UOB Visa Signature has introduced some noteworthy changes that can make navigating spending a bit tricky. While it now offers 4 miles per dollar (MPD) for SimplyGo transactions—which is great news for public transport users—there’s a downside: they’ve implemented category spending caps, which could be a hassle for those who usually spend more.
Let’s break down the key updates.
4 MPD for SimplyGo Transactions
Finally, after quite some time, SimplyGo transactions will earn you 4 MPD. This update takes effect from July 1, 2025.
This change allows for rewards on MRT and bus rides, as long as they’re non-contact and related to gasoline. Just remember, this category also has the usual minimum spending requirement of S$1,000 per statement period.
Previously, the S$5 spending block made using UOB cards for public transport a bit cumbersome, but that’s now a non-issue. UOB effectively tracks daily bills but calculates Uni$ based on the monthly total. So, SimplyGo expenditures will be combined with other contactless and gasoline spending before being rounded down to the nearest S$5.
This places it among the few premium cards offering decent rewards for public transport, a category that often goes unnoticed in the Miles card realm.
New Category Limits
Now, here’s where it gets a bit tricky. The card’s MPD bonus system is shifting from flexible shared caps to stricter, category-specific limits.
Current Structure (Until August/September 2025)
- Single Shared Cap: S$2,000 for both overseas and non-contact gasoline. You need to hit S$1,000 in each category for the perks to kick in during that period.
- Flexibility: Once you meet the minimum, you can choose how to allocate your spending.
- Example 1: Spend S$2,000 overseas and earn 8,000 miles.
- Example 2: Spend S$1,000 overseas and $1,000 on gasoline to earn 8,000 miles (4,000 + 4,000).
New Structure (From August/September 2025)
- Category 1 (Overseas): Limited to S$1,200 per statement, requiring S$1,000 in that category for rewards.
- Category 2 (Gasoline/Contactless/SimpleGo): Also limited to S$1,200 per statement with the same spending requirement.
- Total Expenses: Now S$2,400 (up from S$2,000).
- Caveat: The S$2,400 must be split across categories, so you can’t just max one out.
To illustrate, here are some scenarios that might clarify the changes.
| UOB Monthly Expense Scenario | |||
| Sample Expenditure | Current Miles | New Miles | Impact |
| S$2,000 overseas | 8,000 | 5,120 | 2,880 |
| S$2,000 Contactless | 8,000 | 5,120 | 2,880 |
| S$1,200 Overseas + S$1,200 Contactless | 8,160 | 9,600 | 1,440 |
So, can you benefit from these updates? Well, if you typically spend around S$1,000 in each category monthly, you could see around 9,600 miles per month at 4 MPD. That’s great, I suppose.
However, many readers are often high spenders on UOB VS cards, managing to put a full S$2,000 into one category, especially when traveling. For them, this change is a setback, as the cap has dropped by 40% to S$1,200 per statement period.
When Do These Changes Start?
The rollout of these changes will depend on when your card is approved.
- 4 MPD for SimplyGo: Starting July 1, 2025—effective immediately for all cardholders.
- New Category Limits:
- For cards approved after July 1, 2025: Immediate changes apply.
- For those approved before July 1, 2025: Changes apply from the September 2025 statement.
To know your exact transition date, check your statement’s end date. If it’s from the 5th to the 4th each month, the new cap applies starting August 5, 2025. If it’s from the 28th to 27th, changes will kick in from August 28, 2025.
Currency Complexity: Where to Spend?
UOB VS sorts transactions by currency and location, which can be a bit confusing.
| Transaction Classification | ||
| Transaction Type | Currency | Category |
| Non-contact overseas | foreign currency | overseas |
| Non-contact overseas | SGD | Both (0.4 MPD) |
| Local contactless | SGD | non-contact with gasoline |
| Overseas gasoline | foreign currency | overseas |
| Local gasoline | SGD | non-contact with gasoline |
Important Notes: Foreign currency transactions are always classified as “overseas,” regardless of the payment method used or where the merchant is located.
Challenges for Miles Cards
These changes mirror broader trends in Singapore’s Miles Card market. Financial institutions seem to be tightening limits and reducing maximum rewards, as observed recently with the UOB Lady’s Card, indicating a shift similar to what cash-back cards experienced years ago.
The days of generous, flexible spending caps appear to be behind us.
This transformation will necessitate a more intricate strategy for cardholders. Instead of a straightforward “spend S$2,000 to gain 8,000 miles,” you’ll need to juggle expenditures across categories, keeping an eye on various limits, or rely on sticking to one S$1,200 cap.
UOB promotes these updates positively—adding SimplyGo to its four MPD categories and raising the total cap—but the reality may be less favorable. The flexibility that once made UOB Visa Signature appealing to heavy spenders has diminished under the new rigid category framework, which doesn’t cater to quite as many users.
While the potential maximum mileage of 9,600 may seem attractive compared to the current 8,000, achieving this requires precise spending in both categories, which complicates things compared to the previous single-category method.
(Cover photo: Public Transport Council)
