yuu Rewards Club broke the internet this week by adding its first (and given the exclusivity of such agreements, probably only) airline partner: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
Not only that, but the conversion rate is actually compelling. yuu Points will be transferrable to KrisFlyer miles at a 3.6:1 ratio, which means the DBS yuu Card is now a 10 mpd option at yuu merchants. 10. Miles. Per. Dollar.
Now, you don’t need to be a financial wizard to know that this can’t last forever. Sooner or later the purse strings will need to be tightened, and the earn rates reduced to a more sustainable level (10 yuu Points per dollar or 2.78 mpd is my guess).
But that’s a tomorrow problem. Today we make hay, and based on the chatter in the comments and MileChat, there’s a lot of questions out there. I’m going to use this post to address as many as I can.
How is the 10 mpd rate derived?
 DBS yuu Card |
||
| Apply (AMEX) | ||
| Apply (Visa) | ||
| Earn Rate | Remarks | |
| Non-yuu merchants | Base: 1 pt/S$1 0.5% rebate |
No min. spend or cap |
| yuu merchants |
Base: 10 pts/S$1 5% rebate |
No min. spend or cap |
| Bonus: 26 pts/S$1 13% rebate |
Min. S$600 spend per c. month, cap at 15,600 points per c. month | |
DBS yuu Cardholders earn a base reward of 10 yuu Points per S$1 spent (5% rebate/2.78 mpd) at yuu merchants, which requires no minimum spend and has no cap.
In addition to this, they earn a further bonus reward of 26 yuu Points per S$1 spent (13% rebate/7.22 mpd), which requires a minimum spend of S$600 per calendar month and is capped at 15,600 yuu Points per calendar month.
15,600 yuu Points at 26 yuu Points per S$1 is the same as S$600 spend, so the minimum spend is also the cap.
How does the minimum spend work?
The S$600 required to unlock the bonus reward of 26 yuu Points per S$1 can be spent on any retail transactions. It does not need to be exclusively at yuu merchants, but then again, there is no reason not to spend at yuu merchants.
Non-yuu spending earns a pathetic 0.5% rebate, or 0.28 mpd, and the more you spend here, the lower your weighted average strays from 18% rebates/10 mpd.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t see the S$600 minimum spend as an especially big hurdle since yuu merchants include big hitters like Cold Storage, Giant, Guardian, gojek and foodpanda. It is a bit finnicky because you need to hit S$600 on the dot, but buying DFI vouchers is an option (more on that below).
How long is the bonus reward valid for?
The bonus 26 yuu Points per S$1 spent has always been positioned as a limited-time bonus. You might recall that it was originally set to end on 29 February 2024, before being extended “until further notice”.
The yuu app currently states that the bonus reward is set to end on 31 December 2024, but I wouldn’t put too much weight on it. The date could easily be brought forward, or pushed back, depending on yuu’s assessment of the situation.
Which merchants are eligible for 10 mpd?
The DBS yuu Card will earn 10 mpd (or 18% rebates) with the following merchants:
| ๐ณ yuu Merchants | |
| Group | Merchants |
| ๐ DFI Retail Group (DFI) |
|
| ๐ BreadTalk Group (BTG) |
|
| ๐ Mandai Wildlife Group |
|
| ๐ฑ Singtel |
|
| ๐ Gojek |
|
| ๐ฝ๏ธ foodpanda |
|
I understand there’s some confusion because the yuu app also shows other merchants under the More Places to Earn section, such as H&M, Trip.com and COCA.
While it is possible to earn yuu Points per the displayed rates by scanning the app in-store or shopping online via the link in the yuu app, you will not earn further bonus points with the DBS yuu Card.
When are yuu Points credited?
The 36 yuu Points per S$1 earned by DBS yuu Cardholders at yuu merchants are broken down as follows:
| Amount | Credited |
| 1 yuu Point per S$1 | Immediately |
| 9 yuu Points per S$1 | When transaction posts (1-3 days) |
| 26 yuu Points per S$1 | Within 60 days after the end of each calendar month* |
| *In practice, points are credited by the end of the following calendar month | |
This means that if you forget to scan the yuu app at the cashier, you will only earn 35 yuu Points per S$1. It’s a bit frustrating to have to do that additional step, but it is what it is.
What’s the opportunity cost of choosing miles over rebates?
With the DBS yuu Card, you’re basically choosing between 18% rebates or 10 mpd for yuu merchant spending.
On the surface, this appears to be simple maths: the cost per mile is 1.8 cents (18/10). That’s decent, though it might be on the high side for most people’s purchasing thresholds.
That’s not quite correct. It would be correct if you were dealing with a cashback card, where the rebate is offset against your monthly bill. But the yuu Card is not a cashback card. It’s a rewards card, where the points need to be offset against future spending.
Here’s a simple illustration. Suppose you spend S$600 on your yuu Card and earn 21,600 points. You now have a choice between:
- Using those points to offset S$108 of spend at a yuu merchant
- Converting those points to 6,000 KrisFlyer miles
Choose option 1 implicitly means you forgo the opportunity to earn 1,080 miles on your next transaction at a yuu merchant (because your bill is reduced by S$108, at 10 mpd). Therefore, by choosing the S$108 offset, you’re giving up not 6,000 miles, but 7,080 miles. Based on this, the opportunity cost is 1.53 cents per mile- something much more tolerable.
Can I earn points for DFI vouchers?
Officially, the DBS yuu Card’s T&Cs (at Appendix 1) exclude yuu Points for DFI vouchers.
Unofficially, however, you can earn 35 yuu Points per S$1 on these transactions (not the base 1 yuu Point per S$1). This would be a great way of hitting the S$600 minimum spend on the dot, without worrying about overshooting.
Do keep in mind that this could be nerfed at any time, without warning.
Can I earn points for my Singtel bill?
Yes, if you make payment in-person at one of Singtel’s self-serve kiosks, you can earn 35 yuu Points per S$1 on your Singtel bill (not the base 1 yuu Point per S$1).
Two points to note:
- You can overpay your Singtel bill by up to 2x the due amount
- While all kiosks accept Visa, not all accept AMEX. Take note if you have the yuu AMEX (Sethisfy maintains a list of which kiosks accept what payment methods)
Protip: your Singtel bill need not just be for your mobile subscription. Singtel lets you charge other expenses to your monthly postpaid bill such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Google Play Store, Razer Gold and Spotify.
I shouldn’t have to say this, but because I’m sure it’ll be asked: no, you can’t pay a GOMO or other Singtel-using VMNO bill at a Singtel kiosk.
Can I shop at Cold Storage online?
Transactions made via the Cold Storage app are eligible to earn up to 36 yuu Points per S$1 with the DBS yuu Card, provided you link your yuu ID.
To do this, tap on My Account > Link yuu ID.
Can I shop at Guardian online?
Transactions made via the Guardian website are eligible to earn up to 36 yuu Points per S$1 with the DBS yuu Card, provided you link your yuu ID.
You’ll be given the option to do this at the check-out page.
Can I get both the yuu AMEX and Visa?
Yes. The main benefit is that the bonus cap applies on a card-level basis, so you’ll be able to earn 10 mpd on up to S$1,200 of combined spending with both the AMEX and Visa.
At the risk of stating the obvious, you’ll also need to meet the S$600 minimum spend on each of the AMEX and Visa in this case.
Your points will be pooled into the same yuu account.
What if I cancel a yuu Card?
Cancelling a DBS yuu Card has no impact on the points already in your account. However, it will affect any pending bonuses not yet credited, so give yourself a one-month gap before cancelling.
Is there any difference between the AMEX and Visa?
There are three main differences to take note of between the DBS yuu AMEX and Visa:
- The AMEX has a lower FCY fee of 3% versus 3.25% for Visa- not that you should be using either card for overseas spending, mind you
- The AMEX tends to have welcome offers for both new and existing DBS customers, versus new customers only for the Visa
- AMEX acceptance is obviously inferior to Visa; AMEX cards are not accepted at 7-Eleven for example
Are there any fees for transferring yuu Points to KrisFlyer?
No. All conversions are free of charge.
How fast are transfers processed?
All transfers from yuu Points to KrisFlyer are processed instantly.
What’s the minimum conversion block?
 |
|
| yuu Points | KrisFlyer miles |
| 3.6 points | 1 mile |
| Min conversion block: 200 yuu Points | |
A minimum conversion block of 200 yuu Points (56 miles) applies, after which conversions are in blocks of 1 mile.
All conversion amounts are rounded up to the nearest mile, e.g. 200 yuu Points = 55.55 miles โ 56 miles.
What welcome offers are there?
There’s currently a couple of welcome offers for the DBS yuu Card, which are available to both new and existing DBS customers who sign up by 30 September 2024.
| Card | New | Existing |
 DBS yuu AMEXApply |
S$150 Code: 150CASH |
S$60 No code required |
 DBS yuu VisaApply |
S$150 Code: 150CASH |
N/A |
| โ New customers are defined as those who do not currently hold a principal DBS/POSB card, and have not cancelled one in the past 12 months |
||
A minimum spend of S$800 (new) or S$300 (existing) within 30 days of approval is required. You’ll obviously want to spend this entire amount at yuu merchants for the biggest possible rebate.
Refer to the following links for the T&Cs:
If you’re a new DBS customer, however, my advice would be to sign up for a different card first through SingSaver to enjoy welcome gifts worth up to S$599, then apply for the DBS yuu AMEX as an existing customer for an extra S$60.
DBS x SingSaver welcome offers: Enjoy gifts worth up to S$599 for new cardholders
Conclusion
yuu’s partnership with KrisFlyer means that the DBS yuu Card now earns a whopping 10 mpd at yuu merchants across Singapore. If you’re shopping here, there’s no reason to use any other card, period.
In addition to miles and rebates, don’t forget that there’s a third option for spending yuu Points: rewards. This includes subscriptions to Singtel TV packages, vouchers, and random items like a can of jasmine green tea (hey, no judgement), and can sometimes be good value too.
Do you need to hit the$600 exactly just to maximise the mpd to 10mpd, or for some other reason?
For SingTel bill, online auto deduction not applicable ?
May I clarify if the Singtel bill payment at Singtel kiosk earns yuu points please? It is stated in the page 8 of the T&C that recurring bill payments and bill payments are excluded from the 36x yuu points.
Tried bill payment via Singtel Kiosk and it works, as in I did receive the 9x yuu points 1 week after bill payment using the yuu card.
However, for your data point or correction, but contrary to what was pointed above I wasnโt able to pay 2x my bill amount, but only rounded up to the nearest $10. For example my bill was $73.89, and I could only pay $80. Everytime I tried to input $90, it shows message โEnter a lower amountโ
Yeah but I can’t hit 600 on these merchants alone. Guess this card isn’t for me.
You can consider doing foodpanda take outs to hit. If you have the subscription, extra 10% overall still a deal
So confirm if pay singtel bill using app won’t get bonus?
Finally a replacement for the “bottles and bottles” nerf
The illustration to demonstrate the cost of 1.53 cpm assumes that the spend for that calendar month is still below $492. If we use the cashback when we exceed $600 spend in a month, then the cost is 1.71 cpm. Unless I value miles >1.7 cpm, the 18% cashback would be preferable. The opportunity cost in this case is 5% not 18% (so 300 miles not earned per $108 offset) For us, this happens when there is some awesome infant formula offer at CS or some other offer at Guardian (I shop while looking at amazon/lazada/shopee/redmart/NTUC/Watsons on my mobile). Then… Read more »
The CS and Giant gift cards, can they be purchased online and counted to the $600 spent? The online gift cards are purchased from Giftano website, not directly from CS or Giant.
Think about it, if you buy McD via Grabfood or Foodpanda, is it possible to clock McD points in your McD app???
Can we use gpay with these cards, and will we get points?
BTw AMex is not accepted at Cold Storage online ๐
Is the $600 for any transactions spend ? I keep hitting $600 but never got my bonus points for a few months.
Eg
$550 non Yuu merchants
$50 Seven Eleven
Is this ok for me to earn bonus points on the $50. Don’t judge me ๐