Overview

Initial Impression: UOB KrisFlyer Elite (KFE) is a solid choice for frequent Singapore Airlines flyers looking to maximize miles with everyday spending, but offers limited flexibility outside the KrisFlyer ecosystem. It stands out from the UOB KrisFlyer World (KFW) with improved earn rates across the board.

Benchmarking

While not as versatile as credits cards that offer multiple transfer partners, UOB KFE offers extremely lucrative earn rates for both Singapore Airlines (SIA) and non-SIA spending, earning it a high overall score. 

Earn Mechanism - Miles

As the name suggests, UOB KFE lets you earn miles directly onto your KrisFlyer frequent flyer account. While this means that you will not need to transfer your points over, it also means that is no flexibility with regards to what you can do with those miles –KrisFlyer redemptions only!

The upside to this is that, assuming you find KrisFlyer redemptions useful, the earn rate is absolutely fantastic:

• Base Earning Rate: 1 mile for every 20 baht spend
• Foreign Spending Bonus: 1 mile for every 15 baht spend
• SIA Group Spending Bonus: 1 mile for every 12.5 baht spend (incl. Singapore Airlines, Scoot, KrisShop)

You can see how this earn mechanism works in the examples below:

There is a relatively high cap imposed on some of the bonus categories. However, you will still be eligible for the base earn rate even in excess of the cap.

Maximum Spending Eligible for Points 

When you use a credit card overseas, your purchases are charged in a foreign currency and then converted to Thai Baht. This conversion comes with a foreign exchange (FX) spread or fee—a hidden cost many cardholders overlook.

UOB KFE’s FX fees are right on par with all other cards. While you can somewhat offset the spread with the preferential bonus, it more or less results in a net-zero situation. Here's a breakdown of the charges:

• Currency Conversion Fee: Foreign Currency Conversion Fee of ~2% on top of the Visa/Mastercard spread.
• Exchange Spread: Depending on which version of the UOB Zenith card you get, this will refer to either Visa or Mastercard’s spread that is built into their respective rates. This typically stands at ~1%.

For example, you spend 30,000 baht on an overseas trip.

Lounge Access

Despite the collaboration between UOB and Singapore Airlines in offering UOB KFE, it actually does NOT offer you access to Singapore Airline’s lounges. Rather, you’d get access to DragonPass lounges around the world.

Now, the next question may be “what lounges can I use in Bangkok”? For that, we’ve compiled a list of lounges available for Dragon Pass holders at Suvarnabhumi Airport:

Other Perks

In addition to the typical miles earn and perks one can expect form a credit card, a co-branded cards also provide exclusive perks from the co-branded partner: Singapore Airlines. These include:

• Anniversary Bonus: Receive 25,000 miles upon payment of your annual fee for every subsequent year
• KrisFlyer Fast Track: Get promoted to KrisFlyer Elite Gold when spending 300,000 baht with SIA Group within the first membership year
• Scoot Benefits: Receive complimentary seat booking, priority boarding, 5 kg checked luggage, and booking flexibility on Scoot (do check out the T&Cs for each of these perks)
• Limousine: Receive complimentary airport limousine service 3 times per year

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for the UOB KFE, you must meet specific eligibility criteria based on nationality, income, and employment status. Here's a breakdown of the requirements:

A. Ordinary Requirements:

Thai Nationals

Foreigner

B. Alternative Requirements:

No officially published alternative requirements have been announced by UOB. You can contact UOB directly regarding possibility of using your AUM or fixed deposits and collateral for UOB credit cards.

Annual Fee

The annual fee for UOB KFE is extremely steep with no official published waiver conditions. While you can still get in touch with UOB every year to request one, this will not always be guaranteed.

Primary Card

Supplementary Card

UOB KFE supplementary cards will earn miles into the KrisFlyer account of the primary cardholder. While the miles may only be used by the primary cardholder, they can redeem tickets on another's behalf, which is equally useful.

For example, if both you and your spouse spend ฿15,000 per month, you’ll earn points as if you spent ฿30,000—reaching travel or cashback rewards much quicker.