Extended for 2 weeks: Spend $5 and get 5,000 miles on the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

The recently-launched KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card actually has one of the best sign up bonuses on the market for both new and existing customers. This sign up bonus was set to expire on 30 June, but has been extended for a further two weeks to 14 July 2019. If you haven’t jumped on it yet, I’d strongly encourage you to consider doing so.

How it works

Existing UOB customers can get 5,000 KrisFlyer miles when they spend at least $5 in a single transaction within 60 days of approval.

3,000 miles will be credited directly into your KrisFlyer account in the following month after the first spend is made, with the remainder credited by 31 October 2019. There are no mileage transfer fees. True, there are easier ways of earning 5,000 miles, but this must still rank right up there as one of the best spend to payoff ratios available.

New-to-bank UOB customers (defined as those who don’t currently hold any UOB credit cards, instead of the usual “…and haven’t held any in the past 12 months” that other banks add) who spend $2,000 in the first 60 days of approval have a choice of receiving either

• 5,000 miles + a complimentary SIA/SilkAir return ticket to Bangkok, Lombok or Penang
• 5,000 miles + a further 7,000 miles

If you want the air ticket, you’ll text WELCOMETICKET S1234567A to 77862, and if you want the miles you’ll text WELCOMEMILES S1234567A to 77862 (replace S1234567A with your own NIRC, obviously)

Your SMS must be sent during the first 60 days of approval. If you pick one option and later change your mind, it’s still ok- UOB will only consider the latest SMS received by the system.

There’s really no reason to go for the flight ticket, given

• You need to fly by 29 Feb 2020 with almost all of December + CNY blacked out
• There are restrictions on the flight numbers you can take
• You still need to pay the taxes on the ticket

12,000 miles are worth at least $216 as per my latest valuation, and that’s definitely the option I’d take if I were new. The full T&C for the sign up bonuses can be found here.

A recap of the KrisFlyer UOB credit card

The KrisFlyer UOB credit card (read the full review here) is a definite upgrade on its debit card brethren. Here’s the key product information:

	KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
Income Req	$30,000 per annum
Annual Fee	$192.60 (First Year Free)
Local Spend	1.2 mpd
Overseas Spend	1.2 mpd
Specialized Spend	3 mpd on SIA-related transactions (Scoot, SilkAir, SIA, KrisShop) 3 mpd on online shopping & travel, dining and transport with min $500 spend on SIA-related transactions
FCY Fee	3.25%
Renewal Miles	10,000 with payment of annual fee
Transfer Partners	Singapore Airlines

KrisFlyer UOB credit card customers also enjoy benefits when flying Scoot, a fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Silver status (woohoo), $15 off ChangiWiFi and Grab rides, a $20 KrisShop rebate and a couple other things that I’ve mentioned in the full review.

It’s rare you see so many bonus categories on a single card, but that comes with a major caveat. The 3 mpd on online shopping & travel, dining and transport is split into two parts- 1.2 mpd upfront (base), and the remaining 1.8 mpd (bonus) credited two months after your card anniversary. This means your bonus miles may take as long as 14 months to credit. The delayed crediting leads to a host of potential issues, as I’ve summed up in this post here.

Assuming you’re able to live with that, this card is probably useful for those who adopt a “one card for everything” mindset.

Conclusion

Regardless of how you feel about the product proper, the sign up bonus is one of the best currently on the market. And given that the first year’s annual fee is waived, there’s really very little to lose. Make hay!

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