UOB PRVI Miles offering 35,000 miles sign-up bonus

UOB has launched a new sign-up bonus for the UOB PRVI Miles Cards, which runs from now till 21 November 2022.

After a no-cap offer in July and a capped offer in September, UOB has gone for a hybrid offer this time round. A total of 35,000 miles are up for grabs, split into 20,000 miles for any customer who pays the S$256.80 annual fee, and 15,000 miles for the first 400 customers to spend S$4,000 in 60 days. 

In other words, one’s guaranteed, the other’s a gamble. And yet this already counts as an improvement for UOB!

UOB PRVI Miles offering 35,000 miles sign-up bonus

Details

The 44,000 miles in the graphic above includes base miles, and assumes you spend all S$4,000 on foreign currency transactions (2.4 mpd). If you spend it locally (1.4 mpd), your base + bonus will be 40,600 miles.

New-to-bank UOB PRVI Miles Cardmembers who apply and get approved from 1 October to 21 November 2022 will enjoy up to 35,000 bonus miles, split into:

• 20,000 miles for any customer who pays the S$256.80 annual fee
• 15,000 miles for the first 400 customers who spend S$4,000 in 60 days

For avoidance of doubt, there is no need to participate in both components of the offer. You can choose to take the annual fee bonus without the spending bonus, or the spending bonus without the annual fee bonus. 

This offer applies to all three versions of the UOB PRVI Miles Card, namely:

• UOB PRVI Miles American Express
• UOB PRVI Miles World Mastercard
• UOB PRVI Miles Visa

Annual fee bonus (All)

While the UOB PRVI Miles Card normally comes with a first-year fee waiver, cardholders can opt to pay the S$256.80 annual fee to receive UNI$10,000 (20,000 miles). There is no cap on the number of cardholders who can receive this bonus. 

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

S$256.80 for 20,000 miles works out to 1.28 cents per mile, which is one of the cheapest opportunities to buy miles on the market right now.

Spending bonus (First 400)

The first 400 cardholders who spend S$4,000 in eligible transactions within the first 60 days of approval will receive UNI$7,500 (15,000 miles)

How do you know if you’re in the first 400? You don’t. It’s a classic UOB promotion that’s more akin to gambling than anything else. All you can do is pray that the miles show up eventually, with very little transparency around the process. 

What counts as qualifying spend?

A minimum of S$4,000 in qualifying spend must be spent in the first 60 days of approval. Eligible transactions include all retail transactions in local or foreign currency, and a full list of exclusions can be found here. 

The key exclusions to highlight are:

• Charitable donations
• Education
• Government payments
• Hospitals
• Insurance
• Prepaid account top-ups (e.g. GrabPay or YouTrip)
• Utilities

Supplementary cardholder spending will be pooled with the principal cardholder’s in determining if the minimum spend has been met. And before you say “isn’t that obvious?”, remember that UOB is not above such shenanigans.

When will the bonus miles be credited?

Annual fee bonus

The S$256.80 annual fee will be posted to your account by 15 December 2022, and the UNI$10,000 will be credited by 31 December 2022.

Spending bonus

The UNI$7,500 from meeting the S$4,000 minimum spend will be credited by 28 February 2023.

Terms and Conditions

The full T&Cs for this offer can be found here.

Overview: UOB PRVI Miles Card

UOB PRVI Miles Cards are issued across all three networks: American Express, Mastercard, and Visa. Earn rates are the same for all (1.4 mpd local, 2.4 mpd overseas), though the American Express version has two unique features:

• 20,000 bonus miles for spending at least S$50,000 in a membership year
• Complimentary airport limo transfers with a minimum spend of S$1,000 in foreign currency per calendar quarter

Don’t forget that UOB PRVI Miles Mastercard cardholders can register to earn 4.4 mpd on overseas spending till 31 October 2022, capped at S$4,000. 

As a reminder, UOB UNI$ can be converted to either KrisFlyer or Asia Miles at a 1 UNI$= 2 miles ratio, with a S$25 conversion fee.

Be sure to check out my full review of the UOB PRVI Miles Card below.

Review: UOB PRVI Miles Card

Conclusion

UOB is offering a hybrid sign-up bonus for October, with all applicants entitled to purchase 20,000 miles for S$256.80, and 400 lucky ones getting a further 15,000 miles spending bonus. 

If you think your miles balance could use a shot in the arm, paying 1.28 cents per mile isn’t the worst way of going about it (just note that the miles won’t reach you till the end of 2022, so they won’t come in handy for year-end travel). 

I’m less sanguine about your prospects for the spending bonus, however, and this shouldn’t be your main reason for signing up for the card.