Earn 3 mpd on groceries, health, and electronics with the KrisFlyer UOB credit card

UOB has been running a series of 3 mpd promotions recently on the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX and PRVI Miles Visa & Mastercard. Now it’s the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s turn to get a promotion of its own: 3 mpd on supermarket, health & beauty, and electronics, home appliances and furniture transactions.

How it works

From 20 April to 31 July 2020, KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card holders who spend at least S$4,000 will be eligible to earn 3 mpd on the following transactions, both in-store and online:

• Grocery & Supermarket
• Health & Beauty
• Electronics, Appliances & Furniture

The S$4,000 minimum spend can be hit by spending on anything (with the exception of excluded transactions from the card’s general T&Cs); not necessarily the three categories above.

The 3 mpd is broken down into:

• Base Rate: 6 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 spent (1.2 mpd)
• Bonus Rate:  9 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 spent (1.8 mpd)

The bonus component will be credited to your account by 30 November 2020, and is capped at S$2,000 of eligible transactions (or 3,600 miles). Supplementary cardholder spending will be combined with that of the principal cardholder, with the cap shared.

Registration is required, and can be done by sending the following SMS to 77862:

KFEVERYDAY<space>Last 5 alphanumeric digits of Principal Cardmember’s NRIC/Passport

There is no cap on the maximum number of customers who can register for this promotion, and you can find the full T&C here.

What transactions are eligible?

Grocery & Supermarket

All transactions at merchants with MCC 5411 are eligible, provided they are processed in Singapore dollars at their official retail stores, websites, or mobile apps.  This covers all major supermarkets, including RedMart purchases on Lazada.

However, do note that you won’t earn any miles for in-store purchases at Cold Storage, Giant, Jasons or Market Place- all these Diary Farm Group merchants earn SMART$ instead. Online purchases via their websites will still earn miles as per normal.

Health & Beauty

Transactions at the following merchants will be eligible for 3 mpd, provided they’re made in Singapore via their official retail stores, websites, or mobile apps.

I just love how Watsons has two different transaction descriptions, as if halfway through someone became a grammar Nazi. Similarly, what’s up with the two spellings of Eu Yan Sang? Did a someone make a typo the first time they applied to accept cards?

Electronics, Appliances & Furniture

Transactions at the following merchants will be eligible for 3 mpd, provided they’re made in Singapore via their official retail stores, websites, or mobile apps.

Is it worth it?

A S$4,000 minimum spending requirement is on the high side, even if it is stretched over 102 days. Moreover, remember that the 3 mpd is capped at S$2,000, so you’ll have to divert S$2,000 of spending that you may have otherwise put on higher-earning cards.

Here are the alternatives you can use for the categories concerned:

For groceries

• OCBC Titanium Rewards: 8 mpd at FairPrice, capped at S$500 (registration required)
• UOB Preferred Platinum Visa: 4 mpd (must use contactless), capped at S$1,110 per month
• AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend: 3.2 mpd at Redmart, capped at S$600 (registration required)
• AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card: 3.1 mpd at Redmart, capped at S$600 (registration required)
• UOB PRVI Miles AMEX: 3 mpd, min. spend S$2,500, capped at S$5,000
• UOB PRVI Miles Mastercard & Visa: 3 mpd, min. spend S$2,000, capped at S$3,500 (registration required)

For health & beauty

• UOB Preferred Platinum Visa: 4 mpd (must use contactless), capped at S$1,110 per month
• UOB PRVI Miles Mastercard & Visa: 3 mpd, min. spend S$2,000, capped at S$3,500 (registration required)

For electronics, appliances & furniture

• OCBC Titanium Rewards: 4 mpd, capped at S$12,000 per membership year

If you’re making online transactions in general, remember that you can use any of these cards to earn 4 mpd.

Conclusion

Although you could easily earn more miles on these transactions with other cards and avoid the minimum spending requirement, chances are that KrisFlyer UOB cardholders are more inclined to a one-card strategy in the first place.

Just be careful of the very late crediting of the bonus miles- 2020 will be almost over (how many people want to hear that right now?) by the time they come in.