Some significant changes are coming to the UOB Preferred Visa card, which could impact how you earn miles. UOB has announced revisions, introducing category spend caps but also adding a new miles-earning opportunity with SimplyGo. Let’s break down what you need to know:
New Category Spend Caps (Effective 1st Oct 2025):
- The biggest change is the introduction of individual monthly spend caps of S$600 for both the mobile contactless payment category and the selected online category. For more information on which are the qualifying online categories, see my review.
- Previously, these two categories shared a combined cap, allowing you to spend up to S$1,110 entirely in one category (e.g., mobile contactless payments) to earn 4 miles per dollar (mpd).
- From October 2025, you’ll earn bonus UNI$1,080 (equivalent to S$600 spend) for each category separately. This means if you spend more than S$600 in one category, any amount over that will only earn the base rate of 0.4 mpd.
Overall Monthly Spend Cap Increased (Effective 1st Oct 2025):
- While individual categories are capped, the overall maximum monthly spend eligible for 4 mpd has increased slightly from S$1,110 to S$1,200.
- This theoretically allows you to earn an extra 360 miles each month if you can meticulously optimize spending across both categories (S$600 contactless + S$600 online).
SimplyGo Now Earns 4 Miles Per Dollar (Effective 28th August 2025):
- The UOB Preferred Visa will now earn 4 mpd on SimplyGo bus and MRT transactions.
- This applies when you pay using mobile contactless (tapping your phone), not the physical card.
- Miles will be awarded in blocks of S$5
- Don’t worry if your daily SimplyGo transactions are below S$5. This is because UOB will total all SimplyGo transactions within a calendar month for miles calculation. Miles will be awarded around the 7th calendar day of the following month.
- Sample Illustration:
- Let’s say you spend S$3.20 per day for 30 days on bus/MRT rides via SimplyGo, that’s S$96 total spend. Since you’ll only earn in blocks of S$5, only S$95 will be earning miles. So that will be S$95 x 4 miles per dollar = 380 miles earned for the calendar month.
- Sample Illustration:
What This Means for You:
- A “Nerf” for Many, a “Buff” for Some: Many cardholders who used to max out the S$1,110 combined cap on a single category (like mobile contactless) will see this as a “nerf,” as their earning potential in that single category is now limited to S$600. However, smaller spenders or those who naturally split their spending across both online and contactless transactions might find it a “buff” due to the increased overall cap and SimplyGo earning.
- Increased Tracking Complexity: The split caps will require more diligent tracking of your spending. UOB does not provide a running tally for each category, so you’ll need to monitor which transactions fall into which bonus category to avoid missing out on miles.
- Transactions Based on Posting Date: Remember, these changes apply based on the posting date of your transactions, not the transaction date. If you make a purchase on Nov 29, 2025, but it posts on Dec 1, 2025, it will fall under the new cap structure. It’s advisable to avoid making last-minute transactions towards the end of Nov 2025.
Strategies to Maximize Your Miles:
- Consider a Supplementary Card: You could dedicate the principal card to one category (e.g., online transactions) and the supplementary card to the other (e.g., mobile contactless payments). This can simplify tracking, as each card’s spend is shown separately.
- Purchase Online Vouchers for Offline Spend: You can buy vouchers using services like HeyMax, which typically codes as a qualifying online transaction (MCC 5311) for offline spend (like NTUC or Sheng Siong).
- Use Other Miles Card: You can use cards like Maybank XL, or Citi Rewards or DBS WWMC or UOB Lady’s Classic Card or DBS yuu to absorb larger amounts or get a higher earn rate.
Final Thoughts
These adjustments reflect a broader trend observed across other UOB cards, signaling a continued effort by banks to refine bonus earning structures. It’s time to adjust your strategy to continue getting the most out of your UOB Preferred Visa!
