Rewards Updates: UOB’s new “2-in-1” cards: What’s with all the sub-caps?

Source:

https://milelion.com/2025/08/31/uobs-new-2-in-1-cards-whats-with-all-the-sub-caps/

ChatGPT:

UOB has introduced “sub-caps” across three of its most popular rewards cards, reshaping how cardholders can maximise bonus miles. Previously, unified caps allowed flexibility, letting users concentrate spend in one category. Now, caps are split, effectively turning each card into a “2-in-1” product with separate limits for each bonus category.

For example, the UOB Lady’s Solitaire’s monthly cap was cut from S$2,000 to S$1,500, split into S$750 per category. The UOB Visa Signature’s cap rose from S$2,000 to S$2,400, but divided into S$1,200 each for overseas spending and petrol/contactless. From October 2025, the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa’s cap increases from S$1,110 to S$1,200, split into S$600 for mobile contactless and S$600 for selected online transactions.

The catch: spending in one category alone will no longer maximise rewards. For Visa Signature, using it solely for overseas spend caps earnings at 4,800 miles monthly, down from 8,000. To unlock the higher cap, cardholders must spend across both categories—challenging if overseas spending isn’t consistent.

Workarounds include using supplementary cards to separate spending categories, or maxing one category early each month (e.g., buying vouchers). Still, the changes add complexity, increasing the likelihood of breakage as casual users underspend or misallocate spend.

While many view this as a nerf, Kovacs-style optimisers could extract slightly more miles than before if they consistently hit both sub-caps. In practice, most won’t. UOB’s move reduces reward costs without slashing earn rates outright, effectively filtering casual users from dedicated optimisers.

In short, UOB’s sub-caps make cards harder to use efficiently. Rewards remain, but only for those willing to track spending closely and jump through extra hoops.

Opinion:

UOB's trying to torture us.

More micro-management required 😓

Wonder if HeyMax app can be updated to allow download or summation of total spent. This will allow easier tracking of category spendings.