Does your cashback credit card earn on digital subscriptions in Singapore?

Key Takeaways

• Streaming services, music apps, cloud storage and digital subscriptions are monthly expenses most Singaporeans pay without thinking. Most cashback credit cards earn on these, but the rate varies depending on how each transaction is classified.
• Digital subscriptions are typically classified as "online retail" or "recurring digital services" by banks, making them eligible for cashback on most flat-rate cards.
• The best cashback credit cards earn consistently on every recurring charge, like your Netflix plan, Spotify Family subscription, or iCloud storage upgrade, with no cashback cap.
• The GXS Credit Card helps you get more from the recurring digital subscriptions already on your card, with 1.75% unlimited cashback when you meet the low minimum spend of S$500 per billing cycle.

Quick count: how many subscription services are you paying for right now?

Netflix. Spotify. YouTube Premium. iCloud. Maybe Disney+. Possibly a cloud storage plan you signed up for during a free trial and forgot to cancel since then. Whoops. Every one of those charges is billing your credit card every single month. And if your cashback credit card is doing its job, every one of them should be earning you something back. The catch is that it all depends entirely on how your card handles recurring digital subscriptions.

How banks classify digital subscriptions for cashback in Singapore

Every transaction you make is assigned a Merchant Category Code (MCC) by the card network. This four-digit code tells your bank what kind of merchant you're paying, and your cashback rate follows from that classification.

Digital subscriptions from platforms like Netflix, Spotify, and Google are typically coded as "digital goods," "online services," or "online retail." Most cashback credit cards in Singapore treat these as eligible transactions, which means your monthly subscription charges earn cashback the same way a grocery run or a Grab ride would.

One catch? The cashback rate. On credit cards with a tiered structure, digital subscriptions may earn at a low base rate rather than the bonus rate, because they don't fall neatly into a category like dining or transport. On a flat-rate cashback credit card however, none of that matters. Every eligible spending earns the same consistent rate, digital or otherwise.

Which digital subscriptions earn cashback in Singapore?

Most recurring digital subscriptions earn cashback on most cards. How the common ones are typically classified:

The cashback opportunity most Singaporeans are missing

A typical Singaporean household spends around S$60 to S$100 a month on digital subscriptions: from streaming and music to cloud storage and productivity apps. That's S$720 to S$1,200 a year in recurring charges landing on your credit card without you doing anything.

At a flat rate of around 1.4%, which is what the more competitive cashback cards in Singapore offer on everyday spending, S$1,200 a year in subscriptions earns around S$16 to S$17 in cashback. Not exactly life-changing on its own, but stack it alongside groceries, Grab rides, dining and transport, it becomes a meaningful return on spending you were going to make anyway.

How to check if your credit card is earning on digital subscriptions

Take a quick look at your latest credit card statement. Find your subscription payments and see how much cashback you're getting on each one.

If you're seeing 0.3% next to Netflix while dining earns 5% or 6%, your subscriptions are falling into the base rate bucket. That's roughly S$0.18 in cashback on a S$60 monthly subscription charge. About S$2.16 for the year.

Now, compare that with a flat-rate card offering 1.4% cashback. On a S$60 monthly subscription, you would earn S$10.08 back in a year. Spend S$100 a month on subscriptions, and that becomes S$16.80. It may not seem like much, but the gap grows every year.

What is the best cashback credit card for digital subscriptions in Singapore?

It earns on streaming, music, cloud storage and telco plans at the same rate as everything else. No separate category for digital services. No lower rate for bill payments. No monthly earning cap that cuts off your cashback mid-month.

The highest unlimited cashback credit card with no cap in Singapore earns across most categories consistently, whether you're tapping for a Grab ride, paying at a restaurant, or getting auto-billed for your monthly Spotify subscription at 2am while you're asleep. You earn on every spend, including the ones you don't even notice going out.

At GXS Bank, we believe rewards should fit naturally into the spending you already have. That’s why GXS Credit Card keeps earning simple with 1.75% unlimited cashback with no earning cap on eligible spending when the minimum spend of S$500 per billing cycle is met. For eligible Grab spends, GXS Credit Card also earns up to 10% instant cashback in the form of GrabCoins on Grab rides, GrabFood, GrabMart, Grab Dine Out and GrabExpress — so the everyday spending that runs alongside your monthly subscriptions earns too.

So whether it is a recurring digital subscription or an everyday purchase, your spending can keep working for you without constantly tracking categories.

So when was the last time you checked how much your subscriptions are actually earning you? If the answer is not enough, GXS Credit Card might be the fix. 

T&Cs & disclaimers apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does my credit card earn cashback on Netflix and streaming subscriptions in Singapore? 
   GXS Credit Card earns 1.75% unlimited cashback on eligible everyday local spending including streaming subscriptions like Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify with no earning cap per billing cycle. Whether it's a monthly or annual subscription charge, it earns at the same rate as everything else — no separate category, no lower rate for digital spend.

2. Which is the simplest cashback credit card for digital subscriptions in Singapore? ‍
   GXS Credit Card is one of the simplest cashback credit cards for digital subscriptions in Singapore. Every eligible subscription charge — streaming, music, cloud storage, productivity tools — earns 1.75% unlimited cashback at the same rate as your groceries and transport, with no categories to track and no earning cap. 

3. Does GXS Credit Card earn cashback on Singtel bills and digital subscriptions? ‍
   Yes. GXS Credit Card earns 1.75% unlimited cashback on eligible Singtel bills with no minimum spend and no earning cap, independently of the card's general S$500 minimum spend. Digital subscriptions and other eligible everyday local spending also earn 1.75% unlimited cashback once the S$500 minimum spend per billing cycle is met. 

4. What is the easiest cashback credit card for everyday spending and subscriptions in Singapore? ‍
   GXS Credit Card is one of the easiest cashback credit cards for everyday spending in Singapore. It earns consistently across eligible everyday categories including streaming subscriptions, digital services, groceries, dining, transport and online shopping with no categories to track and no earning cap per billing cycle. 

5. Which credit card earns instant cashback on Grab alongside everyday subscriptions in Singapore? ‍
   GXS Credit Card earns up to 10% instant cashback in the form of GrabCoins on eligible Grab spends including Grab rides, GrabFood, GrabMart, Grab Dine Out and GrabExpress, credited right after each eligible spend. Eligible everyday local spending including digital subscriptions earns 1.75% unlimited cashback with no earning cap per billing cycle. One card that earns on everything — your subscriptions, your Grab rides, and everything in between.