UOB currently has 3 top-tier miles credit cards and 1 top-tier cashback credit card. There are also other UOB credit cards with okay benefits and limited use cases.
In this guide, I’m sharing the best methods that I’ve used to get a UOB credit card annual fee waiver, and what to do if/when the waiver request is not granted.
Related: Annual fee waiver guides for Citibank and DBS credit cards
UOB credit card annual fees
Here’s a recap of the annual fees of all noteworthy UOB credit cards in Singapore and the miles that come with annual fee payments (if any).
✍️ FYAFW = First-year annual fee waived
| UOB Credit Card | Annual Fee | Can Be Waived? | Miles With Annual Fee | Cost Per Mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UOB Preferred Platinum Visa | S$196.20 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB One | S$196.20 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB Visa Signature | S$218 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB Lady’s | S$196.20 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB Lady’s Solitaire | S$414.20 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | |
 KrisFlyer UOB | S$196.20 (FYAFW) | ✅ | 10,000 | 1.96 cents |
 UOB Absolute Cashback | S$196.20 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB PRVI Miles (Visa) | S$261.60 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB PRVI Miles (Mastercard) | S$261.60 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB PRVI Miles (AMEX) | S$261.60 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB EVOL | S$196.20 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 Singtel-UOB | S$196.20 (FYAFW) | ✅ | ❌ | – |
 UOB Visa Infinite Metal | S$654 | ❌ | 25,000 | 2.62 cents |
WARNING: UOB auto-deducts your miles as annual fee payment
On most miles-earning cards, UOB will auto-deduct your hard-earned UNI$ (UOB’s miles/points currency) as “annual fee payment”, if you have a sufficient balance in your account. If you don’t, it’ll automatically charge the annual fee amount in cash.
If/When an annual fee waiver request is approved, the affected UNI$ will be returned to your account with a fresh 2-year expiry term.
✍️ Note: Annual fees on the KrisFlyer UOB Card and UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card are always charged in cash.
Here are the UNI$ amounts that UOB deducts for each miles-earning card, as annual fee payment:
| UOB Credit Card | Auto-Deducted UNI$ For Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card | UNI$ 6,500 (equivalent to 13,000 miles) |
| UOB Lady’s Card | UNI$ 6,500 (equivalent to 13,000 miles) |
| UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card | UNI$ 10,000 (equivalent to 20,000 miles) |
| UOB Visa Signature Card | UNI$ 6,500 (equivalent to 13,000 miles) |
| UOB PRVI Miles Card | UNI$ 6,500 (equivalent to 13,000 miles) |
Here’s a screenshot of how the UNI$ deduction appears in your latest transactions in the UOB TMRW app:
Should you waive your UOB credit card annual fee?
You absolutely should! There is pretty much no benefit in voluntarily paying your UOB credit card annual fee every year. Paying the annual fee negates your gains (in miles or cashback) throughout your card membership year and it’s especially wasteful on cards that don’t award miles for annual fee payments.
Cardholders are encouraged to keep track of their card anniversary date on the calendar and/or spreadsheet and request for an annual fee waiver as soon as the fee appears in the card’s transaction history (in the UOB TMRW app). Feel free to use Suitesmile’s free Google Sheet template for tracking miles/points and credit cards, if you don’t already have one.
Related: My Miles & Credit Card Strategy
“But, I get miles for paying the annual fee!”
As shared above, all but two of UOB miles-earning cards do not award miles for annual fee payments. This is a major downside, especially for the miles-focused UOB PRVI Miles Card.
That said, in my opinion, it is never worth it to “buy miles” through annual fee payments. Here’s a quick calculation for the KrisFlyer UOB Card:
- Annual fee: S$196.20
- Miles with annual fee payment: 10,000
- Effective cost per mile: 1.96 cents
Paying 1.96 cents per KrisFlyer mile is pricey. Need more miles? You can simply buy miles all year for cheaper.
Remember, the above example is just for the KrisFlyer UOB Card. The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, UOB Lady’s and UOB Visa Signature cards, which are unequivocally better miles cards with far better earn rates, do not include any miles with annual fee payments.
tl;dr: Get your UOB credit card annual fees waived whenever you can!
Related: Values of Miles and Points
Fresh miles expiry term
As I’ve touched on earlier, another advantage of having your UOB credit card annual fee waived is that when the UNI$ is reinstated, they will have a fresh 2-year expiry term.
How to waive UOB credit card annual fees
UOB credit card annual fees can be waived through the 3 methods shared below. If one is unsuccessful, try the other method right away.
1) UOB TMRW app (Fastest and Easiest)
Here are steps to request for an annual fee waiver via the UOB TMRW app, after logging in:
- Tap on Accounts
- Tap on your credit card
- Tap on Services
- Tap on Waive fees
- Tap on Annual fee and Next
- Swipe to Confirm (see request outcome instantly)
- If successful, the UNI$ that was deducted will be reinstated with a fresh 2-year expiry term
Note: UOB TMRW app’s interface may change over time, but the process should remain similar.
Here are some screenshots for requesting for an annual fee waiver via UOB TMRW app:
2) UOB hotline
UOB cardholders may also request for a credit card annual fee waiver through the UOB hotline at 1800 222 2121 (if you’re in Singapore) or +65 6222 2121 (if you’re overseas).
Simply follow the instructions by the automated messages.
3) UOB chat assist
Lastly, UOB cardholders may request for a credit card annual fee waiver through the UOB Chat Assist page.
Follow these steps:
- Visit the UOB chat assist page
- Complete the security check
- Tap on Fee Waiver
- Tap on Credit Card
- Tap on Membership Fee
- Enter your card number
What if the annual fee waiver request gets rejected?
Was your annual fee waiver request rejected? Don’t give up just yet! Try a different method shared above.
Submit an appeal
Still rejected? Call UOB at 1800 222 2121 (or +65 6222 2121 if you’re overseas) to submit an appeal. To do this, you’ll need to speak to a customer service officer. Once the appeal is submitted, you should receive an update regarding the appeal via SMS or email in 2 to 3 working days.
Appeal rejected?
Still rejected after trying all 3 methods and appealing? It’s probably best to cancel the card. The way I see it, most (if not all) credit cards in Singapore are only good when the annual fee is waived.
To cancel the credit card, you’ll need to ensure that the latest bill (except the annual fee amount) and all unbilled transactions are fully paid off. This has to be done before the latest statement (with the annual fee) is due.
If it is your only miles-earning UOB credit card, you can initiate a points conversion to a preferred frequent flyer program (remember to also pay the points conversion fee), and redeem any smaller balance for vouchers before cancelling the card. If you have other miles-earning UOB cards, your UNI$ will remain in your account, even if you cancel one.
Points conversions generally take 2 to 14 days, so it’s best to plan early and request for an annual fee waiver as soon as they appear in your credit card transactions page.
✍️ Tracking your credit cards is a basic rule of the Miles Game. If it’s too difficult or time-consuming, the Miles Game is probably not for you (don’t feel bad; check out the best credit cards without an annual fee).
What are your chances of getting the annual fee waived?
UOB doesn’t share official requirements to get a credit card annual fee waiver request approved.
In my experience over the past 10 years or so, and based on what’s shared by other UOB cardholders reported in Suitesmile Chat, it’s pretty easy to get the annual fees on UOB credit cards waived if you use them somewhat regularly (my guess: around 5 transactions of any amount per month). Of course, the actual threshold could be different and the bank can change it anytime.
Best UOB credit cards
Here are the key details of some of the best UOB miles and cashback credit cards:
Earn 4 mpd on two bonus categories:1) Mobile Contactless (e.g. Google Pay, Apple Pay)
2) Online Spending (some MCCs only)
More information
Key details of the UOB Preferred Visa Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$40,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; request waiver every year)
Earn 4 mpd on two bonus categories, up to S$600 per calendar month each (total S$1,200):1) Mobile Contactless (e.g. Google Pay, Apple Pay)
2) Online Spending (selected MCCs only) No minimum spending
⚠️ 0.4 mpd earn rate on non-bonus spending
⚠️ Online Spending category is MCC-sensitive
⚠️ S$5 earning block
⚠️ 2-year miles expiry term
⚠️ Only 2 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
More information
Key details of the UOB Lady’s Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$40,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; request waiver every year)
Earn 4 mpd on 1 chosen bonus category, up to S$1,000 per calendar month
No minimum spending
⚠️ 0.4 mpd earn rate on non-bonus spending
⚠️ Bonus categories are MCC-sensitive
⚠️ 2-year miles expiry term
⚠️ Only 2 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
Earn 4 mpd on two bonus categories:1) Overseas (incl. online in foreign currencies)
2) Local Contactless, Public Transport, Fuel
More information
Key details of the UOB Visa Signature Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$40,000Annual fee: S$218 (first year waived; request waiver every year)
Earn 4 mpd on two bonus categories, up to S$1,200 per statement month each (total S$2,400):1) Overseas (incl. online in foreign currencies)
2) Local Contactless (e.g. PayWave, Google Pay, Apple Pay), SimplyGo (Public Transport), Fuel
⚠️ Minimum category spend (not card spend) of S$1,000 per statement month required for bonus earn rate
⚠️ 0.4 mpd earn rate on non-bonus spending
⚠️ 2-year miles expiry term
⚠️ Only 2 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
Get 4 free airport lounge visits per year, earn 1.4 mpd on local spending and 2.4 – 3 mpd on foreign currencies
More information
Key details of the UOB PRVI Miles Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$40,000Annual fee: S$261.60 (first year waived; request waiver every year)
Get 4 free airport lounge visits per calendar year
No minimum spending
Uncapped earn rates
⚠️ Low earn rates (spend with 4 mpd cards instead):
• 1.4 mpd on local spending
• 2.4 – 3 mpd on foreign currency spending ⚠️ S$5 earning block
⚠️ 2-year miles expiry term
⚠️ Only 2 useful miles transfer partners
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
Get up to 10% cashback on selected merchants and up to 3.33% cashback on almost everything else
More information
Key details of the UOB One Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$40,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; request waiver every year)
Get up to 3.33% cashback on almost everything, up to S$600, S$1,000 or S$2,000 per statement month
Get additional 1 – 6.67% cashback at selected merchants (total up to 4.33 – 10% cashback)
⚠️ Minimum card spend of S$600, S$1,000 or S$2,000 per statement month, for 3 consecutive months in a qualifying quarter required for bonus cashback
⚠️ Minimum 10 transactions per statement month required for bonus cashback
⚠️ 0.03% cashback on non-bonus spending
⚠️ Bonus categories for additional cashback (1 – 6.67%) are MCC-sensitive
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
More information
Key details of the UOB Absolute Cashback Card
Ease of use :
Minimum annual income:• S’porean/PR: S$15,000 – S$30,000
• Foreigner: S$40,000Annual fee: S$196.20 (first year waived; request waiver every year)
Get 1.7% cashback on almost everything
Get 0.3% cashback on commonly-excluded transactions (e.g. Grab wallet tops-ups, utilities, healthcare)
No minimum spending
Uncapped earn rates
⚠️ Low earn rate (spend with better cashback cards)
⚠️ AMEX cards have lower merchant acceptance than Visa/Mastercard
⚠️ 3.25% foreign transaction fee
