UOB Preferred Visa Card Review: Best for In-Person Spending

For seasoned miles chasers in Singapore, the UOB Preferred Visa Card needs little introduction. It has long been one of the easier ways to earn 4 miles per dollar on your spending. But after a significant nerf in October 2025, is it still worth having? Let’s find out. Here’s my complete analysis of the UOB Preferred Visa Card.

Note: The UOB Preferred Visa Card was previously known as the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card (UOB PPV in short). It was rebranded in March 2026 with a new name and card design, plus an additional travel insurance benefit.

Key information

Here’s a quick rundown of the important details of the UOB Preferred Visa Card.

Pros and cons

Here are the pros and cons of the UOB Preferred Visa Card, as compared to other Miles credit cards in Singapore.

Annual fee

Like most other credit cards in Singapore, the UOB Preferred Visa Card has an annual fee of S$196.20, which is automatically waived for the first year.

⚠️ Sneaky: Annual fee payments on the UOB Preferred Visa Card are charged to your card as a deduction of UNI$6,500 (13,000 miles) instead of S$196.20.

Related: Best Credit Cards with No Annual Fee

Is the annual fee worth it?

Absolutely not!

Unlike cards like the KrisFlyer UOB Card, paying the annual fee on the UOB Preferred Visa Card does not come with any miles. Cardholders should keep track of the card anniversary date and request an annual fee waiver every single year.

Free Google Sheet Template: Suitesmile’s Credit Card Management Sheet

How to request an annual fee waiver?

UOB credit card annual fee waivers can be done via one of the following methods:

1. UOB TMRW app (instant)
2. UOB hotline
3. UOB chat assist

Complete guide: UOB Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver

What if the annual fee waiver request is rejected?

Tracking your credit card anniversary gives you time to react if/when an annual fee waiver is not granted. It’s best to request a waiver as early as possible (i.e. when the annual fee is posted in your card’s latest transactions, before you receive the latest statement).

If the initial annual fee waiver request is rejected, cardholders can attempt the following steps:

1. Try submitting another request through a different method
2. Still rejected?
   • If you have another miles-earning UOB credit card: Go to step 5
   • If you don’t have another miles-earning UOB credit card: Go to step 3
3. Redeem/Transfer out all remaining miles (UNI$) immediately
4. Wait for the miles transfer to complete
5. Pay off the latest bill and unbilled transactions (incl. miles transfer fee), excluding the annual fee
6. Call to cancel the card, and confirm that you wouldn’t have to pay the annual fee
7. If it was your only UOB credit card, apply for the card 6 months later to enjoy another UOB credit card sign-up promo

Earn rates

UOB Preferred Visa Card cardholders earn 10 UNI$ per S$5 spent (equivalent to 4 miles per dollar) on two bonus categories:

1. Mobile Contactless (in-person Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay transactions)
2. Selected Online Transactions (whitelisted MCCs only)

All other transactions earn just 1 UNI$ per S$5 (0.4 mpd).

These two bonus categories have their own separate cap of S$600 per calendar month (UNI$1,080 bonus per category). This means that you can receive the 4 mpd earn rate on up to S$1,200 worth of spending per calendar month, but only if you max out both categories.

No minimum spending required to earn 4 mpd on either category. Depending on your expenditure, the monthly limits may be too low. For spending beyond the caps of this card, consider other great miles cards to continue earning 4 mpd.

Mobile Contactless (the main draw)

The Mobile Contactless category is what makes this card great. By adding the card to your mobile wallet, you can earn 4 mpd on a wide variety of in-person spending, including dining, groceries, in-person shopping, hotels and even public transport via SimplyGo, with almost no need to think about MCCs.

⚠️ Important: “Mobile Contactless” refers strictly to in-person payments made by tapping your mobile device against a payWave reader. In-app transactions made via Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay do not qualify.

⚠️ Using the physical card to tap at a payWave reader earns just 0.4 mpd. Always pay via your mobile wallet.

SimplyGo (public transport)

SimplyGo (ABT) transactions are treated as Mobile Contactless transactions and earn 4 mpd, subject to the shared S$600 monthly cap on that category.

One quirk though: SimplyGo transactions are accumulated across the entire calendar month and credited to your account by the 7th calendar day of the following month. This is unlike most other transaction types, which are credited when posted.

Also note the S$5 earning block. If your total SimplyGo spending for January is S$94.50, you’ll only earn 4 mpd on S$90, for a total of 360 miles (UNI$180).

Online Spending (MCC-sensitive)

The Online Spending category is nice to have, but requires more attention. Unlike better online spending credit cards, you can only earn 4 mpd on the following MCCs when spending online with the UOB Preferred Visa Card:

Category	Merchant Category Codes (MCC)
Department Stores & Retail	4816, 5262, 5306, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331, 5399, 5611, 5621, 5631, 5641, 5651, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5732–5735, 5912, 5942, 5944–5949, 5964, 5966–5970, 5992, 5999
Supermarkets, Dining & Food Delivery	5811, 5812, 5814, 5333, 5411, 5441, 5462, 5499, 8012, 9751
Entertainment & Ticketing	7278, 7832, 7841, 7922, 7991, 7996, 7998–7999

Note that recurring payment arrangements are excluded from the Online Spending category, even if the merchant’s MCC is on the whitelist.

Can I check the MCC before paying?

You can! The trick involves using an Amaze Card to intentionally get a payment declined, which reveals the MCC in the app without actually completing the transaction.

Here are the steps:

1. Make sure that you have a S$0 or low balance in your Amaze wallet
2. Link your Amaze card to the Amaze wallet (instead of a credit card)
3. Next, attempt to pay for the online transaction using your Amaze card details
4. The transaction will not go through (due to insufficient balance), but you can now check the MCC of the transaction in the ‘Activity’ tab in your Amaze app

Related: How to Check Merchant Category Code (MCC) Before You Pay

Calendar or statement month?

Bonus earn rates on credit cards typically have monthly caps, which are usually calculated during one of two earning periods:

1. Calendar month (ends on the last day of the calendar month)
2. Statement month (ends the day before your statement date)

The UOB Preferred Visa Card‘s bonus earn rate caps are based on the calendar month, resetting on the 1st of each month regardless of your statement date. This is simpler to track than statement-month cards, as it aligns with the calendar.

Transaction date or posting date?

Credit card providers determine monthly qualifying spend based on either:

1. Transaction date (date of the transaction, in Singapore time)
2. Posting date (date when the transaction is posted in your credit card account, usually 1 to 3 days after the transaction)

The UOB Preferred Visa Card uses the posting date to determine which calendar month a transaction counts towards. Transactions typically post 1 to 3 days after the transaction date, so it’s advisable to complete purchases a few days before the end of the calendar month if you want them to count towards that month’s cap.

UOB rewards exclusions

UOB shares a list of transactions that are excluded from earning rewards miles and points on this card. Using the UOB Preferred Visa Card for the following transactions will not earn any miles.

tl;dr: Aside from Amaze transactions and SPC/Shell petrol, there’s nothing out of the ordinary here. Most of these are also excluded from earning miles/cashback on other cards.

When are miles credited?

Cardholders receive the base UNI$ (1 UNI$ per S$5) and bonus UNI$ (9 UNI$ per S$5) immediately when a transaction is posted to the account. Typically, this happens 2 to 4 days after the transaction date.

Exception: SimplyGo (ABT) transactions are accumulated across the entire calendar month and credited by the 7th calendar day of the following month.

Miles expiry

Miles earned on the UOB Preferred Visa Card expire 2 years after they are earned. More specifically, UNI$ expire 2 years from the last day of the calendar quarter in which they were earned. For example, UNI$ earned in July 2026 would expire on 30 September 2028.

This means the expiry term could technically be up to 2 years and 3 months in some cases, but you should plan around the 2-year mark to be safe.

This is one of the weaker aspects of the card. Earn as fast as you redeem, or risk losing your miles.

Free Google Sheet Template: Suitesmile’s Credit Card Management Spreadsheet

UOB miles/points pooling

Miles earned on the UOB Preferred Visa Card can be pooled together with those earned on other UNI$-earning UOB cards, like the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB PRVI Miles Card.

Related: Best UOB Credit Cards in Singapore

Miles pooling gives you 2 key advantages:

• If/When an annual fee waiver is not granted, you can cancel the card and keep the miles, as long as you have at least 1 other UNI$-earning UOB credit card.
• If/When transferring miles to a frequent flyer program, you’ll only need to pay the S$27 transfer fee once, regardless of how many UOB cards you’re pooling from.

UOB transfer partners

Points earned on the UOB Preferred Visa Card can be converted to miles on only two useful FFPs, making UOB miles/points the least flexible in the Singapore market.

Looking to redeem miles for a trip? If there’s no availability via KrisFlyer Saver or Asia Miles, you’d be left with nothing or low-value options like KrisFlyer Advantage, or worse, hefty KrisFlyer Access award rates.

Related: Credit card transfer partners in Singapore

Frequent Flyer Program	Conversion Ratio & Block
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer	UNI$ 5,000 to 10,000 miles
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles	UNI$ 5,000 to 10,000 miles

How to transfer UOB miles?

Before converting your miles, you’d need to enrol for a one-time conversion to KrisFlyer or Asia Miles via this page. To prevent delays, accurately enter your frequent flyer number, first name, last name, mobile number and UOB credit card number.

Then, follow these steps in your UOB TMRW app:

1. Tap on Accounts
2. Tap on a credit card
3. Tap on Details
4. Tap on Browse rewards
5. Tap on Travel
6. Tap on KrisFlyer or Asia Miles
7. Tap on Redeem now
8. Confirm total UNI$ to convert and tap Next
9. Choose which card to charge the conversion fee to and tap Confirm

Here are some screenshots of how to convert UNI$ to miles via the UOB TMRW app:

How much do UOB miles transfers cost?

Conversions from UNI$ to miles cost S$27. This fee is waived if you are holding one of these cards:

• UOB Visa Infinite Card
• UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card
• UOB Privilege Banking Card
• UOB Reserve Card

How long do UOB miles transfers take?

Miles transfers to KrisFlyer typically take 2 calendar days.

However, transfers to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles can take up to 3 weeks, or even be quietly reverted back to your account after a month or so. This can be problematic when you’re trying to take advantage of an Asia Miles transfer bonus.

Additional note: Where the expiry term permits, keep your miles in the credit card rather than transferring speculatively. Only transfer to an FFP when you’ve confirmed award availability and are ready to book.

Best ways to redeem UOB miles

As mentioned earlier, miles earned on UOB credit cards have very little flexibility, with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles as the only transfer partners.

Related: Best ways to redeem KrisFlyer miles

Here are some of the lowest award rates to redeem your UOB miles for:

Destination (to/from SIN)	FFP	Miles Required (Economy)	Miles Required (Business)
Hong Kong, Taipei	KrisFlyer	15.5k	35.5k
	Asia Miles	9k	28k
Beijing, Shanghai	KrisFlyer	20.5k	45k
	Asia Miles	20k	58k
Japan, S. Korea	KrisFlyer	25.5k	54.5k
	Asia Miles	20k	58k
Melbourne, Sydney	KrisFlyer	29k	72k
	Asia Miles	27k	63k
Europe	KrisFlyer	44k	108.5k
	Asia Miles	40k	89k
US/Canada	KrisFlyer	44k	112.5k
	Asia Miles	47k	115k

Read more about the cheapest ways to fly to the following destinations, in any cabin class, using miles earned from Singapore credit cards:

• Japan, South Korea
• Europe
• US/Canada

Complimentary travel insurance

The UOB Preferred Visa Card comes with a complimentary travel insurance with the following inclusions:

• Credit Card Liability Protector coverage of S$5,000
• Public Conveyance Personal Accident of S$500,000
• Travel inconvenience coverage includes travel delay, flight overbooking and flight
  misconnection
• Emergency Medical Assistance of up to S$50,000 due to an accident or illness

However, to enjoy this coverage, cardholders must charge the full travel fare to the card and submit this form before departure. Unfortunately, with an earn rate of just 0.4 mpd, the UOB Preferred Visa Card is not a good card for flight bookings.

Sign-up promotion

UOB rarely offers guaranteed credit card sign-up promos as they are usually limited to the “first xxx” cardholders.

However, SingSaver occasionally runs limited-time promotions for UOB cards, where new cardholders can receive cash after meeting the minimum spending requirement.

🎁 Check the latest UOB Preferred Visa Card sign-up promotion

UOB Preferred Visa Card alternatives

As a reminder, the best Miles credit cards in Singapore award 4 miles per dollar on your spending, albeit with monthly caps.

Here’s how the UOB Preferred Visa Card compares against other 4 mpd cards:

Card	Bonus Earn Rate	Min./Max. Spend (per month)	Bonus Categories	Transfer Partners (useful ones)	Miles Expiry
UOB Preferred Visa	4 mpd	Max. S$600 (per category)	• Mobile Contactless • Online	2	2 years
Citi Rewards	4 mpd	Max. S$1k	• Online • In-Person Shopping	9	5 yr 3 mth cycles
HSBC Revolution	4-8 mpd	Max. S$1k (or S$1.2k)	• Contactless • Online	7	3 years
Maybank XL Rewards	4 mpd	Min. S$500 Max. S$1k	• Online Shopping • In-Person Shopping • Flights • Hotels • Overseas	3	1 year
DBS Woman’s World	4 mpd	Max. S$1k	• Online	3	1 year
UOB Lady’s	4 mpd	Max. S$1k	CHOOSE ONE: • Travel • Dining • Fashion • Transport • Beauty • Family	2	2 years
OCBC Rewards	4 mpd	Max. S$1k	• Online Shopping	2	2 years

Should you get the UOB Preferred Visa Card?

I still view the UOB Preferred Visa Card as one of the best miles credit cards in Singapore, and it’s currently a key part of my credit card strategy.

For in-person spending in Singapore, there’s no better Miles credit card that isn’t MCC-sensitive.

However, the S$600 cap on the more-useful Mobile Contactless category may be too low, and you may need to look at other cards for in-person spending to continue earning the target 4 mpd beyond that amount.

✅ Get the card if you:

• Want to accumulate miles fast, for future travels
• Understand the extra work that comes with the Miles Game (miles expiry, award availability, transfer timing etc.)

❌ Don’t get the card if you:

• Don’t like to travel much
• Only want cashback
• Don’t want the trouble of requesting an annual fee waiver every year (consider credit cards with no annual fee)

✍️ Apply for the UOB Preferred Visa Card

Terms and conditions

Here are the official terms and conditions of the UOB Preferred Visa Card: