Living Spend

For you miles chasers out there.

Renovation and home-related spending can easily run into the tens of thousands. In fact, our latest budgeting report revealed that most homeowners spend more than $10,000 on furniture and appliances when renovating.

That also makes it one of the biggest opportunities to earn credit card miles. In practice, many homeowners default to general spending cards for big-ticket items, or prioritise reducing costs with cashback. While there’s nothing wrong with those approaches, it can mean leaving a significant amount of miles on the table.

For those who are not as savvy when it comes to the miles game, fret not! We have rounded up some practical ways to help you maximise miles on your home and living expenses, so every dollar works a little harder.

*Most interior design firms do not accept credit card payments for renovation works, which means the main opportunity to earn miles comes from furnishings, appliances, and other retail purchases.

Best credit cards to earn miles

Before getting into specific strategies, it helps to know which cards offer the highest miles earn rates.

In Singapore, most 4 miles per dollar (4mpd) cards are designed around two things: spending categories (like dining, shopping, or travel) and payment methods (such as online transactions, contactless payments, or mobile wallets). This means where and how you spend becomes just as important as which card you use.

Here are the best 4mpd cards currently in the market (in no particular order):

Information is accurate as at time of writing. Note that credit card earn rates are constantly changing, and the above table might not reflect the latest.

If you haven’t already noticed, most miles cards have a monthly cap — which means that any spendings beyond that limit will not earn you any miles. That is why the fundamental strategy of the credit card miles game is to have multiple cards and tailor them specifically to your spending habits.

Do also take note that credit cards may have differing annual income requirements to apply, with most of them requiring an annual income of at least S$30,000 for Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents (SPRs).

Hack #1: Time your sign-up with your major expenditures

One of the fastest ways to rack up miles isn’t from everyday spending — it’s from sign-up bonuses. Some credit cards offer bonus miles when you hit a minimum spend within a set period of signing up.

This is where renovation and home-related purchases come in. Big-ticket expenses like appliances and furniture make it much easier to hit these thresholds naturally, without having to spend extra just to qualify.

The key is timing. Apply for a card right before these expenses come up, and you can unlock the bonus with spend you were already planning. In many cases, a single sign-up offer can earn more miles than months of regular 4mpd spending.

Just be sure to check the terms — not all payments qualify, and minimum spend requirements can vary.

Hack #2: Use different 4mpd cards for each type of spending

Not all 4mpd cards work the same way. Most are tied to specific spending categories — which means using just one card across everything will likely leave miles on the table.

To maximise your earn rate, it helps to ‘assign’ different cards to different types of purchases. For instance, you might want to use the DBS Woman's World Card or Citi Rewards Card for online shopping, and the UOB Visa Signature Card for larger in-person (contactless) purchases above S$1,000.

This way, you’re consistently earning at the highest possible rate across different types of home and living spend — rather than defaulting to a single card that may only reward certain transactions.

Pro tip #1: Some cards do not qualify in-app payments via Google/Apple Pay as online spending, so make sure to check with your provider before applying and using them.

Pro tip #2: Use resources like the HeyMAX app before tapping to verify the Merchant Category Code (MCC), so you don’t miss out on 4mpd.

Hack #3: Convert offline overseas payments to online transactions

Using your credit card overseas might feel like the obvious move — but in reality, most cards either earn a low base rate or exclude foreign currency spend from bonus categories altogether.

One workaround is to ‘convert’ these offline payments into online transactions. By linking the Instarem Amaze Card to a card like the Citi Rewards Card, your in-person overseas spend is processed as an online transaction. This allows you to earn up to 4mpd, while also avoiding the usual foreign transaction fees.

This can be especially useful for homeowners planning to shop for furniture and appliances overseas — whether it’s a quick trip to Johor Bahru or sourcing pieces from places like Foshan, China. With the right setup, these purchases can earn significantly more miles than they otherwise would.

However, do note that Instarem charges transaction fees for local purchases, so we’d recommend only using your Amaze card for overseas transactions.

Hack #4: Link your 4mpd credit card to the Kris+ app

Before you pay for any big-ticket item — or even a meal — it’s worth checking if the merchant is on the Kris+ app.

Kris+ partners with a wide range of merchants to offer bonus miles (often up to 9mpd) when you pay through the app. When you link a 4mpd card like the Citi Rewards Card, you effectively stack rewards — earning both the Kris+ miles and your card’s base miles. That’s how a single transaction can go up to 13mpd.

What’s often overlooked is how many home and living retailers are on the platform. Brands like Harvey Norman, Rigel, Grohe, Audio House, Happie, Woosa, Ruhens, KKPL, Mayer, Lucky Khoon, Azora, Dreame, and Challenger regularly appear on the app — which means your renovation-related purchases could earn far more miles than expected.

The only catch is that paying through the Kris+ app is the only way for the bonus miles to apply, and conversion to KrisFlyer miles is usually instant and irreversible. Also note that KrisFlyer miles cannot be used to redeem non-Star Alliance member flights.

Hack #5: Bypass the rewards cap by using Atome

One common limitation of 4mpd cards is the monthly cap — typically around S$1,000 in eligible spend. Anything beyond that usually earns a much lower base rate, which can significantly reduce your overall miles.

By using Atome, a buy-now-pay-later service, you can split a large purchase into three interest-free instalments — each charged monthly to your linked 4mpd credit card.

This way, you stay within the S$1,000 cap each month while still earning 4mpd on the full purchase amount. It’s especially useful for big-ticket items like furniture or appliances that would otherwise exceed your monthly bonus cap in a single transaction.

But note that not all merchants support Atome (you can check the list of merchants that do on the Atome app), and you’ll need to keep track of your monthly caps across different cards to fully benefit from this approach.

To sum up

At the end of the day, maximising miles isn’t about spending more — it’s about being intentional with the payments you’re already making.

If you’re in the midst of planning your renovation, this is also a good time to map out your major expenses and decide how to allocate them across different cards. A little planning upfront can go a long way in helping you unlock more value from your spend.

And if you’re still figuring out your renovation budget or comparing quotes, you can start by getting multiple estimates from interior firms on Qanvast — so you know exactly what you’re working with before planning your miles strategy. Click on the button below to get started!

This article is not written in collaboration with or sponsored by any credit card providers.

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