UOB terminates KrisFlyer Auto-conversion Programme

UOB cardholders usually pay a S$27 fee every time they convert UNI$ to airline miles, unless they hold a UOB Reserve, Visa Infinite, Visa Infinite Metal or Privilege Banking Card.

However, those who prefer more frequent conversions, or smaller conversion blocks, can opt into the KrisFlyer Auto-conversion Programme. For a flat fee of S$50 per year, UNI$ are automatically converted into miles each month in blocks of 2,500 UNI$, half the usual block size.

I personally don’t think this is a good option, for reasons I’ll explain in a bit, but in any case, UOB will soon be terminating the programme altogether.

UOB discontinues KrisFlyer auto-conversion Programme

UOB has announced that enrolment in the KrisFlyer Auto-conversion Programme has been suspended from 20 April 2026, with the programme shutting down from 20 May 2026. 

KrisFlyer Auto-conversion Programme will be discontinued from 20 May 2026.

For customers who enrolled in the programme and were charged an annual conversion fee of S$50 between May 2025 to May 2026, a full refund of the S$50 admin fee will be credited to the credit card enrolled in the programme by 31 July 2026. No further actions required.

-UOB

The final auto-conversions will be made on 30 April 2026.

Customers who enrolled in the programme between May 2025 to May 2026 will receive a full refund of the S$50 admin fee, and it’s nice to see UOB is refunding the whole thing instead of pro-rating it.

Frankly, the cessation of this programme is no big loss. While it was advantageous to pay a flat fee of S$50 for 12 automatic conversions a year, there were numerous downsides involved.

Less flexibility

At the risk of stating the obvious, joining the KrisFlyer Auto-conversion Programme locked you into KrisFlyer, denying you the opportunity to convert UNI$ into Asia Miles instead.

While KrisFlyer is arguably more useful for someone based in Singapore, Asia Miles has its own sweet spots too, and opens up redemption options in the oneworld alliance.

Shorter validity period

KrisFlyer miles are valid for three years, with the countdown starting as soon as UNI$ are converted.

However, UNI$ are valid for two years, so you could stretch the combined validity to as much as five years by delaying the transfer — not possible with auto-conversions.

15,000 UNI$ “working capital” balance

But perhaps the biggest dealbreaker of all was that UOB required cardholders to maintain a minimum “working capital” of 15,000 UNI$, only converting UNI$ above this threshold.

Why? For your benefit, apparently.

This is a ridiculous requirement, quite frankly, and I can’t think of many people who would be willing to keep an orphan balance of 30,000 miles. 

DBS continues to offer auto-conversions

With UOB discontinuing its auto-conversion programme, DBS will be the only bank in Singapore to offer such a feature.

While conversions less frequent at once per quarter, the minimum conversion block is smaller at 1,000 miles, and ad-hoc conversions can be made for free. More importantly, however, there’s no “working capital” balance to be maintained!

Conclusion

UOB will be shutting down its KrisFlyer Auto-conversion Programme next month, with existing members receiving a full refund of their membership fee.

While anyone who made more than two conversions a year could theoretically save money by opting for auto-conversions instead, the cost savings were outweighed by the loss in flexibility, reduced validity period, and the annoying requirement to maintain a minimum of 15,000 UNI$ with the bank.

If you’d prefer to avoid conversion fees altogether, be sure to check out my guide on which banks and cards offer free points transfers.

(HT: Suitesmile)