Pharmacies are an important category of everyday spend for a lot of people, whether it’s antihistamines or wellness items with optional vibration.
While there are credit cards that earn as much as 10 mpd on this category, the best card boils down to which particular chain you’re visiting, and whether you’re spending online or offline.
How do pharmacies code?
Most pharmacy transactions code as MCC 5912 (Pharmacies or Drug Stores). This covers the vast majority of pharmacies you’re likely to encounter, such as Guardian, Unity, or Watsons.
| Unity pharmacies located within FairPrice outlets may code as MCC 5411 (Grocery Stores) instead of pharmacies. If you want to be extra sure, purchase FairPrice vouchers from HeyMax (see below) with a 4 mpd eligible card, then spend them in-store. |
However, purchases from SingHealth Pharmacy or NHG Pharmacy code as MCC 9399 (Government Services), which is ineligible for rewards with almost all cards. One possible workaround is to pay via HealthHub, which codes as the rewards-eligible MCC 8099 (Medical Services Not Elsewhere Classified) — though only for selected cards. In any case, you can’t use HealthHub to pay for regular retail purchases.
Similarly, if you buy from hospital-based pharmacies, your transaction may be coded as MCC 8062 (Hospitals), which also usually doesn’t qualify for rewards.
For a complete picture, I recommend reading this article alongside the one linked below.
In case you’re uncertain about the MCC, there are three ways of looking it up before making a purchase:
| Method | Ease of Use | Reliability |
| ❓HeyMax | ●●● | ● |
| 📱 Instarem app | ●● | ●● |
| 🤖 DBS digibot | ● |
●●● |
| Note: “Ease of use” and “reliability” are all relative. HeyMax already provides a solid baseline for reliability, and the DBS digibot is still simple enough to use, despite requiring more steps than the other two methods. | ||
What’s the best card to use?
I’m going to divide this into two scenarios: offline and online purchases, because not everyone’s cool enough to waltz up to the cashier with a bottle of Rogaine and a box of extra petite condoms (or as I call it, Friday night).
Offline
Online
Be sure to read the explanatory notes below.
DBS yuu Card
The DBS yuu Card earns 10 mpd at Guardian, both offline or online, provided you spend at least S$800 and transact with a minimum of four yuu merchants (or SimplyGo) in a calendar month.
| The S$800 minimum spend can be made on any retail transactions, whether with yuu or non-yuu merchants. |
However, if you make your purchases at Guardian online, you will need to link your yuu ID to your payment to earn the full number of points. Don’t forget this step!
OCBC Rewards Card
The OCBC Rewards Card’s bonus whitelist does not feature MCC 5912. Instead, it specifically whitelists Guardian, Unity and Watsons, and while that should cover most of the brick-and-mortar segment in Singapore, it’s not quite all-encompassing.
For Watsons specifically, cardholders can enjoy an enhanced earn rate of 6 mpd, until 30 June 2026.
Incidentally, OCBC has informed me that the Watsons bonus applies whether you’re buying in Singapore or overseas. If you’re doing the latter, the transaction description must start with Watsons, so avoid using any e-wallets which may change the description (e.g. Amaze).
Be careful with apps!
If you’re making a purchase through the Guardian or Watsons app, these purchases code as MCC 5499 and not MCC 5912.
Stick to a card that offers bonuses for general online spending, such as the Citi Rewards or DBS Woman’s World Card.
HeyMax workaround
In addition to the cards mentioned already, there’s a workaround you can use to bring the Maybank XL Rewards Card into play.
HeyMax sells gift cards for many merchants, including FairPrice (and by extension, Unity).
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| Get 200 Max Miles when you sign up for a HeyMax account and complete one transaction | |
| Sign up here |
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Gift card purchases code as MCC 5311 (Department Stores), which is a whitelisted bonus category for the Maybank XL Rewards Card.
Conclusion
There’s no shortage of cards that earn bonus miles at pharmacies, but you do need to be careful as the ideal option will depend on whether you’re buying online or offline, as well as whether you’re at a stand-alone pharmacy, or one which is part of a hospital.
Given that pharmacies are a whitelist category for several cards, I feel it’s a bit of a waste to use the more flexible caps of the DBS Woman’s World Card or UOB Preferred Visa here, unless of course you’re not in danger of busting those in the first place.