2.8 mpd overseas uncapped, attached to the slowest redemption process in this lineup
| Min income | Base earn | Overseas earn | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| S$30,000S$60,000 for foreigners | 1.4 mpdlocal, uncapped | 2.8 mpdforeign currency, uncapped | Noneon either rate |
| Annual fee | Conversion ratio | Transfer floor | Processing |
| S$207.10first year waived | 5 pointsper mile | 50,000 points10,000 miles, S$30.56 | 14 to 21 daysworking days, not calendar |
2.8 miles per dollar on foreign currency, uncapped, puts BOC Elite Miles second only to the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite in this entire lineup, and that card wants S$150,000 of income and a S$599.50 non-waivable fee. This one asks for S$30,000 and waives the first year.
So why does almost nobody carry it? Because everything that happens after you earn is worse than anywhere else here. BOC Points convert at five to one, the transfer minimum is 50,000 points, each conversion costs S$30.56, and it takes up to three working weeks to arrive.
And since 1 July 2025 there is exactly one place for them to go: KrisFlyer only, after Asia Miles was discontinued. A great front end bolted to a back end that seems designed to discourage you.
Annual Fee
S$207.10, first year waived, then removable either by paying S$30.56 or by spending 30,000 points.
| Card | First year | Second year on |
|---|---|---|
| Principal card | Waived | S$207.10 |
| Or clear it with | Nothing | S$30.56, or 30,000 points |
That 30,000-point option is a trap worth naming. At five points per mile, 30,000 points is 6,000 miles, and you would be spending them to avoid a S$207.10 fee that S$30.56 also clears. Pay the cash.
I could not confirm either mechanism against BOC's own fee schedule, so treat both as reported rather than certain and ask before renewal.
Welcome Bonus
Bank of China BOC Elite Miles
Sign-up rewards change often, so confirm the current offer before you apply. New customers only, meaning no card from Bank of China in about the last 12 months.
Sign-up offers move monthly and almost always carry a "new to bank" condition, meaning no Bank of China card in the past 12 months.
How many miles do I earn?
2.8 miles per dollar on foreign currency and 1.4 locally, neither capped.
| Spend | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign currency and overseas | 2.8 mpd | Uncapped |
| Everything else, local | 1.4 mpd | Uncapped |
| Utilities, insurance, education | Nothing | Excluded |
Both figures are quoted after the five-to-one conversion, so they are real miles rather than points dressed up. On earning alone this beats UOB PRVI Miles, HSBC TravelOne and Citi PremierMiles, all of which are far more commonly recommended.
Bill-payment rails are specifically excluded, so routing rent or tax through a third-party service earns nothing on this card. Worth knowing before you plan around it.
Three Weeks And A June Deadline
Here is the part that decides whether the rate is worth having. Four separate frictions stack on top of each other, and any one of them alone would be tolerable.
| The step | Bonus? | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| 🔢 5 BOC Points per mile | ✕ No | The worst ratio here. Most cards are 2.5:1 and some are 1:1 |
| 🚪 50,000-point minimum transfer | ✕ No | You cannot move anything until you have 10,000 miles banked |
| ⏳ 14 to 21 working days to process | ✕ No | Up to a month of calendar time, so no last-minute redemptions |
| 📅 Points expire, with a 30 June cut-off | ✕ No | Roughly 12 to 24 months, on an annual deadline |
| ✈ KrisFlyer only, since 1 Jul 2025 | ✕ No | Asia Miles was discontinued, so there is no fallback |
Read those together rather than one at a time. You need 50,000 points before you can move anything, which at 1.4 mpd is about S$18,000 of local spend. Then you wait up to three working weeks. And there is an annual expiry deadline running underneath the whole thing.
So this is not a card you dip into. It only works if you spend enough abroad to clear the floor comfortably inside the expiry window and you plan redemptions a month ahead. If your travel is spontaneous, the processing time alone rules it out.
The expiry window is reported as roughly 12 to 24 months with an annual 30 June deadline, and it is not confirmed against BOC’s terms. Check your own balance dates.
Transfer Partners
One, since 1 July 2025. Asia Miles was discontinued and KrisFlyer is the only destination left.
| Programme | BOC Points for 10,000 miles |
|---|---|
 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 50,000 |
Losing the second partner made a narrow card narrower, and it matters more here than on the Standard Chartered Journey, which is also single-destination, because these points expire and those do not. A one-partner card with a clock is the hardest combination to work with.
How to use it. The reason to hesitate is the processing time rather than the ratio. Waiting three working weeks for miles to appear means you cannot react to award space when you find it, and finding the space is the hard part.
Before any redemption, always check the route you want is actually available. The worst thing you can do is diversify into another mileage programme with no redemption in mind.
The mechanics, since they are the reason this card is hard to live with. 50,000 BOC Points converts to 10,000 KrisFlyer miles at S$30.56 a transfer, and you start it by filling in a PDF form and emailing it to the bank. One request moves at most 100,000 miles; more than that needs a second form and a second fee.
Then you wait 14 to 21 working days. That is up to a calendar month, and it is the slowest process of any card here, slower even than OCBC VOYAGE at 10 to 15. Plan a month ahead or do not plan at all, because award space you find today cannot be paid for with these miles.
What should I pair it with?
A cap stops you earning; this stops you collecting. Someone spending S$500 a month overseas earns 1,400 miles a month, needs 10,000 to transfer, and gets there in about seven months, with an expiry clock already running.
| Foreign spend a month | Miles a month | Months to 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| S$1,500 | 4,200 | Under 3 |
| S$800 | 2,240 | About 5 |
| S$300 | 840 | About 12, against the expiry |
Something fast and flexible, so you are not waiting three weeks for the miles you actually need.
The gaps here are structural rather than categorical. What this card needs beside it is a balance you can move quickly when space appears.
| The gap | What it costs you | What closes it |
|---|---|---|
| Three weeks to transfer | No reacting to award space | HSBC TravelOne, free and fast |
| One partner, with expiry | No fallback and a deadline | Citi PremierMiles, about 11 partners, no expiry |
| Online and dining | 1.4 mpd where others pay 4 | HSBC Revolution, Citi Rewards |
| Groceries | 1.4 mpd | UOB Preferred Visa |
Build your miles card stack
One card never covers everything. Put in what you actually spend and see which cards to hold together, and what to put on each.
Build my stack→The verdict, restated
One of the best earning cards here and one of the worst collecting ones. If you spend heavily abroad, plan redemptions a month ahead and are content flying Singapore Airlines, 2.8 mpd uncapped at this income level is genuinely hard to argue with. If any of those is not true, the 50,000-point floor and the three-week wait will cost you more in missed seats than the rate ever earns.
Sources
BOC Elite Miles product page and card T&Cs, checked 8 July 2026. Earn rates, the uncapped structure, the five-to-one conversion, the 50,000-point transfer minimum and the S$30.56 conversion fee correct as of that date. Two things are less certain and are flagged rather than buried: the renewal fee-waiver mechanics, a S$30.56 fee or a 30,000-point redemption, are not confirmed against BOC’s schedule of fees; and the points expiry window of roughly 12 to 24 months with an annual 30 June cut-off is from secondary sources rather than the T&C, so check your own balance dates. CardUp and ipaymy payments are excluded from earning. This guide shares my own experience for education, it is not financial advice, and card terms change: always verify with the bank before applying.