The latest KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card sign up bonus is…not ideal

If you were interested in applying for the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, I hope you got your application in by 14 July.

That’s because UOB’s changed the sign up offers for both new and existing UOB cardholders, and not for the better.

Welcome miles cut by up to 9,000

Under the previous promotion, new-to-bank and existing UOB customers could get 12,000 and 5,000 KrisFlyer miles respectively. New-to-bank customers needed to spend S$2,000 in the first 60 days, existing customers needed to spend just S$5.

The revised promotion, which runs from now till 31 October 2019, sees the miles for new-to-bank and existing customers cut to just 3,000. 

These 3,000 miles will be automatically deposited into the cardholder’s KrisFlyer account the month after a single transaction of at least S$5 is made. There is no cap on the number of eligible customers who can receive this.

But what about that $150 cash?

If you’re a new-to-bank customer, you’re also eligible to receive a $150 cash credit when you spend a minimum of S$1,500 within 30 days of approval. On the surface, that sounds like it softens the blow. Sure, you earn 9,000 fewer miles, but that $150 cash makes up for it, right?

Not quite. UOB’s reverted to type with this sign up offer, capping it at the first 1,000 qualifying customers. 

That wouldn’t be so bad if the 1,000 cap was reserved just for KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card applicants, but it’s a shared pool with all other UOB cards!

The icing on the cake? The cap started running from 1 June 2019. This means KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card applicants (who became eligible from 15 July) are at least 45 days late to the party.

So…it’s limited to 1,000 people, the 1,000 cap is shared with all other UOB cards and I’m 45 days late. Don’t get me wrong- I’d love to get $150 back on $1,500 of spending. I just don’t have the confidence of being among the first 1,000 anymore.

Here’s the T&Cs of the offer, if you’re interested.

There are better sign up bonuses available

If you’re looking for a cobrand card, consider signing up for one of the AMEX KrisFlyer cards. Milelion readers enjoy an additional 5,000-7,500 miles on top of the regular sign up bonus when they apply through the links below.

[credit_card_shortcode cc_id=”21776″]

[credit_card_shortcode cc_id=”21828″]

Other options include the Citi PremierMiles Visa card. New-to-bank cardholders can get 11,000 bonus miles, on top of base miles, when they spend S$7,500 within 3 months of approval and pay the S$192.60 annual fee.

DBS has also extended its sign up bonus for the Altitude card, with new-to-bank customers eligible for a bonus of 10,000 miles when they spend S$6,000 in the first 3 months, on top of base miles. Altitude AMEX cardholders will also earn 50% more miles during this period, capped at 10,000 miles.

For the full list of sign up bonuses available, be sure to check out this page. 

Conclusion

It’s really a shame, because the KrisFlyer UOB credit card used to have a fantastic sign up bonus. But opportunities come and go, and if you’re on the fence as to whether to apply for this card, I’d advise you to wait for a better offer to come by.