Plastic typically has its own mind and not always does a leading loyalty program have the leading credit card. This year they do as KrisFlyer sweeps all airline programs and the Best Loyalty Credit Card category with the American Express Singapore KrisFlyer Credit Card. But there is something telling about this finish—it is the only category in which they won a Freddie Award in which the category rating was below 9.X. But that is not unusual as it also happened in the Americas where the plastic winner was rated below the average of the other winning categories. Is it because the credit card is managed outside the loyalty program? One more interesting quirk about this category this year is that for the first time in any credit card region, a hotel credit card finished in the #2 spot. The Marriott Bonvoy credit card in the region is known as The Best Shihan Card. First released in early 2021, it is the first hotel industry credit card in South Korea and has proven to be not only very popular but highly rated as well. GarudaMiles Citi Card and American Express Membership Rewards almost tied for the third place though by just a one/hundredths of a point did GarudaMiles rank higher. As for American Express Membership Rewards, they are no stranger to this category having won Best Loyalty Credit Card in 2017, 2019, and the most recent year, 2020. What is surprising is that a perennial winner, the ADIB Etihad Guest credit card did not even place anywhere near the top. And just as in other categories, Vistara Club Vistara is in the ratings with their plastic product.

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Full Voting Results

Rank	Best Loyalty Credit Card (Middle East & Asia/Oceania)	Rating
1	American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card	8.66
2	The Best Shinhan Card	8.37
3	Garuda Indonesia Citi Card	8.33
4	American Express Membership Rewards	8.33
5	Club Vistara Indusind Bank Explorer Credit Card	8.30
6	NAB Qantas Rewards Premium Card	8.06
7	KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card	7.87
8	Air New Zealand Airpoints Mastercard	7.58
9	QIB Qatar Airways Co-branded Card	7.46
10	Emirates NBD Infinite Card	7.34
11	CIMB Enrich World Elite Mastercard	7.33
12	InterMiles ICICI Bank Sapphiro Credit Card	7.28
13	Air India Flying Returns American Express Card	7.22
14	American Express Velocity Platinum Card	7.17
15	ANA Mileage Club Suica Card	7.15
16	JAL Mileage Bank JALCARD	7.04
17	Air China Phoenixmiles Credit Card	6.94
18	Asiana Airlines Asiana Club UC Mastercard	6.92
19	Thai American Express Platinum Credit Card	6.87
20	China Southern Sky Pearl Club Visa	6.84
21	Emirates CitiBank Ultima Credit Card	6.82
22	Air Arabia RakBank Platinum Mastercard	6.73
23	China Airlines HSBC Signature Card	6.73
24	Emirates Islamic Etihad Guest Premium Card	6.65
25	Cathay Pacific American Express Credit Card	6.63
26	ICBC Hong Kong Airlines Visa Platinum Card	6.63
27	Bank Muscat Oman Air Credit Card	6.58
28	AirAsia Citi Platinum Visa Credit Card	6.51
29	EVA Air Citibank Dream Voyage Card	6.38
30	CMBC Shangri La Co-Brand Credit Card	6.08