Here’s the MileLion’s review of the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card, and what a journey we’ve been on since I last updated this in 2023!
As you no doubt know, these cards received one heck of an enhancement in April 2023, when their 4 mpd bonus rate was upsized to 6 mpd for a whole year (later extended to 13 months). Even better, in June 2023 membership was opened to men as well, matching the gender-neutral policy of the DBS Woman’s World Card.
But now things have cooled down a bit. The earn rate has reverted to 4 mpd, the bonus cap on the Solitaire Card has been parred down to S$2,000 per month, and the new card design is…well, let’s just say sometimes it’s better to leave well enough alone.
So, all things considered, are the UOB Lady’s Cards still worthy of a place in your purse/wallet?
 UOB Lady’s Card & Lady’s Solitaire Card |
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| ๐ฆ MileLion Verdict | |
| โ Take It โ Take It Or Leave It โ Leave It |
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| While it’s not quite the halcyon days of 2023, the UOB Lady’s Cards still have plenty to offer miles chasers. | |
| What do these ratings mean? |
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| ๐ The good | ๐ The bad |
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| ๐ณ Full List of Credit Card Reviews | |
Overview: UOB Lady’s Cards
Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the UOB Lady’s Cards.
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| Income Req. |
S$30,000 p.a. (Lady’s) |
Points Validity |
2 years |
| S$120,000 p.a. (Solitaire) |
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| Annual Fee |
S$196.20 (Lady’s-FYF) |
Min. Transfer |
5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles) |
| S$414.20 (Solitaire-FYF) |
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| FCY Fee | 3.25% | Transfer Fee | S$25 |
| Local Earn | 0.4 mpd | Points Pool? | Yes |
| FCY Earn | 0.4 mpd | Lounge Access? | No |
| Special Earn | 4 mpd on your choice of 1 or 2 bonus categories | Airport Limo? | No |
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
There are multiple Lady’s Cards!
UOB actually has four different Lady’s Cards (there’s also a debit card, but we’ll ignore it here):
- UOB Lady’s Classic Card
- UOB Lady’s Platinum Card
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card
The UOB Lady’s Classic and UOB Lady’s Platinum Cards are basically identical. They have the same annual fee (S$196.20), and enjoy one quarterly bonus category, capped at S$1,000 per calendar month.
The UOB Lady’s Solitaire and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card both enjoy two quarterly bonus categories, capped at S$2,000 per calendar month.
However, the Metal Card is a more premium, invite-only card with a higher annual fee of S$589.99. You must spend at least S$45,000 in a 3-month period on the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card for an invitation to upgrade, and even then it’s not guaranteed.
Cardholders enjoy additional benefits such as one complimentary airport transfer and six lounge visits per year, as well as World Elite Mastercard perks (covered later in this post). I personally think it’s not worth the non-waivable annual fee, but you’ll need to assess the benefits for yourself and decide.
Can I hold multiple UOB Lady’s Cards?
By right, you cannot hold both the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card at the same time.
UOB says (at point 20 of the T&Cs) that any existing card will be automatically terminated within one month of upgrading (from UOB Ladyโs Card to Ladyโs Solitaire Card) or downgrading (UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Card to UOB Ladyโs Card).
In practice, it seems like some customers fly under the radar and end up holding both. But even if that happens, thereโs no upside because the bonus earn rate is still capped at S$2,000 per calendar month, and you can still pick a maximum of two bonus categories.
How much must I earn to qualify for a UOB Lady’s Card?
The UOB Lady’s Card is positioned at the entry level, with a S$30,000 annual income requirement. If you do not meet the minimum annual income, you can place a S$10,000 fixed deposit with UOB to get a secured version of the card.
The UOB Lady’s Solitaire has a much higher income requirement of S$120,000, putting it in the so-called mass affluent tier. If you do not meet the minimum annual income, you can place a S$30,000 fixed deposit with UOB to get a secured version of the card.
UOB used to be less strict with the income requirement for this card, approving applications from customers who fell short of the S$120,000 requirement. However, more recent data points suggest they’re tightening the requirements.
One protip to improve your chances of approval is to apply via SMS instead of via the website (this only works if you’re an existing UOB cardholder). This may work for customers who are shy of the minimum income requirement, but YMMV.
| ๐ฑ SMS to 77672 |
| YesSolitaire<space>Last 4 digits of any existing UOB Card<space>NRIC (Example: If the last 4 digits of your UOB card are 1234 and NRIC is S1234567A, send โYesSolitaire 1234 S1234567Aโ) |
How much is the UOB Lady’s Card annual fee?
 UOB Lady’s Card |
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| Principal Card | Supp. Card | |
| First Year | Free | First 1 Free, S$98.10 after |
| Subsequent | S$196.20 | First 1 Free, S$98.10 after |
 UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card |
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| Principal Card | Supp. Card | |
| First Year | Free | First 2 Free, S$196.20 after |
| Subsequent | S$414.20 | First 2 Free, S$196.20 after |
The UOB Lady’s Card has an annual fee of S$196.20, which is waived for the first year. The fee for the first supplementary card is waived in perpetuity, with the second card onwards charged at S$98.10 per year.
The UOB Lady’s Solitaire has an annual fee of S$414.20, also waived for the first year. The fee for the two supplementary cards is waived in perpetuity, with the third card onwards charged at S$196.20 per year.
Waivers are fairly easy to get in my experience, but be warned that UOB’s default behaviour is to automatically deduct your UNI$ to cover the annual fee.
How do UOB’s automatic UNI$ deductions for annual fees work?
When the time comes for renewal, you will either be charged:
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| UOB Lady’s Card | UOB Lady’s Solitaire | |
| Full Waiver | UNI$6,500 | UNI$10,000 |
| Half Waiver | UNI$3,250 + S$98.10 | UNI$5,000 + S$207.10 |
If you have sufficient UNI$ for a full waiver, the full waiver option will be automatically selected, and if you only have sufficient UNI$ for a half waiver, the half waiver option will be automatically selected. If you don’t have sufficient UNI$ for either, the annual fee will be billed in pure cash.
It’s up to you to monitor your statement and request a fee waiver when this happens. Look at the expiry date on your credit card- the month corresponds to the month your annual fee will be charged.
For what it’s worth, if UOB subsequently grants you a fee waiver, the reinstated UNI$ will have a fresh 2-year validity, so that’s something I guess!
How many miles do I earn?
| ๐ธ๐ฌ SGD Spending | ๐ FCY Spending | โญ Bonus Spending |
| 0.4 mpd | 0.4 mpd | 4 mpd on your choice of 7 categories |
SGD/FCY Spend
UOB Lady’s Card and Lady’s Solitaire both earn 1 UNI$ for every S$5 spent in Singapore Dollars or foreign currency (FCY). 1 UNI$ is worth 2 airline miles, so that’s an equivalent earn rate of 0.4 mpd for both local and FCY spending.
All foreign currency transactions are subject to a 3.25% fee. This is par the course for the market.
| ๐ณ FCY Fees by Issuer and Card Network |
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| Issuer | โ MC & Visa | AMEX |
| Standard Chartered | 3.5% | N/A |
| American Express | N/A | 3.25% |
| Citibank | 3.25% | N/A |
| DBS | 3.25% | 3% |
| HSBC | 3.25% | N/A |
| Maybank | 3.25% | N/A |
| OCBC | 3.25% | N/A |
| UOB | 3.25% | 3.25% |
| BOC | 3% | N/A |
| CIMB | 3% | N/A |
Bonus Spending
The UOB Lady’s Card and Lady’s Solitaire earn a bonus 10 UNI$ for every S$5 spent in Singapore Dollars or FCY on a choice of seven bonus categories. That’s an equivalent earn rate of 4 mpd, capped at:
- UOB Lady’s Card: S$1,000 per calendar month
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire: S$2,000 per calendar month
Bonus categories are listed below. UOB Lady’s Card members can pick one, while Lady’s Solitaire members can pick two.
| Category | MCCs | Description |
| (1) Beauty & Wellness | 5912, 5977, 7230, 7231, 7298, 7297 | Discount, Mass and Drug Stores, Cosmetics Stores, Barber and Beauty Shops, Health and Beauty Spa, Massage Parlours |
| (2) Dining | 5811, 5812, 5814, 5499 | Caterers, Eating places and Restaurants, Fast food restaurants and food deliveries |
| (3) Entertainment | 5813, 7832, 7922 | Bars, Taverns, Lounges and Nightclubs, Motion Picture Theatres, Theatrical Producers and Ticket Agencies |
| (4) Family | 5411, 5641 | Grocery stores, Children and Infants wear store |
| (5) Fashion | 5311, 5611, 5621, 5631, 5651, 5655, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5948 | Department Stores, Men’s and Boy’s Clothing and Accessories Store, Women’s Ready-to-wear Stores, Women’s Access and Specialty, Family Clothing Stores, Sports and Riding Apparel Stores, Shoes Stores, Men’s and Women’s Clothing Stores, Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessories Shops, Luggage and Leather Stores |
| (6) Transport | 4111, 4121, 4789, 5541, 5542 | Local Commuter Transport, Taxi, Cabs, Limousines and Travel Service, Service Stations and Automatic Gas Dispensers |
| (7) Travel | See here | Airlines, Hotels, Cruise Liners, Duty-free Stores, Online and Regular Travel Agencies |
| Both local and foreign currency transactions are eligible for bonuses, whether online or offline | ||
For avoidance of doubt, the S$2,000 cap on the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card is shared between both bonus categories.
All bonus categories are defined with explicit MCC ranges, except for travel. Fortunately, I’ve obtained greater clarity from the UOB team regarding the MCCs which qualify:
- Airlines (MCC 3000-3299, 4511, 4582)
- Cruise liners (MCC 4411)
- Duty-free stores (MCC 5309)
- Hotels (MCC 3500-3999, 7011)
- Online and offline travel agencies (MCC 4722)
Bus liners, rental cars, trains and private hire cars are not included in travel.
Explained: Which MCCs are included in the UOB Lady’s Card “Travel” category
Bonus categories can be changed every calendar quarter, which is a fantastic feature because it means the card can be different things to you at different times.
For example, if you’re shelling out for an expensive beauty package this quarter, pick “Beauty Wellness”. If you’re going on an overseas trip, pick “Travel”. There’s no other card in Singapore that gives this kind of flexibility.
For a more detailed discussion on which bonus categories you should choose, refer to this post.
Selecting bonus categories
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| Choose bonus categories |
In terms of the selection mechanics:
- The first time you choose your bonus categories, they are effective immediately
- Bonus categories can be re-selected every calendar quarter, up till 2359 hours (SGT) the day before the first calendar date of the following calendar quarter
- The bank will take the most recent entry submitted as the bonus category for the following quarter. For example, if you submit ‘Fashion’ on 15 April, then submit ‘Dining’ on 21 June, your bonus category for 1 July to 30 September will be ‘Dining’
- If you do not manually re-select your bonus categories, the choices from the previous quarter will be automatically carried over
- If you upgraded from the Lady’s Card to the Lady’s Solitaire Card, your additional bonus category will only be effective from the following calendar quarter
UOB$ merchants
UOB cardholders (with the exception of UOB PRVI Miles AMEX, which does not participate in the UOB$ scheme) do not earn any base UNI$ at UOB$ merchants.
In the case of cards like the UOB PRVI Miles or UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, this means walking away empty handed. However, the impact is less severe on the UOB Lady’s Card, because you’ll still earn the bonus UNI$ (3.6 mpd) on such transactions.
Read more about this in the post below.
Confirmed: UOB$ merchants qualify for bonus miles with UOB cards
When are UNI$ credited?
The base 1 UNI$ per S$5 is credited when the transaction posts, usually in 1-3 working days. The bonus 9 UNI$ per S$5 is credited at the start of the calendar month after the transaction.
| Base Points (1X) | Credited when transaction posts |
| Bonus Points (9X) |
Credited at the start of the following calendar month |
How are UNI$ calculated?
Here’s how you can work out the UNI$ earned on your UOB Lady’s Card:
| Base Points (1X) | Round down transaction to the nearest S$5, divide by 5, then multiply by 1 |
| Bonus Points (9X) |
Sum all eligible transactions (including cents), round down total to the nearest S$5, divide by 5, then multiply by 9 |
Even though UOB rounds transactions down to the nearest S$5 before awarding points, the Lady’s Card is less punitive because rounding for bonus points takes place only once, as opposed to on each transaction.
To illustrate, suppose you make three transactions on your bonus category in a month: S$4.50, S$18.99 and S$22.70. Here’s how many points you’ll earn.
| Spend | Base Points (1X) | Bonus Points (9X) |
| S$4.50 | 0 | (4.5+18.99+22.70) round down to nearest 5, divide by 5 and multiply by 9 |
| S$18.99 | 3 | |
| S$22.70 | 4 | |
| Total | 7 | 81 |
A total of 88 UNI$ will be earned, or 176 miles. Notice how the S$4.50 transaction earns no 1X base points, but still counts towards the aggregated 9X bonus points calculation. Notice also how S$3.99 of the S$18.99 transaction and S$2.70 of the S$22.70 transaction are wasted for 1X base points, but count towards 9X bonus points.
For more details on how UOB’s rounding works, refer to the article below.
If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate your points:
| Base Points (1X) | =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0)*1 |
| Bonus Points (9X) |
= ROUNDDOWN (Y/5,0)*9 |
| Where X= Amount Spent, Y= Total Eligible Spending |
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For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:
What transactions aren’t eligible for UNI$?
A full list of transactions that do not earn UNI$ can be found in the T&Cs.
I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:
- Charitable Donations
- Education
- Government Services
- Insurance
- Prepaid account top-ups (e.g. GrabPay, YouTrip)
- Real Estate Agents & Managers
- Utilities
UNI$ will be awarded for CardUp transactions, but not ipaymy. However, you will only earn 0.4 mpd on such transactions, so this isn’t the right card to use.
What do I need to know about UNI$?
| โ Expiry | โ๏ธ Pooling | โ๏ธ Transfer Fee |
| 2 years | Yes | S$25 |
| โฌ๏ธ Min. Transfer | โ๏ธ No. of Partners | โฑ๏ธ Transfer Time |
| 5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles) |
3 | 48 hours (KrisFlyer) |
Expiry
UNI$ expire 2 years from the last day of each periodic quarter in which the UNI$ was earned.
Each UNI$ period is calculated commencing from January to December of each calendar year. Expired UNI$ cannot be replaced or reinstated.
Pooling
UNI$ pool across cards. If you have 10,000 UNI$ on the UOB Lady’s Card, and 5,000 UNI$ on the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, you can redeem 15,000 UNI$ at one shot and pay a single conversion fee.
It also means that you don’t need to transfer your UNI$ out before cancelling the UOB Lady’s Card, assuming it’s not your last UNI$-earning card.
Transfer Partners & Fees
UNI$ can be transferred to KrisFlyer or Asia Miles with a minimum transfer block of 5,000 UNI$ (let’s ignore AirAsia, because converting points there is like throwing them away):
| Frequent Flyer Programme | Conversion Ratio (UNI$: Partner) |
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5,000: 10,000 |
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5,000: 10,000 |
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2,500: 4,500 |
Transfers cost S$25 per programme, regardless of how many points are transferred.
UOB also has an auto-conversion option for KrisFlyer, which costs S$50 per year. UNI$ will be automatically converted on the last day of the calendar month, in blocks of UNI$2,500 (half the regular conversion block).
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| FAQs |
| T&Cs |
| Read Point 53-55 |
However, you’ll need to keep a minimum balance of UNI$15,000 (30,000 miles) in your account at all times. This is a hefty working capital balance! Make what you will of UOB’s reason for this policy…
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Why must a minimum balance of UNI$15,000 be kept KrisFlyer auto conversion programme? This is to give card members the flexibility to convert the UNI$ to other items from UOB Rewards Catalogue. Card members can still choose to convert this UNI$15,000 to KrisFlyer miles by the one time miles redemption process through UOB Rewards Catalogue, subjected to S$25 conversion fee and must be in blocks of 10,000 miles. |
Cardmembers who wish to make ad-hoc conversions can still do so, subject to the payment of the usual S$25 fee per conversion, in standard blocks of 5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles).
Here’s the pros and cons of the automatic transfer scheme:
Pros
- Pay a single fee for 12 automatic conversions a year
- Reduces the minimum conversion block from 5,000 UNI$ (10,000 KrisFlyer miles) to 2,500 UNI$ (5,000 KrisFlyer miles)
Cons
- The 3-year expiry on your KrisFlyer miles starts as soon as they are converted. Had you kept your UNI$ on the UOB side, you’d enjoy two extra years of validity
- Ad-hoc conversions still cost you S$25
- Only balances in excess of 15,000 UNI$ are converted
- Effectively locks you into KrisFlyer, as opposed to UOB’s other transfer partners (you can still make ad-hoc conversions to Asia Miles between quarters, but it’s likely you’ll need to end participation in the automatic conversion programme to acquire a critical mass)
Transfer Times
UOB transfers to KrisFlyer are typically completed within 48 hours.
If you need your points credited instantly, you can do so via Kris+. 1,000 UNI$ can be transferred to 1,700 KrisPay miles, which can then be transferred to KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio with no fees.
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| S$5 for new Kris+ Users |
| Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction |
However, those 1,000 UNI$ would normally have earned you 2,000 KrisFlyer miles, so you effectively take a 15% haircut. Therefore I wouldn’t recommend taking this option, unless you need a small top-up to redeem a flight, or have an orphan UNI$ balance (<5,000 points).
If you choose to do so nonetheless, do remember that it’s a two-step process:
- Transfer UNI$ to KrisPay miles
- Transfer KrisPay miles to KrisFlyer miles
Do not forget the second step! If you wait more than seven days, or spend any of the converted KrisPay miles via Kris+, the entire balance will be stuck in the Kris+ app. KrisPay miles expire after six months, and can only be spent at a poor ratio of 150 miles = S$1.
Other card perks
Bonus miles from UOB Lady’s Savings Account
From 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, UOB Lady’s Cardholders will be able to earn bonus UNI$ if they have a UOB Lady’s Savings Account, as summarised in the table below.
| Monthly Average Balance | UNI$ from Lady’s Savings Account | UNI$ from Lady’s or Lady’s Solitaire Card | Total |
| <S$10K | N/A | 10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
| S$10,000 to S$49,999 | 5X UNI$ (2 mpd) |
15X UNI$ (6 mpd) |
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| S$50,000 to S$99,999 | 10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
20X UNI$ (8 mpd) |
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| S$100K and more | 15X UNI$ (6 mpd) |
25X UNI$ (10 mpd) |
The maximum bonus UNI$ you can earn from the Lady’s Savings Account is capped at:
- UOB Lady’s Card: S$1,000 per calendar month
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card/Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card: S$2,000 per calendar month
The problem is that the Lady’s Savings Account has a miserable interest rate of just 0.05% p.a., so you’re basically trading interest for miles. That said, I’ve written a detailed post on why S$10,000 may be the sweet spot deposit, provided you’re a UOB Lady’s Solitaire Cardholder and confident you’ll max out the S$2,000 cap each month.
| ๐ฐ Deposit: S$10,000 (Extra 2 mpd from Lady’s Savings Account) |
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| Value of a Mile | Yearly Interest (UOB Lady’s Card) |
Yearly Interest (UOB Lady’s Solitaire) |
| 2 cents | 4.8% | 9.6% |
| 1.9 cents | 4.6% | 9.1% |
| 1.8 cents | 4.3% | 8.6% |
| 1.7 cents | 4.1% | 8.2% |
| 1.6 cents | 3.8% | 7.7% |
| 1.5 cents | 3.6% | 7.2% |
| 1.4 cents | 3.4% | 6.7% |
| 1.3 cents | 3.1% | 6.2% |
| 1.2 cents | 2.9% | 5.8% |
| 1.1 cents | 2.6% | 5.3% |
| 1 cent | 2.4% | 4.8% |
| Highlighted in yellow = my personal value of a mile | ||
| How to read this table: If your funds can earn more than the interest rate shown in columns 2 and 3, you should not use the UOB Lady’s Card | ||
You’ll basically be maintaining the 6 mpd earn rate that existed prior to 1 April 2024, at the cost of interest on the S$10,000 deposit. The additional 4,000 miles per month should more than make up the difference, though it boils down to how much you value a mile.
The UOB Lady’s Savings Account is currently for women only, but men will be able to apply from 1 May 2024 onwards.
Complimentary travel insurance
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Cardholders enjoy complimentary travel medical insurance when they charge the entire cost of their common carrier ticket (any land, sea or air travel arrangement) to their card and register here prior to their trip.
| Maximum Benefit* |
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| Medical Expenses | Up to US$100,000 |
| Emergency Medical Evacuation & Return of Mortal Remains | Up to US$100,000 |
| Daily In-Hospital Cash Benefit | US$100 per day (min. 3 days, max. 15 days) |
| Overseas Quarantine Allowance | US$100 per day (max. 14 days) |
| *Subject to policy wording for UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card | |
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Cardholders enjoy complimentary travel insurance when they charge the entire cost of their common carrier tickets (any land, sea or air travel arrangement) to their card. No registration is required.
| Maximum Benefit^ |
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| Travel Accident & Medical Insurance | |
| Travel Accident | US$500,000 |
| Medical Expenses | US$500,000 |
| Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation | US$500,000 |
| Hospital Daily Indemnity | US$100 per day (max. 30 days) |
| Overseas Quarantine Allowance | Up to US$100 per day (max. 14 days) |
| Travel Inconvenience and Cancellation Insurance | |
| Loss of baggage | Up to US$3,000 |
| Baggage delays over 4 hours | Up to US$500 |
| Trip cancellation | Up to US$7,500 |
| Trip curtailment | Up to US$7,500 |
| Trip postponement | Up to US$7,500 |
| Personal Liability Abroad | Up to US$500,000 |
| Trip Delays over 4 hours | Up to US$500 |
| Missed connections | Up to US$500 |
| ^Subject to policy wording for UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card | |
Where award tickets are concerned, coverage will apply if entire cost of ticket is redeemed with airline mileage program associated with the card (i.e. Asia Miles or KrisFlyer miles) and the card is used to pay the taxes and surcharge component.
UOB One Account
The UOB One Account is one of the best bank accounts for miles chasers because it pairs so well with a miles card strategy.
Unlike other hurdle accounts, which require you to spend on a cashback card, buy overpriced insurance or investment products, or take out a mortgage with the bank, the UOB One Account only requires you to do two things:
- Spend at least S$500 per calendar month on selected UOB cards
- Credit a salary of at least S$1,600 per month
Spending on all the UOB Lady’s Cards is eligible for bonus interest, and you can earn up to 5% p.a. on up to S$100,000 (4% p.a. on up to S$150,000 from 1 May 2024).
| ๐ฐ Minimum Card Spend + Salary Credit | ||
| Till 30 Apr 2024 | From 1 May 2024 | |
| First S$30K | 3.85% | 3.00% |
| Next S$30K | 3.90% | 3.00% |
| Next S$15K | 4.85% | 3.00% |
| Next S$25K | 7.8% | 4.50% |
| Next S$25K | 0.05% | 4.50% |
| Next S$25K | 0.05% | 6.00% |
| Above S$150K | 0.05% | 0.05% |
| Maximum Effective Interest Rate | 5% p.a. | 4% p.a. |
| Cap | S$100K | S$150K |
World Elite Mastercard benefits
The UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card is a World Elite Mastercard, the highest tier of Mastercard there is.
World Elite Mastercard cardmembers are entitled to the following privileges:
- GHA Titanium status
- IPrefer Titanium status and 25,000 points
- Swiss-Belexecutive Platinum Connoisseur status
- Wyndham Rewards Diamond status
- HoteLux Elite Plus membership and 2,000 points
- Avis President’s Club status
- One 3GB Flexiroam data package per year
- Complimentary golf games
Summary Review: UOB Lady’s Card
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| ๐ฆ MileLion Verdict | |
| โ Take It โ Take It Or Leave It โ Leave It |
Yes, the UOB Lady’s Cards aren’t nearly as awesome as they were prior to April 2024. The formidable 6 mpd rate has reverted to “just” 4 mpd, and the bonus cap on the Lady’s Solitaire is now S$2,000 per month.
However, I hardly think that either change is a deal-breaker. The UOB Lady’s Cards can more than hold their own against any competition out there, and the ability to choose your preferred bonus category each month means that this could be a dining card, or a travel card, or a shopping card, depending on your needs at the time.
Don’t forget that you can also earn an extra 2 mpd by depositing S$10,000 in the Lady’s Savings Account, which restores the overall earn rate to 6 mpd and brings us back to pre-April 2024 days.
So that’s my review of the UOB Lady’s Cards. What do you think?
This card is basically the only dining card that gives 4mpd on dining since the unicorn disappeared…
exactly- although thankfully there are other ways to get 4 mpd on dining (e.g grabpay, uob ppv)
Doesnt HSBC Revo (non fast food) or Citi Rewards + Amaze give 4mpd on dining as well?
Now HSBC Revo is 99% crippled for dining unless the restaurants all provide QR menu and accept payments online…
and even then you have to be careful that the restaurant doesn’t code as 5814!
@Aaron,
You only earn 2% SMART$ for transactions >$100 at Dairy Farm group merchants, anything less you get 0.3%.
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards/cards-privileges/smart-privileges.page#participatingmerchants
Better to use another cards for this ๐
added that detail for clarity, thanks
Heard that UOB relaxed the min income requirements on the Solitaire for the last 2-3 months to encourage signups. My cousin managed to get it and she earns about 60k pa.
good to know. Visa has an unpublished rule that you need a minimum income of S$80k to qualify for a visa infinite card (or else a priority banking relationship), was curious as to whether mastercard had a similar rule for world elite mastercard.
I’ve been using the card for a year and here are some things that may / may not be mentioned above: 1. SMART$ vs UNI$: My personal experience: Guardian is a SMART$, meaning that I get SMART$1 instead of UNI$1, but I still get the bonus UNI$9. So I wouldn’t necessarily avoid SMART$ merchants 2. The way bonus UNI$ for the selected categories are calculated may make it worthwhile to make transactions that are less than S$5. The bonus spend is aggregated by calendar posting month and then divided by 5. 3. Grabfood isn’t counted under Dining. A bit of… Read more »
point 1 is very interesting indeed.. maybe i’ll investigate with my UOB PPV.
PPV does not get the bonus UNI$9. But XYZโs point is specific to the Ladyโs card, and worth a clarification.
Yes, I mean specifically for the Lady’s card, sorry.
I think it’s due to the way the bonus UNI$9 are calculated, as under point 2.
CS told me it was so, I have a partially redacted points statement here as well (ignore the dining highlight, it’s under health & beauty)
Wow, didn’t know UOB provides such points statements. Can anyone just call UOB’s customer service to request a copy FOC anytime?
Yes you can and you actually should. Not only does UOB classify transactions differently from other merchants (ie. GrabFood doesnโt get booked correctly), they are also very inflexible on awarding bonus points (they also donโt have an explanation for me as to why they seem to be the only bank who cannot identify GrabFood) The health and beauty category is also a big headache your large purchases are probably spa / facial packages and in my experience they NEVER get booked under the correct MCC. So youโre looking at a loss of a lot of miles. I am actually in… Read more »
Recently I tried to request a copy of the points statement from UOB but was rejected flatly by the CS. He rather check the transactions I had doubts on for me one by one via phone. Not sure if XYZ just happened to be lucky with a nice CS rep…
I completely agree the beauty category is a nightmare and customer service is really patchy. I have the UOB ladies solitaire card too and am not a fan. One of the categories I selected is โbeauty and wellnessโ but hardly any of the transactions I make in this category qualify for the bonus points. I think beauty-related merchants somehow often use unrelated MCC that are not covered by the rather limited MCC codes UOBโs categories include. So the card is quite useless in this category. Safer to use a card with high general spend ratio. Also, it is extremely hard… Read more »
thank you for this info! have put a note in the post.
I’m wondering if discriminating by gender is even legal in Singapore for generic products like credit cards? I wonder what the reaction would be if a bank were to launch a card or a savings account for men only…
Find it extremely distasteful that the only points/miles card which spending qualifies for bonus interest for the One account is available only to women. It’s as if UOB is telling us that men on average earn/save/spend than women, thus would cost the bank too much from paying out the bonus interest/points to make sense – very misogynistic and counter-intuitive when the card purportedly espouses the strength and beauty of the modern woman…
insurers are allowed to discriminate and routinely charge younger women significantly more on health insurance products (looking at you, Aviva and Manulife).
health insurance is a need. miles chasing is not (no matter how it may feel to us lol). so the answer to your rhetorical question is: women are discriminated against in other financial products and we deal with it.
i wouldn’t mind reversing the deal and paying a $1,000 less in insurance premiums, but maybe that’s just me
Health insurers do not only discriminate against women. They are equal opportunity discriminators when it comes to making a profit. Health insurers routinely discriminate against the obese, underweight, aged, autistic, infirm, disabled, previous claimants and anybody with a hint of medical history. More young females need gynecologists more than young males need andrologists. It’s just the actuaries counting the beans. Having a card for women only might be based on some target group analysis by the bank and if this is so then fair enough. Banks are for-profit, not for-charity. Otherwise they would be called charities. Agree with XYZ. We… Read more »
Personally, the most interesting discovery is the fact that Lazada and Qo100 are classified under Fashion, but Shopee is not.
Wrt annual fee waiver, yes, they waived off mine this year for Solitaire. My spend on that card is actually not very consistent as I favour VS whenever I can paywave. My estimate is I spent less than $1K every few months on Solitaire.
thanks for the data point! if they do waive AF for solitaire then that’s pretty good isn’t it? for a 3k cap on 4 mpd
Also got my annual fee on the lady’s solitaire waived, and I do not use the card much as i default to the PPV. My categories are transport and dining, so I think I spent $250 on average each month, and near zero in the recent few months.
Feedback / warning: You should monitor your bonus transactions like a hawk, and even then you may get alot less miles than expected. Not only does UOB classify transactions differently from other merchants (ie. GrabFood doesnโt get booked correctly), they are also very inflexible on awarding bonus points (they also donโt have an explanation for me as to why they seem to be the only bank who cannot identify GrabFood) The health and beauty category is also a big headache your large purchases are probably spa / facial packages and in my experience they NEVER get booked under the correct… Read more »
thanks for the heads up! i think health and beauty may be a bit iffy (i can see how the merchants under that category could process under a wide range of MCCs, especially if they sell packages online via a 3rd party platform. I would have thought that dining would be a safe category, but from what you’re saying grabfood is problematic.
Did you know you could actually hold more than one lady’s card? Their T&C clearly say it is auto upgrade/downgrade when you apply for a new one. However, I just got off the chat with their digibot agent and she waived the UNI$ deduction on my normal Lady’s card. I applied the solitaire version last month because they charged me annual fee for the normal version. I was waiting for them to auto cancel the old card and refund me the UNI$, which obviously did not happen, had to call and ask to cancel but digibot agent say you can… Read more »
I know topping up GrabPay doesn’t clock miles anymore anywhere. But does anyone know if topping up GrabPay counts towards spending amount on the card? To hit minimum spend for UOB One Account interest rate?
anyone knows how will a purchase from Amazon usa be classified under the 7 categories?
Which category would Qoo10 purchases fall under? Fashion?
Does anyone know how I can get an invite for the metal card? I have the Solitaire now
Don’t even bother. I called up CS 2x and they were supposed to arrange callback for me regarding the metal card. It NEVER happened. I am an existing customer who banks mainly with UOB + have other existing credit cards, yet they simply do not even care to call me back with such a simple request. With this atrocious level of service, I am taking my spending to other banks and credit cards that provide better services.
Would the solitaire card not be extremely useful for someone who travels a lot for work and can use his/her own card to pay for the costs before getting reimbursed by their employer?
Just wanted to ask if someone who has chosen the Travel category for the bonus, do merchants like hotels.com, booking.com and other OTAs qualify for earning 4MPD?
hi per UOB lady features site hotels.com, expedia, airbnb and agoda is considered as travel categories. Do you have any past transactions at this site to confirm that these are qualifying?
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards/credit/ladys/features.html?category=Travel
Do we have a telegram chat like those AMEX and CP chat to discuss the benefits offers and deals for UOB lady’s card too?
Hello. Does anyone know if spending in foreign currency while travelling earns bonus points? Thanks!
As a dude, can I get my wife to apply for this card, but link it to my krisflyer account?
Did anyone meet the requirement for solitaire and with good credit score but still get rejected? Happen to me without any reason given
Same experience here too. More than above the income requirement but got rejected.
sorry no
For some reason, it seems your blog benefits details i better than UOB lady’s card website
Couldnt find the benefit registration link to the complimentary travel insurance on their website…
Anyone knows how to qualify for the metal card?
Fine, give the women 6mpd to make them spend more. Does UOB care to explain why this is the only miles-earning card to satisfy the CC spend component required to trigger bonus interest for the One account? I have been curious about this for a while now.
โOne protip is to apply via SMS instead of via the website (this only works if youโre an existing UOB cardholder). This supposedly works even if youโre shy of the minimum income requirement)โ. Unfortunately this protip doesnโt work. I tried few times to apply for UOB ladyโs solitaire this year and the last attempt with SMS also rejected. I have UOB One Account and another credit card with them, however the result is still unfavourable. Disappointed with UOB if thatโs true that โapplicants getting approved for the card with much, much lower incomes than S$120,000โ like what stated in your… Read more »
late reply but wanted to contribute a data point – I did apply early last year with a lower income than 120000 (<100k actually) but I only had (and still only do) have one UOB card which is the solitaire. i guess they might factor in your existing cards, or another possibility is that they started becoming more stringent with the condition since lifting the gender restriction and (maybe) receiving more applications.
Hi Milelion,
quick qns, just want clarify, if I am planning for an oversea trip.
if I spend oversea with UOB lady’s card pairing with Instarem, do i pick travel as the category?
Does the 6 MPD work with Apple Pay and Paywave?
Wanted to know this too. Scrolled through entire chats to find out but unfortunately not answered
Thank you Aaron for including the link to change bonus categories. So hard to find.
Hi Aaron,
I saw this part :
โTheย UOB Ladyโs Classicย andย UOB Ladyโs Platinum Cardsย are basically identical.โ
How do I know if mine is the classic or platinum? Also, if we are on classic, how do we get platinum card? (Any specific requirements?)
use live chat on uob website to ask, they should be able to help
Hello Aaron, I happen to own both UOB lady and Ladyโs Solitaire Card. I like to ask about what is the max bonus for my case. My Spend is UOB Lady more 1k which the max cap is 2800 UNi$ and Ladyโs Solitaire Card more than 3k which is Cap at 8400 Uni$. I suppose to receive 2800 + 8400 = 11200 uni$. However, uob only given me 2800 + 5400 = 8200 . All Transactions are eligible for Bonus point. They told me that because the Both card are combined into ONE and the max Cap is 8400 Uni$… Read more »
refer here: https://milelion.com/2023/07/02/complete-faqs-uob-ladys-ladys-solitaire-card/
Does anyone know if Amazon Fresh is not under the grocery MCC for Ladyโs Card? I am not awarded the bonus miles for my Amazon Fresh transaction under the Family category.
Itโs impossible to get through the call for clarification. The generic helpline canโt answer this question and they had to escalate to the โspecialistโ, itโs been a few attempts, the wait is just too long and I havenโt been able to get through to the specialist to get an answer for this.
If I have set my 2 categories as dining, travel, do I need to be concerned about which mode of payment is used? The article mentions online/offline is allowed. But I Was wondering if mobile contactless, physical strip/chip usage, usage via amaze, phone, paywave etc are all included? To be honest, this is the part the confuses me the most about which transactions are eligible. Is there a guide for me to refer? thanks
I believe one of the main disadvantages of using a UOB card is their hidden charge of 1% on transactions processed in SGD but supposedly outside Singapore, which obviously a customer has no control on.
I just realized the hard way that all my AirBnB as well as Agoda txns are being charged at 1% extra, even though I am paying in SGD. That’s eating into the beenfit in a fairly significant manner
Same here, I didn’t know about the 1% International Processing fee and found out when I saw the 1% increase in the bank statement. I was also charged 1% extra by UOB for Agoda and Airbnb transactions.
This clause is in https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards/credit-cards/terms-and-conditions.page.
I think the article should also include this 1% International Processing fee.
Can this card be used with the FairPrice mobile app? This should constitute as an in-app payment.
Test it with $1 spent to confirm the mcc. Some reported it is different if paid by app.
For those wondering, MCC for fairprice mobile app payment is 5411. you need to have “family” category
How to check my current chosen reward categories?
Unfortunately the only way is to call customer service
The bonus categories that you select are not shown anywhere on the internet banking website or app. You’ll need to keep track of your selection in the latest application.
UOB is a pain to use.
Hello Aaron, since the promo is ending this Feb 2024 would you think it is still worth getting? Thanks!
Only 6 days left of this beautiful 6mpd card. Cmon UOB give us another year!
Does anyone knows if the metal card annual fee is waivable?
Is anyone able to apply for the solitaire card? I can’t seem to get past the first page even after entering my personal details correctly. After entering the OTP, it doesn’t allow me to proceed past the first page.
10k deposit for 6mpd is a no brainer. funds are not locked in anyway
and surely nobody lives life with zero cash contingency
Opportunity cost for that can exceed the value of 2 miles
If I have both a UOB one account and a UOB lady’s account, does using my UOB lady’s credit card make me eligible for extra interest/ extra UNI$ earn rate on both accounts?
Interested to know the answer to this too!
Yes, i can confirm recently UOB has tightened requirement for Lady’s Solitaire Card. Proven like this. I have been using UOB ONE Account for many years. When i opened my account, my income was roughly 60k if i recall correctly. 1) i applied Lady’s Solitaire using my existing login UOB details. I was too lazy to use singpass at that time as i thought the application would go through/be approved since i recently joined their wealth banking out of curiosity. However it got instantly rejected the next day. So wealth banking or not does not affect approval of Lady’s Solitaire… Read more »
Haha. Same reason I have been rejected by OCBC Bank for the most basic of credit cards as they show my income as $1200 a month (when I started working decades ago and had a supp card). Come onโฆ.you pay for a credit report that shows I have loans and multiple credit cards and graded the highest possible scoreโฆ..maybe OCBC had implemented automated screening since 10-15 yrs back LOL
Small error: the T&C link under the section โ What transactions arenโt eligible for UNI$?โ is pointing to that for PPV.
fixed, thanks!
Seems like it’s worth paying the annual fee (10,000 UNI$) for the Solitaire card since UOB credits bonus 12,500 UNI$ for annual fee?
Does ladyโs card earn bonus at SPC? assuming iโve selected transport category. i did not find exclusion stated in the T&Cs and its not listed under UOB$ merchant. but i know PPV definitely doesnโt earn cos i tried before.
Is there an expected min spend on the Ladies Solitaire to qualify for a fee waiver? I’ve heard/read somewhere that it’s 50k. How strict are they about that?
Hi,
I have a question on FCY vs mobile contactless payment especially in overseas dealing with FCY. For example if I use Apple Pay on my phone to tap the terminal in Zurich and pay 500CHF to a travel agency (say one that sells the tour package), and if my card has Travel selected as the category, does this 500CHF count as 4 or 0.4mpd? Thank you.