11.11 deals Singapore: Which overseas buys are cheaper with amaze?

That gadget on your wishlist, the home upgrade you’ve been eyeing, or the outfit in your cart – 11.11 Singles’ Day is the perfect time to shop for them. But before you grab a deal, remember that the card you pay with can eat into your savings.

A card that charges 3.25% on foreign-currency purchases adds S$9.75 to a S$300 cart, while amaze Wallet charges 0% FX, keeping those savings in your pocket. Linked-card transactions on amaze have different fees, so check your payment mode before you pay.

Quick answer

• Why it matters: the 11.11 markdown is quoted before your card’s fee, so a fee can cancel part of the saving.
• Worth checking: Taobao (if charged in yuan), iHerb and ASOS (after you switch currency), Amazon US, AliExpress, collectibles, December hotels, and the iPhone 18 Pro on a trip.
• Skip: the PS5 abroad, and anything priced in SGD.
• amaze 6X rewards: From 1 to 15 November, eligible Wallet or Link spend with amaze past your spend target earn you 3 bonus InstaPoints per S$1. T&Cs apply.

Why the card matters more than the price on your cart

You have a list of things you have been waiting to buy on 11.11, and every cart shows a markdown. The markdown is only half the story, because your card can add a fee after the shop has set the price.

“Cheaper with amaze” means cheaper than paying the same foreign-currency cart with a card that charges a foreign currency fee. The product’s price does not change. The fee does.

Some Singapore bank cards charge up to 3.25% on overseas online purchases. That is S$3.25 on every S$100 and S$9.75 on every S$300 spent. amaze Wallet charges no FX fee on foreign-currency spend, so that 3.25% is the saving, before any rewards.

Two tests decide whether a product belongs on this list. The shop must bill you in a foreign currency, and you must be able to confirm that on the checkout page before you pay. A cart billed in SGD gets no FX saving, and amaze Link adds a 1% fee on SGD spend.

Those tests rule out some popular buys, including the PS5, and they turn the iPhone 18 Pro into a saving you only get on a trip overseas. For the full comparison of card fees on one cart, see what your 11.11 shopping cart really costs by card.

Eight popular buys and one to skip, at a glance

You can see the whole list in one table before reading the detail. “Fee avoided” is what a 3.25% card charge would add to S$300 of foreign-currency spend, which amaze Wallet does not charge. The “Billed in” column is the part to check on the checkout page, because the currency a shop displays is not always the currency it charges.

Buy	Where	Billed in	Fee avoided on S$300	Status
Hauls of clothes, home goods, and accessories	Taobao and Tmall	Display in SGD, charge currency varies	S$9.75	Confirm the charge currency at payment
Supplements and skincare	iHerb	SGD by default, USD if you switch	S$9.75	Only if you switch to USD
Fashion	ASOS	SGD by default, GBP if you switch	S$9.75	Only if you switch to GBP
Books, tech, and accessories	Amazon US	USD on amazon.com (SGD on Amazon Singapore)	S$9.75	Confirm at checkout
Gadgets	AliExpress	Confirm on the checkout page	S$9.75	Confirm at checkout
Trading cards and figures	US and Japan sellers, Amazon Japan, AmiAmi	Dollars or yen	S$9.75	Confirm per seller
iPhone 18 Pro 256GB	Apple Store in the US, on a trip	USD	about S$50	Real, but only abroad
December hotel stays in foreign currency	Agoda and similar	Depends on the booking	about S$29 on S$900	Pick the hotel’s currency
PS5 family	Anywhere	USD (US store)	None	Costs more abroad

Taobao and Tmall hauls

You are building a haul of clothes, home goods, and accessories for Singles’ Day, and Taobao shows every price in Singapore dollars. Since September 2024, Taobao’s English app has displayed prices in SGD, but the display currency is not a promise about the charge currency.

Guides disagree on what your card is billed. One 2026 guide says Taobao prices everything in yuan, so your card converts at the point of payment. An older guide says mobile app payments may be charged in your home currency, while desktop payments are charged in yuan. So check the currency on the payment screen before you confirm.

If the screen shows yuan, a 0% FX card is the saving: S$9.75 on a S$300 haul compared with a 3.25% card. If it shows SGD, the shop or its payment provider has converted for you, which is a different cost that we break down in our 11.11 card-fee comparison.

From a GST-registered seller, 9% GST is added at checkout, so compare totals after GST. For the shopping side, see our Singles Day tips for Taobao.

iHerb supplements and skincare

You are stocking up on supplements and skincare, and iHerb’s Singapore store greets you in SGD. Its shipping page says 9% GST is already included in the price, with no extra tax added at checkout, and the Singapore store lists free shipping over SG$30.

You can switch the currency to USD from the globe icon. Compare both totals on your own cart, because the gap moves with the day’s exchange rate.

If you switch to USD, you are billed in a foreign currency, so a 0% FX card also avoids the card fee: S$9.75 on S$300 compared with a 3.25% card. If you stay in SGD, no card changes the price.

ASOS and Amazon US: fashion, books, and tech

You are adding fashion to your ASOS cart, and the site defaults to SGD. ASOS lets you switch the currency to GBP, so compare both totals on your own cart before you pay, because the gap moves with the day’s exchange rate.

If you pay in GBP, you are billed in a foreign currency, so a 0% FX card avoids the card fee too: S$9.75 on S$300 compared with a 3.25% card. Returns are the catch. ASOS returns sit within a 28-day window, and Singapore buyers pay return shipping, and a card that charges a fee on refunds charges it again on the way back.

Amazon US is on the list because Instarem’s online shopping guide names it among sites the amaze virtual card works on. Check that the item you want ships to Singapore from amazon.com, and which currency the checkout bills in, since Amazon also runs a Singapore store priced in SGD. If the checkout is in USD, the card saving is the same S$9.75 on S$300.

AliExpress, Amazon Japan, and collectibles

You are comparing gadget prices on AliExpress, and the price you see may not be the price you are billed. Check the currency on the final checkout page before you pay. If you are billed in USD, a 0% FX card saves S$9.75 on S$300.

Collectors have two more places to look. Amazon Japan and AmiAmi list figures and models in yen, and trading cards come from US or Japan sellers in whichever currency each seller uses. Check that each item ships to Singapore and which currency the checkout bills in. The card logic is the same as above: a foreign-currency charge is where a 0% FX card saves the fee.

GST still applies to these parcels. For goods of S$400 or less from a GST-registered seller, IRAS tests the S$400 limit item by item, so a basket of cheap items is treated differently from one expensive one.

iPhone 18 Pro: a saving you only get on a trip

You are eyeing the iPhone 18 Pro, and the price has gone up. Apple Singapore lists the 256GB model from S$1,899, while the US price is US$1,199, up US$100 from the iPhone 17 Pro. The price gap, not the card, is most of the saving, and you only get it by buying in the US.

Buying abroad adds Singapore GST when you return. Singapore Customs gives GST relief of S$500 if you have been away 48 hours or more, and S$100 if less, with GST payable on the value above that. Here is the iPhone 18 Pro 256GB at an illustrative S$1.28 per US$, before US sales tax:

Where you buy	Price in SGD	GST on return	Total
Singapore	S$1,899	Included	S$1,899
US, paying with a 0% FX card	about S$1,535	about S$93	about S$1,628
US, paying with a 3.25% card	about S$1,585	about S$93	about S$1,678

The US route saves about S$271 with a 0% FX card and about S$221 with a 3.25% card. The card is worth roughly S$50 of that. A Customs advisory says some pass holders are not entitled to the relief, so check yours before you plan around it. Before you buy abroad, also check warranty terms, SIM compatibility, and US sales tax for the state you will buy in.

December hotel stays

You are booking a hotel in foreign currency, and the booking page shows the room in SGD. On Agoda, the currency you pay in can change the total, so check the payment currency before you confirm.

Paying in the hotel’s own currency avoids a conversion by the booking site, and then your card’s foreign currency fee is the cost left. On a S$900 stay, a 3.25% fee is S$29.25, and a 0% FX card avoids it.

Pay at Hotel bookings work differently: you settle with the hotel in its currency at check-in, and a card payment there can still trigger your card’s fee. Check the payment terms on your booking confirmation.

Check the cancellation deadline on your confirmation before you rely on a refundable rate. Remember that a refund can carry the card fee a second time.

What not to buy this way

You want a PS5 before Christmas, and the US price looks lower. PlayStation’s Southeast Asia price notice lists the PS5 at S$849 in Singapore from 1 May 2026, against US$649.99 in the US. The PS5 Pro is S$1,167 against US$899.99. At an illustrative S$1.28 per US$, before US sales tax, and with GST on the value above the S$500 relief:

Console	Singapore	US, 0% FX card	US, 3.25% card
PS5	S$849	about S$862	about S$889
PS5 Pro	S$1,167	about S$1,211	about S$1,248

At roughly S$1.26 per US$ or lower, the US route breaks even with a 0% FX card. At S$1.28, buying either abroad costs more than buying at home once GST is added, so skip it.

The same goes for anything priced in SGD, such as official stores on Shopee and Lazada, the Apple Store in Singapore, and Singapore retail. amaze gives no FX saving on an SGD checkout, and amaze Link adds a 1% fee, minimum S$0.50, on SGD spend. SGD spend from Wallet stays fee-free.

How to pay: fund the Wallet and earn 6X

For overseas shopping, your amaze multi-currency Wallet helps you get more out of every purchase. Enjoy 0% FX markup and 0 FX fees on foreign-currency spend, so you don’t lose a chunk of your savings to card fees. Just top up your Wallet using PayNow or a linked bank account to avoid top-up fees. Apple Pay top-up costs 1.5%, minimum S$0.50. On a S$300 haul, that is S$4.50 given back out of the S$9.75 you saved. Top up before you shop.

From 1 to 15 November 2026, amaze 6X pays 3 bonus InstaPoints per S$1 spent through Wallet or Link after you hit your spend target, capped at 2,000 bonus points. New amaze customers need S$300 of spend to reach their target and existing customers receive their personal spend target via email and notifications. View the promotion terms here.

 Your amaze Wallet spend outside the promotion period can still earn the usual 0.5 InstaPoint per S$1, with 0% FX markup and 0 FX fees on every transaction. It’s a smart way to save on overseas shopping while earning rewards along the way.11.11 buying FAQs

Is the iPhone 18 Pro cheaper in the US than in Singapore?

At an illustrative S$1.28 per US$, about S$220 to S$270 cheaper for the 256GB after GST on return, before US sales tax. Apple Singapore lists S$1,899 and the US price is US$1,199. Check warranty, SIM compatibility, and your GST relief before you travel.

Is the PS5 cheaper abroad?

No. PlayStation lists S$849 in Singapore and US$649.99 in the US. At S$1.28 per US$, the US price plus GST on return comes to about S$862 with a 0% FX card and about S$889 with a 3.25% card, so buying at home is cheaper.

Does amaze make Taobao cheaper?

Only if Taobao charges your card in yuan, so check the currency on the payment screen. A 0% FX card avoids a 3.25% fee, which is S$9.75 on S$300. If the charge is in SGD, there is no FX fee to avoid, and the shop’s own conversion is the cost to watch.

Should I switch iHerb to USD or ASOS to GBP?

Compare both totals on your cart, because the gap moves with the exchange rate. If the foreign total is lower, pay it with a 0% FX card.

How do I avoid extra charges on Agoda?

Check the payment currency on the booking page before you confirm, and compare the totals if more than one currency is offered. Paying in the hotel’s own currency leaves your card’s foreign currency fee as the cost, and a 0% FX card avoids it.

Do I pay GST on overseas purchases?

From a GST-registered seller, GST is added at checkout on goods of S$400 or less, tested item by item. If you carry goods home from a trip, GST applies above S$500 of relief when you were away 48 hours or more, and above S$100 when you were away less.

Does amaze 6X reward apply to these purchases?

Yes, if you make the purchase between 1 and 15 November 2026 and it sits above your personal spend target. The transaction does not need to post by 15 November. Wallet top-ups, refunded transactions, and excluded merchant categories do not count.

Bottom line

The saving comes from the currency you are billed in, not from the product. Here is what each buy calls for:

Your buy	What to do
Taobao or Tmall haul	Confirm the card is charged in yuan, then pay with Wallet topped up by PayNow
iHerb or ASOS	Compare the SGD total with the USD or GBP total, and pay the foreign one with Wallet
Amazon US, AliExpress, collectibles	Confirm the billing currency on the checkout page first
iPhone 18 Pro on a trip	Pay in local currency with Wallet, and plan around your GST relief
December hotel	Match the hotel’s currency, then pay with Wallet
PS5, or anything priced in SGD	Buy in Singapore, because amaze gives no FX saving

Spend through amaze between 1 and 15 November, and it can count towards 6X rewards once you pass your personal spend target. The transaction does not need to post by 15 November. Don’t have amaze yet? You can get the amaze card in the Instarem app.