amex and cardup logo with x symbol

DBS & UOB AMEX Cards Lose CardUp Rewards from April 2026

A major change is coming for miles collectors using CardUp. From 1 April 2026, American Express cards issued by DBS and UOB will no longer earn rewards on CardUp transactions.

This effectively removes one of the more useful ways to generate miles from bill payments, closing off an option for earning rewards through CardUp.

What’s Changing

Starting 1 April 2026, DBS and UOB-issued American Express cards will stop earning rewards on CardUp payments. This applies across all eligible AMEX cards from both banks.

Even before this update:

  • Many AMEX cards already had less competitive earn rates
  • The cost per mile was relatively high compared to alternatives

With no rewards earned, there’s no reason to use these cards on CardUp.

BUT don’t worry as this change is limited to AMEX cards only, meaning:

  • DBS and UOB Visa/Mastercard cards remain unaffected
  • These cards will continue earning rewards on CardUp transactions as usual

Since Visa/Mastercards remain unaffected, you can check out this post on How to Pay Income Tax with Credit Card & Earn Cashback or Miles with CardUp/iPayMy:
cardup and ipaymy logo
Step-By-Step Guide: Earn Cashback or Miles with CardUp/iPayMy 2025
Learn how to earn cashback or miles with CardUp/iPayMy in 2025! Read our easy guide and start maximizing...

What You Should Do Now:

If you’re currently using a DBS or UOB AMEX card on CardUp:

  • Update your payment method before 1 April 2026
  • Switch to a Visa or Mastercard that still earns rewards

Conclusion:

Overall, this is a targeted but significant devaluation driven by American Express, effectively removing AMEX cards as a viable way to earn miles on CardUp. While the impact is clear—zero rewards on transactions—there’s still a straightforward workaround: switch to DBS or UOB Visa/Mastercard options, which remain unaffected and continue to earn rewards. For most users, the takeaway is simple: adapt early, change your payment method before 1 April 2026, and continue optimising your miles strategy with the right cards.

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lobangsis

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lobangsis

Audz, your lobang sis shares personal finance to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for us all.

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Citi Rewards

Get 22,000 HeyMax Miles or Dyson Airstrait™ straightener or Galaxy Buds 4 Pro + S$150 eCapitaVoucher or S$450 Grab Voucher or S$420 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval

Valid till: April 12, 2026

OCBC Infinity

Get Dyson Airstrait or 22k Heymax Miles or Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro + S$180 eCapitaVoucher Bundle or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$400 within 30 days of card approval

Valid till: May 3, 2026

HSBC Revolution

Get Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro + S$160 eCapitaVoucher Bundle or Dyson Airstrait™ straightener or 22k HeyMax Miles or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by the end of the following calendar month + provide marketing consent

Valid till: May 3, 2026

Citi Cashback

Get 22,000 HeyMax Miles or Dyson Airstrait™ straightener or Galaxy Buds 4 Pro + S$150 eCapitaVoucher or S$450 Grab Voucher or S$420 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval

Valid till: April 12, 2026

Valid for new-to-bank credit cardholders or does not own any of the bank’s credit cards in the last 12 months, unless otherwise stated.

Gift confirmation are usually sent after you have completed rewards redemption form (sent to your email) & fulfilled qualifying spend within stipulated period.

Citi Rewards

Get 22,000 HeyMax Miles or Dyson Airstrait™ straightener or Galaxy Buds 4 Pro + S$150 eCapitaVoucher or S$450 Grab Voucher or S$420 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval

Valid till: April 12, 2026

ocbc infinity

OCBC Infinity

Get Dyson Airstrait or 22k Heymax Miles or Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro + S$180 eCapitaVoucher Bundle or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$400 within 30 days of card approval

Valid till: May 3, 2026

HSBC Revolution

Get Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro + S$160 eCapitaVoucher Bundle or Dyson Airstrait™ straightener or 22k HeyMax Miles or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by the end of the following calendar month + provide marketing consent

Valid till: May 3, 2026

Citi Cashback

Get 22,000 HeyMax Miles or Dyson Airstrait™ straightener or Galaxy Buds 4 Pro + S$150 eCapitaVoucher or S$450 Grab Voucher or S$420 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval

Valid till: April 12, 2026

UOB PRVI Card

  • First eligible applicant at 2pm and 10pm daily to claim the below reward:
    • 01 – 15 April 2026
      • 2PM – S$500 Cash via PayNow  
      • 10PM – Dyson Airstrait (cost S$400, worth S$799)
    • 16 – 30 April 2026
      • 2PM – Apple iPhone 17 256G (worth S$1,299)
      • 10PM – 44k MaxMiles by HeyMax (worth S$792) 
  • Remaining Customers: S$90 Cash via PayNow
  • Must spend S$500 within the first 30 days from card approval
  • Valid for New-to-Bank Cardholders
  • Read Terms and Conditions here
  • Must fulfill spending requirement to receive gift confirmation
  • Remember to check for SingSaver email and complete the registration to secure your reward!

UOB PRVI Card

  • Earn 1.4 miles per dollar for local spending
  • Earn up to 3 miles per dollar for overseas spending (including online shopping and overseas websites)
    • 3 miles per dollar on selected currencies:
      • Malaysian Ringgit
      • Indonesian Rupiah
      • Thai Baht
      • Vietnamese Dong
    • 2.4 miles per dollar on other currencies
  • Earn up to 6.6 miles per dollar when you spend on major airlines and hotels worldwide via special landing pages UOB x Agoda and UOB x Expedia (this may be more costly)
  • One-way Airport Transfer Service for AMEX Version only
  • S$20 off Grab rides to/fro Changi Airport for Visa/Mastercard Version only

 

Annual Fee
  • S$261.60, first year waived
 
Income Requirement
  • S$30,000 (locals/PRs); S$40,000 (foreigners)
 
Points Expiry
  • UNI$ expire two (2) years after the last day of the quarter in which they were earned.

 

Know what this card is best for

 

Terms and Conditions

Read Full Review

DBS Vantage

NIL

DBS Vantage Card

  • Earn 1.5 miles or 1.5% cashback per dollar; 3.75 DBS Points for every S$5 spent locally, such as groceries, shopping and more  and 2.2 miles or 2.2% cashback per dollar; 5.5 DBS Points for every S$5 spent on overseas purchases in foreign currency

  • This comes with ten (10) free airport lounge visits per membership year

  • This is also best used with CardUp to pay for expenses that typically don’t earn miles, you basically pay a service fee to charge those payments to your DBS Vantage card and accumulate rewards. This is similar to “buying” miles.

 

Annual Fee
  • S$599.50 (incl. of GST)
  • The first year’s fee is non-waivable. Subsequent years’ fees can be waived if cardholders spend at least S$60,000 per membership year.


Income Requirement
  • S$120,000 (locals/PRs & foreigners)


When is Points Credited
  • This usually credits when the transaction posted, usually takes 24 hrs or in some, it could take 2-3 days.

 

Transfer Partners
  • Krisflyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Qantas, Air Asia

 

Know what this card is best for:


Terms and Conditions

Read Full Review

Standard Chartered Journey Card

    Singsaver Reward:
    • Get 12,000 Max Miles by HeyMax (worth a roundtrip to Kuala Lumpur with a travel value of S$210+) or Samsonite Straren Spinner 67/24 (worth S$600) or Apple Airpods 4 (without Active Noise Cancellation) (worth S$199) or S$180 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$800 within 60 days of card approval and apply for one of the bonus products within 60 days of card approval (must apply visa Singsaver):
      • EasyPay (can be applied directly (not via SingSaver) and will still be eligible if conditions are met)
        • Complete 3 retail credit card transactions of min. S$150 each (Min. tenure: 12 months
      • Bonus$aver Account
        • Open account with min. S$3,000 deposit 
      • CashOne Personal Loan
        • Min. approved loan: S$1,000 (Min. tenure: 12 months)
      • Credit Card Funds Transfer (CCFT)
        • Min. approved amount: S$1,000 (Min. tenure: 3 months)
    • Note: After card approval, Singsaver will email you the link where you can apply for a bonus product, you MUST apply through that link only to secure the reward. Applying on the direct bank website will not be valid.
    • Valid until 03 May 2026
    • Read Terms and Conditions here
    • Must fulfill spending requirement to receive gift confirmation
    • Remember to check for SingSaver email to secure your rewards after you have applied!

     

    Stackable with Direct Bank Rewards:
    • Receive up to 30,000 miles
    • Receive 10,000 miles when you pay the annual fee under “Fee Paying” option
    • Receive 20,000 miles when you make a min. spend of S$800 within 60 days of card approval (This is available for both fee paying and fee waiver option)
    • Therefore, fee paying option earns 30K miles, fee waiver option earns 20K miles, if requirements are met
    • Promotion is valid until 30 June 2026
    • Read Terms and Conditions here

    My thoughts: If you were going to apply for this card, you should choose the fee waiver option as the cost per mile is 196.20/10,000 miles = 1.96 cents per mile, which is quite expensive.

    Standard Chartered Journey Card

    • Earn up to 3 miles per dollar on selected bonus categories in SGD; 2 miles per dollar on overseas spending, and 1.2 miles per dollar on other local spending. All with no minimum monthly spending required. This card is best for those who spend a lot on the bonus online categories such as transportation, grocery and food delivery with a spending cap of S$1,000 per statement month
    • This comes with 2 complimentary airport lounge passes

     

    Annual Fee
    • S$196.20 (incl. 9% GST), should be waivable

     

    Income Requirement
    • S$30,000 (locals/PRs); S$40,000 (foreigners)

     

    Points Expiry
    • The points never expire

     

    Transfer Partners
    • Krisflyer & Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
     
    Know what this card is best for:

     

    Terms and Conditions

    Full Review