From 1 Jan 2018, OCBC Voyage Cardmembers will be earn only 1.6 mpd for local dining, down from the current 2.3 mpd. The base rate for all other retail spend will be increased from 1 mpd to 1.2 mpd.
Overseas spending will remain unchanged at 2.3 mpd.
This should not be a huge impact to those with a specialised spending credit card strategy. When you dine, you can use the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa (PPV) for 4 mpd on all contactless spending, OCBC Titanium Rewards for 4 mpd on all mobile payments until 31 Dec 2018, or even Maybank Horizon Visa Signature for 3.2 mpd (subject to a minimum spend of S$300 per calendar month). In fact, for those who use Mileslife for dining, it is worth noting that you can earn 4 mpd on all purchases made on the app, following a review of their Merchant Category Code (MCC). Hence, for an establishment that gives you 3 mpd, using the UOB PPV can give you up to 7 mpd if you consider the miles earned from both the credit card and the app.
Another reason why the OCBC Voyage Card still remains useful for those in the miles business is the option of purchasing up to 500000 miles at 2 cents per mile on an annual basis. This is almost as good as the sales available by other platforms, such as Lifemiles.
Overall, the OCBC Voyage Card is a good card to have, and I don’t think this change in the earn rates should affect those with a specialised spending credit card strategy.