If you have a friend or family members who simply tunes out every time you start lecturing them on which card to use where, then your best course of action is probably shoving a UOB Preferred Platinum Visa into their hands (or more accurately, adding it to their mobile phone) and sending them on their way.
This remains one of the most idiot-proof cards in the whole miles game, and an easy route to 4 mpd everywhere.
 UOB Preferred Platinum Visa | |
| 🦁 MileLion Verdict | |
| ☑ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It | |
| With 4 mpd on mobile payments and online shopping & entertainment, the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa is absolutely essential for miles collectors. | |
| 👍 The good | 👎 The bad |
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| 💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews | |
Overview: UOB Preferred Platinum Visa
Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa.
| |||
| Apply | |||
| Income Req. | S$30,000 p.a. | Points Validity | 2 years |
| Annual Fee | S$194.40 (First Year Free) | Min. Transfer | 5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles) |
| Miles with Annual Fee | None | Transfer Partners |
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| FCY Fee | 3.25% | Transfer Fee | S$25 |
| Local Earn | 0.4 mpd | Points Pool? | Yes |
| FCY Earn | 0.4 mpd | Lounge Access? | No |
| Special Earn | 4 mpd on mobile payments, online shopping & entertainment | Airport Limo? | No |
| Cardholder Terms and Conditions | |||
The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa is the last standing member of the UOB “Preferred Platinum” series, which includes such luminaries as the Preferred Platinum AMEX (no longer available, sadly), and the Preferred Platinum Mastercard (no longer available, thankfully).
All three cards have very different features, so don’t mix them up:
- The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa earns 4 mpd on mobile contactless payments, and online shopping & entertainment
- The UOB Preferred Platinum AMEX no longer exists, having been replaced by the UOB Absolute Card
- The UOB Preferred Platinum Mastercard is best used for removing spinach and other debris from between teeth after you’ve used your UOB Preferred Platinum Visa to settle the bill
How much must I earn to qualify for a UOB Preferred Platinum Visa?
The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa is positioned at the entry level, with a S$30,000 annual income requirement.
If you do not meet the minimum income requirement, it may be possible to place a S$10,000 fixed deposit with UOB to get a secured version. Contact your nearest UOB branch for more details.
How much is the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa’s annual fee?
| Principal Card | Supp. Card | |
| First Year | Free | Free, S$97.20 for 2nd onwards |
| Subsequent | S$194.40 | Free, S$97.20 for 2nd onwards |
The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa has an annual fee of S$194.40, which is waived for the first year. The fee for the first supplementary card is waived in perpetuity, with the second card onwards charged at S$97.20 per year.
It’s relatively straightforward to get a fee waiver in subsequent years, but do note that UOB’s default behaviour is to automatically deduct 6,500 UNI$ (13,000 miles) to cover the annual fee come renewal time (if you have insufficient UNI$, you’ll be billed in cash). It’s up to you to monitor your balance and request a waiver when this happens.
The expiry month on your credit card corresponds to the month your annual fee will be charged each year.
How many miles do I earn?
| 🇸🇬 SGD Spending | 🌎 FCY Spending | ➕ Bonus Spending |
| 0.4 mpd | 0.4 mpd | 4 mpd on mobile contactless payments, online shopping & entertainment |
Regular SGD/FCY Spending
The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa earns:
- 1 UNI$ for every S$5 spent in Singapore Dollars
- 1 UNI$ for every S$5 spent in foreign currency (FCY)
1 UNI$ is worth 2 airline miles, so that’s an equivalent earn rate of 0.4 mpd for both local and FCY spending.
All foreign currency transactions are subject to a 3.25% fee.
Mobile Contactless
Cardholders earn an additional 9 UNI$ for every S$5 spent on mobile contactless payments, whether in local currency or FCY. That’s a total earn rate of 10 UNI$ per S$5 spent (4 mpd).
This is capped at S$1,110 per calendar month. Any spend in excess of this cap earns 0.4 mpd.
| ⚠️Why S$1,110? |
UOB’s T&Cs state that “The total UNI$ awarded to you from qualifying spend on Selected Online Transactions, Contactless Transactions and/or Mobile Contactless Transactions is capped at UNI$2,000 for each calendar month”. This leads many to conclude the cap is S$1,000 (2,000/10×5). Not true. In practice, the bonus UNI$ is what’s capped, i.e. 9 UNI$ per S$5. Therefore the 4 mpd cap for each month is 2000/9×5= S$1,110. |
The following mobile contactless payment methods are eligible:
| Payment Method | Eligible? |
 | ✔ |
 | ✗ |
 | ✔ |
 | ✔ |
 | ✔ (does not include MST) |
This makes the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa the Swiss Army knife of the miles & points game. So long as the transaction doesn’t fall afoul of the UOB Rewards blacklist (e.g. education, government services, insurance – see below), you’ll earn 4 mpd. Dentist’s appointment? Hairdresser? Stationery shop? Mini-mart? Car repairs? If there’s a contactless payment terminal, 4 mpd is yours.
A few important points to note:
⚠️ Tapping the physical UOB Preferred Platinum Visa card at a contactless terminal will only earn 0.4 mpd instead of 4 mpd, ever since May 2020. Once you get your card, add it to your mobile wallet and put it in the drawer!
⚠️SimplyGo transactions (i.e. bus/MRT) will only earn 0.4 mpd, as they’re not considered mobile contactless transactions, even if paid with your mobile device
⚠️The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa will not earn any UNI$ at UOB$ merchants. UOB$ is UOB’s card-wide cashback programme, which currently partners with almost 100 merchants islandwide
Below is a list of UOB$ merchants, accurate at the time of publishing. Always refer to the official website for the latest list.
| ⚠️UOB$ Merchants | |
| Dining |
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| Gourmet Dining |
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| Groceries |
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| Retail and Services |
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| Travel and Entertainment |
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Online Shopping & Entertainment
The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa also earns an additional 9 UNI$ for every S$5 spent on online shopping and entertainment, whether in local currency or FCY. That’s a total earn rate of 10 UNI$ per S$5 spent (4 mpd).
This is capped at S$1,110 per calendar month. Any spend in excess of this cap earns 0.4 mpd. Do note that the S$1,110 cap is shared with mobile contactless payments.
The following categories are eligible:
| Category | Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) |
| Department and Retail Stores | 4816, 5262, 5306, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331, 5399, 5611, 5621, 5631,5641, 5651, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5732-5735, 5912, 5942, 5944-5949, 5964-5970, 5992, 5999 |
| Supermarkets, Dining and Food Delivery | 5811,5812,5814, 5333, 5411, 5441, 5462, 5499, 8012, 9751 |
| Entertainment and Ticketing | 7278, 7832, 7841, 7922, 7991, 7996, 7998-7999 |
For those of you who don’t speak MCC, this includes online transactions at:
- Department and Retail Stores: Amazon, Book Depository, Courts, Harvey Norman, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee, and Taobao
- Supermarkets, Dining and Food Delivery: Cold Storage, Deliveroo, FairPrice ON, foodpanda, GrabFood, WhyQ
- Entertainment and Ticketing: Golden Village, SISTIC
However, I’d much rather use the DBS Woman’s World Card or Citi Rewards Card for such transactions, and save the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa’s 4 mpd cap for in-person contactless spending.
When are UNI$ credited?
Both base and bonus UNI$ are credited when the transaction posts, usually within 1-3 working days.
| Base Points (1X) | Credited when transaction posts |
| Bonus Points (9X) | Credited when transaction posts |
How are UNI$ calculated?
Here’s how you can work out the UNI$ earned on your UOB Preferred Platinum Visa:
| Base Points (1X) | Round down transaction to the nearest S$5, divide by 5, then multiply by 1.0 |
| Bonus Points (9X) | Round down transaction to the nearest S$5, divide by 5, then multiply by 9.0 |
Do note that UOB rounds your transactions down to the nearest S$5 before awarding points, which means a S$9.99 transaction earns the same as a S$5 one, and a S$4.99 transaction earns no points at all.
To illustrate the effect of rounding, consider the following:
 UOB Pref. Plat Visa |  Citi Rewards | |
| $5 | 20 miles | 20 miles |
| $9.99 | 20 miles | 36 miles |
| $15 | 60 miles | 60 miles |
| $19.99 | 60 miles | 76 miles |
| $25 | 100 miles | 100 miles |
| $29.99 | 100 miles | 116 miles |
If you’re an excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate your points:
| Base Points (1X) | =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0)*1 |
| Bonus Points (9X) | =ROUNDDOWN (X/5,0)*9 |
| Where X= Amount Spent | |
Don’t forget that UOB makes it easy to check your points breakdown thanks to the TMRW app, which will show transaction-level points for the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa.
UOB TMRW: Get transaction-level credit card rewards points breakdowns
For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:
What transactions aren’t eligible for UNI$?
A full list of transactions that do not earn UNI$ can be found in the T&C.
I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:
- Charitable Donations
- Education
- Government Services
- Insurance
- Prepaid account top-ups (e.g. GrabPay, YouTrip)
- Real Estate Agents & Managers
- Utilities
What do I need to know about UNI$?
| ❌ Expiry | ↔️ Pooling | ✈️ Transfer Fee |
| 2 years | Yes | S$25 per conversion |
| ⬆️ Min. Transfer | ✈️ No. of Partners | ⏱️ Transfer Time |
| 5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles) | 3 | 48 hours |
Expiry
UNI$ expire 2 years from the last day of each periodic quarter in which the UNI$ was earned. Each UNI$ period is calculated commencing from January to December of each calendar year. Expired UNI$ cannot be replaced or reinstated.
Pooling
UNI$ pool across cards. If you have 10,000 UNI$ on the UOB Lady’s Card, and 5,000 UNI$ on the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, you can redeem 15,000 UNI$ at one shot and pay a single conversion fee.
It also means that you don’t need to transfer your UNI$ out before cancelling the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, assuming it’s not your last UNI$-earning card.
Transfer Partners & Fees
UNI$ transfer to frequent flyer programs at a 1:2 ratio, with a minimum transfer block of 5,000 UNI$ (let’s ignore AirAsia, because converting points there is like throwing them away):
| Frequent Flyer Programme | Conversion Ratio (UNI$: Partner) |
 | 5,000: 10,000 |
 | 5,000: 10,000 |
 | 2,500: 4,500 |
Transfers cost S$25 per programme, regardless of how many points are transferred.
UOB also has an auto-conversion option for KrisFlyer, which costs S$50 per year. UNI$ will be automatically converted on the last day of the calendar month, in blocks of UNI$2,500 (half the regular conversion block).
However, you’ll need to keep a minimum balance of UNI$15,000 (30,000 miles) in your account at all times, for reasons I don’t quite understand. UOB provides the following explanation, for what it’s worth.
This is to give card members the flexibility to convert the UNI$ to other items from UOB Rewards Catalogue. Card members can still choose to convert this UNI$15,000 to KrisFlyer miles by the one time miles redemption process through UOB Rewards Catalogue, subjected to S$25 conversion fee and must be in blocks of 10,000 miles.
You can enroll for the automatic conversion programme here.
Transfer Times
Based on my experience, most points transfers are completed within 48 hours.
If you need your points credited instantly, you can do so via Kris+. 1,000 UNI$ can be transferred to 1,700 KrisPay miles, which can then be transferred to KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio.
 |
| S$5 for new Kris+ Users |
| Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction |
Transfers are immediate, but those 1,000 UNI$ would normally have earned you 2,000 KrisFlyer miles, so you effectively take a 15% haircut.
Therefore I wouldn’t recommend taking this option, unless you need a small top-up to redeem a flight, or have an orphan UNI$ balance (<5,000 points).
Summary Review: UOB Preferred Platinum Visa
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| Apply |
The UOB Preferred Platinum Visa may not be marketed as a miles card, but it’s one of the best out there.
Simply put, there’s no other card on the market that offers what the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa does. Given the ubiquity of contactless terminals, this is pretty much a 4 mpd anywhere solution, making it suitable for those who struggle to memorize what card to use where.
Used judiciously, a cardholder could earn slightly over 53,000 miles per year with ~S$13,000 spending, equal to a one-way Singapore Airlines Business Class flight to Dubai, Istanbul, Osaka, Seoul, or Tokyo.
The fact that UOB pools points makes the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa even more useful- it could be paired with the UOB PRVI Miles, UOB Lady’s Card or UOB Visa Signature, creating a card portfolio that earns 4 mpd on a large proportion of your overall spending.
So that’s my review of the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa. What do you think?
| 🦁 MileLion Verdict | |
| ☑ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☐ Leave It |
Hi Aaron! I realised you put MST for Samsung Pay. May I know what is that?
Magnetic Secure Transmission
Aaron, why don’t you compare this with the new HSBC revo, I personally prefer HSBC revo though, just 5 dollar block and UNI$ makes me sick aldy~
I am waiting for 1 Aug to come closer. Hsbc revo is no doubt excellent, but it’s not as broad as uob ppv (whitelist vs blacklist approach)
Hi, would u know if SGH payment is considered govt services?
So what on earth happens with the ‘minimum balance of UNI$15,000′?
Is it just stuck there? When can you actually transfer it? I imagine only if/when you cancel the card?? Can someone confirm you can transfer this when you cancel the card?
Such a weird mechanism but how this works is the break or make of this card
That’s only a concern if you want the auto conversion option.
There’s a minimum spend of S$5 or it’s zero mpd
i find it challenging as my default GooglePay card as sometimes buy an item like a loaf of bread or a carton of milk and will earn nothing if less than $5
Hsbc revolution will make you very happy from 1 Aug then!
Aaron do you know if the professional VISA cards are considered UOV PP Visa cards?
UOB issues platinum visa cards free for life to the professions below:
Reason for asking: Supplementary cards for the the professional cards are issued as PP Visa cards. Would stand to reason that the principal card is PP Visa as well???
*Upon approval, a UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card will be issued as the Supplementary Card as the respective Professional Platinum Cards can only be issued to principal cardholders who are members of the various associations. The Supplementary Card has the same benefits/privileges as the Principal Professional Platinum”
This is interesting…i’ll have to do a bit more research.
It really would be, considering that UOB Professional Platinum cards enjoy perpetual fee waivers as long as you transact with it once in three months. Please do look into it :3
No need for transaction. I haven’t used it in 2 years and I’m still got the autorenewal principal card and the PPV supplementary card.
Hi Aaron + above commenter – so does the principal professionals platinum work the same way as the preferred platinum visa?
To confirm, my ACCA card would be considered ppv, and accorded the same bonus miles as such??
Great Post — UOB never told me that PayWave no longer gets 10X. Maybe they forgot!
Physical paywave of the card does not get you the bonus 9x. Only Mobile contactless gets the bonus 9x.
Hi Aaron,
You might want to take out Cathay Cineplexes from the Entertainment and Ticketing section of the MCC table, as it is a Smart$ merchant (which you’ve covered too). Just a suggestion in case people forget.
Cheers!
But there’s no issue if you buy online, as noted in the post
Used the PPV card at Cathay website once. No UNI$, No SMART$. That was weird.
Sorry to comment on an old post, just to confirm the above as I just got off the line with UOB CSO. SMART$ merchants will not earn UNI$, be it online or offline, the CSO appealed on my behalf and I got the UNI$ adjustment for a Guardian online order as an exception.
thanks for the data point, will take note of that
I just got docked UNI$6,500 (=13,000 miles) as annual fee payment with my appeal for waiver rejected. Not sure how this card received 5 stars.
If you think you’re going to earn 4mpd with this card, you’re being misled. From $5 rounding to no option UNI$ deductions, I’m cashing out my remaining miles and canceling this card.
The annual wavier is dependent on the bank afaik. Some only wavier if you are a big spender (to reward you), others waiver only if you don’t spend much (to keep you around longer). Try calling again for waiver and hope to get another operator who can help you to get it, is the best you can do. As for the $5 spending block, I would normally use this card to top-up Lazada/shopee wallet so it is easy to achieve that. This is why it is better to have multiple card and use another card when paying for things nowhere… Read more »
Lazada/Shopee wallet top ups do not give miles tho
My appeal for waivers have been rejected multiple times, but eventually pulled through after about 3 weeks of trying. Be sure you’re getting through to the CSO instead of sticking with the automated waiver hotline. Keep at it and hope for the best
with this card, whats the point of still working using uob prvimiles mastercard? The base earn miles rate would be the same isnt it?
Clearly not the same. Read the article how much base you will get! Privi mc is good for place without contactless payment.
Privi Master is a generic miles card since it earns 1.4mpd. But given that most places do accept contactless payments, I’d think usage of this card would be quite minimal (at least personally for me).
That’s only true for people who spend less than $1k monthly. Remember PPV has a cap.
PPV base rate is just 0.4mpd, however you can pool your points between both cards and to round up your block of 5k UNI$ for redemption.
is the cap shared with supp card?
yes
Hi Aaron, thanks for this amazing article. One question, if I spend SGD 100 on 31 Aug, and posted on 01 Sep, will this contribute the the cap of Aug or Sep? Thank you.
Which card would u recommend at smart$ merchants? Thanks
Online payment for Universal Studio Singapore Tickets are likely processed under a different MCC code… the resort/hotel. Not awarded 4mpd….
Might want to take note for readers intending to do that. I spent $400 for a peasy 0.4mpd☹️
Others obviously know PPV online MCC are very limited. Never bother to use PPV on online transactions also.
thanks for taking the time to report back on this!
Hi, any kind souls here know whether insurance payment counts towards the qualifying 1.5k spending for the sign-up gift? Thanks.
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards/credit-cards/rewards-cards/uob-preferred-platinum-visa-card.page
UOB has updated in its website that secured credit card is no longer available under for this card.
Terms and Conditions
Only available for application via uob.com.sg. Not eligible for Secured Card Applications.
merci, will update
hi aaron, do you know the latest limits for paywave transactions? if i recall, it was 100/transaction?
Always seems to fail when i need it; then would panic swipe other cards.
No more limits really. 100 was long time ago
Hi,
How long does it normally take for the miles to be credited into my Krisflyer account after I have redeemed them with my UNI$? I’m aware the website indicated 15 days, but is that usually the case as that is a rather long time.
i’d say no more than 3-4 working days based on personal experience.
Thanks Aaron for the prompt reply! I would also like to express my gratitude to you for the travel hacks and tricks you have shared since the inception of milelion. It is from this platform that I will be able to fly business class for the very first time. Really appreciate all the effort you have put into the site!
Hi @Aaron, in the petrol section, you listed Shell as being excluded from earning bonus UNI$ even using ApplePay, how about SPC? Isn’t SPC also a SMART$ merchant?
upvoting this question. wondering the same.
I did my own test. SPC spending doesn’t earn point
I can’t apply for card online and also on hard copy form – not listed as an option. Could it be nerfed?
what error message do you get?
sorry – not error msg. When i login to my uob account and tried to apply, there is no option to apply for this card (other cards will show up). When i contacted the bank via phone, they ask me to go to branch. When i contacted them via watsapp, the officer sent me a hardcopy form with many cards to apply but no option to apply for this card. Hence, I suspect that they have stopped application for this card.
Can’t apply online either.
1. No option to apply via UOB app
2. If apply through site, Error message is ” we are unable to complete this request as you do not have a valid current or savings account to perform this transaction.”. hmmm
Can apply online under Credit Cards/ Rewards Card of UOB website.
Doesn’t work for me – maybe I am unique. Was informed that my card is still in system as I cancelled in May 2022. Have to do the painful way of going down to the branch. But kind of weird why this particular card is not available on the hard copy form while all other cards are.
I just checked my UOB app and the card isn’t listed either, yet all the other rando cards like UnionPay and Singtel/Metro are. I wonder if they are looking to discontinue it soon.
I hv the card & it doesn’t appear for me on the UOB mobile app either. Online at UOB website it appears under Rewards Card.
Hard to keep track of UOB$ merchants, is there any giveaway at the shop or restaurants? Like BreadTalk and Toast Box, what about Sheng siong vs Giant?
Is SPC a Uni$ Merchant? Cos I’m always asked if I wanna redeem my $ with them.
Just spent a bit on Agoda last month on this card and found out from CSO today that the MCC is 4722 (travel agent) and not included as UNI$10 but only UNI$1. Too much pain using UOB cards now esp the PPV
Hi Aaron, can i confirm with you that using the card at physical Cold Storage outlets will earn you UOB$ but purchasing from Cold Storage online will award you 4mpd instead? (Since you mentioned Cold Storage under the online category). Thanks!
Can I confirm, UOB PPV will NOT earn bonus rewards on Grab rides or GrabFood delivery?
Seems impossible to get this card as a secured card. Bank teller said this isn’t offered offline, and online there’s no way to apply for a secured card. The call center told me this card likely can’t be had with a security deposit.