OCBC NTUC Plus Debit Card: Is It the Grocery Card for You?
OCBC NTUC Plus Debit Card: Is It the Grocery Card for You?
ValueChampion Rating 
Pros
- NTUC members who shop in-store and online at FairPrice
- Members with S$200 of monthly expenses outside of grocery spend
Cons
- Members with low monthly grocery expenses
The OCBC NTUC Plus! Debit Card is great for NTUC members who want to earn boosted rates on their grocery purchases, and don’t mind paying an annual membership fee. This debit card offers one of the highest cashback rates for grocery spend in comparison to other debit cards on the market. When a cardholder spends a minimum of S$200 outside of FairPrice, they qualify for 4% cashback on in-store purchases at FairPrice, Unity, and Warehouse Club. Additionally this card also offers 4% cashback rebate for FairPrice online purchases.
The value of LinkPoints are 100 = S$1, and there is no limit to how many regular LinkPoints an individual can earn. FairPrice cashback rebates are limited to S$6,000 spend a year. Overall, the NTUC Plus! Debit Card offers great value to consumers with high grocery expenses.
Table of Contents
- What Makes the NTUC Plus! Debit Card Stand Out?
- NTUC Plus! Fees
- How to Use LinkPoints
-
Pros Cons - 4 LinkPoints for every S$1 spent
- 4% Cash rebate on FairPrice purchases
- 1% Link Point rebate on M1, Singtel, and Starhub bills
- 3% off at Cheers and Popular
- 0.22% LinkPoint Rebate on all purchases
- 20.3% savings on Esso petrol
- S$117 p.a. NTUC Membership fee
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What Makes the NTUC Plus! Debit Card Stand Out
NTUC members that shop at FairPrice will benefit greatly from this debit card. With just S$200 minimum spend outside of FairPrice, which is one of the lower minimum spends compared to other debit cards, consumers are able to earn 8% from their in-store purchases and online FairPrice spend.
| Spend Type | LinkPoint Rebate from FairPrice with S$200 minimum spend | Bonus LinkPoints from OCBC | FairPrice Cash Rebate | Total Rebate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-Store | 1 LinkPoints (1%) per S$1 Spend | 2.67 LinkPoints (2.67%) per S$1 Spend | 4% | 8% |
| Online | 1 LinkPoint (1%) per S$1 Spend | 3 LinkPoints (3%) per $1 Spend | 4% | 8% |
Additionally, if one credits their salary into their NTUC-OCBC Starter Account and spends a minimum of S$400, they can get up to 6.67% bonus LinkPoints rebate from their in-store purchases. They can also get up to 4% bonus Linkpoints rebate for their Online FairPrice purchases.
| Spend Type | LinkPoint Rebate from FairPrice with S$400 minimum spend | Bonus LinkPoints from OCBC with salary credited into NTUC-OCBC Starter Account | FairPrice Cash Rebate | Total Rebate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-Store | 1.33 LinkPoints (1.33%) per S$1 Spend | 6.67 LinkPoints (6.67%) per S$1 Spend | 4% | 12% |
| Online | 1 LinkPoint (1%) per S$1 Spend | 4 LinkPoints (3%) per $1 Spend | 4% | 9% |
Portions of these rebates do have earnings limits. While regular LinkPoints have no earnings cap, FairPrice cash rebates do have earnings limits. The cash rebate is limited to S$240 per year (S$6,000 spend). Although rebate structures like this are not typically common amongst debit cards in general, it doesn't create too many limitations for most consumers given the amount of expenditure they need to incur to max out on these limits.
| Monthly In-Store Grocery Spend | S$200 | S$400 | S$500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkPoints earned from FairPrice | 266 | 532 | 665 |
| Bonus Link Points earned from OCBC | 534 | 2668 | 3335 |
| Value of Total Points in S$ | S$8 | S$32 | S$40 |
| Cash Rebate | S$8 | S$16 | S$20 |
In addition to rewards on grocery spend, the NTUC Plus! offers rewards on other types of expenditures. This debit card offers a 0.22% LinkPoint rebate on general spend, which is quite standard among debit card offers. This may not seem like an attractive rate, but it allows cardholders to earn something while meeting its low S$200 spending requirement. In contrast, other debit cards with higher general reward rates typically have a much higher minimum spend requirement of S$400-S$500. Consumers can also earn a 1% LinkPoint rebate on their recurring M1, Singtel, and Starhub bills, 20.3% fuel savings on their Esso transactions, and 3% off at Cheers and Popular purchases.
For consumers interested in earning interest on their account balance, this card can be linked to an NTUC-OCBC Starter Account to earn 0.05% on your account balance. This savings rate is not too common amongst debit card offers, though there are higher rates available with cards like UOB One Debit Card.
A downside to this card is that it does have an annual fee of S$117 for NTUC Membership. However, if a cardholder maxes out the cash rebate limit ($6,000 spend per year), the rebate will more than offset the entire cost of the membership.
| Maximum Annual Cashback Rebate | Membership Cost | Remaining Rebate |
|---|---|---|
| S$240 | (-S$117) | S$123 |
NTUC Plus! Debit Card Fees
Aside from the annual membership fee, the NTUC Plus! has a few additional fees. However, for consumers who plan to use this card for domestic purchases, these fees are not really applicable.
- 3.25% fee on Foreign Currency Transactions
- 2.80% fee on Currency Conversions
- 3% fee on Overseas Cash Withdrawal
How to Use LinkPoints
As consumers begin to make purchases and earn LinkPoints, they can quickly begin offsetting the cost of their FairPrice transactions. For reference, 150 LinkPoints = S$1. These points can be used to pay for in-store purchases at FairPrice, Unity, and Warehouse Club, but can not be used for online purchases.
When making in-store purchases
- Present your NTUC Plus! Debit Card at the register
- Select how many LinkPoints you would like to use
- Pay for a portion/entirety of your purchase with selected amount
How to Apply for an NTUC Plus! Debit Card
There are two ways that applicants can apply for this debit card. Applicants have the option to either apply with their MyInfo accounts (MyInfo allows for instant approval if applicant is eligible), or they can apply using the standard application.
Applying With MyInfo
- Log into your SingPass account
- Fill in the required information with your MyInfo details
- If eligible, you will be granted instant approval
Applying with the Standard Application
- Visit OCBC’s Application Page
- Complete your personal details
- Submit your application
NTUC Plus Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible for this debit card, OCBC has a few requirements in place. In order to qualify, an applicant must be 16 years or older. Additionally, applicants must have an OCBC bank account to link their card to. Similar to most other debit cards, there is no minimum income requirement to qualify.
How To Cancel The NTUC Plus! Debit Card
For any current cardholders that would like to cancel their card, OCBC has a few steps that need to be taken to successfully cancel.
- Call OCBC’s customer service number at 1-800-363-3333 (overseas: 65-6363-3333)
- Verify your account information and credentials with the customer service representative
- Request to cancel your card
NTUC Plus! Debit Card's Features and Benefits:
| Details & Benefits | |
|---|---|
| Annual Fee | S$117 Membership Fee |
| Card Details |
|
Credit Card Alternative: Maybank Family & Friends Credit Card
- Pros
- Good for budgets of S$800/month
- Awards 8% cashback on 5 categories of your choice
- 3 year annual fee waiver
- Great to use in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines
- Cons
- Merchant restrictions
- Lacks miles & travel perks
- Annual Fee: S$180 (3-year waiver, subsequently waived with S$12,000 annual spend)
- Up to 8% off on local transport, grocery, fast food, food delivery, petrol, data & communications, and online TV streaming purchases
- 0.3% rebate on general spend
For those who have a higher monthly expenditure and want to earn rewards on more areas, the Maybank Family & Friends Credit Card could be a good alternative to NTUC Plus Debit Card. Maybank Family & Friends Card offers up to 8% rebates on fast food & food delivery, transport, grocery, petrol, online streaming, and data communication purchases in both Singapore & Malaysia. All local grocery stores, including online purchases, are eligible for rewards earnings.
To qualify for this cashback, a cardholder must spend a minimum of S$800 (to earn 8%) per month to qualify for these rates. The rebates have a monthly cap of S$125/month, which can be easily met with just S$1,562.50 spend. This credit card comes with an annual fee of S$180, which is waived for the first 3 years. For more options on rewards credit cards on groceries, you can read our reviews here.