Chocolate Finance Visa card review - Is it good for overseas use?
Looking for a card with no foreign transaction fees? This guide brings you through Chocolate Visa card’s features, fees and more.
If you’re looking to learn about points hacking - getting the maximum rewards possible from credit or debit card spending, to earn travel and lifestyle benefits - you might have heard of HeyMax¹. With HeyMax you can link your spending cards to accumulate HeyMax miles as you spend, which are called Max Miles .
Our HeyMax review brings you through how to use HeyMax and how to redeem points, so you can decide whether it's worth linking your card. Plus, we’ll also touch on Wise for international spending with low fees and mid-market rate for when you’re headed overseas.
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HeyMax was founded by former Meta engineers, and aims to give smooth, simple tools to manage your money while earning the most possible rewards from card spending².
So - how does HeyMax work? You’ll need to download the app, register and pay your preferred Visa payment cards, including credit cards and debit cards like the Wise card. You can then get recommendations in app to use the best card for the specific transaction, in order to earn the most available rewards. As well as rewards offered by your own card provider, you’ll also earn HeyMax miles called Max Miles which you can redeem for flights, travel accommodation and gift cards.
All in all, HeyMax can give you effortless ways to do more with your money, with a focus on lifestyle benefits you can enjoy when you travel. Keep reading our HeyMax.ai review to learn more about how the app works and how to use it.
Once you have HeyMax points (Max Miles) they don’t expire, and you can then redeem them with you’re ready in the following ways³:
- Claim on any flight via the Fly Anywhere program
- Redeem directly on 28+ airlines and hotel reward programs worldwide like Qatar, British Airways, EVA Air, and more
- Or on gift cards from brands like Grab, Shopee, Lazada, Amazon, Sephora, and FairPrice (subject to availability)
If you want to use your miles to get cash back on your flight booking, you can arrange your travel through any channel and simply upload your receipt to the HeyMax app. You’ll be able to get cash back at 1.8 cents per mile. While the number of miles you’ll need to cover the costs of a booking can vary a lot depending on the airline you use, HeyMax suggests you could get a round trip to Bangkok or Bali for about 10,000 miles for example.
You can also choose to convert your miles 1 for 1 with 27+ airline and hotel loyalty schemes, including Accor Live Limitless, British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Options include a direct points transfer or as a cash-for-miles conversion at a 1:1 ratio - we’ll look at how these conversions work in just a moment.
You’ll be able to see the hotel and airline partners which are available within the HeyMax app - partners may change from time to time, so it’s worth checking regularly to see which options are available.
The minimum number of points you can convert may vary depending on the way you convert your points, as follows:
Redemption option | Partners | Minimum conversion |
---|---|---|
Direct points transfer | 16+ partners | 1,000 miles |
Cash-for-miles conversion | 11+ partners | 10,000 miles |
One way you can use Max Miles is to book a flight for travel anywhere in the world, through any channel and then upload your receipt to Max Miles. You can then get cash back via PayNow at a rate of 0.018 SGD/Max Mile.
Using this option you’ve got the freedom to select the airline, route and purchase method which best suits your needs - the ultimate amount of Max Miles you need to convert to pay for your flight will then depend on the purchase cost. HeyMax offers some estimated mile conversions to give you an idea of what you may pay:
Destination | Roundtrip economy | Roundtrip business |
---|---|---|
Bangkok | 10,000 miles | 57,000 miles |
Bali | 10,000 miles | 44,000 miles |
Seoul | 23,000 miles | 100,000 miles |
Tokyo | 25,000 miles | 100,000 miles |
Hong Kong | 15,500 miles | 70,000 miles |
*Estimated miles from HeyMax website - actual number of miles needed will vary based on the airline you select and flight details
If you don’t want to use the Fly Anywhere method described above, you can also choose to redeem your Max Miles as a direct points transfer or as a cash-for-miles conversion, to get airline miles or hotel reward points.
To set up a direct point transfer you’ll exchange your Max Miles at a 1:1 ratio for your preferred partner airline mile. Or, you can choose to convert cash-for-miles which means that HeyMax will issue you a temporary virtual card to buy your miles from your preferred airline, before the equivalent number of miles are deducted from your HeyMax account at a 1:1 ratio.
To get started, you’ll need to link HeyMax to your credit or debit cards to collect Max Miles. Select Visa cards can be linked to HeyMax, and the service also plans to roll out the option to link cards on other networks in future⁴. Popular cards recommended by HeyMax include Citi PremierMiles Visa Card and American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card. While these cards are good for local use to earn travel rewards, spending internationally can incur high foreign transaction fees, so consider bringing along a debit card like Wise, to save on your overseas spending.
Once your card is linked, HeyMax can help you choose the right card for a specific purchase, to make the most of available offers and promotions. You’ll also earn Max Miles from HeyMax while you spend.
You can link your card to HeyMax simply by logging into the app and clicking “Add card”. You’re prompted to enter the card details and then verify the card to show it’s really yours. You’ll then be able to use the card maximiser service which helps you decide which card to purchase with, based on any available rewards from the card provider.
HeyMax states it has a CSAT score (Customer Satisfaction Score) of 4.5, with many satisfied customers and a very active user base. If you’re intrigued about what other customers are saying about the service, you can join their dedicated Telegram group to get tips, ideas and ways to maximise your use of the service.
One of the key benefits of using HeyMax is that you can earn both the rewards, air miles or points your own card offers, and Max Miles on the same transaction. This gives you more opportunities to accumulate rewards you can redeem for perks and benefits. If you use the Card Maximiser tool you’ll also be told in the app which card offers the best rewards for the specific transaction you’re making - giving your savings an even bigger boost.
HeyMax is best suited for customers who use Visa credit and debit cards regularly, and want to manage their reward earning through an app. It lets you earn, track and redeem points from different cards in the same place, and can mean you earn free flights or hotel stays faster.
While earning points with credit cards can be a great travel perk, spending internationally with a credit card often comes with hidden costs like high foreign transaction fees or poor exchange rates. Instead, save on your travel expenses with a Wise card.
Open a Wise account, and order the Wise card and make the most out of your overseas spending in 150+ countries. You’ll be able to spend with the mid-market exchange rate, no foreign transaction fee and low currency conversion fees from 0.26%.
Your physical Wise card can make Chip and Pin, contactless and mobile payments - and get money from an ATM when you need it. For an added layer of security you can order up to 3 virtual Wise cards for online or contactless payments through Apple or Google Pay.
Use Wise alongside HeyMax and trade your Max Miles for your next flight or to book a hotel, and bring along Wise to keep down the costs of spending overseas effortlessly.
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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