Review: DBS yuu Card

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the DBS yuu Card, which seems determined to prove that you do get a second chance at first impressions. 

When it launched back in late 2022, this card was a convoluted mess (I’ve decided to preserve the original review if only for posterity) with a confusing system of tiered rebates, headline earn rates that couldn’t actually be achieved in real life, and way too much PCK.

Then in April 2023, everything changed. Not only did the DBS yuu Card dramatically simplify its earn structure, it also boosted the maximum rebate to an actually-achievable 18%. Now, I’m sure you all know my affinity for miles, but you just don’t say no to 18% rebates, which trumped even the 6 mpd offered by the UOB Lady’s Cards at the time.

In any case, I can finally cease the mental gymnastics (it earns yuu Points, so I’m using a rewards card, not a cashback card!), because yuu has partnered up with KrisFlyer and in doing so, turned the DBS yuu Card into a 10 mpd behemoth.

DBS yuu Card
🦁 MileLion Verdict
☑ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It
What do these ratings mean?
With 18% rebates or 10 mpd at yuu merchants, the DBS yuu Card is an unbeatable powerhouse- so long as the juice keeps flowing.
👍 The good	👎 The bad
Game-changing 18% rebates or 10 mpd at yuu merchants island wide Separate bonus caps for AMEX and Visa Instant, fee-free conversions to KrisFlyer	You’ll need to stick within the yuu ecosystem to get maximum value from the card
💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: DBS yuu Card

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the DBS yuu Card:

Apply (AMEX)
Apply (Visa)
Income Req.	S$30,000 p.a.	Points Validity	2 years
Annual Fee	S$196.20 (First Year Free)	Min. Transfer	200 yuu points (56 miles)
Miles with Annual Fee	N/A	Transfer Partners	1
FCY Fee	3% (AMEX) 3.25% (Visa)	Transfer Fee	Free
Local Earn	0.27 mpd	Points Pool?	Yes
FCY Earn	0.27 mpd	Lounge Access?	No
Special Earn	10 mpd at yuu merchants	Airport Limo?	No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

The DBS yuu Card comes in two flavours: American Express, and Visa. The earn rates and benefits of the two are almost identical, and the main differences I can think of are:

• 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
• The AMEX occasionally gets to participate in AMEX Offers like Shop Small

There’s nothing stopping you from applying for both cards. In fact, you might want to consider this if you’re a big spender, since each card has its own bonus cap. 

Be sure to read this article in conjunction with the FAQ I wrote, because a lot of common questions will be answered inside.

FAQs: DBS yuu Card, yuu Points and 10 mpd at yuu merchants

How much must I earn to qualify for a DBS yuu Card?

The DBS yuu Card has a minimum income requirement of S$30,000 per year.

If you don’t meet the minimum income requirement, you can place a S$10,000 fixed deposit with DBS and get a secured version of the card. Visit any DBS branch for further information.

How much is the DBS yuu Card’s annual fee?

The DBS yuu Card has an annual fee of S$196.20 for the principal cardholder, and a S$98.10 fee per supplementary card.

The first year’s fee is waived. There is no prescribed minimum spending requirement to waive the second and subsequent year’s fees, but based on personal experience it’s not too difficult to do.

What welcome offers are available?

The DBS yuu Card is currently offering the following welcome offers.

Card	New	Existing
DBS yuu AMEX Apply	S$150 Code: 150CASH	S$60 No code
DBS yuu Visa Apply	S$150 Code: 150CASH	N/A

New customers are defined as those who do not:

• currently hold a principal DBS or POSB credit card, and
• have not cancelled a principal DBS or POSB credit card in the past 12 months

All other applicants are considered existing customers. 

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.

These offers are valid for applications submitted by 31 January 2025. The T&Cs can be found here.

How many miles do I earn?

SGD/FCY spend

DBS yuu Cardholders earn 1 yuu point for every S$1 spent in Singapore Dollars or foreign currency at non-yuu merchants.

Given the conversion rate of 3.6 yuu points = 1 mile, this works out to 0.27 mpd. Needless to say, you shouldn’t be using this card for any non-yuu spend!

All overseas transactions on the DBS yuu Card are subject to a 3% (AMEX) and 3.25% (Visa) FCY fee respectively.

yuu merchant spend

Instead, you’ll want to use the DBS yuu Card exclusively for spending at yuu merchants, defined as the following.

Transactions here earn a total of 36 yuu Points per S$1, broken down as follows:

The base reward consists of 10 yuu Points per S$1, comprising:

• 1 yuu Point per S$1 for scanning the yuu app at the cashier
• 9 yuu Points per S$1 for paying with the DBS yuu Card

The base reward has no minimum spend requirement nor cap. 

The bonus reward consists of 26 yuu Points per S$1. This requires a minimum spend of S$600 per calendar month, and is capped at 15,600 bonus yuu Points per calendar month (which also happens to be S$600, so the minimum spend is the cap). 

Put the two together, and you have a total of 36 yuu points per S$1, equivalent to an overall rebate of 18%, or 10 mpd.

Regardless of whether you prefer rebates or miles, a reward of this magnitude is almost too good to be true, so my advice would be to enjoy it while it lasts. Keep in mind, the bonus component was originally set to lapse on 29 February 2024, but has been perpetually extended every month since then. We’re living on borrowed time!

When are yuu Points credited?

Of the 36 yuu Points per S$1 earned for spending at yuu merchants with the DBS yuu Card: 

• 1 yuu point will be credited immediately upon completing the transaction (assuming you provide the yuu app for scanning)
• 9 yuu points will be credited when the transaction posts, usually in 1-3 days
• 26 yuu points will be credited by the end of the following calendar month

How are yuu Points calculated?

Here’s how you can work out the yuu Points earned on your DBS yuu Card.

For avoidance of doubt, there is no rounding up or down of points, and fractional points are awarded. You can see this on your yuu app, where all earnings are shown to two decimal points.

For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:

• General Spending Cards
• Specialised Spending Cards

What transactions aren’t eligible for yuu Points?

A full list of transactions that do not earn yuu Points can be found at point 9 of the T&Cs. 

I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:

• Charitable donations
• Education
• Government institutions and services
• Hospitals 
• Insurance
• Top-ups of prepaid accounts e.g. GrabPay and YouTrip
• Utilities bills

However, you still need to take care even when shopping at yuu merchants because certain items are not eligible to earn points. These can be found in the appendix of the T&Cs, and include Stage 1 infant milk powder and plastic bags.

That’s the official position, at least. Based on personal experience, I’ve found that the items listed in the exclusions are only excluded from earning the base 1X yuu Points from the yuu app. You still earn 35X yuu Points from the DBS yuu Card, which is how people have been buying things like DFI vouchers to meet their S$600 minimum spend on the do (yes, despite what the T&Cs say, you can still earn 35x yuu Points on DFI vouchers, though how long this will continue for is anyone’s guess).

Keep in mind, this is unofficial and can be nerfed at any time, so proceed with caution. 

What do I need to know about yuu Points?

Expiry

yuu Points expire two years from the date the points are awarded.

Pooling

yuu Points earned on the AMEX and Visa cards are pooled together automatically in your yuu account.

Cancelling a DBS yuu Card has no impact on the points already in your yuu account.

Partners and transfer fee

yuu Points can be transferred to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer at the following ratio.

Frequent Flyer Programme	Conversion Ratio (yuu Points: Miles)
	3.6:1

A minimum conversion of 200 yuu Points (56 miles) is required, but subsequent conversions can be in blocks as small as 1 mile.

All conversions are free of charge. 

Transfer times

Conversions from yuu points to KrisFlyer miles are processed instantly. This makes it a quick and easy way of topping up a KrisFlyer account, should you spot a redemption you’re keen on.

Should you opt for rebates, or miles?

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:

1. Using those points to offset S$108 of spend at a yuu merchant
2. 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. 

Other card perks

“Super duper” redemptions

While KrisFlyer miles or paying at yuu merchants will be the primary usage of yuu points, don’t discount the yuu catalogue entirely.

yuu releases a limited quantity of “Super Duper” rewards, which offer outsized value for your points. Recent examples include:

• 7-Eleven 10 eggs for 400 points
• S$10 gojek voucher for 1,000 points
• 7-day Sports Plus for 1,000 points
• 30-day HBO GO package for 1,200 points

Some of these boost the value of a yuu point significantly; for example, the S$10 gojek voucher represents 1 cent per point, or double the usual value.

I personally find the 7-day Sports Plus packages to be great value, redeeming them during tennis tournaments I want to watch instead of buying a full fledged subscription. 

Refer to the article below for more on spending yuu Points.

What’s the best way of spending yuu Points?

Terms and Conditions

• DBS yuu Card Terms and Conditions
• yuu Rewards Club Terms and Conditions

Summary Review: DBS yuu Card

DBS yuu Card

Apply (AMEX)

Apply (Visa)

🦁 MileLion Verdict

☑ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It

The DBS yuu Card offers an unbeatable 18% rebate or 10 mpd at yuu merchants, which makes it simply unthinkable to use any other card for these transactions. While you will have to hit the magic S$600 figure each month, it’s not difficult to hit that on groceries, food delivery and ride-hailing alone, especially if you’re buying for a family.

Of course, the entire product is designed to draw and keep you within the yuu ecosystem, such that you default to Cold Storage for groceries, foodpanda for food delivery, gojek for ride-hailing, Singtel for mobile connectivity, and BreadTalk for very mediocre pastries. That’s a feature, not a bug, and if the reward is good enough, I think most people would be willing to change their habits. 

Just how long the gravy train continues is anyone’s guess. yuu, as you probably know by now, is bankrolled by Temasek, and sooner or later they’re going to switch the focus from acquisition to profitability. The party will end eventually, but until then, make hay and enjoy the ride.

So that’s my review of the DBS yuu Card. What do you think?