Best Credit Cards for Millennials
Millennials are typically past the first-card stage, with rising income and more travel on the horizon. A two-card setup tends to work best here: an everyday cashback card for groceries, dining and transport, plus a miles card you grow into for trips.
- 1Miles
Citi PremierMiles Card
Citibank
Why it fits: Flexible, non-expiring miles for the travel side of your spending.
Annual fee S$196.20 · Min income S$30,000
Pros
- +Citi Miles never expire, so no rush to redeem
- +~2.2 mpd on foreign spend, good for travel
- +Wide transfer-partner list for flexible redemptions
- +Lounge access; first-year fee waived
Cons
- −S$196.20 annual fee from year two onward
- −Low ~1.2 mpd on local spend
- −Not especially beginner-friendly
- 2Cashback
UOB One Card
UOB
Why it fits: High everyday cashback for consistent monthly spenders.
Annual fee S$196.20 · Min income S$30,000
Pros
- +Up to 20% cashback on dining, groceries, transport, online
- +~10% cashback on the ongoing standard tier
- +Visa-based, so wide acceptance in SG and overseas
- +First-year annual fee waived
Cons
- −Annual fee S$196.20 from year two onwards
- −Top rates need consistent minimum quarterly spend
- −Headline 20% is spend-tiered + partly a new-customer boost
- Rewards points
Why it fits: No annual fee, strong on the online and contactless spending millennials lean on.
No annual fee · Min income S$65,000
Pros
- +No annual fee, permanent — no waiver to chase
- +Up to 4 mpd (10X points) on online/contactless spend
- +Beginner-friendly, simple day-to-day
- +Rewards points convertible to miles via Visa
Cons
- −4 mpd capped at ~S$1,000/month spend
- −High rate limited to eligible online/contactless spend
- −Low base earn ~0.4 mpd on everything else
- 4Miles
OCBC 90°N Card
OCBC
Why it fits: Easy-going miles card whose miles never expire, good as a first travel card.
Annual fee S$196.20 · Min income S$30,000
Pros
- +Miles never expire
- +Higher earn rate on foreign-currency spend (2.1 mpd)
- +No cap on miles earned; convert in 1,000-mile blocks
- +First-year fee waived; waivable thereafter on S$10,000 annual spend
Cons
- −Local earn rate (1.3 mpd) is only average for a miles card
- −No complimentary airport lounge access as a standard perk
- −S$25 transfer fee applies when converting miles to a partner programme
- −3.25% foreign-currency transaction fee partly offsets the overseas earn rate
Frequently asked questions
- How many credit cards should a millennial have?
- Often two is the sweet spot: one cashback card for everyday categories and one miles card for travel. More than that gets hard to manage and rarely adds much, especially if it tempts you to spend to hit minimums.
- Is it worth paying an annual fee in my 30s?
- Only if the miles and perks you actually use beat the fee. Many cards waive the first year or waive on a minimum spend, so do the maths for your own spending before committing.