While banks don’t usually offer any incentives for adding supplementary cardholders, UOB is a notable exception. Principal UOB cardholders can earn cash credits or other gifts when they apply for a supplementary card and meet a minimum spend following approval.
These offers rotate every few months, and the latest features an Apple HomePod mini for new supplementary cardholders who spend at least S$2,500 within the first two months of approval.
Unlike previous offers, however, this is only available for supplementary UOB Visa cards, though that shouldn’t be a major restriction since there’s at least two I can think of that you’d want to share with someone else.
Welcome offer for UOB Visa supplementary cardholders
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| Offer Details |
UOB’s latest supplementary cardholder welcome offer is valid for the following Visa cards, applied for and approved between 1 September to 30 November 2024.
- UOB One Card
- UOB EVOL Card
- Metro-UOB Card
- UOB Preferred Platinum Visa (review)
- Singtel-UOB Card
- UOB Visa Signature Card (review)
Supplementary cardholders who spend at least S$2,500 within the first two months of approval will receive an Apple HomePod Mini (retail price: S$140.25), provided they are not already an existing principal or supplementary holder of any UOB credit card.
This offer is capped at the first 100 principal cardholders per calendar month (i.e. 100 for September, 100 for October, 100 for November) to meet the approval and spending conditions. A maximum of one gift can be enjoyed for the entire promotion period, regardless of how many supplementary cardholders you add.
What counts as qualifying spend?
A minimum qualifying spend of S$2,500 must be made within the first two months of approval, which excludes UOB’s standard rewards exclusion categories: charitable donations, education, insurance premiums, utilities, and from 1 October 2024, Amaze.
The full list can be found at Point 1.1(ii) of the T&Cs.
For avoidance of doubt, the minimum spend must be on the supplementary card only; principal cardholder spend will not be counted.
When will the gift be awarded?
If eligible, a redemption SMS will be sent to the principal cardholder by 30 April 2025.
Terms and conditions
The T&Cs of this offer can be found here.
How does this offer compare to previous ones?
For context, here’s a rundown of what previous UOB supplementary cardholder promotions have offered.
| Period | Offer | Spend |
Cap (Per month) |
| 1 Jan to 31 Mar 24 | S$200 cash | S$1,000 per mo. x 3 | 100 |
| S$150 cash | S$700 per mo. x 3 | 200 | |
| 1 Apr to 31 May 24 | S$80 Grab Food vouchers | S$700 per mo. x 2 | 100 |
| 1 Jul to 31 Aug 24 | S$80 cash | S$1,500 per mo. x 2 | 100 |
Regardless of how attractive you feel the current offer is, it doesn’t hurt to participate because even though you can only enjoy one gift per promotion, there’s nothing stopping you from participating in subsequent promotions as and when they come.
For example, I can sign up one family member for a supplementary card during this promotion, get the welcome gift, then sign up another family member for another supplementary card during the following promotion. Basically, so long as I have family members that don’t have a principal or supplementary UOB card already, I can “encash” them every time a new promotion comes round.
How much do supplementary cards cost?
All UOB credit cards enjoy a perpetual annual fee waiver either one or two supplementary cards:
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card, UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card, UOB Privilege Banking Card: First two supplementary cards free
- All other UOB cards: First supplementary card free
You can refer to this page for the full fee schedule.
Is it worth it?
While this promotion has an annoying “first X” clause, to the extent that you’re giving your supplementary cardholder a card that they should be spending with anyway, any extra gifts are just the icing on the cake.
For example, I could give a family member a supplementary UOB Visa Signature Card, telling them to use it for in-store contactless payments or foreign currency spend. Even if they ultimately don’t qualify for the first X, those transactions would still earn 4 mpd, which is the best possible outcome (as a reminder, supplementary cards utilise the bonus cap of the principal cardholder).
Think of it as a way of “monetising” your family members who don’t qualify for credit cards themselves. And even if they subsequently wish to apply for a principal card of their own, the supplementary card won’t disqualify them from new-to-bank welcome bonuses.
Conclusion
Principal UOB Visa cardholders who add supplementary cardholders to their account can now enjoy an Apple HomePod Mini, subject to meeting a minimum spend of S$2,500 within two months.
This offer is capped at 100 cardholders per month till 30 November 2024, but there should be a new promotion after that. All you need to do is keep finding new people to sign up!
