Credit cards often offer discounts and rebates at 'discretionary' spending places like boutiques and eateries but now they are being used to land perks on mundane things like power bills.
MasterCard Worldwide reported last month that utilities was one of the main items consumers in Singapore put on their plastic.
The amount spent on utilities on Sept 30 last year was more than three times the average daily spend for that category, it said.
Charges were largely of the 'recurring month-end' kind and made to telcos, cable, mobile and broadband providers, and power companies.
The appearance of the utilities category in the top 10 spend-days list reflects a new trend in the way consumers are using their payment cards, said Ms Julienne Loh, vice-president and country manager for MasterCard Worldwide Singapore. 'We're seeing more consumers using payment cards, which provide rebates and cashback for spendings on everyday items like utilities.
'It's not only convenient, but also an efficient way of managing household finances.'
The downturn has seen not only spending on such cards shooting up but also more people signing up to cash in on the goodies.
The popular POSB Everyday Card is one card that offers such perks on utilities and groceries with rebates for spending at Carrefour, SPC and SP Services, among others.
Card subscription has grown at more than 20 per cent a year since it was launched in September 2005, said the bank.
Its spokesman said: 'Today, we have over 300,000 POSB Everyday Cards in circulation.'
Citibank's Dividend Card and SMRT Platinum Visa Card let cardholders save on items like MRT tickets, petrol at Esso, and health and beauty items at Guardian Pharmacy.
Ms Alice Fok, Citibank Singapore's head of core cards, said: 'The number of Citi Dividend card accounts has increased by more than 20 per cent from April 2007 to March 2009...and we project year-
on-year growth of around 30 per cent from 2008 to 2009.'
The total number of Citi SMRT Platinum accounts has risen by 45 per cent in the last year, since the card was launched in 2006, said Ms Chan Sow Han, head of co- brand cards and strategic alliances.
Several other cards offer rebates on items like SingTel phone bills, NTUC FairPrice grocery bills and Comfort taxi tabs. Here's how they swipe in.
