Back in June 2023, the UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card received a significant enhancement, which buffed the overseas earn rate to 2.4 mpd and added an unlimited-visit DragonPass lounge membership for the cardholder and one guest.
On top of this, a welcome offer of up to 80,000 miles & S$200 Grab vouchers was run till 31 December 2023, after which the 80,000 miles were retained but the S$200 Grab vouchers were dropped.
This welcome offer was originally set to lapse on 31 March 2024, but has now been renewed till 30 June 2024. However, with the impending removal of the annual S$120 GrabGift vouchers, the recurring value proposition is getting weaker.
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card 80,000 miles welcome offer
From 1 January to 30 June 2024, new UOB Visa Infinite Metal Cardholders who pay the S$654 annual fee and spend at least S$4,000 within 30 days of approval will receive:
| New customers | Existing customers | |
| Pay S$654 annual fee | 25,000 miles | 25,000 miles |
| Spend S$4,000 within 30 days of approval | 55,000 miles | 15,000 miles |
| Total | 80,000 miles | 40,000 miles |
Unlike most UOB sign-up offers, there is no cap on the number of eligible applicants.
New customers are defined as those who:
- do not currently hold any principal UOB credit cards, and
- have not cancelled a principal UOB credit card in the past six months prior to the commencement of the promotion period (i.e. 1 January 2024)
One puzzling thing about this criteria is that the six month “timeout” period for customers with recently-cancelled cards is counted from the date the promotion started, not the date of application. Therefore, so long as you cancelled your principal UOB credit card from 1 July 2023 onwards, you’re not eligible for this offer.
Given the S$654 annual fee, you’re basically paying 0.82 cents (new) or 1.64 cents (existing) per mile. Back when S$200 Grab vouchers were thrown into the mix, the value was even better, but now I’d only consider it if I met the new customer criteria.
Bonus miles are awarded on top of the regular base miles, so if you spent the entire S$4,000 on local spend at 1.4 mpd, you’ll have a total of 85,600 miles (new-to-bank) or 45,600 miles (existing).
What counts as qualifying spend?
A minimum qualifying spend of S$4,000 must be clocked within 30 days of approval.
Eligible transactions include all retail transactions in local or foreign currency, and a full list of exclusions can be found at point 1.5 of the T&Cs.
The key exclusions to highlight are:
- Charitable donations
- Government payments
- Insurance
- ipaymy
- Prepaid account top-ups (e.g. GrabPay or YouTrip)
- Utilities
- UOB Payment Facility
For avoidance of doubt, CardUp, education and hospital transactions are eligible to earn miles, and will count towards minimum spend. Moreover, the UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card is one of the rare cards to still earn rewards on education (schools, enrichment centres and higher education fees), so enjoy it while it lasts.
Supplementary cardholder spending will be pooled with the principal cardholder’s in determining if the minimum spend has been met. And before you say “isn’t that obvious?”, remember that UOB is not above such shenanigans.
When will the bonus be credited?
The 25,000 miles for paying the annual fee will be credited (in the form of 12,500 UNI$) when the annual fee is posted.
The additional 55,000/15,000 miles for new/existing customers will be credited (in the form of 27,500/7,500 UNI$) two months after the annual fee is posted.
Terms and Conditions
The full T&Cs for this offer can be found here.
What can you do with UNI$?
UNI$ transfer to frequent flyer programs at a 1:2 ratio, 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) |
 |
5,000: 10,000 |
 |
5,000: 10,000 |
 |
2,500: 4,500 |
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Cardholders enjoy a waiver of the usual S$25 conversion fee, and since UNI$ pool, you can use the Visa Infinite Metal Card as a conduit to convert UNI$ earned on other UOB cards for free too.
Monthly Grab vouchers are ending!
Earlier this month, we learned that UOB Visa Infinite Metal Cardholders would be losing their monthly allotment of 2x S$5 GrabGift vouchers, which can be redeemed for Transport, Food, Mart or Express services.
The final set of codes will be sent to cardholders by 20 June 2024, and from July onwards, this perk will be no more. S$5 may not sound like a lot, but over the course of a membership year that’d be S$120 in value, or nearly 20% of your annual fee.
Do keep this in mind if you’re planning to apply for a card, because in the absence of other perks, it makes it harder to recover your annual fee.
Overview: UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
 |
|||
| Apply | |||
| Income Req. |
S$120,000 p.a. |
Points Validity |
2 years |
| Annual Fee |
$654 | Min. Transfer |
5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles) |
| Miles with Annual Fee |
25,000 | Transfer Partners |
|
| FCY Fee | 3.25% | Transfer Fee | Waived |
| Local Earn | 1.4 mpd | Points Pool? | Yes |
| FCY Earn | 2.4 mpd | Lounge Access? | Yes |
| Special Earn | N/A | Airport Limo? | No |
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
The UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card has a minimum income requirement of S$120,000 and a non-waivable annual fee of S$654.
Cardholders receive 25,000 miles each year the annual fee is paid, and enjoy perks such as:
- Unlimited DragonPass lounge visits for cardholder + 1 guest
- Up to US$1 million travel accident insurance
- Complimentary Pan Pacific DISCOVERY Titanium status
- Complimentary golf games at Sentosa Golf Club, and 50% off green fees at clubs across SEA
- A waiver of the usual S$25 admin fee for miles conversions
Key drawbacks to note include S$5 earning blocks and the lack of an airport limo benefit.
For the full analysis of the card’s perks and drawbacks, refer to the post below.
Conclusion
The UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card has extended its 80,000 miles sign-up offer till 30 June 2024, though it’s less lucrative than in 2023 due to the removal of the S$200 Grab vouchers.
That said, you could hit the minimum spend for the welcome offer with commonly-excluded transactions like hospitals and education expenses, so it could still be worth considering for new-to-bank customers- at least for the first year.
From the second year onwards, you’ll have to decide whether the ongoing perks make renewal worthwhile, and with the upcoming loss of the monthly Grab vouchers, the case becomes more marginal.
Quiet relaxation of their NTB policy? Perhaps they badly need new applicants.
debit card does not count as existing customer right?