UOB Card Fee Changes: Replacement and Annual Fees Removed

Uob Scraps Card Replacement and Debit Annual Fees in October 2026 Overhaul

United Overseas Bank eliminated card replacement fees, debit card annual fees, and foreign currency transaction fees for its UnionPay card starting October 1, 2026. The policy shifts apply across several consumer products as detailed in the bank’s updated cardmember agreement published by milelion.com.

Removal of Replacement Charges Across Card Tiers

United Overseas Bank previously maintained formal replacement fees for lost or damaged cards ranging from S$20 for standard plastic products up to S$642 for the UOB Reserve card. Metal variations such as the Visa Infinite Metal Card carried a S$150 charge, while the Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card cost S$321 to replace. The bank removed these fees entirely on October 1, 2026. Among competing local institutions, OCBC remains the primary bank assessing replacement fees, charging S$32.70 from the third replacement onwards within a 12-month period after two complimentary issuances.

Elimination of Debit and UnionPay Fees

Standard debit card annual charges previously affected holders of the UOB One Debit Card, UOB Lady’s Debit Card, and UOB FX+ Debit Card at S$18.34 annually, alongside the KrisFlyer UOB Debit Card priced at S$54.50. United Overseas Bank dropped these annual fees for all debit products. Concurrently, the institution removed the S$196.20 annual fee and the 3.25 percent foreign currency transaction fee for the UOB UnionPay Card. Foreign purchases on the UnionPay product now convert directly at UnionPay’s exchange rate without additional bank markups.

Explicit Criteria for Credit Card Fee Waivers

The fee adjustments follow United Overseas Bank’s August 2026 publication of explicit criteria governing credit card annual fee waivers. Private Banking and Privilege Reserve clients, along with single-card holders, can request automated waivers through self-service channels. Multi-card holders must achieve specific spending thresholds within the first 11 months of their card anniversary, including S$5,500 on a fee-paying card, S$22,000 across all UOB cards, or S$3,000 in overseas spending. Premium products including the UOB Reserve Card and UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card remain excluded from standard waiver eligibility.