A popular miles-earning credit card range on the market in Singapore is the UOB Lady’s Cards, which currently offer 6 mpd on a range of bonus category transactions, regardless of your gender, capped at up to S$3,000 monthly spend with the Solitaire version.
These cards will unfortunately drop their earn rate back to 4 mpd from 1st April 2024, however there’s another change in store for Solitaire cardholders, who will also suffer a reduction in the monthly spend cap at the same time.
Lady’s Solitaire S$2,000 cap from 1st April 2024
In an update on its website, UOB has announced that the monthly cap for 10X bonus (4 mpd) spend is being cut from S$3,000 to S$2,000.
What a way to treat a lady. (Sorry male cardholders, you too!)
Note: With effect from 1 April 2024, the maximum aggregated amount of Bonus UNI$ you can earn in a calendar month is capped at 3,600 UNI$ (which is equivalent to S$2,000 spent) if you are a UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card or UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card Cardmember.
UOB
This will become effective from 1st April 2024, making March 2024 the final calendar month you’ll be able to max out the full S$3,000 allowance at the 6 mpd rate (dropping to 4 mpd from 1st April).
Only those holding the following cards are impacted:
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card
The Lady’s Solitaire Metal is an invitation-only card, including perks like a complimentary airport limo transfer and six lounge visits each year.
If you are holding a regular UOB Lady’s Classic Card, UOB Lady’s Platinum Card or UOB Lady’s World Mastercard, your monthly spend cap in the bonus category will remain at S$1,000 per calendar month.
Remember the UOB Lady’s cards all earn only 0.4 mpd for non-bonus spend, either locally or in FCY, so you certainly don’t want to be using them for anything outside this category or monthly spend cap.
That means you’ll likely have to recalibrate your spending patterns with this one from 1st April 2024 onwards, to ensure you’re still maximising the 4 mpd rate (currently 6 mpd), but not exceeding it wherever possible.
The news comes only a month after DBS announced that the monthly spend cap for online transaction 4 mpd earning with its Woman’s World Mastercard (WWMC) would be cut by 25% – to S$1,500 per month, further complicating the optimal spend scenario for many.
6 mpd rate becomes 4 mpd
The only other change UOB has revealed for its Lady’s Cards from 1st April 2024 is an end to the temporary 6 mpd earn rate, which will revert back to 4 mpd.
The accelerated earn rate of 15X UNI$ per S$5 spent (equivalent to 6 miles per S$1) on your preferred rewards category(ies) has been extended till 31 March 2024! After which, you will continue to earn 10X UNI$ per S$5 spend (equivalent to 4 miles per S$1) on your preferred rewards category with no minimum spend.
UOB
This was originally due to happen on 1st March 2024, but the 6 mpd rate was extended by a month, with the cull now coming from April onwards.
Unfortunate, but expected.
That means there’s still one more month to capitalise on 6 mpd with these cards where you can within your nominated bonus spend categories, before these cards returns to being a more mundane, but still far from useless option.
How the Lady’s cards work
- UOB Lady’s cardholders currently earn 6 mpd on a single specified bonus category, capped at S$1,000 spend per calendar month.
- UOB Lady’s Solitaire and UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal cardholders currently earn 6 mpd on two bonus categories, capped at S$3,000 spend per calendar month.
Local (SGD) and foreign currency (FCY) spend is included in the bonus with these cards, provided the MCC for your merchant falls within the specified bonus category or categories.
There are seven bonus categories to choose from, which are:
- Beauty & Wellness
Pharmacies, cosmetic stores, spas and massage parlours - Dining
Restaurants, food delivery services, fast food outlets - Entertainment
Bars, cinemas and theatres - Family
Grocery stores - Fashion
Clothing stores, accessories stores and department stores - Transport
Taxis, Limos, MRT - Travel
Airlines, hotels, cruises, duty free stores
While the 6 mpd is becoming 4 mpd in both cases from April 2024, you can see how it’s a double whammy for the Solitaire cards, since these will also suffer a 33% reduction in the monthly cap to S$2,000 for bonus spend.
Arguably it’s the Travel category that takes the greatest hit as a result of this change.
That’s because primary alternative the DBS WWMC is soon reducing its cap to S$1,500 per month (online travel spend only), while the DBS Altitude axed its 3 mpd earn rate on the first S$5,000 spend on flights and hotels back in 2023.
Revised Terms and Conditions
UOB has now updated the terms and conditions for its Lady’s cards to reflect these upcoming changes, which you can read here.
UOB is promising its Lady’s cardholders “more exciting benefits launching on 1 Apr ’24”, but if this is the first one…
Summary
In a disappointing but anticipated development, UOB has confirmed that its 6 mpd earn rate on the Lady’s cards will come to an end from 1st April 2024, reverting to 4 mpd.
More surprising news, however, is a double whammy for Lady’s Solitaire cardholders, who will also see a 33% reduction in their monthly bonus spend cap – from S$3,000 to S$2,000.
That’s a big hit to one of the most generous monthly caps currently out there, especially after the rebranded OCBC Rewards card shifted from an annual to monthly limit last year.
Many of our readers will have to consider how to recalibrate their bonus spending following these changes, a task made all the more difficult after DBS announced it would reduce its spend cap for the WWMC card, a change that takes effect in just a few days from now.
(Cover Photo: Accor)
That is a *big* hit. Most especially because this was the easiest card to max out. Are we seeing the end of the 4mpd cards? It seems a death by a thousands cuts right now.