With the influx of posts on social media re UOB One (psst on grabpay) and the receipt of my house keys, I decided it was the time to sign up for a UOB One account plus credit card.
It was gonna be the best tool for household joint expenses and joint savings.
However, I've faced multiple hiccups that made me VERY frustrated....WHY ME?!
First, I signed up for the UOB One card and Account in early Oct through Singsaver's promotion. The promotion said that I'd get to enjoy cash incentive for registration + UOB's promotion of $80 cash credit with min $1k spent within 30 days of card approval. Mind you, these terms were stated to end on 31 Oct, extracted below:
UOB credit card team then ding-dong with me from 9 to 16 Oct for proof of my mailing addresses thrice, while my UOB One account did not ask for the extra documents and approved it shortly after 4 Oct. It's a joke that one company can have different approving standards.
Second, while my UOB One account was approved quickly and my debit card was sent after 1 week, what irks me was the lack of instruction how to set up ibanking. If I did not recall wrongly, when I applied for DBS and OCBC banking accounts, the ibanking token and instructions on how to activate my debit card were clear and sent quickly along with my banking details. However, all the UOB debit card letter indicated was how to activate my card but not my ibanking account.
Fine. Google was my best friend. However, that was when I realised I needed a PIN! Now, where the hell is that? It didnt come as a separate letter with my debit card. Nvm, I told myself to give it some time. As time passed and no PIN letters in sight, I called their customer service, only to have them informing that it could be lost mail. "You will need to wait 1 more week for a new PIN to arrive."
And so, I received my PIN only in end Oct 👍rendering it impossible for me to enjoy the cash credit :) Bravo.
Also, when I received the PIN, I realised I needed to head down to the ATM to activate. HUH? Can't activation be done online? 🤷UOB might want to review their processes to make it more convenient for customers.
As we all know, cc cards reference posting dates to determine spending eligibility. This is fine. - my 11 Nov purchases were posted either on 11 Nov, 12 Nov or 13 Nov. It wouldn't have been a problem for most cases.
Not mine.
I was in total shock when I login my app and saw that the bills were split into TWO. My statement cycle was on 12th of the month! Now do you know where I'm getting at?!
Because the cycle was cut off on the 12th, I was left with: a) 3 transactions of $1,500 posted on 11 and 12 Nov in Nov cycle and b) 2 transactions of $500 posted on 13 Nov being counted as Dec cycle......
With frustrations at work, having to settle house reno, this just added more salt to my wounds. I nearly cried out of anger. I composed myself and reflected - should I be less worked up about rebates and not harm my mental and physical health?
My logical part of the brain tells me - No.
My husband felt that I should let it go - after all, we saved close to $750 on 11.11. Wow, that doesn't help. Do you know how much time I spent comparing prices + listing out using the different permutations of cards payment to milk the best rewards after work every day and on weekend?
Tears were welling up, but it's ok, not everyone understands my thinking.
It was gonna be the best tool for household joint expenses and joint savings.
However, I've faced multiple hiccups that made me VERY frustrated....WHY ME?!
1. Delayed approving process led to losing out of sign up bonus
First, I signed up for the UOB One card and Account in early Oct through Singsaver's promotion. The promotion said that I'd get to enjoy cash incentive for registration + UOB's promotion of $80 cash credit with min $1k spent within 30 days of card approval. Mind you, these terms were stated to end on 31 Oct, extracted below:
S$80 Cash Credit for UOB One Account: Limited to the first 500 new to UOB Deposits customers who either (i) deposit and maintain $5,000 or (ii) credit their salary, into their new UOB account for 6 consecutive months. Terms and conditions of the UOB Online Promotion (1 September 2019 to 31 October 2019)
UOB credit card team then ding-dong with me from 9 to 16 Oct for proof of my mailing addresses thrice, while my UOB One account did not ask for the extra documents and approved it shortly after 4 Oct. It's a joke that one company can have different approving standards.
2. Delayed, lost PIN and inconvenient activation
Second, while my UOB One account was approved quickly and my debit card was sent after 1 week, what irks me was the lack of instruction how to set up ibanking. If I did not recall wrongly, when I applied for DBS and OCBC banking accounts, the ibanking token and instructions on how to activate my debit card were clear and sent quickly along with my banking details. However, all the UOB debit card letter indicated was how to activate my card but not my ibanking account.
Fine. Google was my best friend. However, that was when I realised I needed a PIN! Now, where the hell is that? It didnt come as a separate letter with my debit card. Nvm, I told myself to give it some time. As time passed and no PIN letters in sight, I called their customer service, only to have them informing that it could be lost mail. "You will need to wait 1 more week for a new PIN to arrive."
And so, I received my PIN only in end Oct 👍rendering it impossible for me to enjoy the cash credit :) Bravo.
Also, when I received the PIN, I realised I needed to head down to the ATM to activate. HUH? Can't activation be done online? 🤷UOB might want to review their processes to make it more convenient for customers.
3. Ineligible for UOB One card rebates because of statement cycle?!
What topped the cake was this. My main aim of the One card was to maximise my rebates during the 11.11 shopping. I activated my cc on 10 Oct and made $2,000 spends on 5 transactions in just 1 day. I was so happy I would be on my way to receiving the max $100 rebate/month.I was slapped in the face
As we all know, cc cards reference posting dates to determine spending eligibility. This is fine. - my 11 Nov purchases were posted either on 11 Nov, 12 Nov or 13 Nov. It wouldn't have been a problem for most cases.
Not mine.
I was in total shock when I login my app and saw that the bills were split into TWO. My statement cycle was on 12th of the month! Now do you know where I'm getting at?!
Because the cycle was cut off on the 12th, I was left with: a) 3 transactions of $1,500 posted on 11 and 12 Nov in Nov cycle and b) 2 transactions of $500 posted on 13 Nov being counted as Dec cycle......
rendering me with $0 cashback!!!!!
With frustrations at work, having to settle house reno, this just added more salt to my wounds. I nearly cried out of anger. I composed myself and reflected - should I be less worked up about rebates and not harm my mental and physical health?
My logical part of the brain tells me - No.
My husband felt that I should let it go - after all, we saved close to $750 on 11.11. Wow, that doesn't help. Do you know how much time I spent comparing prices + listing out using the different permutations of cards payment to milk the best rewards after work every day and on weekend?
Tears were welling up, but it's ok, not everyone understands my thinking.
Hey, no worries, I can understand how you feel. It takes a lot of work to figure out the optimal combinations of card spending payment to maximise the rewards. Give yourself time to move on!
ReplyDeleteYes, i feel you.. UOB One card is also one of the card i used for my house renov currently.. The time taken to research and plan which best card to use is not easy.
ReplyDeleteBut in life, You win some, You lose some..
Thus my daily spent card i prefer lesser T&C, else i will be angry too if I encounter the same suitation as you.
uob doesnt seem customer-centric... alot of figurring in the darkness in relation to their processes/systems.. though uob one is really tempting
ReplyDeleteHi u can try write in to uob. They do listen.
ReplyDeleteWrite to Uob? You say?
DeleteHahaha.2years and counting of my writings was full of frustrations only to find there is no humanity touch there .it operates as a system as if by robots. without human or customer relatio or anyone to address any raised issues. Short of my insolency they did nothing to solve their mistakes in my accounts there in Malaysia.now pending litigations
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ReplyDeleteI have always keep track of the expenses and statement cycle. I hit 2000 for mth1 to mth 3 but ender i did not get the $300 rebates but only $100 instead. I called Uob and was told on 2nd mth one of the amt is under ineligible expensed and not included....the frustration i believe you all should understand..so now i just keep to minimal $500. I suggested to UOB ..why dont they make it transparent our eligible expenses per mth just like ocbc 360 ? I believe i
ReplyDeletets not easy with the hi tech world now.so why not give us the convenience? This is a recommendation for win win situation
I had dealings with UOB. The credit card is not pro customer. I canceled all cards and closed account.
ReplyDeleteI had exactly the same issues with uob one. Poor customer service. One party says all documents are in order and another one says otherwise. No one bothers to follow up. I've other banking relationships with other departments yet the documents are not shared across the departments. Uob is as backwards as it can get.
ReplyDeleteI can feel you... 🤗
ReplyDeleteI know rite... I encounterd the same frustration using UOB one card. They have too many different cut off dates Nd t and c which are not transparent enough for users to fully understand how to benefit from this card.What make it worst is the UOB operators' service. They speak too fast and gave you the feeling that we are hard up for the rebates which is obviously the original intention of applying the card.
ReplyDelete