Can't decide on what travel credit card to apply for? There are several travel credit cards in the Philippine market today, but not all cards are built equal. Some are great and some just sound great. We’re gonna do a simple breakdown of the best travel credit cards in terms of annual fee, points ratio, and travel perks.
Unlike the United States or other more developed countries, the credit cards that are offered in the Philippines are nowhere as nice. We rarely offer any good sign up bonuses and we don't have cards that offer any good spend multipliers. Nonetheless there are some worth having and we’ve broken down the best travel credit cards in the Philippines for 2020.
Note: All cards come with travel insurance when you book with the card.
Citi® PremierMiles
Citi® PremierMiles is best for all around travel with a 1:1 transfer ratio to any of its 14 airline partners. Each PHP 30 spend gives you 1 premier mile which is one of the best earn rates we have in the Philippines. This card also offers 2 complimentary airport lounge access per year via Dragon Pass. Great for everyday spend and big purchases.
**Currently has a Sign up Bonus offer of 30,000 PremierMiles when you spend at least PHP 40,000 within 60 days from card receipt!** - Offer is until July 31, 2021
The best Sign Up Bonus in the Philippines today along with the Citi® Prestige Sign Up Bonus. Apply for the credit card online here before the offer ends! Citi® PremierMiles Online Application
Citi® Prestige
This would have been hands down the very best travel credit card in the Philippines based on overall value if it wasn’t for the change to its program this year. Despite the downgrade of benefits from the program change, it's still one of the best travel credit cards to have. Each PHP 30 spend gives you 1 Thank You point which you can redeem for rewards and transfer to airline miles with a 5x multiplier bonus for spends in shopping, dining, and foreign currency spend. 3 Thank you points is convertible to only 1 airline mile. So that makes it better than the Citi® PremierMiles with the spend multiplier.
Other benefits include:
Complimentary 4th night free at any hotel booked through the concierge, twice (2x) per calendar year
Complimentary Priority Pass Membership for principal cardmembers with unlimited access to over 1,000 VIP airport lounges worldwide, with four guest passes per membership year.
Three complimentary rounds of golf each calendar year at select local golf courses
Two complimentary one-way luxury airport transfers and two airport Meet and Assist service passes each year
Access to a dedicated hotline and Global Concierge Service with in-country experts ready to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
If you’re planning to get the Citi® Prestige card make sure you weigh in the pros and how you’ll be able to maximize them as there is a hefty non-waivable annual fee of PHP 18,000.
**Currently has a Sign up Bonus offer of 120,000 Thank You points when you spend at least PHP 40,000 within 60 days from card receipt!** - Offer is until July 31, 2021
The best Sign Up Bonus in the Philippines today along with the Citi® PremierMiles Sign Up Bonus. Apply for the credit card online here before the offer ends! Citi® Prestige Online Application
UnionBank Cebu Pacific GetGo Platinum
Don’t mind flying in economy all the time? Then UnionBank’s GetGo Platinum card will most likely be a great card to grab. The card automatically converts your credit card points to GetGo points so you can fly for free with Cebu Pacific. You'll receive exclusive seat sales, priority check in and unlimited airport lounge access at NAIA Terminal 3 - Sky View Lounge. Additionally you'll receive free extra 5kg of checked in baggage with your 15kg prepaid baggage for just having the credit card. Each PHP 30 spend gives you 1 GetGo point.
Unless you're extremely loyal to Cebu Pacific or might find it easier to get this credit card, might as well get the Citi® PremierMiles as it also has GetGo as a travel partner with the same earn rate but with more more flexibility with more airline partners.
Metrobank Titanium
With only 3 airline frequent flyer program partners, namely Mabuhay Miles (Philippine Airlines), AsiaMiles (Cathay Pacific), and KrisFlyer(Singapore Airlines), it still makes it one of the best travel credit cards since there is a 2x spend multiplier on shopping and dining. Any of the 3 programs are good enough for you to travel through each end of the world anyways so it shouldn’t be such a big inconvenience unless you’re extremely loyal to an airline other than the 3 mentioned above. So if you like shopping or picking up the bill whenever you eat out with friends this is one card to consider having. Each PHP 20 gives you 1 point. Note that points to miles conversion is not 1:1 but is still better than other cards out there.
BPI Visa Signature
If you spend a lot whenever you’re abroad then consider having the BPI Visa Signature in your wallet for its low foreign transaction fee of just 1.85%. Just make sure you pay with the local currency and not in Philippines Peso! Each P20 spend earns you 1 Premium Real Thrills point which can be converted to airline miles. Having the card also grants you unlimited access to the Pacific Lounge in NAIA Terminal 3.
Other travel perks include:
Access and Premium Benefits to the VISA Luxury Hotel Collection
Discounts and privileges on the following:
Visa Dragon Pass Airport Lounge Program
Visa Airport Meet & Greet Immigration Services
Visa Airport Limo Transfer Program
Visa Luxury Hotel Collection
Downside to this card is that the conversion ratio from points to airline miles isn’t as good as the other cards.
Cathay Pacific American Express® Elite
This card is only meant for those who travel frequently on Cathay Pacific. Enjoy a first year enrolment fee waiver fee for Green tier membership of Marco Polo Club valued at $100.
Earn 1 Asia Mile for every PHP 38 spend locally, 2 Asia Miles for every PHP 50 spend overseas, and 2 Asia Miles for every PHP 38 spend on Cathay Pacific flight bookings when booked through Cathay Pacific's official website.
With your very first purchase and upon membership anniversary with PHP 600,000 spend per annum you'll receive 3,000 bonus Asia miles. Not so great TBH.
If you're planning to climb the Marco Polo Club ladder then this would be a great card to start you with your journey.
EastWest Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer World
A better card compared to the Cathay Pacific American Express® Elite except for the fact that there is no free membership to the PPS Club as offered by the other card with a free membership to the Marco Polo Club. This card is best suited for the loyal travelers of Singapore Airlines. Earn 3 Krisflyer miles for every PHP 36 spend on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Scoot & KrisShop, 3 Krisflyer miles for every PHP 36 spend on International/cross-border, hotel, travel agency, airline, online & international cash advance, and 1KrisFlyer mile for every PHP 36 on local spend.
There is a sign up bonus of 6,000 KrisFlyer miles for a Php200,000 spend within 3 months from card activation date and an anniversary bonus of 15,000 KrisFlyer miles for Php200,000 spend within 12 months from card approval date.
Which is the best travel credit card?
At the end of the day it all really depends on your travel habits, preferences, and lifestyle. Study each credit card carefully before you commit yourself to one and make sure it fits your needs. Make sure to take advantage of the current sign up bonuses as they don't come up so often in the Philippines. Hopefully this article helps you get one step closer to deciding which credit card to apply for.