Back in March 2024, UOB unveiled what it called the “Unstoppable Pairing”, a year-long bonus UNI$ scheme for UOB Lady’s Cardholders who opened a UOB Lady’s Savings Account.
This offers an extra 2-6 mpd on top of whatever miles you earn from the UOB Lady’s Cards themselves, depending on how much you put in the account.
While I think you’d have to be insane to park the S$50,000 or S$100,000 that UOB requires to unlock the 4 mpd or 6 mpd tier (given the interest is a paltry 0.05% p.a.), there is a case to be made to deposit S$10,000 for an extra 2 mpd.
The UOB Lady’s Savings Account has historically been available to women only (fancy that), but UOB has said that men will be eligible to apply from 1 May 2024.
Well, it’s not quite May yet, but the system has already been updated to allow this. That’s good, because it means that men can sneak in just before the end-April cutoff and clock an additional 2,000-12,000 bonus miles, depending on how much capital they’re willing to commit.
UOB Lady’s Savings Account now open to male applicants
Since Sunday, 28 April 2024, the UOB website has allowed men to apply for a UOB Lady’s Savings Account. I personally applied this morning (29 April) and was approved at 9 a.m. Keep in mind you don’t have to apply today; doing it tomorrow (30 April) would work just as well. I’ll explain why in the next section.
Opening an account in April means you’ll be eligible for April’s tranche of bonus miles, awarded per the table below.
| Monthly Average Balance | UNI$ from Lady’s Savings Account | UNI$ from Lady’s or Lady’s Solitaire Card | Total |
| <S$10K | N/A | 10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
| S$10,000 to S$49,999 | 5X UNI$ (2 mpd) |
15X UNI$ (6 mpd) |
|
| S$50,000 to S$99,999 | 10X UNI$ (4 mpd) |
20X UNI$ (8 mpd) |
|
| S$100K and more | 15X UNI$ (6 mpd) |
25X UNI$ (10 mpd) |
Bonus miles are awarded for spending in your selected bonus category or categories, capped at:
- UOB Lady’s Card: S$1,000 per calendar month
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card/Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card: S$2,000 per calendar month
For example, a UOB Lady’s Cardholder who chooses Dining as their bonus category, deposits S$10,000 into a UOB Lady’s Savings Account and spends S$1,000 per month at restaurants would earn a total of 6,000 miles, broken down as follows:
- From UOB Lady’s Card: 4,000 miles (S$1,000 x 4 mpd)
- From UOB Lady’s Savings Account: 2,000 miles (S$1,000 x 2 mpd)
The question then is how much to deposit, and I’ve already explained why I believe S$10,000 to be the sweet spot, unless your valuation of a mile is so high that you feel the extra miles awarded at the S$50,000 and S$100,000 brackets would more than offset the foregone interest (remember, this account only earns 0.05% p.a.!).
| 👩 S$10,001 for Ladies |
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If you’re a lady, then consider depositing S$10,001 instead. Why? Because S$10,001 would bump you into the next tier of cancer coverage (S$10,000), while S$10,000 gives you a lower tier (S$1,000). Lady’s cancer coverage does not apply to men. It seems silly I have to say that, but then again it’s 2024… |
However, I can see a case for depositing substantially more- but only in the month of account opening.
How is MAB calculated?
To understand why, we need to first explain how UOB calculates the Monthly Average Balance (MAB) that governs the bonus miles awarded.
MAB is derived from this formula:
| Sum of day-end balance in UOB Lady’s Savings Account ÷ Number of calendar days in each calendar month |
| Source: UOB FAQs |
In the account opening month, the MAB will be derived based on the number of calendar days from the account opening date till the end of the calendar month.
For example:
- You open your account on 20 April 2024
- You deposit S$20,000 on 20 April 2024 and maintain the balance until 30 April 2024
- MAB for April 2024 is S$20,000 [(20,000 x 11)/11]
Remember, there’s 11 calendar days from 20 April 2024 to 30 April 2024, not 10. The day of opening also counts!
What this means is that you would ideally minimise opportunity cost by opening your UOB Lady’s Savings Account as late in the month as possible, since you could deposit the funds for as little as one day and still earn bonus miles for the entire month.
There’s one important caveat here.
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Inward Funds Transfer via FAST/PayNow performed after 10.30pm on a business day (Mondays to Saturdays, excluding Sundays and Public Holidays) will carry the value date of the next business day. Inward Fund Transfers received on a non-business day (Sundays, Public Holidays) will similarly carry the value date of the next business day. Such transfers may lower your MAB, and you are encouraged to review the transaction details on Personal Internet Banking / TMRW App regularly and make funds top up if necessary to maintain your MAB at the preferred level |
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| Source: UOB FAQs | |
Therefore, you should open your UOB Lady’s Savings Account on the last working day of the month, before 10.30 p.m.
Any later and the funds, even though they may be deposited instantly, will carry the value date of the next working day which falls in the following calendar month. In other words, you won’t earn any bonus miles for the month your account was opened!
| ❓ What if I opened my account over the weekend? |
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If you were one of the kan cheong spiders who opened their account yesterday (Sunday 28 April) when you first saw it was possible, you’ll need to deposit a bit more than you originally envisioned. There’s three calendar days from 28 April to 30 April, and to attain a MAB of S$10,000, you’ll need to have deposited S$15,000 (15,000 x 2 days / 3) on 28 April. Remember, from UOB’s perspective your funds have only been in the account on two calendar days (29 & 30 April), since 28 April was not a working day. If you deposited S$10,000 on 28 April, you can top up an extra S$5,000 today (29 April) before 10.30 p.m. |
This won’t be an issue for April 2024, since 30 April 2024 is a working day, but just in case you’re reading this in the future…
Now, even though I believe S$10,000 to be the sweet spot, if you have the extra funds handy I don’t see the harm in depositing S$50,000 or even S$100,000 on the day you open your account, and withdrawing it at the very start of the following month.
This would trigger the 4 mpd or 6 mpd band for the month of account opening on all your UOB Lady’s Card bonus category spending for that month. Of course, this is a purely one-time opportunity, and you can’t repeat it from the following month onwards.
To illustrate, someone with a spare S$100,000 could open a UOB Lady’s Savings Account on 30 April 2024, deposit S$100,000 before 10.30 p.m, withdraw S$90,000 on 1 May 2024 (in theory, as early as 12.01 a.m), and then enjoy:
- An extra 6 mpd for bonus category spending from 1-30 April 2024
- An extra 2 mpd for bonus category spending from 1 May 2024 onwards
That’s not a bad return for about 90 minutes!
When are bonus UNI$ credited?
According to the T&Cs, bonus UNI$ from the UOB Lady’s Savings account will be credited by the end of the following calendar month.
We’ll need to see how strictly UOB sticks to that timeline though, because they quote the same timeline for bonus UNI$ from the UOB Lady’s Cards, when in reality it’s credited on the 1st of the following month.
Conclusion
The UOB Lady’s Savings Account is now open to male applicants, a few days ahead of schedule. This is an opportunity for guys to earn bonus miles for April 2024 as well, which could range from 2,000 to 12,000 miles depending on how much you spend on your UOB Lady’s Cards, and how much you deposit.
Remember: the Unstoppable Pairing is currently set to run till 31 March 2025 only, so every month counts.
Who fancies depositing S$100,000 for 90 minutes?
thanks! if currently i do not hold the lady credit card, sounds like no rush to open before end of April since my credit card spending this month would be 0 anyway?
yeah, um, you can’t join the party without having a pass.
haha thanks!
Have tried the $100k for 2 days plan- I maxed out the spending this month so worth a try….
is there any “linking” or “pairing” between the credit card and savings account to set up once I have my savings account open? or is it automatically recognized?
no action needed from your side
is it almost instant approval once you apply for the account online?
I applied at 10.59am this morning and got approved at 11.00am.
Would it be worth it to transfer the $100k from uob one account for a day to earn the extra 6,000 miles?
I think the best strategy depends on one’s current spend in Apr. If Apr spend is low, but May spend is high, it makes sense to delay opening the account until 31 May and deposit 100K so that the 10 mpd can be hit on max 2K spend for 20K miles
Since I moved my card charges away to other cards, wonder if I want to open it on 31 May…
There is no need to “act fast”. This opportunity is always there. If you don’t open your account by the end of April, no issue. Open the account in the last couple of days of May. In fact unless you have maxed out the $2000 in your spend category in April, you are better NOT to open it on 30 April. Best to open it in the last day or 2 days of a month where you maxed out your $2000 4mpd limt, and collect 12,000 bonus miles in that month.
“act fast” because every month you wait is one less month you have to make hay. remember, this promotion has an end date. the opportunity is not “always there”.
UOB have not published any any date and it is not a promotion. It is a new feature. Of course like any feature it is subject to change like any product with any bank. But it is not correct to say it is a promotion with an end date.
reference: https://www.uob.com.sg/assets/pdfs/lsa-faq.pdf
also: https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/highlights/solutions/for-the-ladies.page
2) Earn up to additional 15X UNI$ when you save with UOB Lady’s Savings Account:
You shall be eligible to earn the following Lady’s Savings Bonus UNI$ in a calendar month from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 (“Promotion Period”) in accordance with the Monthly Average Balance (“MAB”) in your UOB Lady’s Savings Account if you (1) are a principal UOB Lady’s Credit Cardholder and a primary UOB Lady’s Savings Accountholder…
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My apology I was wrong. But it is still the case that unless you have spent close to the $2k max in April, you would be better off waiting until May (assumng that in May you are going to spend $2k on the Lady’s Card).
…just as it is the case that if you have spent close to the $2k max in April, you need to act fast.
no need to be so nitpicky.
1 May is a PH.
If I transfer 100k to the account on 30 Apr and keep it overnight to take advantage, will my day end balance of 1 May, for the purpose of MAB calculation for May, be also be locked at 100k no matter the amount I transfer out of the account on 1 May?
Note, this is a feature introduced by UOB. It is not a promotion and it does not have any published end date.
I got only 105 bonus uni with 2k spend on ladies solitaire with 10k in ladies saving account. Anyone see the same?
Deposited $10K in the UOB Lady’s Solitaire savings account on April 29 (afternoon), and spent slightly more than $2K on the Lady’s Solitaire card, but got 3.6K UNI$ on top of the 400+ UNI$ credited earlier. That’s just 4 mpd rather than the 6 mpd I was hoping for.
according to T&Cs, bonus points from lady’s savings account only post at the end of the following month.
I see. Thanks for the clarification.
Any data points on when the bonus UNI$ are credited? I opened my account at the end of April but I haven’t received the bonus UNI$ as I typically would on the 1st / 2nd of May.
Same issue. I opened mine on April 1st and didn’t get any bonus UNI$.
Hi, would like to ask, if I select Travel as my bonus category and use Trip.com to book car rental, will the extra bonus miles counted?
Since I do not use car rental website to make booking, instead I am using Online Travel Agencies like Trip.com