Did you know that there are various credit cards designed to reward women for their spending habits?
Besides the DBS Woman’s and Woman’s World Cards, there’s also the UOB Lady’s Card and its higher-tier counterparts. (The latter also happens to be one of the best entry-level rewards cards, by the way.)
Today though, we’ll focus on the DBS Woman’s Card and all its online shopping goodness. We’ll take a look at:
- Eligibility
- Annual fees and charges
- Cashback, discounts, and other perks
- How much the DBS points are worth
- How these cards fare vs the UOB Lady’s Card
- Whom this card is best for
Eligibility Requirements
| DBS Woman’s Card | DBS Woman’s World Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 21 and above | 21 and above |
| Income | S$30,000 and above for Singapore Citizens and PRs; S$45,000 and above for foreigners with a valid visa | S$80,000 and above per annum for both Singaporeans and foreigners |
With an $80,000 annual income requirement, the DBS Woman’s World Card is targeted at moderately affluent spenders. The DBS Woman’s Card is its entry-level counterpart.
But if you do qualify, we think the DBS Woman’s World Card is far more worthwhile than the DBS Woman’s Card (more on that later).
Note: Unlike the UOB Lady’s / Lady’s Solitaire Card, this card does not discriminate! Men can also apply for the DBS Woman’s/Woman’s World Card.
Fees and Charges
| Interest Free Period | 25 days |
| Effective Interest Rate | 26.8% |
| Late Payment Charges | S$100 |
| Minimum Monthly Payment | 3% or S$50, whichever is higher |
| Overlimit Fee | S$40 |
| Cash Advance Fee | 8% per transaction, subject to a minimum fee of S$15. |
| Cash Advance Interest Rate | 28% |
| Foreign Currency Transaction Fee | 3.25% |
Annual Fees
Despite the jump in income requirements, the DBS Woman’s World Card doesn’t have a much higher annual fee than the DBS Woman’s Card. The former charges $194.40 (inclusive of GST) per year, while the latter charges $162.
That makes the Woman’s World Card a fairly competitive offering – at least fee-wise.
Automatic Waivers
An annual spending of S$15,000 and S$25,000 for the Woman’s or Woman’s World Card respectively will qualify you for the automatic annual fee waiver. (This is equivalent to S$1,250 on the Woman’s Card or S$2,084 on the Woman’s World Card every month for the whole year.)
But the automatic fee waiver alone doesn’t say much. You have to judge whether the benefits are worth spending that much on the card in the first place. That’s what we’ll cover in the next section:
Cashback, Discounts, and Other Perks
| DBS Woman’s Card | DBS Woman’s World Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Points System |
|
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| Other Benefits |
| |
| Ongoing Promotions | Get S$150 cashback when you spend a minimum of S$800 within the first 60 days from card approval date. (Valid until 31 January 2024) Terms & Conditions apply. | |
Rewards Online Shopping
…Or more specifically, “goods and services made via the Internet and processed by the respective merchants/acquirers as an online transaction.”
That means like the OCBC Frank Credit Card, in-app transactions (such as through Grab or Shopee) also count for the bonus reward points. E-wallet top-ups don’t, though.
The next best category to spend on is overseas shopping (provided you’re on the Woman’s World Card), but that earn rate still pales in comparison to online shopping transactions.
Reward Points System
There are also a few T&Cs to be aware of with these two cards:
- You only get points for every S$5 spent. This means that each transaction needs to be at least S$5 for it to qualify for points. Charging a $2.70 cup of kopi at Toast Box won’t grant you anything (except your kopi, of course).
- Points expire in a year, starting from the quarterly period in which you earned them. You can combine points across all your DBS cards to redeem rewards.
- Certain categories will not earn points. These are mostly the usual exclusions like utility and hospital bills, topping up of prepaid cards, and fees paid to educational/financial institutions.
How Much Are Your Reward Points Worth?
This really depends on what you’re redeeming your points for. Here’s a sample taken from the DBS Rewards Catalogue at the time of writing:
- 690 DBS Points for S$10 NTUC voucher
- 700 DBS Points for S$10 Toys’R’Us voucher
- 1250 DBS Points for S$20 Mothercare voucher
- 3200 DBS Points for S$40 CapitaVoucher
Given these point values, here’s a quick breakdown of what you’re actually getting:
| DBS Woman’s Card | DBS Woman’s World Card |
|---|---|
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With these rates, we wouldn’t recommend redeeming mileage with the DBS Woman’s Card. However, 4MPD with the Woman’s World Card is above average if you’re both an avid online shopper and a globetrotter.
Read also: 2022 List of the 7 Best Miles Credit Cards for Singapore
And as far as redeeming your points for vouchers, the low effective rebate for the DBS Woman’s Card means you may be better off with a regular cashback card. For example, the OCBC Frank Credit Card or UOB EVOL Card offer between 6 – 8% cashback on online purchases.
The one exception is if you tend to exceed the cashback cap with cashback cards. If you go with the DBS Woman’s World Card, you’ll earn rewards on up to S$2,000 online spending per month – something that most cashback cards won’t offer.
DBS Woman’s/Woman’s World Card vs UOB Lady’s/Lady’s Solitaire Card
Like the DBS Woman’s Card, the UOB Lady’s Card is the entry-level card of the series:
| DBS Woman’s Card | UOB Lady’s Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fees | S$162 | S$194.40 |
| Min. Income | S$30,000 yearly | S$30,000 yearly |
| Spending Categories | Fixed (Online shopping) | One category of your choice, changeable every quarter (7 categories to choose from) |
| Points Earn Rate | 5X DBS Points per S$5 | 10X UNI$ per S$5 |
| Miles Earn Rate | 2 MPD | 4 MPD |
| Bonus Points Cap | S$1,000 monthly | S$1,000 monthly |
| E-commerce protection | Yes | Yes |
| Approximate Rebate | 1.25 – 1.6% rebate in the form of redeemed vouchers | 2 – 2.5% rebate in the form of redeemed vouchers |
In this case, the UOB Lady’s Card is more flexible and generous than the DBS Woman’s Card, though it does come with higher annual fees.
Let’s see if that holds true for the DBS Woman’s World Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card:
| DBS Woman’s World Card | UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fees | S$194.40 | S$410.40 |
| Min. Income | S$80,000 yearly | S$120,000 yearly |
| Spending Categories | Fixed (Online shopping) | Two categories of your choice, changeable every quarter (7 categories to choose from) |
| Points Earn Rate | 10X DBS Points per S$5 | 10X UNI$ per S$5 |
| Miles Earn Rate | 4 MPD | 4 MPD |
| Bonus Points Cap | S$2,000 monthly | S$3,000 monthly |
| E-commerce protection | Yes | Yes |
| Approximate Rebate | 2.5 – 3.2% rebate in the form of redeemed vouchers | 2 – 2.5% rebate in the form of redeemed vouchers |
This is where we feel DBS outshines UOB. Unlike UOB, DBS gives a better earn rate with their higher-tier card while keeping fees low.
Assuming you qualify for both, the only advantage to having the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card is if you want to spend on something other than online purchases. Otherwise, the DBS Woman’s World Card offers much better value.
Downsides Of The Woman’s/Woman’s World Card
1. Mile Redemptions Come With Administrative Charges
This is typical of most rewards cards (and miles cards, for that matter), but still something to note if that’s your main objective.
The selection is somewhat limited: you can redeem KrisFlyer, Asia, or Qantas Miles (5,000 points = 10,000 miles). The only budget option available is AirAsia at a rate of 500 DBS points for 1,500 BIG points. Each redemption will incur an admin fee of S$26.75.
Alternatively, you may opt in to the DBS KrisFlyer Miles Auto Conversion Program. This will auto-convert your available DBS points into miles on the 10th day of each quarter in blocks of 500 DBS Points for 1,000 miles. You’ll pay an annual fee of S$42.80 instead of the admin fees per redemption.
2. Lacks Travel Perks
While the DBS Woman’s/Woman’s World Cards do have their fair share of benefits, they lack travel perks compared with other credit cards. Then again, this may not be such a big issue since you can pool DBS Points and swap to a card like the DBS Altitude.
Whom This Card is Best For
In summary, you’d benefit most from this card if:
- You meet the S$80,000 income requirement for the DBS Woman’s World Card
- A big chunk of your monthly spending is for online purchases, including in-app transactions
- You tend to exceed the monthly caps with cashback cards and want one focused on online shopping