UOB Lady’s Card: Which bonus categories should you choose?

While I doubt we’ll ever reach a consensus as to whether a women-only credit card is empowering, or just a form of reverse discrimination, what’s less contentious is that the UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card are hands down the best rewards cards on the market at the moment. 

Following an enhancement in March 2023, cardholders now earn 6 mpd on up to S$3,000 of spend per month on their choice of bonus categories. This includes restaurants, supermarkets, shopping, taxis, air tickets, hotels, and petrol but— here’s the catch — not all at the same time. 

UOB makes you choose which category/categories you’d like to earn 6 mpd on, a decision that can be changed every quarter. So what can you pick, and what should you pick?

Overview: UOB Lady’s Card

Apply
Apply
Income Req.	S$30,000 p.a. (Lady’s)	Points Validity	2 years
	S$120,000 p.a. (Solitaire)
Annual Fee	S$194.40 (Lady’s-FYF)	Min. Transfer	5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles)
	S$410.40 (Solitaire-FYF)
Miles with Annual Fee	None	Transfer Partners	SIA Cathay Pacific
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	6 mpd on 1/2 bonus categories	Airport Limo?	No
Cardholder Terms and Conditions
Note: A by-invitation-only metal version of the UOB Lady’s Solitaire also exists, with a higher annual fee of S$594 and a complimentary airport transfer + six lounge passes per year. Earn rates and bonus caps are the same as the plastic UOB Lady’s Solitaire

UOB has two different Lady’s Cards: 

• the basic UOB Lady’s Card (income req: S$30,000 p.a.)
• the premium UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card (income req: S$120,000 p.a., don’t let this deter you from applying through, as data points suggest UOB is not strict with enforcement)

You can only hold one or the other; an existing UOB Lady’s Card customer who applies for a UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card will have the former card cancelled upon approval of the latter (and vice versa)

Unlike the gender-neutral DBS Woman’s World Card, the UOB Lady’s Card is exclusively for women. However, there’s nothing stopping your wife/girlfriend from applying for a card, and letting you digitise the card on a mobile wallet like Apple or Google Pay, or adding it to Amaze. 

UOB Lady’s Card bonus categories

UOB Lady’s Card and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card members will earn 15 UNI$ for every S$5 spent (6 mpd) on: 

• UOB Lady’s Card: 1 bonus category, capped at S$1,000 per calendar month
• UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card: 2 bonus categories, capped at S$3,000 per calendar month

Cardholders choose their bonus categories via this link, and can change their selection every calendar quarter. 

The ability to change your bonus category every quarter means the card can be different things to you at different times. If you’re shelling out for an expensive beauty package this quarter, pick “beauty & wellness”. If you’re going on an overseas trip, pick “travel”. There’s no other card in Singapore that gives this kind of flexibility.

Which category should you pick?

When deciding which category to pick, the first thing to consider is obviously personal spending patterns- a teetotaller won’t get much mileage out of choosing Entertainment (which includes bars and nightclubs) as a bonus category. 

But just as important to consider are alternatives: Could you already earn bonuses on this particular category with a different card? Here’s a brief rundown of what you could be using for the various bonus categories. 

However, this does not necessarily preclude you from choosing a bonus category already covered by another card.

For example, it’d be perfectly justifiable to choose Dining as a bonus category even if you already have the HSBC Revolution. The argument might be that you conserve the HSBC Revolution’s 4 mpd cap for supermarkets, gym memberships and in-person hotel/rental car spend, all categories not covered by any other card.

Alternatively, you might simply be a big spender on dining, and need to supplement the HSBC Revolution’s S$1,000 monthly cap with another card.

Someone who drives may find the Transport category useful because it includes petrol stations. So long as you avoid SPC (where UNI$ are not awarded- Shell is OK!), you can earn 6 mpd every time you pump. 

For those who spend a lot at supermarkets, Family might be a good choice. Contrary to popular belief, Cold Storage and Giant are still eligible for bonus UNI$, despite the fact they’re UOB$ merchants. You’ll earn the equivalent of 5.6 mpd at these places (since the base 0.4 mpd is not awarded). 

For my UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card (well, the MileLioness’ really, but who’s keeping score?), I’ve chosen Dining and Transport as my two bonus categories, since I’m a fairly heavy spender on both.

I’ll occasionally switch Transport to Travel when I’m heading on an overseas trip and will be spending cash on flights/hotels instead of miles and points. And when I’m overseas, I of course pair the card with Amaze to earn 1% cashback and enjoy better FCY rates. 

Conclusion

The UOB Lady’s Cards are extremely versatile tools to have in your wallet (purse?), thanks to their shapeshifting ability to be different things at different times. It can be a dining card this quarter and a shopping card the next, or perhaps a travel card should you be going on vacation. 

It’s particularly useful if you can get the Solitaire version, since a 6 mpd cap of S$3,000 is much higher than the S$1,000-2,000 you find on most other cards on the market. 

UOB Lady’s Card cardholders: What bonus categories do you choose and why?