Summary
Your S$3,500 monthly rent can earn over 80,000 miles a year, but choosing the wrong platform can mean high fees negate your rewards.
For an automated and universally accessible option, Rently's Earn Rewards on Rent via eGIRO offers a sustainable 1.33¢ per mile, making it a powerful choice for any renter in Singapore.
SC EasyBill delivers the lowest cost-per-mile (0.95¢) but is exclusive to Standard Chartered cardholders and requires manual monthly payments.
CardUp has become less competitive due to recent fee increases, pushing its effective cost-per-mile to 1.64¢ without a strong promo code.
You've just set up your first Singapore apartment, rent is S$3,500 a month, and you're wondering: can I actually earn meaningful miles on this, or will the fees just eat everything up?
It's a fair question — and a frustrating one. As one renter put it on r/singaporefi: "CardUp charges a 1.7% admin fee and cards usually return 1.6% cashback. So I'll lose money in the end." That skepticism is earned. High processing fees can absolutely wipe out your rewards if you're not picking the right platform for your situation.
But here's the thing — the market has evolved. In 2025–2026, you have three meaningfully different options: Rently, SC EasyBill, and CardUp. Each has a different fee structure, a different card compatibility story, and a very different cost-per-mile outcome.
Let's run the real numbers on a S$3,500/month rent and find out which platform actually puts the most value back in your pocket.
The Arena: A Head-to-Head Simulation on a S$3,500/month Rent
To keep the comparison clean, here are the parameters we'll use throughout:
Monthly Rent: S$3,500
Test Credit Card: A generic 1.4 mpd general spending card (a realistic baseline)
High-Earn SC Card: 2.0 mpd (Standard Chartered Beyond Card for Priority Banking clients)
Platform Fees:
Rently: The Flexible Newcomer with Two Paths to Miles
How Rently Works
Rently isn't a payment router — it's a financial intermediary. That distinction matters. Because Rently actually settles rent with your landlord directly (no landlord sign-up required), it can offer payment structures that pure routing services structurally cannot.
For miles hunters, Rently's headline feature is its Earn Rewards on Rent add-on, which lets you accumulate Max Miles (via HeyMax) on every rent payment. Max Miles transfer to KrisFlyer, AirAsia, Avios, and 30+ other loyalty programmes — and crucially, they never expire.
There are two paths to earning:
Path 1: eGIRO — Lowest Cost-Per-Mile
Pay via eGIRO from any Singapore bank account. No credit card required.
Monthly fee (0.4%): S$3,500 × 0.4% = S$14.00
Max Miles earned (0.3/S$1): S$3,500 × 0.3 = 1,050 miles
Net cost per mile: S$14.00 ÷ 1,050 = 1.33 cents/mile
Over a year, that's 12,600 Max Miles for just S$168 in fees — a stable, predictable, and automated earn with zero dependence on any specific card issuer.
Path 2: Credit Card — Dual-Stacking Rewards
Pay with your credit card and earn both your card's miles and Rently's Max Miles simultaneously. No other rent platform in Singapore offers this dual-stacking mechanic.
Monthly fee (2.8%): S$3,500 × 2.8% = S$98.00
CC miles (1.4 mpd): S$3,500 × 1.4 = 4,900 miles
Max Miles (0.3/S$1): S$3,500 × 0.3 = 1,050 miles
Total miles: 4,900 + 1,050 = 5,950 miles
Net cost per mile: S$98.00 ÷ 5,950 = 1.65 cents/mile
Pros: eGIRO path is card-agnostic and highly affordable; dual-stacking is unique to Rently; fully automated; no landlord involvement needed.
Cons: The CC tier fee of 2.8% is on the higher end; dual-stacking only makes sense if your card's mpd is strong enough.
SC EasyBill: The Bank-Exclusive Powerhouse
How SC EasyBill Works
SC EasyBill is Standard Chartered's in-app feature that lets principal SC cardholders pay rent, taxes, and education fees using their credit card for a flat 1.9% fee. On paper, it's a solid proposition — but the operational constraints matter.
According to MileLion's detailed guide on SC EasyBill, key restrictions include:
No recurring setup — you must manually submit each payment every month
One payment per category per month
Rental payments capped at S$10,000/month
Processing takes up to 7 business days, so timing is critical
The Simulation: SC EasyBill vs. S$3,500 Rent
We'll use the Standard Chartered Beyond Card at 2.0 mpd — the kind of high-earn card that makes EasyBill genuinely compelling.
Monthly fee (1.9%): S$3,500 × 1.9% = S$66.50
Miles earned (2.0 mpd): S$3,500 × 2.0 = 7,000 miles
Net cost per mile: S$66.50 ÷ 7,000 = 0.95 cents/mile
That's the best cost-per-mile in this entire comparison — but only if you're pairing it with the right SC card.
Pros: Lowest cost-per-mile when using a high-earn SC card; straightforward fee structure.
Cons: SC cardholders only — no flexibility for other banks; manual monthly payments are a hassle for a recurring bill; 7-day processing lag requires planning ahead.
CardUp: The Established Incumbent Facing Headwinds
How CardUp Works
CardUp is Singapore's longest-standing third-party rent payment platform. It lets you pay rent (and a range of other bills) via credit card, charging an admin fee in the process. Historically, its value proposition rested on periodic promo code deals that brought fees close to breakeven. That era, however, is ending.
The Simulation: CardUp vs. S$3,500 Rent
Assuming a 1.4 mpd general spending card:
Scenario 1 — Best-Case Legacy Promo (1.75% fee)
Monthly fee: S$3,500 × 1.75% = S$61.25
Miles earned: S$3,500 × 1.4 mpd = 4,900 miles
Net cost per mile: S$61.25 ÷ 4,900 = 1.25 cents/mile
Scenario 2 — The New Reality (2.30% Rent Promo Fee)
As MileLion reported in June 2026, CardUp has significantly raised its fees across categories. The new promotional rent rate comes in at around 2.25–2.30%.
Monthly fee: S$3,500 × 2.30% = S$80.50
Miles earned: S$3,500 × 1.4 mpd = 4,900 miles
Net cost per mile: S$80.50 ÷ 4,900 = 1.64 cents/mile
That's a dramatic jump — from a competitive 1.25 cents to 1.64 cents per mile. The community on r/singaporefi has noted that even the OCBC 90N card, a popular choice for CardUp, struggles to justify the new fee levels without a promo code.
Pros: Wide card compatibility (Visa, Mastercard, Amex); familiar platform for existing users.
Cons: Rising fees have significantly eroded the value proposition; cost-per-mile at current rates is no longer competitive; promo code dependency makes budgeting unpredictable.
The Final Tally: Side-by-Side Cost-Per-Mile Breakdown
Here's how all five scenarios stack up on S$3,500/month rent:
Rently (eGIRO Tier 1)
Fee: 0.4%
Monthly Cost: S$14.00
Monthly Miles: 1,050
Cost/Mile: 1.33¢
Rently (Credit Card)
Fee: 2.8%
Monthly Cost: S$98.00
Monthly Miles: 5,950
Cost/Mile: 1.65¢
SC EasyBill
Fee: 1.9%
Monthly Cost: S$66.50
Monthly Miles: 7,000
Cost/Mile: 0.95¢
CardUp (Best Promo)
Fee: 1.75%
Monthly Cost: S$61.25
Monthly Miles: 4,900
Cost/Mile: 1.25¢
CardUp (New Reality)
Fee: 2.30%
Monthly Cost: S$80.50
Monthly Miles: 4,900
Cost/Mile: 1.64¢
Note: SC EasyBill figures use a 2.0 mpd SC card. All other credit card scenarios use a 1.4 mpd general card. Rently eGIRO earns Max Miles only, transferable to 30+ loyalty programmes.
The Deciding Factor: Which Cards Work Where?
Card compatibility is often the hidden dealbreaker. Here's the reality:
Rently: The most flexible option by far. Its eGIRO rewards path requires no credit card at all — just a Singapore bank account. Any bank, any account. Rently then stacks Max Miles on top. Its credit card path also supports major card networks and lets you layer on CC miles simultaneously.
SC EasyBill: Exclusive to Standard Chartered principal cardholders. Full stop. If you bank elsewhere, it's simply not an option.
CardUp: Works with most major Visa, Mastercard, and Amex cards issued in Singapore. Solid flexibility, though the value depends heavily on your card's mpd and the current promo landscape.
For anyone who isn't an SC cardholder, Rently's eGIRO path is the most accessible route to earning miles on rent in Singapore — no card issuer loyalty required.
Your Winning Strategy: A Decision Tree
→ If you want the best sustainable, hassle-free value regardless of which bank you use...
✅ Rently eGIRO (Tier 1) wins. At 1.33 cents/mile, fully automated with zero card dependency, it's the most accessible and predictable path to earning miles on rent.
→ If your primary goal is maximum volume of miles per month and you have a strong mpd card...
✅ Rently's credit card path offers the only dual-stacking option in the market — earn CC miles and Max Miles simultaneously. Worth exploring if your card earns above 1.4 mpd.
→ If you hold a high-earn Standard Chartered card (e.g., 2 mpd Beyond Card) AND you're fine with manual monthly payments...
✅ SC EasyBill wins. At 0.95 cents/mile, nothing else in this comparison touches it. It also works well for tax payments, not just rent.
→ If you're a dedicated promo hunter willing to track deals...
⚠️ CardUp can still work at legacy promo rates (1.75%), but its value has become increasingly unpredictable. Factor in the new 2.30% baseline before committing.
Beyond Miles: Rently Does More Than Earn Rewards
If you're evaluating platforms purely on miles, Rently already holds its own. But it's worth knowing that Rently is the only platform in Singapore that goes beyond payment routing to offer genuine financial support for renters:
Lower Move-In Costs: Rently pays your full security deposit to the landlord upfront. You pay monthly at S$12/month per S$1,000 of deposit — ideal if you're preserving cash for a BTO downpayment or managing a tight move-in budget.
Billing Cycle Service: Rently settles rent with your landlord on time while letting your payment follow its monthly invoicing schedule — up to 29 days of flexibility at a transparent S$1/day per S$1,000 of rent. Great for anyone with a salary-rent timing mismatch.
No competitor — not CardUp, not ipaymy, not SC EasyBill — can offer these services, because they're structurally payment routers. Rently takes on the financial risk so you don't have to.
Your Rent is a Rewards Goldmine — If You Use the Right Platform
Here's the bottom line: S$3,500/month in rent is S$42,000 a year. That's a significant chunk of spending that most Singaporeans leave completely unrewarded. The platforms above prove it doesn't have to be that way.
Rently offers the most flexible, accessible, and automated path to earning miles on rent — especially through its eGIRO Tier 1 path at 1.33 cents/mile, which works for anyone with a Singapore bank account.
SC EasyBill is the cost-per-mile champion — but only for SC cardholders willing to manage manual payments.
CardUp had its moment, but rising fees have made it a risky bet without consistent promo codes.
Don't guess at the numbers — calculate them for your exact rent and card combination using Rently's interactive miles calculator. It takes under a minute and shows you precisely how many Max Miles your rent could be generating every month.
Your rent is already your biggest monthly expense. It might as well be your biggest rewards engine too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to earn miles on rent in Singapore?
For a universally accessible and automated option, Rently's eGIRO service is one of the cheapest ways to earn miles on rent, offering a competitive rate of 1.33 cents per mile. If you are an existing Standard Chartered cardholder, SC EasyBill can achieve a lower cost per mile, but it requires manual monthly payments and is exclusive to SC customers.
How can I earn miles on my rent without a credit card?
You can earn miles on rent without using a credit card through Rently's "Earn Rewards on Rent" feature via eGIRO. This allows you to pay a small 0.4% fee on your rent payment from any Singapore bank account to earn Max Miles. These miles are flexible and can be transferred to over 30 airline and hotel loyalty programs, including KrisFlyer.
Does my landlord need to sign up for these services?
No, your landlord does not need to sign up for Rently, CardUp, or SC EasyBill. All three platforms ensure your rent payment is sent to your landlord's bank account via a standard bank transfer. From your landlord's perspective, they are simply receiving the rent payment as they normally would.
Is using CardUp for rent payments still a good idea?
Using CardUp for rent payments has become less advantageous for many renters following recent increases in its processing fees. With a new promotional rate around 2.30%, the effective cost per mile is now approximately 1.64 cents on a typical 1.4 mpd card. While it might be worthwhile if you find an exceptional promo code, platforms like Rently and SC EasyBill generally offer more consistent and competitive value.
What are Rently's Max Miles and are they as good as KrisFlyer miles?
Max Miles are a flexible rewards currency earned via Rently that can be transferred to over 30 different loyalty programs, including KrisFlyer, AirAsia, Avios, and 30+ other loyalty programmes. Their main advantages are that they never expire and they offer you the flexibility to choose the best redemption option across multiple airlines, rather than being locked into a single program. You can transfer them to KrisFlyer, Avios, AirAsia, and 30+ other loyalty programmes. The standard KrisFlyer transfer ratio is approximately 0.9:1, with 1:1 transfers available on promotional days. Miles never expire and offer flexibility across multiple airlines.
Why would I use Rently's credit card option if its fee is higher?
Rently's credit card option is valuable because it allows you to "dual-stack" rewards, meaning you earn both your credit card's miles and Rently's Max Miles on the same transaction. While the 2.8% fee is higher, this is the only platform offering this feature. It's an excellent strategy for those with high-earning credit cards (e.g., above 1.4 mpd) who want to maximize the total number of miles earned each month.
Can I pay my security deposit with these services to earn miles?
Generally, you cannot use miles-earning payment platforms like CardUp or SC EasyBill to pay your security deposit. However, Rently provides a separate service called Lower Move-In Costs, which pays your deposit upfront to the landlord on your behalf. You then pay a monthly service fee of S$12/month per S$1,000 of deposit over your lease. This service is designed to improve your cash flow during a move, not for earning rewards.
