KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card Review (2024): Exclusive 3 Miles Per Dollar on SIA Purchases & Everyday Spend

For lovers of all things Singapore Airlines, the KrisFlyer UOB Card needs no introduction. But for the uninitiated, this miles credit card might be the addition you need in your wallet to ace the miles game.

Birthed from the partnership between UOB and Singapore Airlines, this co-branded card served as a successful follow-up to its lacklustre debit card counterpart. It transformed both in looks and mechanics; now sporting a golden new look and promising a competitive miles earn rate over a broad range of categories.

KrisFlyer UOB card product summary:

• SIA-related spend – 3 miles per S$1 spend on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop, and Kris+ purchases

• Everyday spend – 3 miles per S$1 spend on dining, online food delivery, online shopping, online travel, and transport spend

• Base miles rate – 1.2 miles per S$1 spend on all other purchases

• Minimum spend requirement: S$800 per year

• Annual income requirement: S$30,000 (Singaporeans/PRs), S$40,000 (Foreigners)

• Minimum age: 21 years old

• Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year waived)

*Does not apply to Kris+ Card transactions

#1: Competitive 3 miles per S$1 spend on SIA-related and everyday spend

For context, the typical miles earn rate hovers around 1.2 to 1.4 mpd on local spend and 2 to 2.4 mpd on foreign spend. However, the KrisFlyer UOB Card offers an impressive 3 mpd rate across a broad range of categories no less.

The eligible 3 mpd spend categories are as follows:

• Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop, Kris+ purchases

• Dining (e.g. eateries, restaurants, bars, and fast food restaurants)

• Online food delivery (e.g. GrabFood, foodpanda, and honestbee)

• Online shopping (e.g. Fashion websites selling clothes, shoes, jewellery, accessories, and bags)

• Online travel transactions (e.g. Agoda, Airbnb, Kaligo, Expedia etc.)

• Transport (e.g. Gojek, Grab, SimplyGo, etc.)

Right off the bat, the KrisFlyer UOB is positioning itself as a great card for frequent flyers with Singapore Airlines and general everyday spend. However, the caveat is that the 3 mpd on everyday spend is only eligible if you spend a minimum of S$800 on the SIA-related categories annually.

No matter, this minimum spend should be fairly achievable. Firstly, it's by year and not by month, so time is on your side. Secondly, just charge one or two Singapore Airlines or Scoot air tickets and it'll already form a bulk of that minimum spend.

And once you fulfil that requirement, you're home free. There is no cap on bonus miles earned. You're more than welcome to rack up your spend to maximise bonus miles (as much as your budget allows).

Apart from that, you earn a respectable 1.2 mpd on all other spend – which is on par with its other credit card peers like DBS Altitude, HSBC TravelOne, or Standard Chartered Journey.

#2: No transfer fee on miles

This point is self-explanatory; there is no transfer fee on miles because they're already KrisFlyer miles.

Base KrisFlyer miles will be credited directly to your KrisFlyer membership account each month. Unfortunately, the process isn't exactly the same for Bonus KrisFlyer miles.

The Bonus KrisFlyer miles will be credited to your account only after you pay the KrisFlyer UOB Card's annual fee of S$196.20. Following that, you can expect to receive the bonus miles within two months of the payment.

Basically, there'll be a 14-month delay before your bonus miles can reach your account. There are several issues arising from this.

1. There's less time to accumulate your miles. If your bonus miles take 14 months to be credited, this wastes a significant portion of your KrisFlyer miles' 36-month validity period. Overall, there's a tinier window of availability to earn and redeem valid KrisFlyer miles.

2. You're locked into your card. If you want to cancel your KrisFlyer UOB Card, your pending bonus miles will be forfeited – unless you didn't spend with the card at all 14 months prior to the cancellation.

3. You'll have difficulty reconciling bonus miles. Since the KrisFlyer UOB Card follows a blacklist approach, its list of eligible MCCs isn't explicitly stated. Knowing which merchants are eligible would require more deep-dive research and a bit of guesswork.

#3: Bonus 6 miles per S$1 spend with KrisFlyer UOB Account

As if the bonus 3 mpd rate isn't enough, KrisFlyer UOB Accountholders can earn even more miles of up to 6 mpd! How does that work? You'll need to meet to criteria to qualify for this accelerated rate:

• Credit a minimum S$1,600 monthly salary through GIRO

• Maintain a minimum S$1,000 deposit balance per month

And, that's about it. No minimum credit card spend requirement, no additional insurance product purchases, no need to take up loans – nothing. Fulfil these two base requirements and you can start earning 6 mpd on all eligible KrisFlyer UOB spend.

The only downside is that these bonus miles earned on your account are capped at 5% of its monthly average balance. For more details on account mechanics, refer to the T&Cs here.

💡 Fun fact: The only other miles cards offering this 6 mpd rate are also from UOB – the UOB Lady's & Lady's Solitaire Cards.

#4 Exclusive travel privileges with Scoot, KrisShop, and Changi Airport

While regular credit cards already offer a myriad of perks and benefits, a co-branded credit card just takes it to the next level. As a KrisFlyer UOB cardmember, you'll be entitled to card privileges from both UOB's and Singapore Airlines' end.

Here are all the current ongoing promotions:

• Annual fee: S$196.20 (First year waived) 

• Late payment charge: S$100 if minimum payment is not received by due date

• Cash advance fee: 8% of due amount, subject to S$15 minimum fee

• Minimum monthly payment: 3% of current balance or $50, whichever is higher, plus any overdue amounts

• Overlimit fee: S$40 if the total outstanding card balance exceeds the total credit limit at any time

• Foreign currency transaction fee: 3.25% on converted amount (1% retained by Mastercard)

• Interest on purchases: 27.8% p.a. on amount unpaid (including late payment charges) until outstanding is paid in full

• Interest on cash advance: 28.5% p.a. from the date of the cash advance until the date the outstanding is paid in full

• Additional interest: 3% p.a. on top of prevailing interest on any remaining unpaid amount if minimum payment is overdue

Eligibility criteria

• At least 21 years of age

• Minimum annual income for Singapore citizens and PRs: S$30,000 or a fixed deposit collateral of at least S$10,000

• Minimum annual income for foreigners: S$40,000 or a fixed deposit collateral of at least S$10,000

Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button on this page and complete the application form on SingSaver site using your Singpass MyInfo. Otherwise, you might need to prepare the following documents for the application process:

• Front and back of NRIC/Passport/Employment Pass

• Salaried employees (Singaporeans/PRs):

  • Fixed monthly salary ≥ S$2,500: Past 12 months' CPF statement or latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment or latest original computerised payslip

  • Fixed monthly salary < S$2,500: Past 12 months' CPF statement or latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment or latest 3 months' computerised payslip

  • Length of employment < 3 months: Last computerised payslip or Company Letter certifying employment & monthly salary 

• Self-employed: Latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment

All things considered, the KrisFlyer UOB Card offers a very attractive bonus rate on things you’re most likely to spend on, but that comes with a major caveat of a credit delay of up to 14 months.

If you’re thinking of getting this card, you need to consider whether you’re willing to be locked into the card until your bonus miles post, and how the delayed crediting affects your timelines for award redemptions.

For obvious reasons, frequent flyers or loyal fans of Singapore Airlines and Scoot would benefit the most from this card. Or even if they're not your go-to air carrier of choice, you can always help your friends and family book tickets on their behalf too. And tada! You're on track to effortlessly earning an accelerated 3 mpd on your everyday spend.