While relocating to another country is certainly another exciting journey in your life, it can be expensive as well. Here is a checklist to save money when moving abroad. Since you will be incurring monthly expenses in the new country, it is wise to cut down unnecessary expenses such as your mobile and cable plans or various types of memberships you might have. If you are moving abroad from Singapore, this article provides you with a checklist of 7 saving tips and how to cancel monthly fees that you might be paying to various organizations.
If you are in a hurry, use our summarised moving abroad checklist instead!
1. How do I cancel my credit card before moving abroad?
Depending on the country that you are relocating to, your current credit card may not be valid for use, so you need to cancel it before moving abroad. Or even if it is valid, maybe you would like to sign up with one of the banks in the new country for convenience. In that case, you are unlikely to use your current credit card and it would be best to cancel it, so that you are not paying unnecessary fees. Each bank has its own procedures for cancellation of credit card but there are a few steps and precautions you need to take before doing so.
Also Read: ‘How to cancel your Singapore credit card’
Also Read: ‘6 Precautions to Take When Canceling a Credit Card’.
While some banks allow you to cancel your credit card through their digital banking services, it seems that calling the bank is still the easiest way to do so. Here is how you can go about cancelling your credit card for the different banks: (Singapore)
| Bank | Online Cancellation | Other Platforms | Hotline Number (Singapore) | Hotline Number (Overseas) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBS | DBS Online Cancellation | NA | 1800 111 1111 | (65) 6327 2265 |
| POSB | POSB Online Cancellation | NA | 1800 111 1111 | (65) 6327 2265 |
| OCBC | NA | OCBC Cancellation Form | 6363 3333 | (65) 6363 3333 |
| UOB | NA | NA | 1800 222 2121 | (65) 6222 2121 |
| Citibank | Citibank Online Cancellation | Citi-account: Cancellation Guide | 6225 5225 | (65) 6225 5225 |
| HSBC | NA | NA | 1800 4722 669 | (65) 6472 2669 |
| Standard Chartered | Standard Chartered Online Cancellation | NA | 6747 7000 | (65) 6747 7000 |
| Maybank | NA | NA | 1800 629 2265 | (65) 6533 5229 |
| Bank of China | NA | NA | 1800 338 5335 | (65) 6338 5335 |
| American Express | NA | NA | 1800 299 1997 | NA |
2. How do I terminate my cable TV subscriptions before moving abroad? (Singapore)
Unfortunately, there are no convenient online forms available for termination of TV subscriptions before moving abroad. To terminate your Starhub or Singtel mio TV subscriptions give their hotline a call below:
| Service Provider | Hotline Number (Singapore) | Hotline Number (Overseas) | Operation Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starhub TV | 1633 | (65) 6820 1633 | 24/7 |
| Singtel mio TV | 1688 | (65) 6235 1688 | Mon – Sun (including PH): 8:30am – 8:30pm |
3. How do I terminate my mobile and internet subscriptions before moving abroad? (Singapore)
To terminate mobile and internet subscriptions, the easiest way is to call in to cancel your mobile plans. The table below summarizes Starhub's, M1's and Singtel's customer service number:
| Service Provider | Hotline Number (Singapore) | Hotline Number (Overseas) | Operating Hours | Charges, if any |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starhub | 1633 | (65) 6820 1633 | 24/7 | Early termination charges apply depending on your plan. |
| M1 | 1627 | NA | Mon – Fri: 9 am – 9pm Sat: 9am – 2pm | Contractual charge(s) applies, if any. |
| Singtel | 1688 | (65) 6235 1688 | Mon - Sun(including PH): 8:30am – 8:30pm | Recovery fees apply depending on your plan |
| Circles Life | Circles Life Customer Portal | NA | NA | Circles Life Termination Guide |
4. Can I transfer my Health Insurance and Savings Plans overseas? If not, can I terminate my plans?
Because of the vast types of plans that each company offers, the termination of insurance plans is not quite straightforward. The best way to enquire regarding the issue of validity, transference or termination would be to contact your insurance agent for the information and guidelines according to the plan that you have purchased.
Contact an insurance customer service officer below!
| Insurance Service Providers | Useful Contact Information |
|---|---|
| Prudential | Prudential Customer Service (Singapore): 1800 333 0333 (Mon – Fri, 8:30am – 5:30pm) Prudential Customer Service (Overseas): (65) 6333 0333 (Mon – Fri, 8:30am – 5:30pm) |
| AIA | AIA Customer Service (Singapore): 1800 248 8000 (Mon – Fri, 8:45am – 5:30pm) AIA Customer Service (Overseas): (65) 6248 8000 (Mon – Fri, 8:45am – 5:30pm) |
| NTUC Income | NTUC Income General Enquiries: 6788 1777 (Mon – Fri, 8:30am – 8:30pm) Motor/ Home/ Lifestyle/ Travel Insurance/ Personal Accident Insurance: 6788 6616 (Mon – Fri, 8:30am – 8:30pm) Health/Group Insurance: 6332 1133 (Mon – Fri, 8:30am – 8:30pm) Life Insurance: 6788 1122 (Mon – Fri, 8:30am – 8:30pm) Overseas customers can contact NTUC income through their webchat from 8:30am to 8:30pm SGT. |
| Great Eastern | Great Eastern Customer Service (Singapore): 1800 248 2888 (Mon – Fri, 9:00am – 5:30pm) Great Eastern Customer Service (Overseas): (65) 6248 2888 (Mon – Fri, 9:00am – 5:30pm) |
| AXA Singapore | AXA Singapore Customer Service (Singapore): 1800 880 4888 (Mon – Fri, 9:00am – 5:30pm) AXA Singapore Customer Service (Overseas), fill up the enquiries form |
| AVIVA | AVIVA Customer Service (Singapore): 6827 7988 (Mon – Fri, 8:45am – 5:30pm) AVIVA Customer Service (Overseas): (65) 6827 7988 (Mon – Fri, 8:45am – 5:30pm) |
5. How do I terminate my magazine or newspaper subscriptions before moving abroad?
For the magazine brands under Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) such as CLEO, nüyou, men’s health and bazaar, and newspapers such as The Straits Times, The Business Times, The New Paper and Lianhe Zaobao, contact them through the subscription enquiry form to terminate your magazine subscriptions.
Also Read: Getting the most value for your Lump Sum Relocation Allowance
Do note, an administrative fee will be imposed if the termination of subscription occurs before the expiry of the contract. The fee may differ if you are previously subscribed to a promotion plan. If you wish to continue on with your subscription instead, do check out these mail forwarding services before moving abroad.
6. What should I do with my country club membership before moving abroad?
There are some country clubs such as Aranda and Orchid Country Club that offer Reciprocal Clubs that members can visit overseas. For instance, Aranda has reciprocal partners in Shanghai, Philippines, Hong Kong, India, Australia while Orchid Country Club has partners in France, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, Vietnam and China. It is best to check if the country club you have signed up with has such partnership overseas. This allows you to continue using your membership.
Otherwise, call your country club to ask about transferable memberships or terminations below:
| Golf and Country Clubs: | |
|---|---|
| Aranda Club | Tel: (65) 6584 6811 (General line) |
| The Arena Country Club | Tel: (65) 6897 9997 (Direct line to membership department) |
| Changi Golf Club | Tel: (65) 6545 5133 (General line) |
| The Chevrons | Tel: (65) 6668 8862/8864 (Direct line to membership department) |
| Civil Service Club @ Bukit Batok | Tel: (65) 6513 7480 (General line) |
| Civil Service Club @ Changi | Tel: (65) 6709 4709 (General line) |
| Civil Service Club @ Tessensohn | Tel: (65) 6391 5600 (General line) |
| Civil Service Club @ Loyang | Tel: (65) 6581 9033/6582 8006 (General line) |
| Keppel Club | Tel: (65) 6375 5567/6375 5568 (General line) |
| Laguna National Golf & Country Club | Tel: (65) 6248 1670 (Direct line to membership department) |
| National Service Resort & Country Club | Tel: (65) 6542 8288 (General line) |
| Orchid Country Club | Tel: (65) 6750 2123 (Direct line to membership department) |
| Seletar Club | Tel: (65) 6481 4812 (General line) |
| Sembawang Country Club | Tel: (65) 6751 0392/0350 (Direct line to membership department) |
| Serangoon Gardens Country Club | Tel: (65) 6286 8888 (General line) |
| Singapore Island Country Club | Tel: (65) 6431 8334/7/9 (Direct line to membership department) |
| Raffles Country Club | Tel: (65) 6861 7649 (General line) |
| Raffles Town Club | Tel: (65) 6358 0012 (Direct line to membership department) |
| Tanah Merah Country Club | Tel: (65) 6542 3040 (General line) |
| Temasek Club | Tel: (65) 6801 4242 (General line) |
| Warren Golf & Country Club | Tel: 6586 1245 (General line) |
7. How can I cancel my membership for retail clubs such as NTUC before moving abroad?
Your monthly membership with NTUC Fairprice is likely deducted either through GIRO, debit/credit card or paying monthly through AXS machine. Although it is just $9/month from January to November ($18 for December), the annual fee adds up to $117 which isn’t cheap.
You can save this monthly payment of up to $117 by canceling your NTUC or Cold Storage memberships below:
| Groceries | Useful Contact Information |
|---|---|
| NTUC | Tel: (65) 6213 8008 (Mon – Fri, 9:00am – 5:30pm, Sat 9:00am – 12:30pm) |
| Cold Storage | POSB Online Banking > Manage Debit Cards http://www.posb.com.sg/PAssion |
Conclusion
We have consolidated the most common subscriptions that you should cancel into a checklist before moving abroad. Here are some others we may have missed out:
Or just download our handy checklist here!
We hope that this comprehensive and handy article has made the process of cutting down costs easier as you prepare to move abroad from Singapore to another country.
Share your funny experiences with us about moving abroad in the comments!
Bon voyage!
