Review: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card's uncapped bonuses make it very handy for miles collectors, even if it isn't the highest-earning card in each category.

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardfor those who want a Singapore Airlines cobrand card, but need something with wider acceptance than American Express.

While I don’t have many nice things to say about its debit card brethren, I am a much bigger fan of this card, given its uncapped bonuses on Singapore Airlines tickets, Kris+, dining, food delivery, online shopping, travel and transport. It might not be the absolute best card to use for each category, but even the most committed of miles optimisers will find it has something to offer.

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
๐Ÿฆ MileLion Verdict
โ˜‘ Take It
โ˜ Take It Or Leave It
โ˜ Leave It

What do these ratings mean?
The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s uncapped bonuses make it very handy for miles collectors, even if it isn’t the highest-earning card in each category.
๐Ÿ‘ The good ๐Ÿ‘Ž The bad
  • Uncapped 3 mpd on SIA and Scoot tickets, Kris+, dining, food delivery, online shopping & travel, and transport
  • Online shopping bonuses extendable to offline with Amaze
  • No conversion fees
  • Periodic discounts on KrisFlyer Experiences
  • Bonus miles delayed by up to 14 months
  • Lacklustre Scoot and Singapore Airlines privileges
  • No bonus for foreign currency general spend
๐Ÿ’ณ Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card.

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
Apply
Income Req. S$30,000 p.a. Points Validity 3 years
Annual Fee S$196.20
(FYF)
Min.
Transfer
N/A
Miles with
Annual Fee
10,000 Transfer
Partners
  • SIA
FCY Fee 3.25% Transfer Fee N/A
Local Earn 1.2 mpd Points Pool? N/A
FCY Earn 1.2 mpd Lounge Access? No
Special Earn 3 mpd on SIA Group, dining, online shopping & travel, transport Airport Limo? No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

Be careful not to confuse the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card with the KrisFlyer UOB Debit Card. The two sport similar designs and names, but the value proposition is altogether different.

  Credit Card Debit Card
Min Income Req. S$30,000 N/A
Annual Fee $196.20 S$54.50
Base Earn Rate 1.2 mpd 0.4 mpd
Requires KrisFlyer UOB Savings Account? No Yes

Simply put: if you earn enough to qualify for a credit card, there’s very little reason to consider the debit card option.

How much must I earn to qualify for a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card?

dbs altitude income requirement

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has a minimum income requirement of S$30,000 per year, the MAS-mandated minimum.

If you do not meet the minimum income requirement, it may be possible to place a S$10,000 fixed deposit with UOB to get a secured version. Contact your nearest UOB branch for more details.

Welcome offer

From 1 January to 31 March 2024, new-to-UOB customers who apply and are approved for a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card will enjoy up to 25,000 bonus miles when they spend at least S$2,000 in the first 60 days of approval.

โ“ New-to-UOB definition

New-to-UOB is defined as customers as those who:

  • do not currently hold a principal UOB credit card, and
  • have not cancelled a principal UOB credit card in the 6-month period before 1 Jan 2024

This is broken down into:

Bonus Min. Spend Cap
5,000 miles S$5 on first trxn. No cap
20,000 miles S$2,000 in 60 days No cap

5,000 miles will be awarded to cardholders who make their first spend of at least S$5. 

20,000 miles will be awarded to applicants who spend at least S$2,000 within the first 60 days of approval. 

โ“ Existing UOB customer?
Existing UOB customers who apply for a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card are eligible for the 5,000 bonus miles on first spend. However, this is a once-per-lifetime offer; if you previously held this card, you cannot receive the bonus a second time even if you sign-up again.

The first year’s annual fee of S$196.20 is automatically waived, so assuming you have spend coming up, these bonus miles are essentially “free”.

How much is the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s annual fee?

  Principal Card Supp. Card
First Year Free 1st free, S$98.10 for 2nd onwards
Subsequent S$196.20 1st free, S$98.10 for 2nd onwards

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has an annual fee of S$196.20 for the principal cardholder, which is waived for the first year. The first supplementary card is free, but the second onwards will cost S$98.10 each.

Paying the principal card’s annual fee nets you 10,000 miles, which means buying miles at ~1.96 cents each. In my experience, it’s not too difficult to get an annual fee waiver either- refer to the article below for more details.

Credit card annual fee waivers: A bank-by-bank guide

How many miles do I earn?

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ SGD Spend ๐ŸŒŽ FCY Spend โž• Bonus Spend
1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd 3 mpd on SIA Group, Kris+, dining, food delivery, online shopping, online travel, transport

SGD/FCY Spend

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card members earn:

  • 6 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent in Singapore Dollars
  • 6 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent in foreign currency (FCY)

That’s an equivalent earn rate of 1.2 mpd for both.

It’s a bit unusual to see a general spending card without an FCY spending bonus (although to be fair, the AMEX KrisFlyer cobrand cards don’t offer it for 10 out of 12 months a year!), and that puts it at the bottom of the pack. But, as we’ll see in a bit, this isn’t a card you get for general spending.

๐Ÿ’ณ Earn Rates for General Spending Cards
(income req.: S$30K)
Cards Local Spend FCY Spend
UOB PRVI Miles 1.4 mpd 2.4 mpd
HSBC TravelOne Card 1.2 mpd 2.4 mpd
DBS Altitude 1.3 mpd 2.2 mpd
OCBC 90ยฐN Card 1.3 mpd 2.1 mpd
Citi PremierMiles 1.2 mpd 2 mpd
StanChart Journey 1.2 mpd 2 mpd
AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend 1.2 mpd 2 mpd*
AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card 1.1 mpd 2 mpd*
BOC Elite Miles 1 mpd 2 mpd
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card 1.2 mpd 1.2 mpd
*In June and Dec only, otherwise 1.1 mpd

All overseas transactions are subject to a 3.25% fee, so using your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card overseas represents buying miles at an unattractive 2.71 cents apiece- unless of course you tap into its bonus categories.

๐Ÿ’ณ FCY Fees by Issuer and Card Network
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

Kris+ & SIA Group

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders will earn 15 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent (3 mpd) on:

  • Kris+
  • SIA Group transactions, defined as:
    • Singapore Airlines
    • Scoot
    • KrisShop

This includes using your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card to pay for taxes and surcharges on a KrisFlyer award redemption, or paying for add-on services with Scoot like luggage, seat selection and meals.

The bonus rate applies to both online and offline transactions, whether in SGD or FCY. No minimum spend is required, and there is no cap on the maximum bonus miles that can be earned.

Accelerated miles bonus

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders who spend at least S$800 on SIA Group transactions in a membership year will earn 15 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent (3 mpd) on the following transactions:

  • Dining and food delivery
  • Online shopping
  • Online travel
  • Transport

This is referred to as the “Accelerated Miles bonus”, and applies to both SGD and FCY spending. Accelerated Miles will be awarded on these transactions from the start of the membership year, not just from the time the minimum spend was met.

โš ๏ธ Reminder
SIA Group transactions do not include spending on Pelago and Kris+. 

While you could earn 4-6 mpd on most of these categories with other cards, the key advantage of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is the absence of a cap. This makes it ideal for big ticket purchases that would bust the cap of other cards like the DBS Woman’s World Card or UOB Lady’s Card.

โš ๏ธ Evolution of minimum SIA Group spend

The minimum SIA Group spend required to trigger the bonus earn rate has changed several times in the past.

  • Membership year ending April 2021 to August 2022: S$300
  • Membership year ending September 2022 to March 2023: S$500
  • Membership year ending April 2023 onwards: S$800

At this point, every cardholder should be on the S$800 scheme already.

For more on how the Accelerated Miles feature works, refer to the post below. 

How does the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s Accelerated Miles feature work?

Dining & Food Delivery

MCC Examples
5812
Eating Places and Restaurants
Crystal Jade, Imperial Treasure, Paradise Dynasty, Deliveroo*, Food Panda*, GrabFood*
5813
Bars, Cocktail Lounges, Discotheques, Nightclubs and Taverns
Brewerkz, Harry’s, Jigger & Pony
5814
Fast Food Restaurants
Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s, Subway, 
*Deliveroo, Food Panda and GrabFood may also code as MCC 5814

Dining is defined as restaurants, bars, and fast food outlets. The bonus also applies to food delivery platforms such as Deliveroo, Food Panda and GrabFood.

However, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s definition of dining is more narrow compared to other cards on the market, and does not include MCC 5811 (Caterers), MCC 5441 (Candy, Nut, Confectionary Stores), MCC 5462 (Bakeries), or MCC 5499 (Misc. Food Stores). Restaurants within hotels may also not qualify for this bonus, to the extent they code as hotel spend.

๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Dining Card MCC Coverage
 
  HSBC Revo
UOB Lady’s
KF UOB
5811
Caterers
โœ… โœ…  
5812
Restaurants
โœ… โœ… โœ…
5813
Bars & Nightclubs
โœ…   โœ…
5814
Fast Food
โœ… โœ… โœ…
5441
Candy, Nut, Confectionary Stores
โœ…    
5462
Bakeries
โœ…    
5499
Misc. Food Stores
โœ… โœ…  
Earn Rate 4 mpd 6 mpd 3 mpd
Monthly Cap S$1K S$1K/3K No cap

Online Shopping

MCC Examples
4816
Computer Network/ Info Services
Godaddy, Twitch, Peatix
5309
Duty Free Stores
DFS, KrisShop, The Shilla
5310
Discount Stores
N/A
5311
Department Stores
Taobao, Isetan, Marks & Spencer
5331
Variety Stores
Muji, Mustafa, Miniso
5399

Misc General Merchandise
Iuiga, Japan Home, Comgateway
5611 
Men’s Clothing
Benjamin Barker, Dockers, Superdry
5621
Women’s Ready to Wear
bYSI, Coast, Forever21
5631
Women’s Accessories
Bimba Y Lola, Chomel, Coach
5641
Children’s and Infants’ Wear
Abercrombie Kids, Cotton On Kids, Kidstyle
5651
Family Clothing
ASOS, Bossini, Desigual
5661
Shoe Stores
ALDO, Bata, Birkenstock
5691
Men’s and Women’s Clothing
Prada, G2000, Ezbuy
5699
Accessory and Apparel 
LeSportsac, Crumpler, Esprit
5732-5735
Electronics, Music Stores, Computer Software
Apple, Audio House, MealPal
5912
Drug Stores and Pharmacies
Guardian, NTUC Unity, Watsons
5942
Book Stores
Book Depository, Kinokuniya, Books Actually
5944-5949
Jewelry, Watches, Toys, Camera, Gift Cards, Leather Goods, Sewing
Cartier, Action City, Canon
5999
Misc. and Specialty Retail
Atome, Amazon, eBay

Online shopping covers a wide range of MCCs, including Amazon, Ezbuy, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee, and Taobao for instance. You can also expect most major fashion retailers to be on this list, along with some unexpected ones like MealPal and hosting providers.

Remember, these transactions must be carried out online. In-store spending will not count, but fortunately there’s an easy workaround- see below!

Online Travel

MCC Examples
Online Travel Agoda, Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Kaligo, Traveloka, Trip.com, UOB Travel

Unlike the other categories, online travel is not defined by specific MCCs, but rather a specific list of merchants.

The whitelist includes all the usual suspects like Agoda, Airbnb, Hotels.com and Trip.com. For obvious reasons, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card can’t explicitly let you earn bonus miles with any airline outside the SIA Group, but you can still book them via Expedia or UOB Travel instead.

Transport

MCC Examples
4111
 Local Commuter Transport
BUS/MRT only
4121
Taxi and Limo
Grab, Gojek, Comfort

Transport refers to Grab, gojek, Comfort and other taxi operators. It also includes SimplyGo transactions made on buses and the MRT. 

Do note that you won’t earn any bonus miles (or base miles for that matter) if you use your card to top-up your EZ-Link balance, or pay at the General Ticketing Machines. You must tap your card (or phone, if you’ve added your card to your mobile wallet) at the gantry in order to qualify for the bonus. 

No bonuses if you do this

UOB$ merchants

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders will not earn any KrisFlyer miles at UOB$ merchants.

UOB$ is UOB’s card-wide cashback programme and includes Cold Storage, Crystal Jade, Giant, Guardian, Starbucks and Toast Box, among others. For the full list, refer to this link.

However, by pairing the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card with Amaze, you can circumvent this restriction. I’ve written about this and other potential workarounds in the following post.

Workarounds: How to earn miles at UOB$ merchants with UOB cards

Tip: Pair with Amaze

Apply here
Review
Use code 7HK2A2 for 225 bonus InstaPoints
๐Ÿ’ณ tl;dr: Amaze Card
  • Link up to five Mastercard credit/debit cards
  • Overseas transactions are converted into SGD (no FCY transaction fees, but subject to FX spread) and charged to the underlying credit/debit card
  • Transaction MCC remains the same, offline transactions charged to Amaze become online transactions for the underlying credit/debit card
  • Earn 1 InstaPoint per S$1 spent on FCY transactions of at least S$10 (except exclusion categories), capped at 500 InstaPoints per transaction
  • Redeem InstaPoints for cashback in blocks of 2,000 InstaPoints= S$20

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is an excellent candidate for pairing with Amaze, because Amaze turns offline transactions into online ones.

This allows you to enjoy all the online shopping bonuses at brick-and-mortar stores. A good example would be someone buying an expensive handbag (e.g. Louis Vuitton, MCC 5948). The transaction amount would likely bust the cap on other 4-6 mpd cards, but the Amaze x KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card will give you an uncapped 3 mpd even in-store.

Just be sure to meet the minimum SIA Group spend of S$800 per membership year!

When are KrisFlyer miles credited?

Base miles, and bonus miles from Kris+ and SIA Group transactions will be directly credited to your KrisFlyer account once per month.

It’s a different story for the bonus miles from dining, food delivery, online shopping, online travel and transport transactions. Of the 15 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 spent:

  • 6 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 (1.2 mpd) will be credited at the end of each calendar month (just like all other regular transactions)
  • 9 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 (1.8 mpd) will be credited two months after the end of the membership year, assuming the minimum spend on SIA Group transactions has been met

This means you could be waiting up to 14 months to receive your bonus! The delayed crediting arrangement gives rise to four problems. I’ve expounded on them in this post, but to summarise:

  1. You’re locked into the card, because all pending bonus miles are forfeited if you cancel.
  2. Reconciling bonus points will be a nightmare. It’s already hard enough to check transactions on a month to month basis. Imagine doing it for an entire year’s worth.
  3. Because your pending bonus miles take anywhere from 2-14 months to reach you, you’re especially exposed to devaluation risk. If Singapore Airlines announces an award chart devaluation, other cardholders can rush out to burn their miles before it happens. You can’t, because they’re in limbo.
  4. Your miles will age at different rates. Some will be credited each month and start their 3-year expiry countdown immediately, the rest will follow in 2-14 months

UOB will argue that this is necessary because there’s no way of knowing, at the point of transaction, whether the cardholder will go on to hit the specified minimum spend required for the bonus. But there surely has to be a better way of doing this, because the current mechanism holds you hostage- if you cancel your card early, you lose your pending bonuses.

How are KrisFlyer miles calculated?

Here’s how you can work out the KrisFlyer miles earned on your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card. 

Local & FCY Spend Round down transaction to nearest S$5, then divide by 5 and multiply by 6
Bonus Component Round down transaction to nearest S$5, then divide by 5 and multiply by 9

Since all transactions are rounded down to the nearest S$5, the minimum spend required to earn miles is S$5. Anything less than that earns nothing!

A simple illustration: Suppose you spent S$9 on your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card. You might figure that’s 10.8 miles (@ 1.2 mpd), but in reality:

  • The S$9 is rounded down to S$5
  • S$5 is divided by 5 and multiplied by 6 to yield 6 miles

You actually earn 6 miles, yielding a mere 0.67 mpd.

This is an extreme example, of course, and the effect of rounding gets smaller as your transaction size increases. But itโ€™s exactly why you should think twice about using your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card for small transactions that arenโ€™t in S$5 blocks.

To show how rounding affects you, let’s compare the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card to the Citi PremierMiles Card. On paper, both of them earn the same 1.2 mpd on all local spending. In reality, however, the Citi PremierMiles performs much better because of its favourable rounding policy. 

  KrisFlyer UOB
Earn rate: 1.2 mpd
citi premiermiles card reviewCiti PremierMiles
Earn rate: 1.2 mpd
S$5 6 miles 6 miles
S$9.99 6 miles 11 miles
S$15 18 miles 18 miles
S$19.99 18 miles 23 miles
S$25 30 miles 30 miles
S$29.99 30 miles 35 miles
S$35 42 miles 42 miles
S$39.99 42 miles 47 miles

If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points: 

Local & FCY Spend =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0) *6
Bonus Component =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0) *9
Where X= Amount Spent

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 KrisFlyer miles?

A full list of transactions that do not earn KrisFlyer Miles can be found in the T&Cs. Iโ€™ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:

  • Charitable Donations
  • Education
  • Government Services 
  • GrabPay top-ups
  • Insurance
  • Real Estate Agents & Managers
  • SPC Service Stations
  • Utilities

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card will earn miles for CardUp transactions, but not ipaymy. 

While Amaze*Transit is mentioned in the exclusions list, this is not a blanket exclusion on Amaze transactions! This clause only affects public transport rides, and shouldn’t be a concern for the vast majority of people. 

What do I need to know about KrisFlyer miles? 

โŒ Expiry โ†”๏ธ Pooling โœˆ๏ธ Transfer Fee
3 years N/A None
โฌ†๏ธ Min. Transfer โœˆ๏ธ No. of Partners โฑ๏ธ Transfer Time
N/A 1 Automatically transferred each month

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card credits KrisFlyer miles directly to your account on a monthly basis, with no conversion fees. 

This is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you save on the usual S$25 conversion fee that most banks charge. On the other, direct crediting means the three year KrisFlyer expiry countdown starts immediately (contrast this to non-cobrand cards where you enjoy โ€œtwo validitiesโ€: one on the bank side, and one on the airline side).

In case you were worried, cancelling your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has no impact on KrisFlyer miles already in your account. 

Other card perks

Instant KrisShopper Insider status

KrisShopper Insider status

KrisShopper is KrisShop’s free-to-join loyalty programme, and awards a bonus of 2-4 mpd on KrisShop purchases depending on membership tier. 

From now till 30 June 2024, KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders can enjoy instant KrisShopper Insider status, which awards a bonus 2.5 mpd on all KrisShop purchases. Be advised, however, that this upgrade only applies if you have not already signed up for KrisShopper.

KrisShopper Tier Qualifying Spend Earn Rate
Non-KrisShopper N/A 1.5 mpd
Member N/A 2 mpd
Insider S$5,000 2.5 mpd
Icon S$10,000 3 mpd 
Ambassador S$15,000 4 mpd
*Qualifying spend includes purchases on KrisShop.com, KrisShop on Kris+, KrisShop on KrisWorld, Inflight purchases on Singapore Airlines. Excludes GST, duties and delivery charges

Registration is required, and can be done via this link. Status will be upgraded within three months of registration, and valid for a 12-month period following that. You will subsequently need to requalify through regular means, i.e. spending S$5,000 on KrisShop within a membership year.

The T&Cs of the status match can be viewed here. 

Discounts for KrisFlyer Experiences

KrisFlyer Experiences is a platform that allows members to redeem their KrisFlyer miles for money-can’t-buy-experiences. We’ve seen F1 Sky Suites, a KrisFlyer cruise-to-nowhere and a specially-chartered points plane to Langkawi.

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card members occasionally enjoy a 10% rebate on the number of miles required, which can be substantial depending on the experience. This is normally offered in limited quantity, so subscribe to The MileLion’s Telegram Channel and get alerted when new deals go live.

Miles extension perk

If you ever wanted an example of UOB’s fetish for complicated T&Cs, look no further than the miles extension perk.

Simply put, KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders can enjoy a one-time 12-month extension for KrisFlyer miles earned between 1 January to 31 December 2021. 

Not so simply put, they’ll have to jump through a whole lot of hoops. This involves sending a registration SMS from August 2023 to December 2024 (yes, 2023 and 2024!), and calculating how many of expiring miles came from the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card specifically. 

Earn Month Expiry Month SMS submission period
Jan 2021 Jan 2024 Aug 2023 to Jan 2024
Feb 2021 Feb 2024 Sep 2023 to Feb 2024
Mar 2021 Mar 2024 Oct 2023 to Mar 2024
Apr 2021 Apr 2024  Nov 2023 to Apr 2024
May 2021 May 2024 Dec 2023 to May 2024
Jun  2021 Jun 2024 Jan 2024 to Jun 2024
Jul 2021 Jul 2024 Feb 2024 to Jul 2024
Aug 2021 Aug 2024 Mar 2024 to Aug 2024
Sep 2021 Sep 2024 Apr 2024 to Sep 2024
Oct 2021 Oct 2024 May 2024 to Oct 2024
Nov 2021 Nov 2024 Jun 2024 to Nov 2024
Dec 2021 Dec 2024 Jul 2024 to Dec 2024

Keep in mind, this benefit is only available for up to 60,000 miles!

I’ll spare you the details, but if you want to understand just how convoluted this is, refer to the article below.

Explained: KrisFlyer UOB’s absurd miles extension perk

KrisFlyer UOB Account

The supposed “killer feature” of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is its ability to earn a bonus 5-6 mpd when paired with the KrisFlyer UOB account. This sounds phenomenal, but I’d strongly advise you against it.

krisflyer uob deposit account

First of all, this account pays a measly 0.05% interest. With interest rates on the rise, that’s an almost derisory rate. 

krisflyer uob interest rates

If you think you’ll make up the difference with miles, you should know that the KrisFlyer UOB account caps the bonus miles you can earn at a mere 5% of your monthly average balance.

For example, if you put S$50,000 inside the account, the maximum bonus miles you could earn each month is just 2,500 (5% of 50,000), which you’d hit after spending just S$500 on your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card.

This means that unless you have a ridiculously high miles valuation figure, the opportunity cost is simply too high to be worth considering. 

Fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Silver

The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend has a fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold, but KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card members will have to settle for KrisFlyer Elite Silver. 

Cardmembers who open their cards from 1 May 2022 and spend a minimum of S$5,000 on SIA Group transactions (excluding Kris+) within the first card membership year will receive an upgrade to KrisFlyer Elite Silver.

This is referred to as a “fast track”, but in reality is anything but. Qualifying cardholders will receive their status upgrade within 6 weeks from the last month of the first membership year. You could hit the qualifying spend on your first day, and still have to wait 13+ months to get your status!

Status earned through this “fast track” scheme is only valid for the first year; subsequently, you’ll have to requalify by flying at least 25,000 elite miles in a 12-month membership period.

All in all, it’s much ado about nothing because KrisFlyer Elite Silver has extremely weak benefits. Members receive:

  • A 25% bonus on KrisFlyer miles
  • Complimentary Standard Seat selection on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir
  • Priority reservation waitlist
  • Priority airport standby
  • Discounted service fees

Forget about lounge access, priority boarding, priority check-in or additional luggage allowances. This is as basic as it gets. 

Complete Guide: KrisFlyer Elite Silver benefits

Scoot Privileges

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders enjoy the following benefits when booking Scoot tickets with their card.

โœˆ๏ธ Scoot Privileges for KrisFlyer UOB Cards
(till 18 March 2024)
  For Principal Cardholder For Companions
(on same booking)
Complimentary Priority Check-in and Boarding โœ… โœ…
Extra 5kg Luggage Allowance
(with purchase of min. 20kg allowance)
โœ… โœ…
Complimentary Standard Seat selection โœ… โŒ
One-time Booking Flexibility Waiver โœ… โœ…

Unfortunately, these benefits will be changing from 19 March 2024. 

โœˆ๏ธ Scoot Privileges for KrisFlyer UOB Cards
(from 19 March 2024)
  For Principal Cardholder For Companions
(on same booking)
Complimentary Priority Check-in and Boarding โœ… โœ…
Extra 5kg Luggage Allowance
(with purchase of min. 20 kg allowance)
โœ… โŒ
Complimentary Standard Seat selection โœ… โœ…
One-time Booking Flexibility Waiver โŒ โŒ

These aren’t great perks, to be honest. There’s no free checked bag, the booking flexibility waiver will soon be removed, and the extra 5kg baggage allowance requires you to buy at least 20kg.

To enjoy these benefits, be sure to book your Scoot tickets via this dedicated portal.

KrisShop Privileges

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders enjoy a single-use promo code KFUOBKS2024 that gives S$20 off a minimum spend of S$120 (before GST).

Unfortunately, there is an extensive brand exclusions list.

2x S$15 Grab voucher to/from Changi Airport

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders will receive a biannual S$15 Grab voucher valid for rides to/from Changi Airport.

This can be redeemed once per half yearly (i.e Jan to Jun/ Jul to Dec), with the promo code KFUOBCC. Redemptions are capped at the first 1,000 uses per month. 

2x S$15 off Changi WiFi

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Cardholders will receive a biannual S$15 ChangiWiFi voucher.

This can be redeemed once per half yearly (i.e Jan to Jun/ Jul to Dec). Cardholders can generate a e-redemption code by SMSing KFUOBCC<space>16-digit card number to 77862. 

Redemptions are capped at the first 1,000 uses per month. 

Complimentary travel insurance

Accidental Death Medical Benefits Travel Inconvenience
S$500,000 S$50,000 for medical evacuation None

Many cards offer complimentary travel insurance, but not all policies are made equal. I’ve done the analysis previously, and UOB’s policy is as bare bones as they come.

You have S$500,000 coverage for accidental death or disablement, and S$50,000 for medical evacuation. There’s no coverage for medical expenses, or even travel inconvenience. Lost your luggage? Flight delayed? This policy won’t pay anything.

Since it’s woefully inadequate as your primary cover, you’ll almost certainly need to get separate travel insurance.

Summary Review: KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
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If you’re the type who regularly busts the bonus caps on specialised spending cards, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card might be the answer. The main catch is that 60% of your miles (1.8 mpd) will only arrive 2-14 months later, but those who are willing to wait will be richly rewarded- I can’t think of any other card on the market that will pay out its full bonus rate on a S$30,000 handbag or watch. 

Alternatively, if you’re someone who insists on using one card for everything, then this would be the best form of damage minimisation. I can’t think of any other general spending card with so many different bonus categories: dining, food delivery, online shopping & travel and transport will cover the bases for a lot of people.

Add in the other perks like the ability to save on KrisFlyer Experiences and the occasional discount on Grab airport rides, and I’d reckon this is a solid “Take it” from me.

๐Ÿฆ MileLion Verdict
โ˜‘ Take It
โ˜ Take It Or Leave It
โ˜ Leave It

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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Adam

Interesting point about the Krisflyer UOB account. It does link with the UOB PRVI too if you use that as your general spend card. I did some calculations and assuming a valuation of 1.8 cpm, your breakeven point for the Krisflyer UOB account is actually just over 1% interest p.a. (meaning to say, if your interest in your bank account is less than 1%, you could potentially earn enough miles with the Krisflyer UOB account to make up for it). At this falling interest rate environment, this could look more and more enticing. Calculations (I’m assuming you hit the 5%… Read more »

Mukkul

Isn’t the most important value of the UOB Deposit account that you get 5mpd on total annual card spend, if you maintain a balance of S$1000 per month? Yes the interest is tiny but the 5mpd on total annual card spend is >> than anything else I’ve seen period for losing interest on $1000 only — seem like the best miles deal. But I may be missing something?? https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/krisflyer-uob/credit/account.html?i_cid=pfs:sg:owned:int:site:na:li:na:na:na-evergreen:direct:na&vid=none

Fernando

Hi Aaron,

If I link this Krisflyer Card to Amaze Card, would I still get the 3mpd if I use it for dining overseas (FCY)? This is because the dining spent would have been converted to “Online Spending”.

And I assume paying for hotels & car rental overseas (FCY) would also not get us the accelerated bonus miles of 3mpd?

Thanks

Eric

No need to convert dining to online as it would get 3mpd(provided min 800 spend on SIA group). Not sure about hotel and car rental. Have to check the exclusion terms.

Eric

Ok, just read “No foreign currency spending bonus”. Now I’m confused. I say no.

Matthew

Regarding rounding, in my experience with the card, it’s at the calendar month level and not at the transaction level, regardless of what the T&Cs say. This applies at least for base miles – my accelerated miles are not in yet.

Miles are awarded based on the sum of all transactions posted in a calendar month, rounded down to the nearest $5, then divided by 5 and multiplied by 6.

Matthew

That actually did happen, thanks in part to CB since I mainly use this card for SimplyGo. I had a few SimplyGo transactions last month, each individually less than $5, but in total more than $5. Miles still awarded.

skywords

KF UOB Credit Card: Terrible proposition made worse by UOB’s poor customer support. My wife has been struggling to get her bonus miles. After 3 calls and paying the annual renewal fee, 2 months later they “manually adjusted” 3000 bonus miles against what CS confirmed was a 18,000+ eligible spend. Here’s the problem with deferred bonuses when the system doesn’t work and CS is rubbish! 3 calls x 20 mins each, frustration of having to walk a different through the problem each time and despite promises to get back, no one does. Not worth the effort. Any suggestions on what… Read more »

Last edited 4 years ago by skywords
cheesecake

Regarding the $20 rebate for Krisshop, I had to endure a horrific month to chase for it. At the time when I got my card and made the Krisshop spend, the terms were exactly as you quoted: โ€œCardholders enjoy an annual S$20 rebate on KrisShop purchases with a minimum spend of S$100 nett in a single transaction.โ€ (I fortunately had kept a copy of the actual terms as proof). My spend fully met this condition. After making the purchase but before my rebate was credited, UOB (presumably at the behest of KF) unilaterally changed the qualifying spend to โ€œS$100 nett… Read more »

Aspiring Miles Millionaire

Hi Aaron – on the “online shopping” qualifying spend, am I right in thinking that this must relate to “fashion” websites only falling within the merchant codes, rather than just general shops within the merchant codes (although hard to see how fashion falls into some of the merchant codes), so might exclude things like Amazon and Lazada? Reason being that the T&Cs define “Online Shopping Card Transactions” as those “Card Transaction(s) made at fashion websites that sells clothes, shoes, jewellery, accessories and bags as its main business activity including card-not-present transactions like ecommerce/mail/phone order transactions in local and foreign currencies,… Read more »

Aspiring Miles Millionaire

ok cheers!

AmazingCards

Wondering if the amaze card does โ€œconvertโ€ the spending at offline retail shops to online for UOB KF card?

Jay Tee

Iโ€™m interested to know too about pairing Amaze and UOB KF. This is in the T&C: W.e.f. 1 March 2022, please be informed that transactions with transaction description โ€œAMAZE* TRANSIT*โ€ will be excluded from the awarding of KrisFlyer miles on the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card.

LOL

Clearly *TRANSIT* is there, don’t you see ? Only exclude MRT transaction through Amaze.

Mukkul

Isnโ€™t the most important value of the UOB Deposit account that you get 5mpd on total annual card spend, if you maintain a balance of S$1000 per month? Seems like the best miles deal (if you can spend $800 on SIA stuff + maintain $1000 balance on trivial interest). But I may be missing something?? https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/krisflyer-uob/credit/account.html?i_cid=pfs:sg:owned:int:site:na:li:na:na:na-evergreen:direct:na&vid=none

xeno

there’s a cap on the bonus miles of 5% of monthly balance in the account. so if you have 1000$ balance, you can only get bonus 50 miles lol.

it’s mentioned in the article itself above, did you even read it?

Stan Adams

Is the UOB application process so pathetically slow? I applied more than 3 weeks ago and have heard nothing since.

Louie

I thought i was the only one… sigh.. I applied on 01 March and no card yet. 3 weeks later I received an SMS saying due to high volume of application, the review is delayed. hopefully i receive the card before 30APR so I can join the current pormo..

Vince

I applied for one last week, on Tuesday this week I got an SMS to say my application is successful. But nothing has happened since. I’m still waiting for an email or a physical letter with the credit card.

Ben

Can we earn 3mpd on hotels like marriott and hilton?

Fernando

I would like to know as well, especially if I link this card with Amaze. Thanks

Charles

Also interested to know. Anyone can answer regarding use for hotels using Amaze?

Andrew

I did this recently (charged via Amaze at a Singapore hotel) and called up UOB. only earned 1.2 mpd for that transaction.

JCCY

ofcourse it will not. no need to think so much.
which part of the article did it mention it will?
I think Aaron English is pretty straight forward

Sherin

Hi for hotel wedding banquet, will it be considered as part of the spend or excluded? Thank you

Adrian

For the UOB Travel part, does it have to be with UOB Travel online booking only OR can it be via Phone/email booking as well?

Man

Hi,
For the minimum SIA group spend, in 2023 does everyone has the same to fulfill the min $800 regardless of your card membership year ending??
Thanks to confirm

Derek

So if i use the Amaze card (linked to kf uob credit card) on Kris+ at Harvey Norman does that mean i get for each dollar spent:

1.2 mpd for local spend
3 mpd for kris+ spend
1 mpd for Harvey Norman earn partner
3 mpd for online mcc 5732

For a total of 8.2mpd?

Richard

Does anyone know if bonus categories earn the 3mpd rate if the transaction is in foreign currency, or is it just local spend? For instance if I book SQ flights in USD or if I order online fashion in GBP will that earn the base 1.2mpd for FCY spend, or the 3mpd for bonus categories? Thanks

JCCY

Not sure whats so complicated or you making it unnecessarily complicated.
TLDR; is the merchant you are purchasing from have the MCC listed above?
YES=bonus
NO=no bonus

Jim

re “5309: Duty Free StoresDFS, KrisShop, The Shilla” , apparently when making payment online (so via ichangi) the mcc is “MCC 4582 – Airports, Airport Terminals, Flying Fields” which is not covered. It is only 5309 when making payment offline physically at the store, but then it’s not considered online transaction. Does that mean actually there is no way to get the 3 MPD at duty free stores using this card?

Jjj

You can use Amaze card to convert physical payments to an online transaction. It is mentioned in the article.

Jay

Is this sign up offer for new to UOB cards or for those who are new to UOB Krisflyer card?

ccc

Hi, do we earn 3mpd if we pair it with Amaze and spend on dining, be it in Singapore or overseas? Or does the 3mpd on dining can only be using the actual card itself?

JCCY

Yes it does.
amaze only change offline to online, does not change MCC
UOB look at MCC and dont care where you spend it on (well unless its under the Online Travel section that is clearly stated by Aaron)

Will

Hi Aaron, I’ve been going through your reviews on various cards such as this one, AMEX Plat, UOB VS, UOB Ladys, AMEX PPS, with the goal of identifying a card which can maximise earn rate on multiple sizeable single charges on SQ. For instance, if one had to purchase return SQ J fares SIN-LHR or SIN-EWR multiple times a year at S$8-10k per txn. Most of the 4-6mpd have caps which max out at 2-3k per month (with measly 0.4mpd thereafter), and out of the general spend cards it seems like the AMEX Plat Charge offers the best at 1.95… Read more »

Eric

That’s my understanding too.

Eugene Ang

Image of Krisflyer credit card was disappointed . I was impressed the look of the card online and thinking to start my journey with this card and apply for it.
After I receive the Krisflyer card the first look was terrible…it look exactly like all my debit because of the printing details on the card it wasn’t embossed.
Credit card should have it own prestige image like emblem detail on name, card number and expiry dates instead of painting.
I better use my prvimiles oub card instead of Krisflyer card.

Miracle

Vast majority of CCs aren’t embossed now. Even the premium ones like DBS Vantage, Citi Prestige all use painting

KXT

bruh we apply cards for their benefits and perks for miles here. If your after looks just apply the 120k income celling cards to hao lian ah.

Eric

For the Instant KrisShopper Insider status, am I right to say that the insider provides a bonus of 2.5 on top of the base 1.2 giving a total of 3.7mpd?

Eric

Just saw on their official website that it is 3 + 2.5 = 5.5

Eric

The article says that Cardup transaction counts but assuming only at base rate of 1.2mpd?

Zaos

FEB 25, 2024

Mind letting us know what updated?

JY.

Are the base miles credited on a delayed basis? I had around 300 miles credited & posted on the same statement that has a single $700+ retail transaction (along with other smaller ones). Just basing on $700, that’s 140 blocks of $5, which should work out to be 800+ miles…. I am missing a minimum of 500 miles..

JY.

Thanks for replying. That’s quite odd then. The $700+ is from a fashion boutique, it can’t be that it’s not awarded miles. My other random smaller retail purchases add up to another ~500 miles (calculated transaction by transaction of rounddown $5 blocks). I’m short 1K miles. Leaving this info here for others who may have had a similar issue.

Derek

Do you get 3 mpd for Kris+ regardless of the MCC?

For example, if a merchant has MCC 5499 and I pay via Kris+ would I still get the 3 mpd?

UOBScam

Hi Aaron, you may wish to highlight that the UOB bonus mile sign-up promo is one of their usual ‘capped at first 100 pax’ gotchas (clause 2.1 on the T&C). Nothing worse than signing up and charging a large expense only to not get the promo. Feels scammy and dishonest. But that’s UOB

GrabMiles

I tried to pair my UOB KF card to amaze and have been declined a few times. Anyone face this problem and how to resolve?

GrabMiles

Ohh itโ€™s only recently? So I have hope?

Louis Tan

If I pair the UOB KF card with Amaze and charge my overseas hotel stay directly at the hotel, eg Waldorf Bangkok. Is that considered as Online Travel to earn the 3mpd?
Is the Online Travel only for those mentioned above of Agoda, Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Kaligo, Traveloka, Trip.com, UOB Travel?

Last edited 7 months ago by Louis Tan
Dennis C

Read the article or the card T&Cs

Gordon Yau

If you just applied for the Amex Platinum Charge promotion, you need to spend $1,200 on Singapore Airlines to get the first year airline credits. If you are not buying tickets for multiple people, have people postponed applying for UOB Krisflyer because they cannot meet the minimum airline spend for both cards? Or is the UOB Krisflyer that useful that you should find a way to meet its minimum spend?

Dennis C

If you apply for UOB Krisflyer, you need to shift $800 of Singapore Airlines spend from UOB Lady Solitaire (if set to travel) or DBS Woman’s World, which loses 800 miles (from 4 to 3 mpd). Assuming your general spend card is UOB PRVI Miles (1.4 mpd), you gain 1.6 mpd (1.4 to 3.0 mpd) by having UOB Krisflyer. This makes it worth having if you can meet the $800 minimum spend, then you spend at least $500 on UOB Krisflyer after maxing out your 4 mpd cards (800 miles = $500 / 1.6 mpd). This probably happens to every… Read more »

marcus

https://www.uob.com.sg/assets/pdfs/kf_credit_card_full_tnc.pdf

Note: WEF 1 July 2020, please be informed that any online payment made to Computer Software Stores (5734) , Direct Marketing Merchants (5964 โ€“ 5969), Artist Supply Stores, Craft Shops (5970) and Florists (5992) will be excluded from the awarding of Accelerated Miles. 

Ng Wei Min

Can the UOB Krisflyer card be paired with Amaze and used overseas at hotels in person? From the article it seems only whitelisted vendors allowed for hotels?

David

PSA: I would advise being careful with big ticket purchases as they may not code with the MCC youโ€™d expect. I just learned the hard way that Cartier in Paris codes as 5094 (ineligible), not 5944 (eligible). Would have probably used Revolut had I known. Slightly more painful but the Amaze-block method is worth the extra hassle to find the MCC for big purchases.

Jayson

Hi Aaron, regarding the minimum SIA Group spend of S$800 per membership year, can we spend the S$800 in SIA Group via Amaze? The flight tickets that I plan to purchase are in foreign currency (one way ticket depart from overseas and arrive in Singapore), if I am to use the UOB KF card to pay directly I will suffer the FCY fee.

sam

Quote MT from telegram group:

Amaze + Uob kf for Singapore airlines booking. 

Confirm can clock $800 spend. I did it and live chat with Uob.

Joyce

Is MCC applicable for foreign spend too? For example, do I get 3 mpd for dining at an overseas restaurant?

Dan

How do we find out what dates lie within our membership year?

Dan

Thank you!

Cyrus

Hi Aaron, may I know if the $5 rounding policy is still applicable now? I saw from the uob website now it says ‘Krisflyer miles earned per S$1 spend on…’.
So is it true although it states the miles earned is based on ‘per S$1 spend’, the actual underlying calculation is still rounding with $5?

C Y

Hi, Just sharing this in case anyone ever falls in the same situation. Travelling for a meeting hence I needed a quote from the travel agent (Plover) for company reimbursement. The cost was $600 cheaper via the agent hence I had to buy from them (rather than buy the tickets online myself) otherwise I would have to fork out the difference. I checked with Plover cos the tix were $4000, to max the most miles I had wanted to use the UOB Krisflyer card (vs the Lady’s card), but they said for Singapore airlines group, best to buy from SQ… Read more »

Sophia

Hi
With the amaze nerf can use the krisflyer uob for transaction in physical store (via Samsung pay) would that be considered as online shopping? Which other card would be best if it’s not.

Bilendra

This article needs to be updated. MCC 5734 (online) was excluded in 2020.

Wen

Does the $800 spend on SIA Group includes anything paid through Krispay? Also with pairing of this card to Krispay, does it earn additional miles via the app on top of what’s awarded? Thanks.

Charles

Would an online club med booking count under the online travel category?

Edwin

No longer able to pair with amaze ๐Ÿ™