KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card boasts an impressive bonus earn rate suited for SIA fans

KrisFlyer miles chasers, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card might be the easiest, most fuss-free miles card for you. This card lets you earn KrisFlyer miles directly with no conversion fee (unlike miles cards like the UOB PRVI Card we also reviewed).

The bonus earn rates are also generous, at up to three KrisFlyer miles per dollar (mpd) spent on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop and Kris+ purchases. You can get the same rate on dining, food delivery, online shopping and travel, and transport expenses — that is, if you spend at least $800 annually on Singapore Airlines, Scoot and KrisShop.

Out of all the air miles credit cards out there, is the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card the right card for you? We review its earn rates, travel privileges, spending requirements, and more.

1. KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card: Summary

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is an entry-level miles card that earns you KrisFlyer miles directly. Its fees and interests are similar to most other entry-level credit cards. Here’s a quick look:

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
Annual fee & waiver	$194.40 (waived for one year)
Supplementary annual fee	First 1 supplementary card free, subsequently $97.20
Interest free period	21 days
Annual interest rate	26.90per cent
Late payment fee	$100
Minimum monthly repayment	3per cent or $50, whichever is higher
Foreign currency transaction fee	3.25per cent
Cash advance transaction fee	8per cent
Overlimit fee	$40
Minimum income	$30,000 (Singaporean) / $40,000 (non-Singaporean)
Card association	MasterCard
Wireless payment	MasterCard Contactless, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay, UOB Mighty Pay

2. KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card: Eligibility

An entry-level miles card, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card has average age and income requirements. It’s open to both Singaporeans and foreigners aged 21 years old and above.

These are its income requirements:

For Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents

• Minimum annual income of $30,000; OR
• Fixed Deposit collateral of minimum $10,000

For Foreigners:

• Minimum annual income of S$40,000; OR
• Fixed Deposit collateral of minimum S$10,000

3. KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card: Earn rates

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card earns you miles in the form of KrisFlyer miles directly. That’s good news when it comes to miles conversion fees — they don’t exist!

There are three main earn rate tiers for the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card. 

• The first lets you earn 15 KrisFlyer miles for every S$5 spent on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Scoot, KrisShop and Kris+ purchases. That works out to be 3 KrisFlyer Miles per $1. This tier’s earn rate is given to you straight up, with no minimum spend required,
• The second is also a rate of 15 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 / 3 KrisFlyer Miles per $1 spent, this time on dining, food delivery, online shopping and travel, and transport spend. The catch is, you have to spend a minimum of $800 each year on Singapore Airlines, Scoot and KrisShop to qualify for this bonus rate.
• Finally, for all other purchases, you earn a base rate of 6 KrisFlyer miles per S$5 / 1.2 KrisFlyer Miles per $1 spent.

If you open a KrisFlyer UOB Deposit Account and deposit your salary in there, you can also earn up to six miles per S$1 spend, capped at 5per cent of your monthly average balance.

Do note that these KrisFlyer miles are earned per $5 spent, not per every $1. We talk about miles per dollar ($1) for easy understanding and comparison across other miles cards.

On top of these earn rates, UOB will give you 5,000 welcome miles after you make your first transaction (min. $5) on your shiny new KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card.

When it’s that time of the year to renew your card, UOB will give you 10,000 renewal bonus miles for paying the annual fee.

KrisFlyer miles expire after three years. Read our KrisFlyer Miles Redemption Guide to ensure you make the most of yours. 

4. KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card: Spend exclusions

You will not earn KrisFlyer miles for spending in categories like the following:

• Wire transfer or remittance 
• Utility bills
• Insurance
• Rentals
• Stored value card purchase/load 
• Medical services, hospitals, and doctors
• Gambling
• Education
• Charitable, social service, political, religious organisations
• Court costs
• Fines
• Tax payments
• Government services
• SPC service stations
• EZlink
• YouTrip
• PayPal

For the full list, check out Clause 1.9 of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card’s terms and conditions.

5. KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card: Benefits and privileges

As its name suggests, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card comes with quite a few KrisFlyer-related privileges. These include:

• S$20 off KrisShop regular-priced items (excluding brand exclusions) with min. S$120 nett spend with the promo code KFUOBKS2023. You get to enjoy this rebate once per calendar year.
• Complimentary tier upgrade to KrisShopper Insider with no minimum spend required. All you have to do is fill up the KrisShopper Registration Form, and you’ll be upgraded within three months. As a KrisShopper Insider, you’ll earn 5.5 KrisFlyer miles for every Singapore One Dollar (S$1) spent on all KrisShop purchases made inflight on Singapore Airlines and on KrisShop.com using your card.
• S$10 Sign Up Bonus on Kris+ when you input the code KPUOB2324 during your first login. This is valid till Dec 31, 2024.
• Fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Silver status if you spend a minimum of S$5,000 on Singapore Airlines Group-related transactions within your first year. If successful, you’ll be upgraded within six weeks from the last month of your first card membership year. 

On the ground, your KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card will also get you:

• 2 x $15 off ChangiWiFi each year (once in Jan-Jun, another in Jun-Dec). To get your e-redemption code, SMS “KFUOBCC16-digit card number” to 77862. Valid till March 31, 2024.
• 2 x $15 off Grab rides to or from the airport each year (once in Jan-Jun, another in Jun-Dec). Use the promo code: KFUOBCC, and do note that this is ​​limited to the 1,000 redemptions per month.

Scoot privileges for KrisFlyer UOB cardmembers include priority check-in and boarding, additional baggage allowance, standard seat selection, and booking flexibility waiver. To enjoy these benefits, you’ll need to make your booking through the dedicated KrisFlyer UOB site.

All in all, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card isn’t scant when it comes to the benefits and privileges it can offer cardmembers. The only thing is they’re pretty much all Kris/Scoot/travel-related, so don’t expect dining deals or spa discounts. 

There’s one thing UOB cards are great for though, based on 2023’s track record so far — concert ticket pre-sales! First Coldplay, then Taylor Swift, and now Ed Sheeran too.

6. KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card: Sign-up promotion

From now till Dec 31, 2023, you can get up to 31,000 KrisFlyer Miles plus your first year annual fee of S$194.40 waived when you sign up for a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card as a new-to-UOB cardmember.

To get this welcome gift, spend a minimum of S$2,000 within 60 days from your card approval date on your new KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card.

7. Should I get the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card?

Obviously, the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card is a miles card meant for globetrotters. If you don’t fly that frequently in the first place, you might be better off with a cashback credit card. If you fly frequently, but just not with SQ/Scoot, you might be better off with another miles card.

Still reading? We’re gonna assume you do travel on SQ/Scoot pretty often. Here’s a list of pros and cons of the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card for you to decide if it’s the right card for you.

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card
Pros	Cons
High earn rates (3mpd) on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Scoot, KrisShop, Kris+ purchases  High earn rates (3mpd) on lifestyle categories—dining, food delivery, online shopping and travel, and transport spend. No miles conversion fee—earn KrisFlyer miles directly Generous KrisFlyer, airport and Scoot privileges	Bonus rate of 3 mpd on lifestyle categories dependent on $800 minimum annual spend on Singapore Airlines, Scoot and KrisShop. KrisFlyer miles are awarded per $5 spend, not per $1 spend. Earn rates and privileges are skewed to Singapore Airlines Group. This may limit you if you want to travel with another carrier. KrisFlyer miles expire after 3 years.

8. Alternatives to the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

Was the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card kinda what you were looking for? But only kinda? Here are some alternative credit cards.

American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: The obvious competitor to the KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card. This card has a sightly lower base rate of 1.1 miles per $1 local spend, and a lower earn rate for Singapore Airlines Group spending (2 mpd). On the plus side, it comes with 2 mpd overseas spend and 3.1 mpd spend on Grab.

Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card: Earn 3 mpd on Transportation, Food Delivery & Online Grocery merchants, plus 2 mpd on eligible foreign spend. You’ll earn in the form of 360 Reward Points that never expire.

UOB PRVI Card: One of the highest miles earn rates out there, and not limited to Singapore Airlines Group transactions.

Citibank PremierMiles Card: Miles that never expire, and with priority pass lounge access, travel insurance, and more.

P.S. Here’s our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric

In case you’re wondering, here’s how we decide on our credit card rankings.

Is that credit card MoneySmart? Our MoneySmart credit card ranking rubric
Category	Our rating
Overall	The average rating for the credit card on the whole, calculated from the ratings for the individual categories below. Plus, we’ll give you a one-liner on who we think the credit card is best suited for.
Earn rates: Air miles / Cashback / Rewards points	Air miles ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ / Cashback / Rewards points . This category looks at the depth rather than breadth of earn rates. 5 stars means this card’s got the highest earn rates within that credit card type. 3-4 stars mean it’s average 1-2 stars reflect earn rates that are below average.
Earn categories	This category looks at the breadth rather than depth of your earnings. 5 stars: Earn with ANY spend. 3-4 stars: Earn on a large number of categories (e.g. all dining, transport and retail, but not telco bills) OR earn on 1 very broad category (e.g. all contactless/mobile payments). 1-2 stars: Earn a decent rate only on selected categories, such as fast food only.
Annual fees and charges	5 stars: $0  4 stars: $1-200 3 stars: $201-500 2 stars: $501-$999 1 star: $1,000 and up We dock a star if fee waiver is NOT allowed.
Accessibility	Minimum income requirements: 5 stars: $0 4 stars: Up to $30k a year for Singaporeans and up to $45k for non-Singaporeans 3 stars: $30-60k a year for Singaporeans, $45-70k for non-Singaporeans 2 stars: $60-120k a year for Singaporeans, $70-120k for non-Singaporeans 1 star: $120,000 and up for either, or both  Exclusivity: We dock 1-2 stars if there is/are another category/categories that make the card exclusive and very specific to a certain clientele.
Extras/periphery rewards	These include: Travel benefits, such as airport lounge access Lifestyle benefits, such as spa privileges Dining benefits, such as complimentary AMEX Love Dining or Entertainer with HSBC subscriptions We count the number of benefits and award between 0.5 to 2 stars for each, depending on how good the perk is.
Sign-up bonus	5 stars: The gift(s), cash, or miles are the highest we see out there compared to other credit cards of the same type (miles, cashback, etc). Also easy to attain these welcome bonuses. 3-4 stars: Average but not disappointing sign-up bonus compared to other credit cards. You aren’t losing out. 1-2 stars: You are probably losing out in terms of the welcome bonus you’re getting; there are other similar credit cards with sign-up bonuses that are better or easier to attain.

ALSO READ: UOB Lady's Card: New design and rewards earn rates sweeten the deal for this revamped card

This article was first published in MoneySmart.