UOB PRVI Miles Elite

Last Updated: 21/02/2025

Recommendation: Very Good

Annual Fee

RM600

Annual Income

Airport Lounge Access

8X access per year
International Lounges
Supplementary Access

RM100,000 per annum

Airline Miles Earn Rate

Local: 0.08 MPR
Airlines: 0.41 MPR

Overseas: 1 MPR

Payment Network

Review | UOB PRVI Miles Elite

The UOB PRVI Miles Elite has recently undergone a significant revamp, transforming it into one of UOB’s most compelling credit cards.

Previously, the presence of the UOB Visa Infinite—coupled with the substantial devaluation of UOB’s rewards program in September 2024—left little incentive to consider the PRVI Miles Elite.

The reason was straightforward: while the UOB Visa Infinite excelled with strong overseas and local dining earn rates, the PRVI Miles Elite fell short, offering a meager 0.08 miles per ringgit (MPR) on local spend, with no dining accelerators to enhance its value.

However, the latest enhancements to the UOB PRVI Miles Elite, including a limited-time Agoda promotion, have significantly improved its appeal. These changes make it a must-have card for savvy travelers in Malaysia. Read on to discover why.

Back in June 2023, UOB showcased three new credit cards as part of its acquisition of Citi Malaysia's consumer banking business. Notably, these new offerings from UOB bear striking resemblances to certain Citi cards:

UOB Zenith aligns with Citi Prestige
UOB PRVI Miles Elite mirrors Citi PremierMiles
UOB World is comparable to Citi Rewards World Mastercard.

I have reviewed each of these credit cards separately to provide additional insights on whether they deserve to be in your wallet, so do check out the Credit Cards section of my blog.

Before I continue, please take note that the UOB PRVI Miles and the UOB PRVI Miles Elite are two completely separate credit cards! I've had several emails regarding this confusion, and I thought that I should make that clear:

The UOB PRVI Miles Elite is a RM100,000 annual income credit card.
The UOB PRVI Miles is a RM60,000 annual income credit card.

Major Change: Enhanced Overseas MPR Rates

After the devaluation of UOB's entire credit card lineup in September 2024, the UOB PRVI Miles Elite has suffered substantially in terms of value propositions.

With the UOB PRVI Miles Elite not offering any sort of points accelerator for popular spend categories such as Dining or Groceries, you are limited to a mere 0.08 MPR on all local spend. This makes it one of the worst credit cards in the industry for airline miles accrual.

As I've always said, it's inherently more important to ensure that you obtain a good credit card with a substantial local MPR earn rate, as you'll be spending 99% of your time locally. The only exceptions to this are expats working in Singapore or elsewhere, but even so, the currency conversion rate offered by the UOB PRVI Miles Elite is one of the highest in the industry, and is definitely not worth it.

As such, it is definitely a difficult credit card to recommend, especially when the UOB Visa Infinite offers the exact same 0.83 overseas MPR, but also offers a decent 0.41 MPR on Dining, which is actually useful.

While the 0.41 MPR offered for Airlines spend is decent, it isn't actually practical, given that we don't spend substantially on airlines anyway.

There will be some naysayers that argue that the purchase of one RM3,000 airline ticket is already equivalent to a substantial amount of Dining spend, but you should ask yourselves how often do you actually spend that amount?

Following UOB’s credit card devaluation in September 2024, the UOB PRVI Miles Elite now earns 0.83 miles per ringgit (MPR), based on the revised conversion rate of 12,000 UNIRM = 1,000 airline miles.

At 0.83 MPR, the UOB PRVI Miles Elite stands on par with the UOB Visa Infinite, which offers the same earn rate, and edges out competitors like the CIMB Travel World Mastercard. Naturally, there’s little reason to mention the Maybank 2 Cards Premier, given its drastic decline in value and an almost laughable 0.4 MPR.

However, where the UOB PRVI Miles Elite truly sets itself apart is with its superior 1 MPR on overseas spending in SGD, THB, VND, and IDR. These four currencies align perfectly with UOB’s regional banking footprint, making this an incredibly strategic move.

To put it simply, transactions in these currencies earn 12X UNIRM, and—most importantly—your UNIRM points are credited to your balance immediately, ensuring a seamless earning experience.

Any credit card that offers 1 MPR for KrisFlyer and Asia Miles conversions at the RM100,000 annual income level is a serious contender in the airline miles space. This is particularly valuable for frequent travelers and working professionals within ASEAN, who can maximize their miles accumulation with cross-border spending.

In fact, this single enhancement alone makes the UOB PRVI Miles Elite worth considering—and as you’ll see in my Agoda deep dive below, the value proposition only gets better.

For the ultra-affluent who don't need to bother with airline miles redemption because you're used to paying cash for your business class and first class tickets, the CIMB Travel World Elite, which waives 1% of its overseas transaction fees, may be a more suitable option.

Be sure to check out my Enrich Ultimate Guide, KrisFlyer Ultimate Guide and Asia Miles Ultimate Guide for comparisons on the airline miles earning rates for various credit cards.

Special Deep Dive: Up to 2.4 MPR on Agoda

Now, let’s dive into the most exciting enhancement to the UOB PRVI Miles Elite—its partnership with Agoda. As previously covered in Refined Points here, this collaboration allows cardholders to earn up to 2.4 MPR on Agoda hotel bookings, a rate typically found on Singapore-issued miles credit cards but rarely seen in Malaysia. In fact, even the UOB Visa Infinite Metal Card, known for its industry-leading MPR, tops out at 2 MPR for overseas spend.

However, before jumping on this offer, there are two key considerations:

1. UOB’s Dedicated Agoda Link – To earn 2.4 MPR, you must book through UOB’s exclusive Agoda link.

As expected, this comes at a cost—hotel prices on the dedicated link tend to be 5% to 20% higher depending on factors like seasonality. Essentially, you are paying a premium for the miles.

Agoda x UOB Dedicated Link

Additionally, no other discounts or promotions can be stacked with this offer, meaning Visa’s 14% off Agoda promotion and Mastercard’s 12% off Agoda promotion are not applicable.

(Fun fact: while Visa offers a higher percentage discount, Mastercard has a higher cap, making it the better choice for larger bookings).

That being said, there are instances where Agoda’s UOB-exclusive pricing is cheaper than booking directly with the hotel—a topic Refined Points will cover in a future article.

2. Three-Month Waiting Period for Bonus UNIRM Posting – If you book through the Agoda x UOB dedicated link, bonus UNIRM points take up to three months to reflect in your account. This may be an issue for those looking to redeem miles immediately.

To summarize, the 2.4 MPR Agoda offer makes the UOB PRVI Miles Elite one of the highest-earning airline miles credit cards in Malaysia, but it comes with trade-offs. The higher hotel prices and lack of stackable discounts mean cardholders may end up paying more in exchange for extra miles. Additionally, the three-month delay in UNIRM posting can be a drawback for those needing miles quickly.

For optimal value, Refined Points recommends using a Mastercard with Agoda’s 12% discount while paying in SGD, which ensures immediate miles posting and better overall savings. While the 2.4 MPR offer is tempting, it’s not necessarily the best choice for everyone.

Airport Lounge Access

I know how important it is to obtain information about lounge access at a glance, so if you're queuing up to enter a lounge in ASEAN, here's the important details about the UOB PRVI Miles Elite credit card:

Number of Lounge Access Passes: 8X per year
Supplementary Access: Yes, quota is separate from principal cardholder
Spend Conditions: No spend conditions

Lounge Access List in Malaysia:

Plaza Premium Lounge KLIA Terminal 1 Main Terminal Building
Flight Club Signature KLIA Terminal 1 Satellite Terminal
Plaza Premium Lounge KLIA Terminal 2 (Gateway@klia2)
Plaza Premium Lounge, International Departures, Penang International Airport
Plaza Premium Lounge, Domestic Departures, Penang International Airport
Plaza Premium Lounge, Langkawi International Airport

For the full list of lounges, please click here to visit UOB's website.

I've included a small list of eligible lounges you can access with your UOB PRVI Miles Elite credit card above, but for the full list, you can check out UOB's lounge access list here. Keep in mind that different credit cards from UOB may have different lounge access lists.

I find it somewhat strange that the Singapore's SATS lounges and other Singapore Changi Airport lounges are not in the list above, despite UOB being a Singaporean bank.

For supplementary cardholders, for now, it seems that UOB has no mention whatsoever in their T&C on whether supplementary cardholders are entitled for airport lounge access or other benefits such as the complimentary limo ride home from KLIA, but it seems that we can take the benefit of the doubt and assume that supplementary cardholders are entitled to lounge access.

Based on commentary by Lowyat forumers, it appears that each supplementary cardholder has an individual lounge access benefit, meaning each cardholder is entitled to 8X lounge access.

Check out my Ultimate Airport Lounge Guide to compare the airport lounge access benefits from various credit cards in Malaysia.

Here's also a pro tip: Your UOB PRVI Miles Elite is guaranteed lounge access to the Travel Club Lounges at KLIA Terminal 1 and KLIA Terminal 2. The latter remains the only lounge available at the P, Q gates which are for international departures and is a long walk from the lounge that everybody visits, the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge opposite Aerotel at Gateway@KLIA2.

Final Thoughts

The UOB PRVI Miles Elite has undergone a massive transformation, turning what was once an underwhelming offering into a serious contender in the airline miles space. With its revamped 1 MPR on selected regional currencies (SGD, THB, VND, IDR), and the up to 2.4 MPR Agoda partnership, this card now holds its own against the best in Malaysia.

The regional currency boost is a strategic masterstroke, aligning with UOB’s regional banking footprint and offering exceptional value for those who frequently travel within ASEAN. Meanwhile, the Agoda 2.4 MPR offer, though impressive on paper, comes with important trade-offs—higher hotel prices and a three-month delay in bonus UNIRM posting—making it less ideal for those who prioritize immediate miles accumulation. However, there are some exceptions to this, and I'll be covering this in detail in a separate article.

For frequent travelers, especially those who frequent Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, or Indonesia, the UOB PRVI Miles Elite is an easy recommendation. However, for those who maximize cost savings on hotel bookings, opting for a Mastercard with Agoda’s 12% discount while paying in SGD may still be the better strategy.

Ultimately, UOB has successfully repositioned the PRVI Miles Elite as a competitive miles-earning credit card, making it a must-consider option in Malaysia’s airline miles landscape. If you frequently travel within the region and can leverage its strengths, this card deserves a spot in your wallet.

Be sure to check out my Enrich Ultimate Guide, KrisFlyer Ultimate Guide and Asia Miles Ultimate Guide to compare the various credit cards for accumulating airline miles in Malaysia.