In January, we received the welcome news that the epic 6 mpd offer for UOB Lady’s Cards would be extended for a further month till 31 March 2024. This offer was originally set to lapse on 29 February 2024 when it launched back in March 2023, so the extra month was very much appreciated.Â
Unfortunately, UOB has now dropped a (blonde) bombshell on customers, by cutting the bonus cap on the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card and invite-only UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card from S$3,000 to S$2,000 per calendar month.
It’s a significant blow, especially for those who were using the card for big ticket purchases.Â
UOB Lady’s Solitaire Cards cutting bonus cap from April 2024
From 1 April 2024, the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card will be cutting their monthly bonus cap by 33%, with a revised limit of S$2,000 per calendar month.
Per an update on the UOB website:
Note: With effect from 1 April 2024, the maximum aggregated amount of Bonus UNI$ you can earn in a calendar month is capped at 3,600 UNI$ (which is equivalent to S$2,000 spent) if you are a UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card or UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card Cardmember.
-UOB
You basically have February and March left to enjoy the current S$3,000 monthly cap, so make hay while you can.
Truth be told, a S$3,000 monthly cap was already very generous, since most other specialised spending cards on the market max out at S$1,000-S$2,000 per month. That said, it’s still a big hit for cardholders, especially if your preferred bonus category was Travel where the average ticket size tends to be much larger. And with the DBS Woman’s World Card also cutting its bonus cap from S$2,000 to S$1,500 from March 2024, it’s a double whammy for all those who love pretty-looking cards.Â
For avoidance of doubt, there is no impact on the UOB Lady’s Card, which will continue to earn bonus miles up to a cap of S$1,000 per calendar month.Â
6 mpd reverting to 4 mpd
As a reminder, 1 April 2024 is also the date that the UOB Lady’s Cards end their upsized 6 mpd promotion and revert to their usual 4 mpd.
The accelerated earn rate of 15X UNI$ per S$5 spent (equivalent to 6 miles per S$1) on your preferred rewards category(ies) has been extended till 31 March 2024! After which, you will continue to earn 10X UNI$ per S$5 spend (equivalent to 4 miles per S$1) on your preferred rewards category with no minimum spend.
-UOB
This should be less of a surprise, given that the promotion is already living on borrowed time. It was originally set to expire on 29 February 2024, before we received a surprise reprieve last month.
How the UOB Lady’s Card bonuses work
Here’s a reminder of how the UOB Lady’s Cards work.
Until 31 March 2024
- UOB Lady’s Cardholders enjoy 6 mpd on their choice of one bonus category, capped at S$1,000 per calendar month
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire and Solitaire Metal Cardholders enjoy 6 mpd on their choice of two bonus categories, capped at S$3,000 per calendar month
From 1 April 2024
- UOB Lady’s Cardholders enjoy 4 mpd on their choice of one bonus category, capped at S$1,000 per calendar month
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire and Solitaire Metal Cardholders enjoy 4 mpd on their choice of two bonus categories, capped at S$2,000 per calendar month
A total of seven different bonus categories are available, summarised below.
| 💳 UOB Lady’s Card Bonus Categories | ||
| 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 | ||
Officially, you may only hold one UOB Lady’s Card at a time. I know some people end up holding both the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card after they upgrade to the latter, but even so, your 6 mpd is capped at two bonus categories and S$3,000 per calendar month (S$2,000 from 1 April 2024) on a customer level.Â
For my thoughts on which bonus category to pick, see the article below.Â
How does the 6 mpd post?
UOB Lady’s Cardholders who spend on their bonus category/categories will earn:
- 1 base UNI$ for every S$5 spent (0.4 mpd)
- 9 bonus UNI$ for every S$5 spent (3.6 mpd)
- An additional 5 bonus UNI$ for every S$5 spent (2 mpd)
Base UNI$ will be awarded at the time the transaction posts.
The bonus 9 UNI$ and 5 UNI$ will be awarded at the start of the following calendar month, under two separate entries. Do note that only the 5 UNI$ will be labelled explicitly, the 9 UNI$ has no such tagging (but it should be fairly easy to figure out which is which).
You can check the breakdown via the UOB TMRW app. Instructions are provided in this post.
I’ve compiled a list of FAQs regarding the card and its mechanics. Please have a read of this before posting further questions, as odds are your question has already been answered.Â
Conclusion
The UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card will be cutting their bonus cap from S$3,000 to S$2,000 from 1 April 2024. This, together with the previously-announced reversion to the regular 4 mpd earn rate, is a big blow for those who qualified for these higher-tier Lady’s Cards.Â
For what it’s worth, UOB has teased some “exciting benefits” launching on 1 April 2024, so let’s see what they have in store.
Its been a ride
So, the only two reasons for having this card are disappearing. One more for the scrap heap.
Unless you don’t have a UOB savings account maybe
A big hit. Looks like the days of 4mpd are going to be gone soon. It is the death by 1000 cuts. Although this is certainly a large cut.
Not nearly as good as the crazy Citi 8mpd promo of yesteryear, but this past year of 6mpd comes a close second. It was good while it lasted.
Sad. I don’t buy air tickets every month but the few times I do, I charge it to Solitaire. It $2k cap, that’s sad.
I do not understand the capped at 3200 uni dollars for $2k spend. Isn’t that 3.6mpd instead of 4mpd?
It only uses the 9X bonus rate (3.6 mpd / 1.8 UNI$) for the calculations.
So in UNI$ terms, 3600 / 1.8 = $2000 spending cap.
There is no cap for the 0.4 mpd / 0.2 UNI$, which is the 1X base rate.
question. if i have a transaction on 30 march. that is posted on 3rd april. does this count to the month of march or april? aka, is transaction date or poste date that matters? thanks