UOB PRVI Miles AMEX offering 4.4 mpd on groceries till year end

UOB has been offering some pretty good promotions on its PRVI Miles cards as the year draws to a close. In October, the bank started offering 4.4 mpd on overseas dining, shopping and accommodation (capped at S$3,000) and bus/MRT rides (capped at S$80/month), until the end of the year.

Now, there’s a further offer available just for the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX. From 8 November to 31 December 2019, cardholders can earn 4.4 mpd on grocery shopping, capped at S$1,000 for the entire period.

How it works

Cardholders who use their UOB PRVI Miles AMEX for contactless payment at supermarkets will earn 11 UNI$ per S$5 spent, broken into:

• the base rate of UNI$3.5 per S$5 (1.4 mpd)
• a bonus rate of UNI$7.5 per S$5 (3 mpd)

The bonus component will be credited by 31 March 2020.

Once again, this is capped at S$1,000 of eligible spending for the entire promotion period. Supplementary cardholders are also eligible, but their spending will be pooled with the principal cardholder’s and the S$1,000 cap shared.

No registration is required, but remember that you need to use contactless payment. If your transaction is processed via chip, you won’t earn the bonus miles. It’s not clear from the T&Cs whether mobile wallet transactions like Google Pay will be eligible (edit: UOB AMEX cards aren’t compatible with Google Pay anyway), so if you want to be extra safe, just carry your physical card around.

The T&C of the promotion can be found here.

Which supermarkets are eligible?

As per the T&Cs, any supermarket classified under MCC 5411 is eligible for this promotion.

This will cover the usual suspects like NTUC, Cold Storage, Giant, Jasons, and Sheng Siong. I think smaller grocers like Little Farms should also be alright, but I’m less certain about “hybrid markets” like Jones the Grocer, so exercise caution there.

Wait a minute, wasn’t I supposed to avoid using UOB cards at the supermarket?

It’s understandable that some people have a natural aversion to using UOB cards at the supermarket. That’s because Cold Storage, Giant and Jasons are under the dreaded SMART$ program, and as per UOB’s T&Cs, you don’t earn any UNI$ at SMART$ merchants.

For example, if you were to use your UOB PRVI Miles Visa to pay S$10 at Cold Storage, you won’t earn the 14 miles (10* 1.4 mpd) you might expect. Instead, you’ll earn a measly 3 cent (0.3%) rebate. Enjoy!

However, the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX does not participate in the SMART$ program, and therefore, there’s no reason to avoid it here.

Conclusion

This is a handy promotion to have, and if nothing else represents a 10% premium over your next best alternative (using the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa for 4mpd on contactless payments at non-SMART$ supermarkets).

If for whatever reason you can’t max out the S$1,000 cap before the end of the year, you can also consider buying grocery vouchers and spending them in 2020.

Remember that UOB is also running a 10,000 miles sign up bonus on the PRVI Miles AMEX for approved cardholders who spend S$6,000 in 90 days. You’ll get a bonus S$20 cash if you’re approved via SingSaver, whether you’re new-to-bank or existing.