KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card offering 5 mpd for foreign currency spend

UOB has launched a new bonus miles promotion for the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, which offers up to 5 mpd on all online or offline foreign currency transactions till 28 August 2023.

This promotion runs over three monthly periods, with a minimum foreign currency spend of S$1,500 per period and a cap of 7,600 bonus miles.

Assuming you max this bonus out with foreign currency general spend, you’d be looking at up to 22,800 bonus miles, plus an additional 7,200 base miles.

Earn up to 5 mpd on foreign currency spending

From 29 May to 28 August 2023, KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders can register for this promotion by sending the following SMS to 77862: 

There is no cap on the number of cardholders who can register. All the same, you should register as soon as possible, since registration is not retroactive. UOB provides the following example:

• If your SMS Registration occurs in Qualifying Period 1, you shall be eligible to participate in Qualifying Periods 1, 2 and 3 and you can choose to satisfy the Minimum Spend requirement in Qualifying Periods 1, 2 and/or 3
• However, if your SMS Registration occurs in Qualifying Period 3, you shall only be eligible to participate in Qualifying Period 3 and your Minimum Spend requirement must be satisfied within Qualifying Period 3

Once registered, cardholders who spend at least S$1,500 in foreign currency transactions during any of the three qualifying periods…

…will earn up to 5 mpd as illustrated by the table below.

The maximum bonus is capped at 7,600 miles per qualifying period. This is equivalent to S$2,000 of general spend, or S$3,800 of bonus category spend.

For avoidance of doubt, you can participate in as many or as few qualifying periods as you wish. Supplementary cardholders are eligible to participate in this promotion, but their spending will count towards the cap of the principal cardholder. 

What counts as eligible transactions?

A minimum of S$1,500 must be spent on eligible foreign currency transactions during a given qualifying spend period. 

Eligible transactions refer to both online and offline retail transactions, excluding those on the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s general exclusions list (found at clause 1.8-1.13 of the T&Cs) such as education, insurance premiums and government payments. 

Once again, transactions must be charged in foreign currency, so pairing the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card with Amaze would not earn you 5 mpd (since Amaze converts all transactions into SGD). On a similar note, beware of DCC because any DCC-ed transactions will be posted in SGD and not eligible for bonus miles!

When will I receive my miles?

Bonus miles will be automatically credited to your KrisFlyer membership account according to the following timelines:

Terms & Conditions

The full T&Cs for the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card foreign currency spend promotion can be found here.

Is this offer worth it?

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has an FCY transaction fee of 3.25%, so with this 5 mpd offer you’re paying about 0.65 cents per mile (ignoring the Mastercard spread). 

Your next best alternative would be to pair the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card with Amaze, which would earn up to 3 mpd with an implicit FCY fee of ~1.8% (due to the spread over Mastercard rates).

However, the 3 mpd earn rate would only be applicable to dining, online shopping & travel and transport transactions, so the scope is narrower than the “anything goes” approach of this 5 mpd offer. On the other hand, there’s no minimum spend to worry about (apart from the S$800 spend on SIA Group merchants required to trigger the 3 mpd earn rate), and no caps as well. 

Or if you’re willing to go beyond the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card, pairing the Amaze with the UOB Lady’s Card (6 mpd) or Citi Rewards (4 mpd) would let you earn miles at a lower cost of 0.3 to 0.45 cents per mile. 

What’s the best card to use with Amaze?

Let’s not forget the Standard Chartered Journey Card (formerly known as the Standard Chartered X Card) too, which is offering cardholders a 3.5% rebate on foreign currency spending made in June, July, November and December 2023. The regular earn rate of 2 mpd still applies, so the miles are basically free (again, ignoring Mastercard’s spread).

Earn 5 mpd with the UOB PRVI Miles Card too

If you hold a UOB PRVI Miles Card, you can register to earn up to 5 mpd on in-person overseas shopping and dining up till 30 June 2023.

This requires a lower minimum spend of S$1,000, and has a cap of S$4,000. However, you’ll need to be more particular with MCCs, since this offer only covers shopping and dining. Moreover, you’ll need to be physically overseas to enjoy the bonus, since online transactions are excluded. 

Conclusion

Apply

Review

From now till 28 August 2023, KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders can register to earn 5 mpd on foreign currency spending, whether online or offline. 

A minimum spend of S$1,500 applies per qualifying spend period, and the bonus component is capped at 7,600 miles per qualifying spend period. 

If you don’t have a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card yet, don’t forget that UOB is running a rare uncapped sign-up offer for new-to-bank customers: 25,000 bonus miles with a minimum spend of S$2,000 in the first 60 days of approval.

Refer to the article below for the full details of this offer, which ends 31 July 2023.

Extended: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card uncapped 25,000 miles sign-up offer