InstaReM's AMAZE MasterCard

fr33d0m

Master Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
3,709
Reaction score
729
Use it in my Europe trip. Not even once it failed. Paid hotels, trains, fast food, restaurants, supermarkets, even for toilets use in Geneva. For smaller amount, it is live exchange. For any large amount, should be around MasterCard rate.

Maybe you should use it in not-so-shabby countries or countries with stable currency.
 

hwmook

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2002
Messages
25,371
Reaction score
1,770
actually what are you guys spending overseas on? amazon sg brings in most amazon us items at spot fx conversion btw

If you go overseas then need to spend right? I am on a flight to Australia now so will be using this card there and see how it work in foreign countries.
 

hwmook

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2002
Messages
25,371
Reaction score
1,770
Dun know … i got a lot of rejects and various different merchant and it would not work on grab at all when i traveled despite working ok in Singapore prior to the trip. Frankly it Is embarassing to have to wrangle around telling merchants to try again and again or change to chip or to swipe etc you look like you on your last dime. Resturant bill goes out and waiter comes back saying the card failed do you have another. i also got a lot of failures via touch pay or whatever you call it where the merchant said it failed but then i get like 3-5 transactions on my card that stayed there for 10 days or so.

Then there was a bunch of reversals and some fx at 2.05% over master card rate. The support was just nominal and pretended that the fx changes were a surprise they intented to investigate for me but then just closed the ticket with no reply. I guess the folks here still claiming the virtues of amaze card just have not used it on the ground overseas with realworld traveling at a spectrum of merchants with hotel bonds etc being booked. Even a macdonald payment was reversed. Revolut is just a lot cleaner and friendly and not completely out of control.
Recently i did have a reversal on revolut for a frequent flyer ticket with revolut and their help could explain to me exactly how they saw the payment so then i could work through it with quantas. It turned out the qantas system had an issue at the time i booked.

Until amaze sorts themselves out i think it is irresponsible to use them. They been around for a while and the task just seems a bit beyond their capabilities.

Somehow I never got problems with amaze card, only got once or twice transaction got rejected. Contacted amaze and they told me it will be reversed in a few days which happened in the end. For those who never tried this card then try it for yourself, it work for some and doesn't work for others.
 

plustwo

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
12,689
Reaction score
580
Use it in my Europe trip. Not even once it failed. Paid hotels, trains, fast food, restaurants, supermarkets, even for toilets use in Geneva. For smaller amount, it is live exchange. For any large amount, should be around MasterCard rate.

Maybe you should use it in not-so-shabby countries or countries with stable currency.
your trip last year? because they did this ******** this year. i was in europe last month and it's most definitely marked up even for the small amounts
 

fr33d0m

Master Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
3,709
Reaction score
729
your trip last year? because they did this ******** this year. i was in europe last month and it's most definitely marked up even for the small amounts

last month. I don't really care the little variance of exchange rate. it is within the acceptable range and miles better than any credit card offers and it earns credit card points.

most of my Euro exchange was around 1.46. the different was like 0.x% above/below MasterCard exchange rate
 
Last edited:

IcYFl4mEz

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
Messages
15,731
Reaction score
485
Dont understand why some people count it to the decimal points.
even if im buying bags that cost 5 digits , im fine with that differences.
 

plustwo

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
12,689
Reaction score
580
Dont understand why some people count it to the decimal points.
even if im buying bags that cost 5 digits , im fine with that differences.
because if the gap becomes too small i rather pay the difference to the bank than deal with fintech ********
 

savinmax

Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
337
Reaction score
99
haters will be haters. Won’t get over one or two incidents and see the overall picture.

yes, there probably will be some 0.8-1% surcharge over spot rates when using overseas. An occasional decline perhaps too.
But there is a 1% rebate from Amaze which should fully cover it. Bank credit cards charges 3.25% and that’s it.
When using with linked mastercards, u can enjoy respective cc rebates from FnF,Citi, and many others ( except DBS now ). Don’t have to bring all these cards along too, and can lock Amaze easily on the apps as well.

am going to Europe in a couple of months for 2 months. Will bring Amaze, Revolut, YouTrip and use them in that order of preference.

so no need to love or hate, just be pragmatic .Cheers
 

IcYFl4mEz

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
Messages
15,731
Reaction score
485
haters will be haters. Won’t get over one or two incidents and see the overall picture.

yes, there probably will be some 0.8-1% surcharge over spot rates when using overseas. An occasional decline perhaps too.
But there is a 1% rebate from Amaze which should fully cover it. Bank credit cards charges 3.25% and that’s it.
When using with linked mastercards, u can enjoy respective cc rebates from FnF,Citi, and many others ( except DBS now ). Don’t have to bring all these cards along too, and can lock Amaze easily on the apps as well.

am going to Europe in a couple of months for 2 months. Will bring Amaze, Revolut, YouTrip and use them in that order of preference.

so no need to love or hate, just be pragmatic .Cheers
Just curious, why not amaze and youtrip? you can exchange EUR when you feel the rates is good.
 

hwmook

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2002
Messages
25,371
Reaction score
1,770
I have 4 transactions made in AUD today, observed slight difference in rate, overall was 1 AUD to 1 SGD. I checked MC rate is 1 AUD to 0.9975 SGD, spot rate is 1 AUD to 0.991.

Conclusion: Amaze is charging a markup of around 0.25% over MC rate and 0.9% over spot rate. With a 1% rebate from instarem + 8% cash rebate, it's a no brainer for me to choose Amaze over others. That is 9% more benefits over using revolut (weekend) and 4% over using the credit card itself (3.25% + 0.75%). All 4 transactions went through without any issue.
 

hwmook

High Supremacy Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2002
Messages
25,371
Reaction score
1,770
I see before people mentioned, revolut during weekday n youtrip for weekend right

The correct way is just to exchange the money on Friday using revolut so that you can use it on weekend. I have exchange $350 on Thurs in case I want to withdraw it on Sat. You can do the same, revolut rate is very close to spot so you don't lose much even if you have to convert it back, worth the effort IMO.
 

plustwo

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
12,689
Reaction score
580
haters will be haters. Won’t get over one or two incidents and see the overall picture.

yes, there probably will be some 0.8-1% surcharge over spot rates when using overseas. An occasional decline perhaps too.
But there is a 1% rebate from Amaze which should fully cover it. Bank credit cards charges 3.25% and that’s it.
When using with linked mastercards, u can enjoy respective cc rebates from FnF,Citi, and many others ( except DBS now ). Don’t have to bring all these cards along too, and can lock Amaze easily on the apps as well.

am going to Europe in a couple of months for 2 months. Will bring Amaze, Revolut, YouTrip and use them in that order of preference.

so no need to love or hate, just be pragmatic .Cheers
your last point doesn't make sense. you can already have the same feature with google pay
 

AlvinDj

Supremacy Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2004
Messages
8,794
Reaction score
220
hm, for overseas spend, google pay can only be used at places that allow contactless
I have encountered numerous times, in Malaysia (JB), whereby the terminal fully accepts contactless, BUT just can't accept GooglePay... Damn dulan... Always kena reject / payment failed...

Once I use ApplePay or PayWave the card physically, then only it could go through.. :cautious:

Ever since then, whenever I see that particular terminal, I automatically know it doesn't accept GooglePay...
 

vegavega25

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
1,166
Reaction score
127
The correct way is just to exchange the money on Friday using revolut so that you can use it on weekend. I have exchange $350 on Thurs in case I want to withdraw it on Sat. You can do the same, revolut rate is very close to spot so you don't lose much even if you have to convert it back, worth the effort IMO.

To clarify:

Why 350? Just an example? Or because it is the cash withdrawal limit? If you exchange on Thursday to plan for the withdrawal on Saturday, why not just withdraw on Thursday?
 

Ideas!!

Junior Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2021
Messages
38
Reaction score
7
Use it in my Europe trip. Not even once it failed. Paid hotels, trains, fast food, restaurants, supermarkets, even for toilets use in Geneva. For smaller amount, it is live exchange. For any large amount, should be around MasterCard rate.

Maybe you should use it in not-so-shabby countries or countries with stable currency.

Yes we should change the countries we visit cause some amaze fan booy makes up things in his mind about there being a live exchange for small currency amounts lol
 

Ideas!!

Junior Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2021
Messages
38
Reaction score
7
I have 4 transactions made in AUD today, observed slight difference in rate, overall was 1 AUD to 1 SGD. I checked MC rate is 1 AUD to 0.9975 SGD, spot rate is 1 AUD to 0.991.

Conclusion: Amaze is charging a markup of around 0.25% over MC rate and 0.9% over spot rate. With a 1% rebate from instarem + 8% cash rebate, it's a no brainer for me to choose Amaze over others. That is 9% more benefits over using revolut (weekend) and 4% over using the credit card itself (3.25% + 0.75%). All 4 transactions went through without any issue.
Strange you are actually achieving the impossible haha … there is no spot market in the weekend anwhere in the world —- you probably should have realised that when your reference spot was not changing every moment. Simply a lot of you folks don’t seem to understand the realities of the things they are saying. The price you are referencing will be stale data from friday and the weekend mechism is wholy different as rates are adjusted buffered out to account for this

also i assume you are using the citibank cash back card on groceries and resturants to get the 8% … what happens when you spend over 1000 ? Or spend on other things? The limit is 80 on citi and normal people will have spent much of this already before they travel in their daily life. So then you gotta ensure you spend on food only and not more than 1000 minus whatever you already spend previously and well you know the romatic no brainer situation becomes pretty hard to operate within within cause restuants pay 6% and groceries pay 8% and we know you not going to groceries shops there.

Conclusion
1) To say you are getting 1% back is incorrect if you spend more than 5k in the 3 months or (10 k onshore)

2) To say you get 8% is untrue in you spend more than 1000 on groceries in a month

3) to say you get 8-% is untrue if you spend more than 1333 a month on food elsewhere.

4) to say you get 8-% is untrue if you spend on anything else.

5) there is no spot rate in weekend

6) most likely there is a combination of spending on 2,3,4 which makes the maths quite complicated ie no a no brainer at all unless you type that puts hands over eyes and ears to create calm.

7) due to 1,2,3,4 it is only a nobrainer if you refuse to think through the realities and insist on comparing to the 3.5% Rather than cards that are very close to the interbank market which seems the better option

8) to put it simply with exaggerated example lets look at if you spend 10,000 on it and look at your disappointment when you get less than 90 versus the 900 you believed you will get … but hey you saved 3.5% lol oh wait no whilst true you paid 100 bucks too much on currency compared to revolut oh wait in fact you lost 10 lol even after rebate lol . Lets just be happy we did not pay 350 if we used the card directly lol so yeah you saved that 250 on a 10,000 spend amaze and could have saved that 250 in addition if you used revolut or wise.

Funny how complicated a no brainer situation is when you actually have to face reality.

9) extra credit for experts. …. Incorporate fact folks are seeing rates of 0.15-2.05 in reality to the above
 
Last edited:
Important Forum Advisory Note
This forum is moderated by volunteer moderators who will react only to members' feedback on posts. Moderators are not employees or representatives of HWZ Forums. Forum members and moderators are responsible for their own posts. Please refer to our Community Guidelines and Standards and Terms and Conditions for more information.
Top