Guide To Turning Your Wedding Expenses Into A Honeymoon

The key is to maximize your miles!

Your wedding day isn’t just about saying “I do” – it’s also an opportunity to embark on a journey of unforgettable experiences, starting with the celebration itself. From the elegant décor to the sumptuous feast, every detail adds to the day’s magic. But what if I told you that beyond the vows and the cake-cutting, there’s a golden opportunity to turn your wedding expenses into the getaway of a lifetime?

Imagine saying “bon voyage” to the stress of honeymoon planning, all while basking in the sun-kissed bliss of your dream destination – without spending a dime. Yes, you read that right. By strategically utilizing the right credit cards, you can transform your wedding banquet spending into a treasure trove of travel miles, paving the way for a honeymoon that’s not just memorable, but entirely cost-free.

In this article, we’ll delve into the exciting world of maximizing your wedding expenditure to accumulate miles, guiding you through the plethora of credit card options designed to elevate your journey from “I do” to “I’m flying high.” So, buckle up as we navigate through the avenues that lead to a honeymoon that’s as luxurious as it is budget-friendly. After all, why settle for an ordinary honeymoon when you can jet-set to paradise with miles earned from your extraordinary wedding celebration?

Read also: 3 Budget-Friendly Honeymoon Destinations Under S$4,000

Context and Assumptions Made:

Before diving into the various credit cards and mile-accumulating strategies, we need to set the context and make a few assumptions.

1. As we want to maximize our earn rate, we will only list cards that can give at least 4 mpd
2. Your venue allows you to split the expense across multiple cards
3. Your venue allows monthly installment payments
4. Your venue allows contactless payments

For wedding banquets, there are namely 2 types of venues, hotels and restaurants. Hotels will have an MCC code of 3500-3999 and 7011 while restaurants will have an MCC code of 5812. It is important to find out the MCC code of your venue so that you can optimize correctly with the right credit cards.

If your venue is a hotel

If your venue is a restaurant

* = S$120k annual income requirement
** = 25 Membership Rewards points will be awarded for every eligible spending made in blocks of full S$4

Additional notes across all the cards listed above:

• Each card will have its own minimum annual income requirement ranging from S$30k to S$120k, but note that banks are usually flexible about this requirement so don’t be afraid to apply for a card that is slightly above your annual income
• You can only get either the UOB Lady’s Card or UOB Lady’s Solitaire, and will also need to declare a bonus category (one for Lady’s, two for Lady’s Solitaire)
• For online/contactless payment cards, tapping the physical card or adding it to your mobile wallet will qualify for the bonus
• For mobile payment cards, specifically UOB Pref. Plat. Visa, you must add the card to your mobile wallet to qualify for the bonus

Here’s How You Can Maximize Your Miles

A typical wedding can range anywhere between S$20k to upwards of S$100k. Assuming an average spending of S$60k, split across 6 months, and both of you do not meet the S$120k annual income requirement, here’s how you can maximize your miles with your partner:

Hotel

Restaurant

As you can see from the 2 tables above, there isn’t much difference between the net miles earned and the cards used with the only exception of using the DBS Woman’s World Card if it’s a hotel and HSBC Revolution Card if it’s a restaurant. With a net of 22,000 miles earned per month, that totals your miles earned to 132,000 miles, which doesn’t include any bonus miles that you might earn from the sign-up rewards. 

For additional context, you can book 2 economy-class return flights on Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Tokyo for just 108,000 miles, not forgetting the taxes.

Don’t forget to maximize your sign-up rewards

A wedding banquet is a big-ticket expenditure, and big-ticket expenditures mean an opportunity to enjoy some credit card sign-up rewards! So if you don’t have some of the cards listed above, perhaps this is a good opportunity for you to sign up for them and enjoy the free sign-up rewards!

A few general points to take note about sign-up rewards:

• While most cards allow you to enjoy the sign-up reward without paying the first year’s annual fee, some will still require payment. In these cases, you’re essentially buying the sign-up rewards by paying for the annual fee. You will need to consider the cost and decide if it’s worth it to you
• Most sign-up rewards will only be available for new-to-bank customers. “New-to-bank” typically means not holding any of the bank’s credit cards (as a principal cardholder) now, or in the past 12 months. The exact definition may vary from campaign to campaign, so always refer to the T&Cs

On top of this, you’ll also need to decide whether it’s better for you and your partner to each sign up for a card, or for one of you to sign up and then give the other a supplementary card. If you’re confident that you and your partner can both hit the spending threshold, you can follow the example above and get one card each so you can double the bonus. If you think you’ll have difficulty hitting the spending threshold, then perhaps just get your partner a supplementary card so that his/her spending will pool with yours.

Words From Author

Your wedding day is not just a celebration of love, but also a golden opportunity to kick-start your journey into wedded bliss with a remarkable honeymoon – all made possible by savvy credit card choices. By harnessing the power of the right credit cards, you can transform your wedding banquet spending into a passport to unforgettable adventures, allowing you to embark on your post-nuptial getaway without breaking the bank.

Read also: Gold Prices Have Risen Significantly Over The Past 12 Months. Is This A Good Time To Buy Your Si Dian Jin?

So, as you plan your dream wedding, remember that your honeymoon doesn’t have to be a distant dream. With the right strategies in place, you can turn miles into memories and set sail towards your happily ever after, one step closer to the paradise you’ve always dreamed of. Cheers to a lifetime of love, adventure, and free honeymoons – made possible by the smart use of credit cards.