DBS yuu Card makes 18% rebates year-round feature

Back in April 2023, the DBS yuu Card received an almighty buff which saw its underwhelming, convoluted rewards system replaced with a relatively-straightforward rebate of up to 18% at yuu merchants. 

I don’t care which side of the miles/cashback divide you fall on. No one in the right mind says no to 18% rebates, which trump even the 6 mpd offered by the UOB Lady’s Card. 

Logic would tell you that such largess isn’t sustainable forever. In fact, I already thought we got lucky when the original expiry of 30 September 2023 was pushed a further five months to 29 February 2024.

But maybe I just don’t understand how deep Temasek’s pockets are, because the DBS yuu Card has now removed the expiry date for the 18% rebates offer, which means it simply continues until further notice.

DBS yuu Card makes 18% rebates evergreen

DBS yuu Card
Apply (AMEX)
Apply (Visa)
	Earn Rate	Remarks
Non-yuu merchants	Base: 1 pt/S$1 (0.5% rebate)	No min. spend or cap
yuu merchants	Base: 10 pts/S$1 (5% rebate)	No min. spend or cap
	Bonus: 26 pts/S$1 (13% rebate)	Min. S$600 spend per month, cap at 15,600 points per month
Base points credited when transaction posts, bonus points credited within 60 days after the end of each month

As a reminder, the DBS yuu Card earns:

• A base of 10 points per S$1 spent (5% rebate) at yuu merchants, with no minimum spend or cap
• A bonus of 26 points per S$1 spent (13% rebate) at yuu merchants, subject to a min. monthly spend of S$600 and capped at 15,600 points per month

The bonus component was originally set to lapse on 29 February 2024, but that’s now been scrubbed from the landing page. Likewise, a new version of the T&Cs went live on 31 January 2024, which removes references to an expiry date for the bonus award. 

Just to be sure, I reached out to DBS, who confirmed that the bonus 13% rebates are now evergreen.

I should probably caveat this by saying that nothing in the credit card world lasts forever, and there will eventually come a day when this all ends. But the removal of the February expiry at least gives us more breathing room, and in fact, the yuu Card’s value proposition will get even more lucrative from 1 April 2024- through no merit of its own. That’s the date that the UOB Lady’s Card ends its 6 mpd promotion, meaning the next best alternative for groceries, food delivery and ridesharing drops to 4 mpd.

You’d need to value a mile at >4.5 cents apiece to pick miles over cashback in those scenarios. I know I certainly don’t.

Which merchants participate in yuu?

As a reminder, the following merchants participate in the yuu loyalty programme:

Do note that certain items sold at these merchants are not eligible for bonus rebates, such as Stage 1 infant milk powder and plastic bags. You can find a list in the Appendix of the T&Cs.

DBS yuu Card welcome offer

If you don’t already have a DBS yuu Card, the bank is currently offering the following sign-up offers for new and existing DBS customers who sign up by 31 May 2024.

Card	New	Existing
DBS yuu AMEX Apply	S$388	S$60
DBS yuu Visa Apply	S$388	–
❓ New Cardmembers are defined as those who do not currently hold a principal DBS/POSB card, and have not cancelled one in the past 12 months

A minimum spend of S$800 (new) or S$300 (existing) within 30 days of approval is required. You’ll obviously want to spend this entire amount at yuu merchants for the biggest possible rebate.

The T&Cs of this offer can be found here.

Conclusion

The DBS yuu Card has made its 18% rebates at yuu merchants an evergreen feature, something I certainly didn’t see coming at the start of the year.

For those who are able to min-max this bonus each month, it’s an excellent opportunity to pick up an easy S$108 per card- even more if you find some sweet spot yuu redemptions. 

I used my yuu points to watch the Australian Open for free with a Singtel sports package, and quite frankly don’t mind if it keeps making me eat my words like this.

(HT: Ryan Quek)