American Express has always had a rather odd relationship with CardUp.
On the one hand, the two have partnered up on numerous occasions to offer discounted CardUp fees to AMEX cardholders. On the other, American Express also imposes numerous restrictions on the types of CardUp payments that can be made with its cards, and blocks them from CardUp Business accounts altogether.
That relationship is set to get even more complicated from 1 April 2026, when DBS- and UOB-issued AMEX cards stop earning rewards with CardUp. While the number of cards affected is relatively small, this will notably impact the current highest-earning AMEX option for CardUp, the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX.
It’s worth noting that this is not a bank-initiated nerf. You won’t find any announcement about it on the DBS or UOB websites. Rather, it’s a network-initiated restriction, one that I imagine CardUp doesn’t like, but has little choice but to abide by.
No more CardUp rewards for DBS/UOB-issued AMEX cards
From 1 April 2026, American Express cards issued by DBS and UOB will no longer earn rewards on CardUp.
This change is a result of new payment processing requirements by American Express, which affect how certain Amex Card transactions qualify for rewards.
-CardUp
For what it’s worth, there were only three DBS/UOB-issued AMEX cards that you might have been using with CardUp in the first place: the DBS Altitude AMEX, DBS Treasures Black Elite AMEX, and UOB PRVI Miles AMEX (if you’re using the DBS yuu AMEX with CardUp, I have no words).
Here’s the cost per mile for each card, based on their earn rates and CardUp’s year-round 2.35% fee for AMEX payments.
| Card | Earn Rate | Cost Per Mile (2.35% fee) |
 UOB PRVI Miles AMEX |
1.4 mpd | 1.64¢ |
 DBS Altitude AMEX |
1.3 mpd | 1.77¢ |
 DBS Treasures Black Elite AMEX |
1.2 mpd | 1.91¢ |
 |
|
| Code | OFF235 |
| Limit | No cap on individual or overall redemptions |
| Admin Fee | 2.35% |
| Min. Spend | None |
| Cap | None |
| Schedule By | 31 January 2027 |
| Due Date By | 4 February 2027 |
| Validity | AMEX, Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay |
| OFF235 T&Cs | |
As you can see, the lowest possible cost per mile here is 1.64 cents, which isn’t terribly compelling. There are many other combinations of cards and codes that could reduce the cost to below 1.5 cents. However, the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX is the highest-earning AMEX card for CardUp, and the remaining options leave a lot to be desired.
If you have an existing billing arrangement with a DBS/UOB-issued AMEX card, you should update the payment method before 1 April 2026 to an alternate card.
To be clear, there is no impact on non-AMEX DBS and UOB cards. These will continue to earn rewards with CardUp as usual.
What are the remaining AMEX options?
The removal of rewards for DBS- and UOB-issued AMEX cards effectively eliminates any reason to use AMEX with CardUp. At the standard 2.35% fee, the cost per mile is simply too high to justify. It’s bad enough for the Singapore Airlines cobrand AMEX cards, let alone the dismal Platinum series!
| Card | Earn Rate | Cost Per Mile (2.35% fee) |
 AMEX Solitaire PPS Card |
1.3 mpd | 1.77¢ |
 AMEX PPS Card |
1.3 mpd | 1.77¢ |
 AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend |
1.2 mpd | 1.91¢ |
 AMEX KrisFlyer Credit Card |
1.1 mpd | 2.09¢ |
 AMEX Platinum Charge |
0.63 mpd | 3.67¢ |
 AMEX Platinum Reserve |
0.57 mpd | 4.03¢ |
 AMEX Platinum Credit Card |
0.57 mpd | 4.03¢ |
There are only two scenarios where using AMEX with CardUp might still make sense.
The first is if AMEX brings back a special CardUp promotion — and mind you, given the mediocre earn rates, it’d have to be a very low fee to bring the cost per mile into attractive territory.
The second is if you’re trying to meet the minimum spend for a welcome offer. In that case, the additional miles earned from the bonus can help make the overall proposition worthwhile, though even so, I’d much prefer meeting the minimum spend through something like supermarket vouchers instead.
CardUp x AMEX restrictions
As I mentioned earlier, American Express has numerous restrictions on the types of CardUp payments that can be made with its cards.
CardUp Personal accounts can only use personal AMEX cards to make payments for:
- Rental payments/deposits
- Personal income tax, property tax and stamp duty
- Tuition fees to Singapore-based schools or education centres
- Condo MCST fees
- Insurance premiums
- Season parking
- Property agent fee
On the other hand, CardUp Business accounts cannot use AMEX cards at all, whether personal or corporate.
CardUp is careful to emphasise repeatedly that the restriction is on the AMEX side, due to the latter’s compliance and risk management requirements. Such intricacies are beyond my pay grade, though I believe the general idea is that personal and corporate expenses need to be kept separate (so you shouldn’t be using a personal AMEX card to pay corporate taxes, for instance).
Suffice to say, it’s just the latest chapter in the on-again, off-again relationship between the two. I mean, it wasn’t so long ago that CardUp was touting a partnership with the AMEX HighFlyer Card, only for American Express to quietly block the card entirely from CardUp sometime in 2024!
Conclusion
From 1 April 2026, DBS/UOB-issued AMEX cards will no longer earn rewards with CardUp, due to new restrictions imposed by American Express. Sadly, this removes the highest-earning AMEX option for CardUp — the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX — and the remaining options aren’t worth considering under normal circumstances.
If you currently have a billing arrangement using an affected card, make sure it’s charged before the deadline, and swap it out for something else after that.
