Targeted: UOB PRVI Pay cuts cost of miles to 1.8 cents each

I’ve been meaning to write an updated post on my valuation of a mile, but it seems like every time I’m about to publish it, something new pops up. Whether it’s Citi launching Payall, SCB copying with EasyBill, UOB slashing the cost of miles on Visa Infinite cards, or CardUp reducing rental payment fees (with RentHero due to follow suit shortly), the cost of buying miles in Singapore keeps falling.

And it’s about to get even cheaper…

UOB cuts PRVI Pay cost to 1.8% for selected PRVI Miles cardholders

UOB PRVI Miles cardholders have access to a facility called UOB PRVI Pay, which basically lets them buy as many miles as they want* for a small admin fee, no questions asked.
*(technically it’s still subject to your credit limit, but there’s nothing stopping you from paying off your bill immediately and buying more)

Here’s a reminder of how PRVI Pay works:

When PRVI Pay first launched in July 2017, miles cost 2 cents each. In March 2019, UOB increased the cost to 2.1 cents. But in recent days, selected PRVI Miles cardholders have been receiving mails from UOB inviting them to use PRVI Pay for just 1.8 cents per mile.

That’s a 15% discount off the usual price, and certainly worth considering if you have travel plans in the near future. If you were targeted, you’ll need to submit your form by 31 July 2019. The full T&C of this promotion can be found here.

Remember that you technically earn UNI$, not miles, so you have the option to choose either KrisFlyer or Asia Miles.

How does this compare to other methods of buying miles?

It says something about the rate at which miles buying opportunities are proliferating in Singapore that this table gets longer all the time, but here goes…

[table id=4 /]

Conclusion

If you have specific bills to make like rent or income tax, you’ll want to consider options like:

• CardUp’s 1.99% income tax promotion 
• CardUp’s 1.75/1.9% rental payment promotion
• RentHero’s 1.9% rental payment offer (I’ve been told this will be cut to 1.85% shortly, stay tuned)
• Citi PayAll  
• SC EasyBill

all of which let you buy miles below 1.8 cents. However, if don’t have access to these options, or simply want to buy more miles than your NOA/rental bill will allow, then this is as cheap as it gets for someone at the $30K income level.