Perhaps realising just how much Singaporeans now like shopping online and for groceries, UOB has launched a promotion that offers 3 mpd on both. This is valid for the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX and the UOB Preferred Platinum AMEX.
That’s right- a promotion for that most mythical of all unicorns, Schrรถdinger’s card itself.
How does the promotion work?
From 1 April to 30 June 2020, UOB PRVI Miles AMEX and UOB Preferred Platinum AMEX cardholders who spend at least S$2,500 on eligible transactions (see below) will earn 3 mpd.
This is broken down into:
| UOB PRVI Miles AMEX | UOB Pref. Plat. AMEX | |
| Base Rate | UNI$3.5 per S$5 (1.4 mpd) | UNI$2 per S$5 (0.8 mpd) |
| Bonus Rate | UNI$4 per S$5 (1.6 mpd) | UNI$5.5 per S$5 (2.2 mpd) |
The bonus UNI$ will be credited to your account by 31 August 2020, and is capped at S$5,000 worth of eligible transactions.ย Supplementary cardholder spending will be combined with that of the principal cardholder, with the cap shared.
No registration is required for this promotion. The full T&C can be found here.
What are considered eligible transactions?
For the purposes of this promotion, eligible transactions refer to:
- Groceries transactions made through contactless payment in-store, or online
- Selected online transactions
- Online dining transactions (PRVI Miles AMEX only)
All transactions must be in Singapore dollars, and online transactions must be made through payment gateways located in Singapore (i.e no shopping on overseas sites, even if you get them to charge you in SGD).
Groceries
Grocery transactions refer to any transactions at merchants with the MCC 5411. This covers pretty much every major supermarket in Singapore- Cold Storage, Giant, Market Place by Jasons, Fairprice, Sheng Siong.
| Wasn’t I supposed to avoid using UOB cards at the supermarket? |
| It’s understandable that some people have a natural aversion to using UOB cards at the supermarket. That’s because Cold Storage, Giant, and Jasons are under the dreaded SMART$ program, and as per UOB’s T&Cs, you don’t earn any UNI$ at SMART$ merchants.
However, neither the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX nor the Preferred Platinum AMEX participates in the SMART$ program, and therefore there’s no reason to avoid them here.ย |
Do remember that you need to use contactless payments if you’re shopping at a physical store. If you use the regular chip and sign, you won’t get any bonus miles.
Selected online transactions
Selected online transactions refer to those made at the following merchants:
- Geneco by Seraya Energy
- I Switch
- PacificLight Energy
- Senoko Energy
- Sembcorp Power
- SP Services
- SP Digital
- Bill payments to Singtel, M1 or Starhub
- Netflix or Spotify subscriptions (need not be in Singapore dollars)
This also includes transactions made at any merchant with the following MCCs:
| Category | MCC | Examples (non-exhaustive) |
| Department Stores and Retail Stores | 4816, 5306, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331, 5399, 5611, 5621, 5631, 5641, 5651, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5732, 5733, 5734, 5735, 5912, 5942, 5944, 5945, 5946, 5947, 5948, 5949, 5964, 5965, 5966, 5967, 5968, 5969, 5970, 5992, 5999 | Department stores, music stores, arts & craft stores, book stores, clothing, shoes, bags stores, electronicsย |
| Supermarkets, Dining and Food Delivery | 5811, 5333, 5411, 5441, 5462, 5499, 8012, 9751 | foodpanda, Grab Food, Deliveroo, caterers, bakeries |
| Entertainment and Ticketing | 7278, 7832, 7841, 7922, 7991, 7996, 7998, 7999 | Cinemas, zoos, tourist attractions, amusement parks |
| Transport | 4111, 4121, 4789 | Grab, gojek, Comfort |
It’s surprising to see bill payments for utilities and telcos specifically included, because many cards either exclude them explicitly or adopt a policy of deliberate ambiguity.
There’s a fairly extensive list of online merchants to choose from, although some categories (like entertainment and ticketing) may have shut down completely due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Nonetheless, most of your retail therapy options like Qoo10, Lazada, Shopee and such will be covered. Remember that all this must be in Singapore dollars; any overseas shopping won’t count.
Dining transactions
This only applies to the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX, because the UOB Preferred Platinum AMEX would anyways earn 4 mpd.
Online transactions at any merchant with the 5812/5814 MCC will qualify. This is probably to cover restaurants that run their own online ordering platform and don’t engage a third-party like GrabFood or Deliveroo.
Is it worth it?
If you have a DBS Woman’s World Card, OCBC Titanium Rewards, or Citi Rewards Card, you’ll already be able to earn 4 mpd on most of these categories. Moreover, there’ll be no restrictions on the currency you can be charged in, or on the payment gateway location.
For groceries specifically, you could earn 4 mpd with contactless payments on the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa (except at SMART$ merchants), or with the GrabPay Mastercard (topped up with the Citi Rewards Visa).
So unless you’ve maxed out your caps, there’s no real need to switch cards. I see this promotion as being most useful for utilities or telco payments, where you don’t want to risk using your other credit cards.
Conclusion
This will be an excellent promotion for those who insist on using one card and one card only. Otherwise, there are better cards which can earn you more miles.
If you’re going for this promotion, be sure to watch (A) your payment method (use contactless at supermarkets) and (B) the currency you’re spending in (especially if you’re making transactions online).
Any way to apply for the unicorn now?
flew away a long time ago.
Wonder if vouchers will be eligible?
Usually should be yes right but u know, being UOB…….?
I read from UOB website the 3ร privi miles is to be accorded only for their UOB privi miles Visa and Master. AMEX is not qualified. I made the necessary 2.5k spending so now how?
erm…did you even read the article? this promotion ended 30 june.