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UOB PRVI Miles Credit Card Review (2023): Entry-level Pick For Privy Travellers

SingSaver team

SingSaver team

Last updated 17 July, 2023

Take your pick from American Express, Visa or MasterCard, and rack up a generous serving of bonus miles when booking on travel sites with the UOB PRVI miles credit card.

The UOB PRVI Miles Card is ideal for the frequent traveller who wants to rack up miles quickly, and not necessarily only with Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program.

With an industry-leading 1.4 miles per S$1 local spend and 2.4 miles per S$1 on overseas spend, UOB PRVI Miles Card even offers 6 miles per $1 spend (8 miles per S$1 spend till 31 July 2023!) on major airlines and hotels via Agoda, Expedia and UOB Travel. 

UOB PRVI Miles credit card can also make your travel smooth and seamless through complimentary airport transfers (only for UOB PRVI Miles American Express cardholders) and a dedicated hotline for comprehensive travel assistance (e.g. hotel, flight, insurance and car rental booking). However, a major drawback is that the UNI$ Rewards points earned (through which you can redeem your air miles) expire after two years.

Table of contents



What the UOB PRVI Miles Credit Card can do for you

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UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card
uob-prvi-resized-e1548402137533-2
UOB PRVI Miles Visa
Card
UOB_PRVI_MASTERCARDUOB PRVI Miles Mastercard

UOB PRVI Miles Card product summary:

  • Local spend: 1.4 miles per $1 spend / UNI$3.5 per S$5 spend
  • Overseas spend: 2.4 miles per $1 spend / UNI$6 per S$5 spend
  • Bonus miles: Up to 6 miles per $1 spend on flights, hotels, and travel bookings with UOB Travel (8 miles per S$1 spend till 31 July 2023!)
  • Up to S$500,000 complimentary travel insurance coverage
  • Annual fee: S$259.20 (First year waived)
  • Annual income requirement: S$30,000 (Singaporeans/PRs), S$40,000 (Foreigners)
  • Minimum age: 21
Pros ✅ Cons ❌
Attractive bonus miles earn rate $25 air miles conversion fee
Choice of Visa, American Express or MasterCard Slightly higher than average annual fee
Complimentary personal accident and travel inconvenience insurance coverage of up to $500,000 20,000 loyalty miles reward available for UOB PRVI Miles AMEX cardholders only
Earn miles on bills, rent, and taxes via UOB Payment Facility Complimentary airport transfers for UOB PRVI Miles AMEX cardholders only
  Complimentary Mr & Mrs Smith Silversmith membership for UOB PRVI Miles AMEX cardholders only
  S$20 off Grab rides for UOB PRVI Miles Visa and Mastercard cardholders only
  No airport lounge access 

UOB PRVI Miles Amex Card Welcome Gift: Get up to 50,000 miles when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months from card approval date plus annual fee payment and SMS enrolment. Valid till 30 September 2023. T&Cs apply.

Alternatively, get 30,000 miles when you are one of the first 200 to apply with first year annual fee waiver and make a min. spend of S$1,000 for 2 consecutive months from card approval date. Valid till 30 September 2023. T&Cs apply.


Why you should choose UOB PRVI Miles credit card

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UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card
uob-prvi-resized-e1548402137533-2
UOB PRVI Miles Visa
Card
UOB_PRVI_MASTERCARDUOB PRVI Miles Mastercard

Pros

#1: High miles per dollar earn rate

Despite the higher annual fee of S$259.20 (first-year waiver), which cardholders can avoid paying by spending at least $50,000 (combined principal and supplementary cards spending) on or before the card anniversary date, UOB PRVI Miles is one of the best miles credit cards due to its generous earn rates of 1.4 miles per S$1 on local spend and 2.4 miles per S$1 on overseas spend.

To put things into perspective, other miles cards typically earn a lower miles rate than the UOB PRVI Miles – with the HSBC TravelOne Card being the only competitor on par.

DBS Altitude Card product summary

Local spend
1.2 mpd
Foreign spend
2 mpd
Bonus spend
3 mpd on online flights and hotel transactions (capped at S$5,000 per month)
Up to 10 mpd on Kaligo bookings
Up to 8 mpd on Expedia bookings
Airport lounge access
2 complimentary visits per year
⭐ Complimentary Mr & Mrs Smith Silversmith membership for AMEX version only

CITI_PREMIERMILES_MASTER (1)

Citi PremierMiles Card product summary

Local spend
1.2 mpd
Foreign spend
2 mpd
Bonus spend
Up to 10 mpd on Kaligo bookings
Up to 7 mpd on Agoda bookings
Airport lounge access
2 complimentary visits per year
Travel insurance
Up to S$1 million complimentary coverage

SC_Card_OM_Journey_20220816-AssetA-RGB-2500px_HENRY YEO

SCB Journey Card product summary

Local spend
1.2 mpd
Foreign spend
2 mpd
Bonus spend
3 mpd on selected local transport, grocery, and food delivery merchants (capped at S$1,000 spend per month)
Airport lounge access
2 complimentary visits per year
Travel insurance
Up to S$500,000 complimentary coverage
S$10 off Grab ride for Changi Airport transfers (capped at first 2,000 redemptions)

HSBC TravelOne

HSBC TravelOne Card product summary

Local spend
1.2 mpd
Foreign spend
2.4 mpd
Airport lounge access
4 complimentary visits per year
Travel insurance
Up to US$100,000 complimentary coverage (including COVID-19)
No conversion fee for air miles and hotel points redemption until 31 Dec 2023

OCBC 90ºN Card product summary

Local spend
1.3 mpd
Foreign spend
2.1 mpd
Bonus spend
Up to 7 mpd on accommodations booked on Agoda (in foreign currency)
Up to 6 mpd on accommodations booked on Agoda (in local currency)
Airport lounge access
US$32 per person per visit
90ºN Miles never expire

#2: Good for internet natives for online travel bookings

Through its partnership with the major online travel booking sites, UOB PRVI Miles cardholders earn up to 6 miles per S$1 spend (8 mpd till 31 July 2023!) on travel purchases made via Agoda, Expedia and UOB Travel.

Under UOB Travel, there are over 700,000 participating hotels worldwide, more than 175 car rental companies, and over 500 major airlines such as Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Eva Air, Finnair, and more.


#3: Complimentary travel insurance to boost protection

Despite the absence of complimentary airport lounge access, car rental program membership or golf green fee discounts, the UOB PRVI Miles Card provides complimentary travel accident insurance worth up to $500,000, and emergency medical assistance, evacuation and repatriation coverage worth $50,000.

Speaking of ease of travel, enjoy S$20 off Grab rides to or from Changi Airport with minimum S$1,200 spend on major airlines, hotels, and/or travel service transactions with their UOB PRVI Miles Visa or Mastercard versions. 

See also: What's the Difference Between Regular Travel Insurance vs Credit Card Travel Insurance?


#4: Your air miles aren’t exclusively redeemable for flights 

While most travel credit cards offer limited air miles redemption options, the UOB PRVI Miles Card offers you the freedom to choose how you want your air miles to be redeemed. You can redeem your air miles for partner airlines, convert them to cash to offset your spending, redeem reward vouchers or travel packages. How you want to redeem your air miles — it’s your prerogative. 


UOB PRVI Miles Mastercard Welcome Gift: Get up to 50,000 miles when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months from card approval date plus annual fee payment and SMS enrolment. Valid till 30 September 2023. T&Cs apply.

Alternatively, get 30,000 miles when you are one of the first 200 to apply with first year annual fee waiver and make a min. spend of S$1,000 for 2 consecutive months from card approval date. Valid till 30 September 2023. T&Cs apply.


Cons

#1: Slightly above-average annual fees

Although the UOB PRVI Miles Card isn't particularly notorious for the most expensive annual fees to exist (see: metal credit cards), it still weighs in a hefty fee of S$259.20 each year. 

To be fair, this value isn't a far cry from the typical S$194.40 annual fee that most regular credit cards come with – but it's an above-average yearly price tag nonetheless.

So unless the card benefits stand out to you or you have other convincing reasons to get the UOB PRVI Miles Card, we understand why its annual fee might serve as a deterrence for some.

On the bright side, it does come with a first-year waiver on its fee, so that's not too bad at all.

See also: Credit Card Annual Fee Waiver Guide By Banks


#2: No complimentary airport lounge access

Another downside worth noting about the UOB PRVI Miles Card is its lack of complimentary airport lounge access. Although this isn't the worst miles card crime, it's definitely a "Debby Downer" considering that its other peers like DBS Altitude, Citi PremierMiles, and HSBC TravelOne offer a number of free airport lounge visits per year.

See also: Cheap & Free Ways to Gain Entry to Changi Airport Lounges


#3: UNI$ expire after two years

Unfortunately, UNI$ don't last forever either. They have a validity period of 2 years from the last day of each quarter (UNI$ period) before they expire. Thus, you'd need to put in some consideration in tracking your UNI$ earned and mindfully redeeming them for miles or rewards before their time is up.

Honestly, this isn't a huge disadvantage compared to point systems from other banks e.g. HSBC Rewards Points have a shorter validity period of 37 months. Just remember to do some simple tracking on your Notes app or an excel sheet and you should be good to go.


What charges or fees should you look out for?

  • Annual fee: S$259.20 (First year waived)
  • Minimum payment: 3% of current balance or S$50, whichever is higher plus any overdue amounts
  • Overlimit fee: S$40
  • Late payment charge: $100
  • Interest on purchases: 27.8% per annum, calculated daily from the date each transaction is posted to your card account until full payment is received
  • Interest on cash advance: 28.5% per annum will be charged upon the withdrawal date until the withdrawal amount and the relevant fees are paid in full
  • Cash advance fee: 8% of cash advance amount, subject to minimum S$15 fee
  • Foreign transaction fee: 3.25% 
  • Dynamic currency conversion fee: 1% 

Eligibility criteria

  • At least 21 years of age
  • Minimum annual income for Singapore citizens and PRs: $30,000
  • Minimum annual income for Foreigners: $40,000

UOB PRVI Miles Visa Card Welcome Gift: Get up to 50,000 miles when you make a min. spend of S$1,000 per month for 2 consecutive months from card approval date plus annual fee payment and SMS enrolment. Valid till 30 September 2023. T&Cs apply.

Alternatively, get 30,000 miles when you are one of the first 200 to apply with first year annual fee waiver and make a min. spend of S$1,000 for 2 consecutive months from card approval date. Valid till 30 September 2023. T&Cs apply.


How to apply? 

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UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card
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UOB PRVI Miles Visa
Card
UOB_PRVI_MASTERCARDUOB PRVI Miles Mastercard

Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button in this article and complete the application form on SingSaver site. You might need to prepare the following documents for the application process:

  • Front and back of NRIC/Passport/Employment Pass
  • Salaried employees (Singaporeans/PRs):
    • Fixed monthly salary ≥ S$2,500:
      • Last 12 months' CPF statement
      • Latest original computerised payslip
      • Latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment and last 12 months' CPF statement or latest original computerised payslip
    • Fixed monthly salary < S$2,500:
      • Past 12 months' CPF statement
      • Latest 3 months' computerised payslip
      • Latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment and last 12 months' CPF statement or latest original computerised payslip
    • Length of employment < 3 months: Last computerised payslip, company Letter certifying employment, and monthly salary
  • Self-employed: Latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment

Should you get the UOB PRVI Miles Credit Card?

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UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Card
uob-prvi-resized-e1548402137533-2
UOB PRVI Miles Visa
Card
UOB_PRVI_MASTERCARDUOB PRVI Miles Mastercard

According to our comparison of the best starter miles card for first-timers, UOB PRVI Miles would earn a slot in your wallet based on the local miles earn rate alone (1.4 miles per S$1 spend).

Moreover, it's the only miles credit card that offers the full array of Visa, Mastercard, and American Express options. This gives you full autonomy and transparency in choosing which card network to go for based on their perks and privileges, which is always nice.

All in all, it serves as a decent miles card for those beginning their miles journey.


SingSaver Exclusive Offer: Receive S$350 cash credit or S$500 worth of Grab vouchers or up to 50,000 miles when you apply for select UOB credit cards and fulfil the minimum spend requirements. T&Cs apply.

Read these next: 
Best UOB Credit Cards In Singapore
UOB One Account Review 
UOB Personal Loan Review
Cashback vs Miles vs Rewards: Which Is The Best Type Of Credit Card For You?
6 Credit Cards Which Give Free Access to Airport Lounges

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