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Say Goodbye to Credit Card Annual Fees in Singapore!

March 19, 2016/ Karen Tan / Save Money / 23 comments

Do you enjoy ease and comfort of cashless transactions? Most Singaporeans own two or more cards and also love a good deal. Credit card companies have tapped into this urge to earn reward points and redeem them.

You enjoy great deals from signing bonuses to mileage points and cash backs, but it comes at a price. Cards that offer better rewards usually come with hefty annual/membership fees, which can burn a hole in your pocket in the long run.

Avoid pricey annual fees

While credit cards have zero annual fees in the first year, recurring charges make their way into your statement when you’re not looking.

You cough up the amount even as your mind rebels against it. Sometimes the bank allows you to trade loyalty points against the annual charge.

Did you know you could get your fee waived?

This isn’t a time consuming process either.

Get fee waiver with a call

Getting your credit card company to cancel your annual fees is quite easy. You can save $100 and more in card fees. It’s so simple; you’ll regret not using this technique sooner.

While the standard advice is to threaten to cancel the card, you don’t have to take a ninja stance as yet.

How does this work?

Just call up your bank’s customer service. With numerous requests for annual fee waiver pouring in, many banks have created an automatic system to handle waivers.

If you own a popular credit card, you just press a few phone options and the system does the rest. If this doesn’t work, your call is transferred to a customer service officer, who will approve your request based on your credit card usage as long as you ask (even with zero usage).

An Overview

Specific instructions (Updated on 12 June 2020)

American Express – AMEX Annual Fee Waiver (Manual)

1. Call 1800-392-2020 (Singapore) or 65-6392-2020 (Overseas)
2. Press 1 to confirm Credit Card number & skip to Point 6.
3. OR press 2 & Enter Credit Card number
4. Enter 4-digit Customer Passcode/Password
5. OR hold the line & enter Date of Birth in DDMM format
6. Hold the line until system repeats Options again
7. Press 0 to speak to a Customer Care Professional
8. Inform him/her that you wish to request for an annual fee waiver

Citibank Annual Fee Waiver (Manual)

1. Call Citibank Hotline 65-6225-5225 (NO toll-free customer service number in Singapore)
2. Enter NRIC or Credit Card number
3. Press 2 to continue with Self-Service Banking
4. Press 2 to request One-time PIN via SMS
5. Enter your 6-digit One-time PIN
6. Press 1 for other menu options
7. Press 0 to speak to a Citi phone officer
8. Inform Citi phone officer that you wish to request for an annual fee waiver

How to Cancel Citibank Credit Card in Singapore?

If the annual fee waiver is not approved and you wish to cancel it. You can call the hotline above and request to cancel your card by speaking to a Citi phone officer.

DBS Annual Fee Waiver (Automated)

1. Call Hotline 1800-732-1000 (Singapore) or 65-6732-1000 (Overseas)
2. Press 1 for English language
3. Enter NRIC or Credit Card number + # key
4. Press 1 to proceed without PIN
5. Press 2 for fee waiver request
6. Press 1 for credit card fee waiver
7. Enter Credit Card number + # key
8. Press 3 for annual fee waiver
9. Wait for message to inform you that it has been approved

HSBC Membership Fee Waiver (Automated)

1. Call HSBC Singapore Hotline 1800-227-6868 (Singapore) or 65-6227-6868 (Overseas)
2. Press 2 for credit card fee waiver
3. Press 1 for membership fee
4. Press 2 to continue
5. Enter Credit Card number
6. Enter your mobile phone number + # key
7. If successful, an SMS will be sent to you in 5-7 working days. If unsuccessful, a customer service officer will contact you.

OCBC Credit Card Waiver (Automated)

1. Call OCBC Card Hotline 1800-363-3333 (Singapore) or 65-6363-3333 (Overseas)
2. Select language
3. Say Request Fee Waiver
4. Say Credit Card Charges
5. Enter NRIC + # key
6. Enter Credit Card number + # key
7. Enter your mobile phone number
8. Press 1 to confirm
9. Wait for message to inform you that We received your request to waive your fee and will notify you in 5 business days

POSB Annual Fee Waiver (Automated)

1. Call 1800-339-6666 (Singapore) or 65-6339-6666 (Overseas)
2. Press 1 for English language
3. Enter NRIC or Credit Card number + # key
4. Press 1 to proceed without PIN
5. Press 2 for fee waiver request
6. Press 1 for credit card fee waiver
7. Enter Credit Card number + # key
8. Press 3 for annual fee waiver
9. Wait for message to inform you that it has been approved

Standard Chartered – Stand Chart Waiver (Automated)

1. Call 1800-747-7000 (Singapore) or 65-6747-7000 (Overseas)
2. Press 1 for English
3. Press 2 for credit card fee waiver
4. Press 1 for annual fee waiver
5. Enter Credit Card number
6. Wait for message to inform you that your fee waiver will be reflected in your account in 2-3 working days

UOB Credit Card Fee Waiver (Automated)

1. Call 1800-222-2121 (Singapore) or 65-6222-2121 (Overseas)
2. Select language and hold the line for point 3
3. Enter NRIC or Credit Card number
4. Press 1 to confirm
5. Press 4 to leave contact details for fee waiver
6. Press 1 for credit card fee waiver
7. Press 1 for membership fee waiver
8. Enter your mobile phone number + # key
9. Press 1 to confirm
10. Enter Credit Card number + # key
11. Press 1 to confirm
12. UOB will review and update you on the status via SMS or phone call within 5-7 business days

How to Cancel UOB Credit Card?

If the fee waiver doesn’t worked out and you wish to terminate it. Simply call using the number above, opt to speak to a customer service officer, and verbally request to cancel your UOB credit card.

Spare a few minutes of your time today and save yourself hundreds of dollars in recurring fees. Try it for yourself and let us know how it goes.

If you found this tip useful, share it with family and friends.

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