Summary
Most credit card payment platforms charge high fees (1.75%–2.8%) that can cancel out any miles or cashback you earn on your rent.
This guide compares five popular rent payment platforms, highlighting the difference between simple "payment routers" and dedicated tenancy support platforms.
The best platforms solve real renter problems beyond just routing a payment, offering solutions for high security deposits and managing cash flow.
With Rently, you can pay rent with 0% fees via eGIRO, earn stacked rewards, or cover your deposit upfront with a monthly service fee over your lease.
ipaymy has carved out a solid reputation in Singapore's bill payment space, letting you put everyday expenses — tax, insurance, invoices — on your credit card. But when it comes to rent specifically, a very different set of needs emerge.
Rent isn't just a bill. It's often your single largest monthly outgoing, comes with a hefty security deposit, and has a frustrating habit of falling due right before your salary hits. A generic payment router that simply relays your card payment to a landlord's bank account isn't always the right tool for that job.
As one Redditor on r/singaporefi perfectly summed it up: "What we need is a way to pay rent without charges or at least offset with cashback." Others pointed out that "the service fees all exceed the cashback rates of general cashback credit cards" — meaning many tenants are effectively paying a premium to break even, or worse.
This guide cuts through the noise. We've ranked the five best platforms for rent payments in Singapore by use-case fit — so whether you want to pay zero fees, earn miles, cover your deposit upfront, or just get some breathing room before your salary clears, there's an option here for you.
1. Rently — The All-in-One Tenancy Support Platform
Best for: Tenants who want more than a payment router
Rently is in a different category entirely from the other platforms on this list. While every other ipaymy alternative is essentially a payment relay — you card it, they bank-transfer it, they charge a fee — Rently is a full-stack tenancy support platform built specifically around the rental journey. It starts with a 0% fee base product and layers on services that no pure payment router can structurally offer.
Pay with Rently: 0% Fee via eGIRO
The base product is simple and powerful: pay your rent via eGIRO at zero fee. Rently debits your bank account and pays your landlord on time by bank transfer. Your landlord doesn't need to sign up, approve anything, or even know you're using a platform — they just receive a normal bank transfer, same as always.
This completely eliminates the core frustration with other fee-based platforms, where you're constantly asking yourself: "Is the fee actually worth the miles I'm getting?" At 0%, that question disappears.
Lower Move-In Costs: Upfront Deposit Coverage
This is where Rently truly stands alone. Moving into a new place in Singapore typically means fronting two months' rent as a security deposit — often $6,000 to $16,000+ — on top of first month's rent, agent fees, and relocation costs.
With Rently's Lower Move-In Costs service, Rently pays the full deposit to your landlord on day one. You then pay Rently a monthly service fee of $12 per $1,000 of deposit over your lease. No traditional credit check — Rently does not run a formal credit check, though it reviews for no major payment defaults or active bankruptcy. No landlord approval required. No other payment router offers anything remotely like this.
Billing Cycle Service: Up to 29 Days of Flexibility
Salary lands on the 25th. Rent is due on the 1st. Sound familiar? Rently's Billing Cycle Service bridges that gap. Rently pays your landlord on time, and your payment to Rently follows their monthly invoicing schedule — giving you up to 29 days of flexibility. Pricing is transparent: $1/day per $1,000 of rent, so you only pay for the days you actually need.
Earn Rewards on Rent: Dual Mile Stacking
For the miles enthusiasts: Rently's Earn Rewards add-on lets you earn Max Miles (via HeyMax) on top of your base eGIRO payments. Tier 1 delivers a compelling 1.33¢/mile cost. For power users, the credit card tier enables dual reward stacking — you earn your credit card's miles and Rently's Max Miles simultaneously. Max Miles transfer to KrisFlyer, AirAsia, Avios, and 30+ other loyalty programmes, and they never expire.
Verdict: The clear winner for rent payments. The 0% eGIRO base makes it financially sensible from day one, and the add-ons address the real problems renters face that a payment router simply cannot solve.
2. CardUp — For the Dedicated Miles Chaser
Best for: Experienced miles hackers with high-value redemption strategies
CardUp is the most established pure payment router in Singapore, with a broad remit across rent, insurance, education, and more. It's polished, well-supported, and a go-to recommendation on personal finance blogs and forums.
The core mechanic: pay CardUp with your credit card, CardUp sends a bank transfer to your landlord, you earn your credit card's rewards. The catch is the fee. CardUp currently charges 2.6% for Singapore-issued Visa, Mastercard, and Amex cards (SingSaver). To break even with a general cashback card earning 1.6%, you'd need to value your miles at well above 1.6¢ just to cover the cost — and that's before we account for the fact that not all miles are created equal (Moolahgeeks).
CardUp makes sense if you're pairing it with a high-earn miles card like the UOB PRVI Miles and consistently redeeming miles for business class flights. For casual users or cashback cardholders, the maths rarely work in your favour.
Verdict: A solid option for the committed miles collector. Not recommended for cashback cards or general-purpose spending.
3. RentHero — The Lower-Fee Credit Card Option
Best for: Tenants who want to pay rent by credit card at a lower fee
RentHero is a no-frills, rent-only payment router. Its main selling point over CardUp and ipaymy is a slightly lower processing fee of 1.75%. The mechanics are identical to other routers — pay by credit card, landlord receives a bank transfer, you earn your card's rewards.
RentHero keeps things simple: initiate payment, earn your credit card miles, redeem rewards. There are no bells and whistles, no deposit services, and no billing flexibility. But for a tenant whose sole goal is to pay rent with a credit card at the lowest possible routing fee, it does exactly that.
The 1.75% fee does put you in slightly better break-even territory than CardUp's 2.6%, but you'll still need to be earning meaningful rewards per dollar — not just 0.5% cashback — to make it worthwhile.
Verdict: A sensible, budget-conscious option if paying rent via credit card with minimal fees is your priority and nothing else.
4. Citi PayAll — For Citi Cardholders
Best for: Existing Citi credit card users who want a bank-native solution
Citi PayAll is Citibank's own bill payment service, available to Citi credit card holders. It allows you to set up recurring payments for rent and other bills to earn Citi Miles or ThankYou Points on spending that normally wouldn't accrue rewards.
One thing worth clarifying: Citi PayAll is not fee-free for most use cases, despite what some forum comments suggest. Fees typically range from 1.75% to 2.8% depending on the promotion and card type. The advantage is convenience for those already embedded in the Citi ecosystem — no third-party platform, everything managed within your existing Citi account.
The limitations are significant: it's exclusively for Citi cardholders, it has no upfront deposit coverage, no billing cycle flexibility, and no proprietary rewards layer. It's a bank-flavoured payment router, nothing more.
Verdict: Convenient for Citi loyalists, but structurally limited. Worth checking Citi's current promotional rates before committing.
5. GIRO / PayNow — The Truly Free, No-Frills Method
Best for: Tenants who want absolute zero cost and don't need extras
As one commenter on Reddit put it: "In Singapore? Rent is usually PayNow or cash." And they're not wrong — direct bank transfers via GIRO or PayNow remain the most common way Singapore tenants pay rent. The fee is 0%. Full stop.
GIRO can be automated for monthly payments, making it genuinely hassle-free if the setup is done correctly. But that's where the benefits end. No rewards, no cashback, no miles, no deposit flexibility, no cash flow breathing room. If rent arrives three days before your salary, that's your problem to manage alone.
For tenants with no interest in rewards and no cash flow concerns, GIRO/PayNow remains entirely valid. But for anyone looking to make their rent work harder — even a little — there are better options above.
Verdict: Free, reliable, and completely unremarkable. The right call only if zero fees and zero extras is your stated preference.
Why Your Rent Deserves More Than a Payment Router
Traditional payment routers all solve the same narrow problem: getting your credit card rewards to work on rent. That was a legitimate innovation when these platforms launched. But the math on fees vs. rewards remains stubbornly unfavourable for most tenants — and more critically, none of these platforms can touch the deeper financial realities of renting.
They can't help you afford the security deposit. They can't bridge the timing gap between your salary and your rent due date. They can't layer proprietary rewards on top of your credit card miles. These aren't product gaps waiting to be filled — they're structural limitations of what a payment router can do.
Rently was built from the ground up to solve the renter's rental journey, not just the payment leg of it. The 0% eGIRO base product removes the fee-vs-rewards calculation entirely, and each optional add-on tackles a real problem that tenants in Singapore actually face.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I pay rent in Singapore without fees?
Yes, you can pay your rent in Singapore without fees using either a direct bank transfer (GIRO/PayNow) or Rently's 0% fee eGIRO service. While direct bank transfers are simple, Rently's platform automates the process and allows you to layer on optional services like rewards earning or payment flexibility, giving you more value than a standard transfer.
Does my landlord need to approve or sign up for Rently?
No, your landlord does not need to sign up, give approval, or even know you are using Rently. Rently sends the rent payment as a standard bank transfer that appears in your landlord's account just like any other payment. This ensures a completely seamless and private experience for you as a tenant.
What is the main difference between Rently and other payment platforms?
The primary difference is that Rently is a specialised tenancy support platform, whereas other platforms are often general-purpose payment routers. Payment routers simply charge a fee (typically 1.75%-2.8%) to let you use your credit card for bills. Rently, however, starts with a 0% fee base and offers unique, rent-specific solutions like upfront deposit coverage and flexible payment timing that are not available from general payment platforms.
How does Rently's upfront deposit coverage work?
Rently's upfront deposit coverage service is designed to ease the burden of high upfront move-in costs. Rently pays your full security deposit directly to your landlord on your behalf. You then pay Rently a monthly service fee over your lease, which frees up your cash for other essential moving expenses.
Can I still earn credit card miles if I use Rently?
Yes, you can absolutely earn miles with Rently. The platform offers a rewards add-on that enables dual reward stacking. This unique feature lets you earn your credit card's miles and Rently's proprietary Max Miles (transferable to KrisFlyer, Avios, and others) on the same rental transaction, maximizing your rewards.
Why does Rently offer a 0% fee service? What's the catch?
There is no catch; the 0% fee eGIRO service is genuinely free for basic rent payments. Rently's business model is based on offering optional, paid add-on services that solve specific renter problems. These include covering your security deposit upfront, adding flexibility to your payment dates, or earning stacked rewards. The core payment service remains free, allowing you to choose only the services you need.
Who is Rently best suited for?
Rently is designed for any tenant in Singapore seeking greater financial flexibility and control over their rent. It is especially useful for expats and first-time renters facing high upfront security deposits, professionals who want to align their rent payment date with their salary cycle, and savvy miles collectors looking to maximise rewards without paying high transaction fees.
See the Numbers for Yourself
The fee gap between traditional payment routers (charging 1.75%–2.8% on every payment) and Rently's 0% eGIRO option compounds significantly over a 12- or 24-month lease. On a $3,000/month rent, that's up to $2,016 in fees over two years with some routers — versus $0 with Rently's base product.
Use Rently's free online calculator to plug in your actual rent amount and see exactly how much you could save — or how many miles you could earn — over the duration of your lease. The numbers make the decision easy.