Milely Guides
How to track miles and bonus caps in Singapore.
Tracking miles means keeping count of three things for each card: how much bonus cap is left this cycle, whether you have reached any minimum spend, and which purchases actually qualify for the bonus rate. You can do it in your bank apps, in a spreadsheet, or with an app built for it.
Why tracking miles is harder than it looks
- Every card has its own cap and cycle. One resets on the 1st, another on your statement date, a third has no bonus cap at all.
- Points post late. Banks often credit points after a spend posts, or after the statement closes, so the balance in your bank app runs behind what you have spent.
- The category is decided by a code you cannot see. Whether a spend counts as dining or online depends on the merchant category code (MCC), which is not printed on your receipt.
- Posting date versus purchase date. A spend near the end of a cycle can be counted in the next one, depending on when it posts.
What to record for each card
| Detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Bonus cap | The spend after which the bonus rate stops. |
| Cap period | Calendar month or statement cycle, and the statement day. |
| Minimum spend | Some cards only pay the bonus above a minimum. |
| Bonus categories | What counts, and any categories you chose. |
| Exclusions | Spends that earn nothing, often set by MCC. |
| Spend so far | Each qualifying spend, with its date and amount. |
| Points credited | What the bank actually posted, to check against. |
Three ways to track
Bank apps
Good for: the official record. Watch out for: points that appear late, one bank at a time, and little help with caps across cards.
A spreadsheet
Good for: free and flexible. Watch out for: you have to type every spend and work out every card's rules yourself, and it is easy to fall behind.
A tracker app
Good for: rules applied for you and alerts before a cap runs out. Watch out for: it is only as good as its card rules, so check that it shows where they come from.
Milely is a tracker app for Singapore cards. It applies each card's rules, follows each card's own cycle, and alerts you at 80% of a cap. Each card shows the issuer terms its rules come from. See how it works.
A monthly check against your statement
- When the statement arrives, compare each card's total qualifying spend with what you logged.
- Look for spends that did not earn the bonus. That usually points to a merchant category code you did not expect.
- Compare the points credited with your estimate, and note any merchant that coded differently for next time.
Statement reconciliation inside Milely is on the roadmap. Today, the comparison is yours to make.
Habits that help
- Log at the moment you pay, not at the end of the week. Auto Log for Apple Pay does this for you.
- Keep receipts for big spends until the points post, in case you need to query them.
- Switch cards before a cap is full, not after. An alert at 80% gives you room to plan.
- Recheck the terms when a bank announces changes. Caps and categories are revised more often than you would think.
New to miles?
Start with how to start collecting miles in Singapore, which covers miles per dollar, the kinds of miles card and the common catches.