Some banks in Singapore offer credit cards with great miles rewards that you can use to redeem vouchers or convert to other mileage programs. If you’re looking for a card that can earn you miles for your spending, you may want to consider Citi PremierMiles and UOB PRVI Miles.
Here are the differences between the two cards to help you choose which one is best for you.
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The difference between Citi PremierMiles and UOB PRVI Miles
Both Citi PremierMiles and UOB PRVI Miles offer miles rewards for both local and foreign spending. However, they differ in the miles rewards you can earn per dollar and the ways you can redeem these miles.
Here’s what each card offers:
Miles per Dollar
Citi and UOB offer great miles rewards for local and foreign spending, with higher rewards for foreign currency spending.
Here are the miles per dollar that you can earn from either card:
| Citi PremierMiles | UOB PRVI Miles | |
|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Spending | 1.2 Citi Miles/$1 | 1.4 miles/$1 |
| Foreign Currency Spending | 2 Citi Miles/$1 | 2.4 miles/$1 |
Note that while Citi rewards miles per dollar, UOB offers miles only in blocks of $5. This means that you can earn a minimum of 7 miles/$5 for local currency spending and 12 miles/$5 for foreign currency spending.
For a list of transactions excluded from the miles rewards of either card, you may view Citi’s Exclusion List and UOB PRVI Miles’ Terms & Conditions.
Minimum Spend
Both Citi PremierMiles and UOB PRVI Miles have no minimum spend amount. You may want to note, however, that UOB offers rewards only in increments of $5.
Maximum Miles Cap
You can earn as much miles as you want as both Citi and UOB do not have a miles cap.
Miles Expiry
You will find more flexibility when redeeming your miles with Citi PremierMiles as Citi Miles do not have an expiration. On the other hand, miles you earn from UOB PRVI Miles will expire in 24 months.
Miles Redemption
Both Citi PremierMiles and UOB PRVI Miles offer options to convert your earned miles to miles of their partner mileage programs. However, Citi has a longer list of partners than UOB.
For either card, you can redeem 10,000 miles for 10,000 miles of the following partner programs:
| Citi PremierMiles | UOB PRVI Miles |
|---|---|
| Asia Miles | Asia Miles |
| British Airways Executive Club | KrisFlyer Miles |
| Etihad Guest | |
| Eva Air Infinity MileageLands | |
| Flying Blue | |
| IHG Rewards Club | |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | |
| Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Miles |
You can redeem your Citi Miles for vouchers, cash rebates, and payments to partner stores
Citi also allows redemption of your Citi Miles through vouchers and cash rebates. You can also make use of their Pay with Points program to pay your purchases using your Citi Miles.
Here are the miles per dollar conversions for Citi PremierMiles:
| Cash Rebate | 1,650 Citi Miles = $10 cash rebates |
| Pay with Points | 165 Miles = $1 payment |
You may check Citi’s redemption portal for all the other ways that you can redeem your Citi Miles.
You can redeem your UOB miles for vouchers and cash rebates
UOB also offers redemption of your miles through vouchers and cash rebates. $100 cash rebates can be redeemed for 17,400 miles.
For other ways to redeem your UOB miles, you may visit UOB’s redemption portal.
Eligibility
While Citi and UOB have the same age eligibility and minimum annual income requirement for Singaporeans, UOB has a higher minimum annual income requirement for foreigners.
| Citi PremierMiles | UOB PRVI Miles | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 21 years old | 21 years old |
| Minimum Annual Income (Singaporeans) | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Minimum Annual Income (Foreign Nationals) | $42,000 | $80,000 |
Other Rewards
Both Citi and UOB offer more ways to earn higher miles rewards aside from general local and foreign currency spending.
Earn more miles for online bookings using your Citi PremierMiles or UOB PRVI Miles card
Citi offers increased Citi Miles for Kaligo and Agoda bookings for a limited time.
| Miles per dollar | Promo Period | |
|---|---|---|
| Kaligo | 10 Citi Miles/$1 | until December 31, 2022 |
| Agoda | 7 Citi Miles/$1 | until July 31, 2022 |
On the other hand, UOB offers increased miles rewards for Expedia, Agoda, and UOB Travel Planners bookings for a limited time.
| Miles per dollar | Promo Period | |
|---|---|---|
| Expedia | 6 miles/$1 | until April 30, 2022 |
| Agoda | 6 miles/$1 | until December 31, 2022 |
| UOB Travel Planners | 6 miles/$1 | until December 31, 2022 |
Earn bonus miles, access to airport lounges, and travel insurance with your Citi PremierMiles card
When you get approved for a Citi PremierMiles card, you can earn the following bonus points when you reach the minimum spend amount for the first 3 months:
| Minimum Spend | Bonus Citi Miles |
|---|---|
| $4,000 | 18,000 Citi Miles |
| $9,000 | 45,000 Citi Miles |
Moreover, Citi PremierMiles offers a bonus of 10,000 miles when you renew your credit card every year by paying the annual fee!
If you love to travel, Citi PremierMiles is a great option as you can have complimentary access twice a year to over 1,300 airport lounges. You also get travel insurance of up to $1M!
You may view Citi PremierMiles’ travel insurance Terms & Conditions for the full list of insurance benefits.
Earn bonus miles, increased miles for online transactions, complimentary airport transfers, and travel insurance with your UOB PRVI Miles card
If you get a UOB PRVI Miles American Express card, you can receive 20,000 bonus miles on your card renewal if you spend $50,000 for the previous year.
On the other hand, if you hold a UOB PRVI Miles Visa or Mastercard card, you can earn 4.4 miles/$1 on online, mobile, and contactless spending. Note that this is rewarded in blocks of $5 (22 miles/$5).
UOB PRVI Miles is also great if you love to travel as it provides 2 complimentary one-way airport transfers to Changi Airport per year if you spend $1,000 on foreign currency for the same year. UOB also offers travel insurance of up to $500,000!
Here is what’s covered by the insurance benefit:
- Accidental death or disablement whilst on public conveyance
- Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation
You may want to note that this is lower than Citi’s $1M travel insurance.
Fees
UOB has significantly higher annual fees than Citi.
| Citi PremierMiles | UOB PRVI Miles | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee – Principal Card | $192.60 | $256.80 |
| Annual Fee – Supplementary Card | None | $128.40 |
You may want to note that if you spend $50,000 for the year using your UOB PRVI Miles American Express card, you get the chance to waive your annual fee for the following year!
Citi and UOB have the same interest rates for card transactions and cash advances
| Interest – Card Transactions | 26.90% p.a. |
| Interest – Cash Advances | 26.90% p.a. |
Final Verdict
Both Citi PremierMiles and UOB PRVI Miles offer great miles rewards and additional benefits perfect for travellers.
Here is a comparison of what each card offers:
| Citi PremierMiles | UOB PRVI Miles | |
|---|---|---|
| Rewards per Dollar – Local | 1.2 Citi Miles/$1 | 7 miles/$5 |
| Rewards per Dollar – Foreign | 2 Citi Miles/$1 | 12 miles/$5 |
| Minimum Spend | None | None |
| Miles Cap | None | None |
| Miles Expiry | None | 24 months |
| Miles Redemption | Miles of 11 Partner Mileage Programs Cash Rebates Pay with PointsVouchers | Miles of 2 Partner Mileage Programs Cash Rebates Vouchers |
| Other Categories with Increased Miles Rewards | Kaligo Booking Agoda Booking | Expedia Booking Agoda Booking UOB Travel Planners Booking Online/Mobile/Contactless Transactions (for Visa and Mastercard) |
| Travel Benefits | Complimentary Access to Airport Lounges Travel Insurance of up to $1M | Complimentary Airport Transfers Travel Insurance of up to $500,000 |
| Anniversary Bonus Points | 10,000 Citi Miles | 20,000 miles (for American Express only) |
| Annual Fee | $192.60 – Principal None – Supplementary | $256.80 – Principal $128.40 – Supplementary |
| Interest Rate – Card Transactions | 26.90% p.a. | 26.90% p.a. |
| Interest Rate – Cash Advances | 26.90% p.a. | 26.90% p.a. |
Both cards are great for travellers with their higher miles rewards for foreign currency spending, online travel-related bookings, and travel benefits.
For a lower annual fee, Citi PremierMiles may bring you more bang for your buck, especially since you have more flexibility to earn and redeem miles with its no minimum spend, no miles cap, and no miles expiry offer. Citi also offers higher travel insurance of $1M compared to UOB’s $500,000 coverage.
If you usually spend $50,000 or more per year using your credit card, UOB PRVI Miles may be a good option as you can waive your annual fee upon reaching this minimum spend. UOB also offers a higher miles per dollar rate with increased miles rewards for online, mobile, and contactless transactions for Visa and Mastercard cards.
However, you may want to note that miles expire in 24 months, but UOB provides a wide range of redemption options which can make it easier for you to redeem your points.
👉🏻 Credit Card Deals
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Citi PremierMiles
UOB PRVI
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