UOB taps rising Johor spend with cross-border rewards redemption scheme for Singapore cardholders
This comes as spending by the bank’s Singapore credit card customers in Malaysia has risen
[JOHOR BAHRU] Singapore UOB cardholders can now redeem rewards points when travelling in Johor, in a first for a local financial institution.
From Monday (Sep 29), those holding Singapore-issued cards will be able to redeem rewards points – known as UNI$ – at more than 150 merchant outlets across the Causeway when making payment.
The rate is set at UNI$500 for S$5 in bill offsets, or the equivalent in Malaysian ringgit. Participating merchants include Subway, Jean Yip and MOG Eyewear.
“Our ambition is to take cross-border travels and flows to serve them well,” said Jacquelyn Tan, head of group personal financial services at UOB. “Rewards redemption is one of them.”
More merchants will be onboarded in the coming months and years, and the redemption programme will be gradually expanded to other markets where UOB operates, she added.
The lender is active in five Asean markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Tan was speaking at a launch event in Johor Bahru’s Aeon Mall Tebrau City.
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The cross-border rewards launch comes as spending by UOB’s Singapore credit card customers in Malaysia has risen.
Billings grew 40 per cent a year between 2022 and 2024, and were up 20 per cent year on year in the first half of 2025. Johor spending made up nearly half of all credit card spend in Malaysia over the period.
At the same time, the average receipt size for Johor transactions dipped slightly in 2024 from the level in 2022, while the number of transactions more than trebled over the same period. This suggests that Singaporeans are travelling to Johor more frequently, said Tan.
Asked if the bank preferred smaller transactions made more frequently or larger purchases at lower volumes, she said it was more “meaningful” when cardholders made more transactions.
“As a bank, we love engagement,” she explained. “What we like is when customers use us frequently, many times over, no matter how small or how much the transaction.”
This provides the bank with data to tailor more relevant offers to customers, she added.
Dining was the top spend category for Singapore cardholders in Johor, accounting for about 15 per cent of total billings in 2023, 2024 and H1 2025. Supermarkets and apparel followed at 10 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively.
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