UOB PRVI Miles card review - Should Malaysians use this card for overseas transactions?

If you love to travel and want a credit card to help you earn rewards, air miles and more when you spend, you may be considering the UOB PRVI Miles credit card¹.

UOB PRVI miles benefits include easy ways to redeem your points against purchases, gifts and air miles with many of your favourite airlines like AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines. But is the UOB PRVI Miles credit card the right one for you?

This guide walks through how the UOB PRVI card works in Malaysia, and also touches on an alternative - the Wise debit card which lets you pay with the mid-market exchange rate and no foreign transaction fee when you’re abroad².

What is the UOB PRVI Miles credit card?

The UOB PRVI Miles credit card is a travel credit card which lets you earn UNIRinggit reward points as you spend at home and abroad. You’ll earn rewards more quickly on travel and overseas spending, and can then redeem your reward points as air miles with partner airlines, for gifts, or as cash to offset your credit card bill.

The UOB PRVI credit card is available for Malaysian citizens and residents with a minimum income of 60,000 MYR annually, and can be a good fit for people looking for a credit card with travel and lifestyle benefits. As well as earning rewards more quickly when you spend in a foreign currency with your card, you can also get more points when you spend on airlines, travel and hotels. That can mean frequent travellers rack up rewards in double quick time.

There’s also the option to apply for a UOB PRVI Miles Elite card³, which allows you to earn rewards more quickly, but also comes with a higher minimum salary and annual fee. This guide focuses on the standard UOB PRVI card - here’s a quick overview of the important features and fees⁴:

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UOB PRVI Miles card benefits

One of the primary reasons for getting the UOB PRVI card is to access the UOB PRVI miles benefits offered when you spend and use your card. You’ll be able to earn PRVI miles on most local and overseas spending - but you can also get other great benefits including:

• Exclusive travel deals
• Discounts and benefits with partner merchants
• 50% off Grab rides, 4 times a month (capped at 10 MYR discount⁵)
• Additional miles earned if you use your card more than 3 times a month

As with all credit cards, it’s worth comparing the benefits you’ll get against the likely costs before you decide if the UOB PRVI card is right for you.

Earning UOB UNIRinggit (UNIRM)

Whenever you spend with your UOB PRVI Miles credit card, you’ll earn rewards - UNIRinggit. The rate at which you can earn rewards varies depending on the type of spending, with travel and overseas spend rewarded at a higher rate. Here’s a rundown:

As you can see, you’ll earn UOB rewards 5 times faster when you use your card for spending in a foreign currency, when you travel or when you shop online. However, it’s important to note that spending in a foreign currency using your credit card also comes with extra costs in the form of a foreign transaction fee. When you spend abroad using your UOB PRVI card, your spending is converted back to MYR using the network exchange rate, plus a 1% fee from UOB. This means that although you’re getting more points for foreign currency spending, your international purchases may cost you more than you expect.

It’s worth considering leaving your credit card in your wallet while you’re away, and using a low cost debit card like the Wise debit card for your international spending instead. Wise converts your MYR to the currency you need for your purchase with the mid-market rate and low fees from 0.43%², with no foreign transaction fee to pay. This can mean you save in the end.

UOB UNIRinggit (UNIRM) redemption

So, you’ve used your card for spending and built up some UOB UNIRinggit rewards in your account - what about UOB PRVI miles redemption⁶?

As the UOB PRVI card is optimised for travellers, there are plenty of ways to redeem your UNIRinggit for air miles to make your next trip cost less. UOB has an impressive list of partner airlines including AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, and Malaysia Airlines - and if you want to use your UOB PRVI miles with Krisflyer, you can do that too, thanks to UOB’s partnership with Singapore Airlines.

If you’d rather, you can also use your UNIRinggit to redeem items from the UOB gift catalogue, which is available online or in the UOB TMRW app. Or, you can use your points to offset the cost of purchases made with your card, in part or in full. Just select the Rewards option in the TMRW app, to see your balance and choose a transaction to use your points against.

Remember to bring along the Wise card - To worry less about additional fees and focus more on your travel experiences

Looking for an alternative way to make your money go further when you’re away from home? Check out the Wise card - a powerful international debit card you can use in 150+ countries with the mid-market rate and low fees.

Set up a Wise account online or in the Wise app to hold and exchange 40+ currencies, and order a Wise card to start spending with no foreign transaction fee. There are no cash advance fees to pay, and you can make 2 free ATM withdrawals of up to 1000 MYR a month at home or abroad, before paying low, transparent fees.

See if you can save with a Wise debit card, for seamless international spending and withdrawals with low costs and mid-market exchange rates.

Sign up for your Wise card today 💳

Summary

Use this guide to decide if the UOB PRVI Miles credit card is right for you, and check out the Wise card as an additional option to make spending in foreign currencies cheap and easy.