United Overseas Bank has extended its Payment Facility promotion through 31 January 2027, but the cost of acquiring miles has increased to a range of 1.7 to 2.2 cents each.
This adjustment changes the previous promotion that ran for most of 2026, which offered rates from 1.6 to 1.8 cents per mile.
The renewed promotion applies to UOB cardholders who apply for the UOB Payment Facility and receive approval between 2 November 2026 and 31 January 2027. While the new rates are more expensive than the deal that ran until 31 October 2026, the facility remains an important bellwether for the cost of miles because it is essentially unrestricted, allowing cardholders to buy as many miles as their credit limit allows without submitting supporting documents or invoices.
The discounted administrative fee is available exclusively for one-time payments, where the full amount is charged to the next monthly card billing statement alongside the admin fee, with associated UNI$ credited in a single lump sum.
All payments made via the facility earn a flat rate of UNI$2.5 for every S$5 approved, equivalent to 1 mile per dollar. Because UNI$ are rounded down to the nearest whole number, requesting amounts in multiples of S$10 avoids losing points.
For example, a cardholder holding a UOB PRVI Miles Card can apply for S$5,000 through the facility. UOB deposits S$5,000 cash into any designated bank account in Singapore and charges the credit card S$5,105, which includes a 2.1% admin fee.
The bank then awards 2,500 UNI$, equaling 5,000 miles, resulting in a net cost of 2.1 cents per mile. Applications are processed within four to six working days. The maximum approved amount, including the admin fee, cannot exceed 95% of the available credit limit at the time of approval.
Before purchasing miles through the facility, cardholders can check alternative bill payment platforms such as CardUp, Citi PayAll, or SC EasyBill. Despite a fee hike in June 2026, CardUp allows certain users—such as a UOB PRVI Miles Visa cardholder—to make specific bill payments and buy miles from 1.57 cents each.
Additionally, Citi PayAll offers a 0.3% fee rebate, or a 0.6% fee rebate for Citi Private Client customers with Accredited Investor status, off its usual 2.6% fee for customers charging at least S$6,000 by 31 December 2026.
