Summary
The mandatory 15-month wait-out period for HDB upgraders can result in over $67,500 in rental payments, an expense often overlooked for rewards potential.
This large, consistent expense can be converted into significant travel rewards, enough to redeem two business class tickets to a destination like Hong Kong.
Renters can earn miles on this spend through platforms that process rent via eGIRO or credit card, without requiring landlord approval.
Rently's Earn Rewards on Rent enables tenants to turn their single largest monthly expense into a productive asset for future travel.
You've sold your private property, you've got your eye on an HDB resale flat, and now you're staring down the barrel of the 15-month wait-out period — the mandatory cooling-off period before you're allowed to purchase. For most couples, this means one thing: renting.
And rent, as many on r/singaporefi have noted, feels like dead money. "I was looking for a way to pay rent without charges or offset charges with cashback," reads one popular thread. It's a sentiment echoed endlessly — renters watching thousands of dollars leave their account every month with nothing to show for it.
But here's the reframe that changes everything: the 15-month wait-out period rent isn't a cost centre. It's the single largest, most consistent line item in your personal finances for the next year and a half — and it can be made to work for you.
Instead of letting $60,000+ quietly drain away, you can convert that rental spend into enough KrisFlyer miles for two business class tickets. Here's exactly how.
The Scale of the Opportunity: What Are We Actually Talking About?
Let's put a number on it first.
A typical 3-bedroom condo in Singapore's Outside Central Region (OCR) — think Punggol, Tampines, Jurong — runs around $4,500/month. That's a realistic benchmark for a family-sized unit during a transitional rental period.
Do the math:
Monthly Rent: $4,500
Wait-Out Period: 15 months
Total Rental Outlay: $67,500
Sixty-seven thousand, five hundred dollars. That's a holiday fund, a renovation budget, or a meaningful chunk of your HDB downpayment — all flowing out of your account with zero return. Unless you play this right.
The good news: this spend is predictable, recurring, and large — the three ingredients that make any expense ideal for miles hacking. Most people optimise their credit card spend on groceries ($500/month) or dining ($300/month). You're sitting on a $4,500/month rocket fuel tank and leaving it unlit.
The Game Changer: Earning Miles on Your Biggest Expense
This is where Rently comes in.
Rently is a Singapore-based fintech that acts as a full financial intermediary between you and your landlord — not just a payment router. Through its Earn Rewards on Rent add-on, you earn Max Miles (powered by HeyMax) on every dollar of rent you pay.
One important thing to address upfront: your landlord doesn't need to approve anything, sign up, or even know you're using Rently. They simply receive the full rent on time via a standard FAST bank transfer — exactly as they'd expect. No awkward conversations. No renegotiation. Nothing changes on their end.
This matters because one of the biggest hesitations renters have — as seen in community discussions — is the fear of "jeopardising their rental agreement or relationship with landlords" by using a third-party platform. With Rently, that concern is moot.
What are Max Miles?
Max Miles are a flexible rewards currency via HeyMax that:
Never expire
Transfer to 30+ loyalty programmes, including Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Convert at approximately 0.83 Max Miles to 1 KrisFlyer mile (with promotional 1:1 windows)
The MileLion's in-depth analysis of Rently clocks the best eGIRO tier at as low as 0.67 cents per mile — competitive with optimised credit card strategies, and available to anyone with a Singapore bank account.
A Worked Example: From an OCR Condo to Business Class
Let's make this concrete with a real scenario.
The Setup: A couple selling their private condo. They rent a 3-bedroom unit in Tampines for $4,500/month during the 15-month wait-out period. Total rent: $67,500.
They sign up for Rently and choose an eGIRO tier earning 1.3 Max Miles per dollar.
Step 1 — Calculate Max Miles earned: $$67,500 \times 1.3 = \textbf{87,750 Max Miles}$$
Step 2 — Convert to KrisFlyer miles: $$87,750 \times 0.83 \approx \textbf{72,832 KrisFlyer miles}$$
Step 3 — What does that actually get you?
With ~73,000 KrisFlyer miles in hand, here's what the couple can redeem:
RedemptionMiles Required2x one-way Business Saver to Hong Kong~34,000 miles (2 × 17,000)2x one-way Business Saver to Taipei~34,000 miles (2 × 17,000)1x one-way Business Saver to Tokyo~52,000 miles2x round-trip Economy Saver to Bali~34,000 miles (4 × 8,500)
Two business class tickets to Hong Kong or Taipei — funded entirely by rent they had to pay anyway. That's the 15-month wait-out period working for you instead of just draining you.
Advanced Strategy: Dual Stacking for Maximum Miles
If you want to go further, there's a strategy called dual stacking — and Rently is the only platform in Singapore that makes it possible for rent payments.
Here's how it works: instead of choosing between your credit card miles or Rently's Max Miles, you earn both simultaneously on the same transaction.
The Setup:
Pay rent via credit card through Rently's credit card tier
Your credit card earns its standard miles rate (e.g., 1.2 miles per dollar on a typical miles card)
Rently's credit card tier adds 0.3 Max Miles per dollar on top
The Math on $67,500 total rent:
SourceCalculationRewardCredit Card (1.2 mpd)$67,500 × 1.281,000 CC milesRently Max Miles (0.3/dollar)$67,500 × 0.320,250 Max Miles (~16,800 KrisFlyer)Combined Total~97,800 miles
Nearly 100,000 miles from rent payments you were making anyway.
This is structurally impossible on other platforms that only act as payment routers. They simply pass your payment through but cannot layer their own proprietary rewards on top of your credit card earnings. Because Rently acts as a full financial intermediary (taking on payment timing risk), it can offer this dual-stacking structure that those platforms cannot replicate.
Choosing the Right Rently Tier for Your Rent Quantum
Rently's Earn Rewards tiers give you flexibility depending on whether you're optimising for lowest cost-per-mile or highest total miles volume.
Here's a simplified breakdown to guide your decision:
Option 1: The Cost-Per-Mile Optimizer (eGIRO Path)
Best for: Renters who want to "buy" miles as cheaply as possible, without needing a specific credit card.
Works via eGIRO straight from your bank account — any major Singapore bank supported
No card spend required, which means no minimum spend thresholds to hit
eGIRO Tier 1 delivers the best value at 1.33¢ per mile (or as low as 0.67¢/mile at other tiers per MileLion's analysis)
Earn up to 1.7 Max Miles per dollar at the highest eGIRO tier
At $4,500/month, even the entry eGIRO tier accumulates meaningfully over 15 months. The cost-per-mile is competitive with — and in some tiers, better than — many credit card earn rates when you factor in annual fees and minimum spend.
Option 2: The Volume Maximizer (Credit Card + Dual Stack)
Best for: Miles hackers who want the absolute highest miles haul and already hold a strong miles credit card.
Pair a high-earn miles card (e.g., DBS Vantage at 1.5 mpd, or Citi PremierMiles at 1.2 mpd) with Rently's credit card tier
Rently adds 0.3 Max Miles per dollar on top of your card's earn rate
A DBS Vantage + Rently combination can yield an effective ~2.0 miles per dollar when Max Miles are converted — as highlighted in the MileLion Rently breakdown
Better for higher rent quantum — the fee overhead is more easily absorbed
Quick decision guide:
Your SituationBest PathNo strong miles card, wants simplicityeGIRO Tier 1–2Has a 1.2+ mpd card, wants maximum milesCredit card dual stackPaying $5,000+/month rentHigher eGIRO tier or dual stackWants lowest cost-per-mileeGIRO Tier 1
And critically — there's no lock-in. You can cancel or change tiers at any time, and early adopter pricing is locked for your lease duration once you sign up.
Stop Burning Rent, Start Earning Miles
The 15-month wait-out period rent is, by definition, non-negotiable. You have to pay it. The only question is whether you walk away with nothing, or whether you walk away with enough miles to fund your next family holiday — or two business class tickets — before you even get the keys to your new flat.
At $4,500/month over 15 months, you're sitting on a $67,500 financial opportunity that most people leave entirely untapped. With Rently's Earn Rewards tiers, dual stacking with your existing miles card, and the flexibility of the HeyMax transfer ecosystem, that sum can translate into 70,000–100,000 KrisFlyer miles — real, tangible travel value extracted from an expense you had no choice but to make.
The maths are on your side. The tools exist. All that's left is to set it up.
Don't guess — calculate. Use the Rently miles calculator to see exactly how many miles your rent quantum will earn across each tier, and pick the strategy that fits your goals. It takes two minutes, and it could fund your next business class trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I earn miles on my rent in Singapore?
You can earn miles on your rent in Singapore by using a financial intermediary service like Rently, which allows you to pay rent via eGIRO or credit card and earn rewards points (Max Miles) that can be converted to airline miles. Rently converts your large, recurring rental payment into a rewards-earning transaction. Instead of a standard bank transfer that earns nothing, Rently processes your payment and awards you Max Miles. These miles can then be transferred to over 30 loyalty programs, including Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, turning a major expense into a source for future travel.
What is Rently and how does it work for earning rewards?
Rently is a Singapore-based platform that acts as a financial intermediary, allowing you to pay your landlord while earning rewards on the transaction. You pay Rently via eGIRO or credit card, and Rently pays your landlord the full amount via a standard FAST transfer. The process is designed to be seamless. You sign up for a Rently rewards tier, set up your payment method, and schedule your rent payments. Rently handles the rest, ensuring your landlord receives their money on time while you accumulate Max Miles on every dollar of rent paid.
Does my landlord need to approve my use of Rently?
No, your landlord does not need to approve, sign up, or even be aware that you are using Rently. From your landlord's perspective, nothing changes. They continue to receive the full rental amount on the due date via a standard FAST bank transfer, just as if you had paid them directly. This eliminates any need for awkward conversations or modifications to your tenancy agreement.
Is it better to use eGIRO or a credit card with Rently?
It depends on your goal. Use eGIRO if you want the lowest cost-per-mile. Use a credit card if you want to maximise the total number of miles earned through dual stacking.
eGIRO: This option is ideal for those optimising for value. It allows you to "buy" miles at a very competitive rate (as low as 0.67 cents per mile), and you don't need a specific high-end credit card.
Credit Card (Dual Stacking): This option is for serious miles hackers. You earn miles from your credit card and bonus Max Miles from Rently on the same payment, creating the highest possible miles yield.
How many miles can I actually earn from my rent?
The number of miles you can earn depends on your monthly rent and the Rently tier you choose. For example, a $4,500 monthly rent over the 15-month wait-out period ($67,500 total) can earn you between 70,000 to 100,000 KrisFlyer miles. A tenant paying $4,500/month on the 1.3 Max Miles/$ eGIRO tier would accumulate approximately 72,800 KrisFlyer miles over 15 months. If they used the dual-stacking credit card strategy, that total could climb to nearly 100,000 miles. You can use the Rently miles calculator on their website to get a precise estimate for your specific rent amount.
What are Max Miles and how do they compare to KrisFlyer miles?
Max Miles are a flexible rewards currency that never expire and can be transferred to over 30 different loyalty programs, including Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. The flexibility of Max Miles is a major advantage. While they can be converted to KrisFlyer miles (at a typical rate of 0.83 Max Miles to 1 KrisFlyer mile), you also have the option to transfer them to other airline or hotel partners. This allows you to choose the best redemption option available at the time of booking, rather than being locked into a single program.
How is Rently different from other rent payment platforms?
The main difference is that Rently acts as a full financial intermediary, not just a payment router. This allows it to offer proprietary rewards (Max Miles) and a unique "dual stacking" feature not available on other platforms. Payment routers simply process your credit card payment and pass it on, charging a fee. Rently's model allows it to layer its own rewards system on top of your credit card's. This means with Rently, you can earn both your credit card miles and Rently's Max Miles on the same transaction, a feature other platforms cannot replicate.
Is Rently a legitimate and safe service for rent payments?
Yes, Rently is a legitimate Singapore-based fintech company that processes rent payments securely. They ensure your landlord receives the full rent amount on time via FAST transfer. Rently is designed to provide a secure and reliable service for tenants. By acting as a financial intermediary, they take on the responsibility of ensuring timely payment to the landlord. Their system is built for recurring payments like rent, offering peace of mind that your obligations are met while you earn rewards.
