Itโs funny how things change.
Not too long ago, it seemed like every UOB Ladyโs Cardholder wanted to upgrade to the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire. And why not? With double the monthly bonus cap and an extra bonus category to choose from, the Solitaire was basically better in every way. If not for its higher income requirement, I donโt think anyone would even bother getting the UOB Ladyโs Card.
But fate has a sense of humour, and in a delicious twist of irony, itโs now UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Cardholders who find themselves casting envious glances in the other direction.
What happened to the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Card?
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| Bonus Category #1 | Bonus Category #2 | |
| Base Reward | 1X UNI$ per S$5 (0.4 mpd) | 1X UNI$ per S$5 (0.4 mpd) |
| Bonus Reward | 9X UNI$ per S$5 (3.6 mpd) | 9X UNI$ per S$5 (3.6 mpd) |
| Monthly Bonus Cap | 1,350 UNI$ (S$750) | 1,350 UNI$ (S$750) |
On 1 August 2025, the following changes were made to the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire:
- The bonus cap was cut from S$2,000 to S$1,500 per calendar month
- The bonus cap was further subdivided into S$750 per category
This was a double whammy. Not only did UOB reduce the overall bonus cap by 25%, it also removed the flexibility for cardholders to allocate the cap between the two bonus categories as they wished.
For example, a cardholder could previously spend S$1,300 on travel and S$700 on dining, or even the full S$2,000 on travel alone. Under the new system, there is a strict cap of S$750 per category per month, which effectively cuts the bonus cap by 63% for single-category spenders!
| โ What if I pick a single category? |
| Choosing a single bonus category for your UOB Ladyโs Solitaire instead of two wonโt help, because in that case, your total monthly bonus cap will simply be S$750. |
The nerf also created a rather odd situation: while the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire has a higher overall bonus cap, the UOB Ladyโs Card has a higher per category bonus cap. Therefore, itโs no longer clear if the Solitaire is still the superior choice, which brings us to the next questionโฆ
Should you downgrade to the UOB Ladyโs Card?
Following the 1 August changes, here are the key differences between the UOB Ladyโs Card and UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Card.
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| UOB Ladyโs Card | UOB Ladyโs Solitaire | |
| Min. Income | S$30,000 p.a. | S$120,000 p.a. |
| Annual Fee | S$196.20 | S$414.20 |
| Bonus Categories | 1 | 2 |
| Monthly Bonus Cap | S$1,000 | S$750 per category (S$1,500 total) |
Now, even though the annual fee of the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire is more than double the UOB Ladyโs Card, I donโt think this should factor into your decision at all. UOB takes a rather lax approach to annual fees on these two cards, and getting it waived has never been an issue in my experience (just watch out for UNI$ deductions).
What should be relevant are the bonus categories and monthly bonus cap, because the decision to downgrade boils down to one simple question:
Do you prefer to earn 4 mpd on a single bonus category of S$1,000, or two bonus categories of S$750 each?
In my opinion, downgrading is the right option in the following scenarios.
If you want to avoid the hassle of tracking two bonus categories
Obviously, if you were able to fully utilise the bonus cap every month, then it would be a no-brainer to stick with the Solitaire and earn 6,000 miles (S$1,500 @ 4 mpd) instead of 4,000 miles (S$1,000 @ 4 mpd) on the Ladyโs Card.
But real life isnโt so simple. Itโs much more complicated to juggle two bonus categories compared to just one.
Wait a minute, you say. Donโt you basically manage multiple bonus categories on a card like the HSBC Revolution or Maybank XL? Yesโ but in those cases, the cap is shared among all bonus categories.
With the Maybank XL, for example, I can spend its S$1,000 monthly cap any way I please. I could charge S$400 on food delivery, S$500 on airfare, and S$100 on movie tickets. I could charge S$980 on fast food and S$20 on department stores. Whatever mix I decide, itโs up to me.
In other words, all I need to do is look at my total spend figure for the month to know whether Iโm still within the limit.
With the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire, keeping track of your spending is going to be a frustrating task. UOB does not keep a running tally of how much cap you have left for each bonus category, nor does it categorise your spending. The only way to know how much cap remains for each bonus category is to go line by line and tally up the spendโ which transactions belong to category 1, which transactions belong to category 2?
| ๐ก Workaround #1 |
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A MileLion Community member has suggested a rather brilliant solution: applying for a supplementary card. To be clear: this does not increase your bonus cap. What it does is make it much easier to track your spending. For example, you could put all the spending for bonus category #1 on the principal card, and all the spending for bonus category #2 on the supplementary card. Since these cards are shown as separate accounts on internet banking, you can just look at the total spend on a card level and ensure it doesnโt exceed S$750 per calendar month. |
| ๐ก Workaround #2 |
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Another way of keeping things simple, as suggested by a different MileLion Community member, is to max out one bonus category completely at the start of each month. The easiest way to do this would be through vouchers. For example, you could pick Family as one of your two bonus categories, and buy S$750 of Cold Storage or NTUC FairPrice vouchers each month. Beyond that, all the actual card spending will be done on your second bonus category only. If that sounds like too much for groceries, you could also pick Fashion as one of your two bonus categories, and buy S$750 worth of HeyMax vouchers (which cover shopping, groceries, ride-hailing, dining, and more). |
If youโre primarily a single-category spender
If youโve been primarily using your UOB Ladyโs Solitaire as a one-category card, then it would be better to have a S$1,000 bonus cap than S$750.
The classic example is Travel. Given that air tickets and hotel stays tend to be larger expense items, it would not be unusual to commit most (if not all) of a given monthโs bonus cap to this category. In that sense, going from S$2,000 to S$1,000 is certainly better than going from S$1,000 to S$750, though itโs debatable if an extra S$250 per month will move the needle in any significant way.
Why not upgrade to the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Metal Card?
There is no change to the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Metal Card, which continues to earn 4 mpd on a choice of two bonus categories, capped at S$2,000 per calendar month. This cap can be divided between the two bonus categories in any proportion you wish (itโs how the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire worked prior to 1 August 2025).
So instead of downgrading to the UOB Ladyโs Card, why not upgrade to the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Metal Card instead?
In one word: opportunity cost.
The UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Metal Card is a more premium, invite-only card with a non-waivable annual fee of S$589.99. You must spend at least S$45,000 in a 3-month period on the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire Card for the possibility of receiving an invitation to upgrade.
Even if you did manage to get the card, you would โwasteโ S$40,500 (S$45,000 โ 3 x S$1,500) of spending in the process. This earns just 0.4 mpd!
Downgrading logistics
Assuming youโve decided to downgrade your UOB Ladyโs Solitaire, here are a few things to know about the process.
Annual fee
I mentioned that you shouldnโt be paying annual fees for the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire in the first place, but in the off chance you didโ itโs non-refundable. You wonโt get a pro-rated refund for downgrading, so donโt even ask.
GIRO
Downgrading your card is like applying for a new card, so youโll need to set up a new GIRO arrangement for your UOB Ladyโs Card. The arrangement from the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire will not carry over.
Bonus categories
When downgrading from the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire to the UOB Ladyโs Card, you will need to manually re-select your bonus category once again. Contact UOB customer service to get this done. The new bonus category will go into effect as soon as it is chosen.
Bonus cap
When downgrading from the UOB Ladyโs Solitaire to the UOB Ladyโs Card, the revised bonus cap will only apply from the following calendar month.
For example, if I had Travel and Dining as the bonus categories on my Solitaire, and downgrade to the UOB Ladyโs Card with Dining as my bonus category, my cap for Dining in the current calendar month will still be S$750.
Conclusion
| UOB Ladyโs Card |
| Apply |
With the cut to the UOB Ladyโs Solitaireโs bonus cap, the plain Jane UOB Ladyโs Card might now be the more attractive of the two.
While its bonus cap is 33% lower than the Solitaire, you wonโt need to worry about tracking two separate spending caps. And if youโre a single-category spender, then earning 4 mpd on S$1,000 is better than 4 mpd on S$750.
Will you be downgrading your UOB Ladyโs Solitaire?
How do you go about downgrading? Do you have to cancel your solitaire then apply for a new ladyโs card?
i believe you just submit an application for a ladyโs card. when approved, the existing solitaire will be closed.
UOB seems to be happy with users having both cards. You will need to cancel the Ladyโs Solitaire card.
ah got it. the only thing you should be careful of is that the solitaire is not your last uob card. otherwise when you cancel it your UNI$ go bye bye too. so in that case the order would be apply for uob ladyโs card > cancel solitaire AFTER ladyโs card approved
If apple for the downgrade and then cancel solitaire Card will the uni$ be gone?
Does it mean 1 cardholder can own both cards and have up to $2,500 spending with 4mpd, assuming the spending on each card is within the category limits?
Wouldnโt put it past them to eventually nerf the Ladyโs to 500/mth
Ya I know right, this is ridiculous!
Shh stop giving them ideas
The thing about travel and dining is that some F&B within restaurants are tag as a travel or dining. So I always use this as part of Accor plus spending.
Thank you mysterious hero who suggested the supplementary card trick. Letโs do this.
Should we still keep the 10k balance UOB ladyโs account?
I have my solitaire card for 2 years. Then, i just applied and got my UOB ladyโs card last month. It seems that both card can be used and active.
My solitaire card isnโt closed.
For the benefit vs. annual fee, I will considering closing the Ladyโs Solitaire come next renewal.
The $750 cap per category is just bad even though I donโt max the $1,000 for the 2 categories in most months previously. But when I have a large spend, then itโs worse than a few other cards I currently hold
Can we not keep the existing Ladyโs Solitaire card while applying for and additional Ladyโs card?
You forgot the third choice, which is: cancel. Iโll be doing that, UOB is just a pain to deal with, only 1-2 points conversion partners, annoying UNI$ nonsense.