UOB Preferred Visa Card Overview:
UOB Preferred Visa card is a straightforward option for those who want to earn miles, as it seamlessly integrates with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay to earn an accelerated 4 miles per dollar on mobile contactless payments and select online shopping/entertainment spends, capped at S$1,200 monthly.
Why pick this card
10X UNI$ (4 mpd) on contactless mobile wallet + online shopping/entertainment.
Eligibility & Fees:
- Minimum Age: 21 years old
- Minimum Annual Income: S$30,000 (locals/PRs) ; S$40,000 (Foreigners)
- Annual Fee: S$196.20, first year waived
Key Benefits:
- Earn 4 miles per dollar on mobile contactless payments, online shopping, and entertainment, no minimum spend, capped at S$1,200 per calendar month
- Spend caps will be divided into 2 categories:
- 1st category – Mobile Contactless Payment (S$600 spend cap)
- 2nd Category – Selected Online Transactions (S$600 spend cap)
- Spend caps will be divided into 2 categories:
- Earn 0.4 miles per dollar on other spending
- Can earn on specific online payments (specific MCCs only) and on the following mobile contactless (in-store) payment method:
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay (excluding MST)
How to Best Optimise it:
Best Used on Mobile Contactless Payments
- Contactless payments refer to in-person mobile transactions
- Use Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay by tapping your phone or device, NOT the physical card as doing this will only earn you 0.4 miles per dollar.
- To ensure eligibility:
- Put your UOB Preferred Visa into your mobile wallet
- Tap your device on a contactless terminal in person (a good indicator: you hear a beep when the transaction goes through)
Best Used on Bus/MRT Rides via SimplyGo
- With the recent update, effective 28th August 2025, you can now earn 4 miles per dollar on bus and MRT transactions via SimplyGo as long as you pay using mobile contactless (tapping your phone).
- Miles will be awarded in blocks of S$5, but don’t worry if your daily SimplyGo spendings is 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:
Can be Used on Selected Online Shopping, Dining, Grocery and Entertainment Transactions
- On the other hand, despite the UOB Preferred Visa card earning only on mobile contactless payments, UOB provided the list of MCCs where you can still earn 4 miles per dollar even though transacted online or in-app:
Category | MCCs | Examples |
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, 5964-5970, 5992, 5999 | Amazon,Samsung, Apple, Compasia, Harvey Norman, H&M, Cotton On, SHEIN, Shopee, Heymax, Lazada, Taobao, Homepay and Atome |
Dining, Food Delivery, and Supermarkets | 5811, 5812, 5814, 5333, 5411, 5441, 5462, 5499, 8012, 9751 | Deliveroo, GrabFood, Sheng Siong, NTUC FairPrice, foodpanda |
Entertainment | 7278, 7832, 7841, 7922, 7991, 7996, 7998, 7999 | Golden Village, Shaw Theatres, Cathay Cineplexes, SISTIC, Ticket Master, Universal Studios Singapore |
What to Avoid:
Mobile Contactless Exclusion:
- all transactions at SPC Service Stations and Shell Service Stations
- In-app or online Apple/Google Pay transactions do not count as contactless like Kris+ since they’re not “in-person”.
Exclusion List:
- AXS*
- AMAZE* (w.e.f. 1 Oct 2024)
- AMAZE* TRANSIT*
- BANC DE BINARY*
- BANCDEBINARY.COM
- EZ LINK PTE LTD (FEVO)
- EZ Link transport
- EZ Link*
- EZ-LINK (IMAGINE CARD)
- EZ-Link EZ-Reload (ATU)
- EZLINK* • EzLink*
- EZ-LINK*
- FlashPay ATU*
- MB * MONEYBOOKERS.COM
- NETS VCASHCARD*
- OANDA ASIA PAC*
- OANDAASIAPA
- PAYPAL * BIZCONSULTA
- PAYPAL * CAPITALROYA
- PAYPAL * OANDAASIAPA
- Saxo Cap Mkts Pte Ltd
- SKR*SKRILL.COM
- SKR*xglobalmarkets.com
- SKYFX.COM•
- TRANSIT*
- WWW.IGMARKETS.COM.SG
- IPAYMY*
- RWS-LEVY*
- SMOOVE PAY*
- SINGPOST-SAM*
- RazerPay*
- NORWDS* (w.e.f. 21 Jul 2024)
MCC | Description |
4829 | Wire Transfer/Remittance |
4900 | Utilities |
5199 | Nondurable Goods |
5960 | Direct Marketing – Insurance Services |
5965 | Direct marketing –Combination Catalog and Retail Merchants (wef 1 October 2024) |
5993 | Cigar Stores and Stands (wef 1 October 2024) |
6012 | Member Financial Institution–Merchandise and Services |
6050 | Quasi Cash–Financial Institutions, Merchandise and Services |
6051 | Quasi Cash–Merchant (Non-Financial Institutions – Foreign Currency, Non-Fiat Currency, Cryptocurrency) |
6211 | Securities–Brokers and Dealers |
6300 | Insurance Sales/Underwrite |
6513 | Real Estate Agents & Managers – Rentals |
6529 | Quasi Cash-Remote Stored Value Load-Financial Institute Rentals |
6530 | Quasi Cash-Remote Stored Value Load-Merchant Rentals |
6534 | Quasi Cash-Remote Money Transfers |
6540 | Stored Value Card Purchase/Load |
7349 | Clean/Maint/Janitorial Serv aka Property Management |
7511 | Quasi Cash – Truck Stop Trxns |
7523 | Automobile Parking Lots and Garages |
7995 | Gambling – Betting, including Lottery Tickets, Casino Gaming Chips, Off-Track Betting, and Wagers at Race Tracks |
8062 | Hospitals |
8211 | Schools, Elementary and Secondary |
8220 | Colleges, Universities, Professional Schools and Junior Colleges |
8241 | Schools, Correspondence |
8244 | Schools, Business and Secretarial |
8249 | Schools, Trade and Vocational |
8299 | Schools and Educational Services–Not Elsewhere Classified |
8398 | Charitable and Social Service Organizations |
8661 | Religious Organizations |
8651 | Political Organizations |
8699 | Membership Organizations (Not Elsewhere Classified) (wef 1 October 2024) |
8999 | Professional Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) (wef 1 October 2024) |
9211 | Court Costs including Alimony and Child Support |
9222 | Fines |
9223 | Bail and Bond Payments |
9311 | Tax Payment |
9402 | Postal Services—Government Only |
9405 | Intra-Government Purchases—Government Only |
9399 | Government Services—not elsewhere classified |
Past Buffs/Nerfs:
Buffs:
- Effective 28 August 2025, SimplyGo transactions will earn 4 miles per dollar
Nerfs:
- Effective 01 October 2025, the spend caps will increase to S$1,200 and will be divided into 2 categories:
- 1st category – Mobile Contactless Payment (S$600 spend cap)
- 2nd Category – Selected Online Transactions (S$600 spend cap)
- This update makes tracking spend more complicated due to split caps
- With effect from 1 October 2024, UNI$ will no longer be awarded for transactions with MCC 5965 Direct Marketing – Combination Catalog and Retail Merchants, 5993 Cigar Stores and Stands, 8699 Membership Organizations (Not Elsewhere Classified) and 8999 Professional Services (Not Elsewhere Classified), and “AMAZE*”
Is it Worth it:
Advantages:
- Easy to earn 4 miles per dollar as long as mobile contactless payment and spent on selected online category
- Can now be used on SimplyGo
- UNI$ pools across UOB cards
Disadvantages:
- Limited transfer partners
- No complimentary travel insurance despite being a miles card
- Complicated to track spending due to split caps
Transfer Partners:
Transfer Partners | Conversion Ratio |
Krisflyer | 5,000:10,000 |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 5,000:10,000 |
Air Asia A Rewards | 2,500:4,500 |
Frequently Asked Questions:
-
How are UNI$ Credited: It has separate crediting, meaning your rewards come in two parts:
-
Base Reward: For every S$5 spent, you’ll earn 1 UNI$ (0.4 mpd). This is credited almost immediately—usually within 1–2 days after the transaction posts.
-
Bonus Reward: For eligible bonus categories, you’ll earn an additional 9 UNI$ per S$5. These aren’t credited instantly; instead, they’re consolidated and posted at the end of your statement cycle, bringing your total to 10 UNI$ per S$5 (4 mpd).
-
- Do my points pool
- yes, it pools across UOB cards
- When will the UNI$ expire
- UNI$ are valid for 2 years, starting from the end of the quarter in which they were earned.
Final Thoughts:
If you want a simple card to accumulate miles and if you are comfortable with digital payment methods, then UOB Preferred Visa is an excellent card to have. Just be mindful of its specific rules, especially the mobile contactless payment requirement—pro tip: just get it into your mobile wallet and consider leaving the physical card at home! That simple habit ensures you don’t accidentally tap the card and miss out on the higher earn rate.
💳 Credit cards change their T&Cs every so often and it is difficult to stay updated. That’s why I created a Telegram Broadcast where you can receive timely bite-sized updates to get the most out of your spending.
💡 We believe in always paying our credit card bills on time and in full. It is only by doing that, can we fully maximise our credit card benefits.
Earn 4 miles per dollar on online and mobile contactless spend with the UOB Preferred Visa Card. Learn more about its key perks here.
