Travel, fashion and fine dining: UOB expands retail offerings across ASEAN with exclusive tie-ups featuring leading regional brands
UOB cardholders can look forward to exciting deals and privileges across the region with Singapore Airlines, The MICHELIN Guide, Club21 and Shopee
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 3 November 2022 – UOB cardholders in Malaysia can look forward to exciting deals and offerings in travel, retail and dining as the Bank expands its partnerships with top brands across the region. These partnerships are in line with UOB’s sharpened purpose of building the future of ASEAN, serving and connecting more than seven million customers across the region, when the acquisition of Citigroup’s consumer banking businesses in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam is completed. They will also reinforce UOB’s existing strong position in ASEAN, with the Bank’s total year-to-date billings in the region growing by almost 30 per cent year-on-year in September 2022 as borders reopen region-wide. This is more than 10 per cent higher versus pre-COVID levels in 2019. UOB’s total year-to-date cross-border billings also experienced more than 80 per cent year-on-year growth during the same period. Given projections1 of an estimated 430 million more passengers flying into the Asia Pacific this year compared to 2021, UOB is well-positioned via these partnerships to capitalise on the resurgent travel outlook for the region.
Working with established names such as Singapore Airlines (SIA), The MICHELIN Guide, Club21 and Shopee, the Bank further augments its rewards programme for UOB customers by offering cross-border discounts, attractive rewards and unique experiences to UOB cardholders in the region. These deals can be accessed via the UOB Mighty app and UOB’s the Travel Insider, a one-stop platform that aims to inspire customers to pick up ideas, guides and tips for their trips via featured key opinion leaders, as well as personalise their holiday itineraries with the best deals for flights, accommodation, packages and activities.
Ms Jacquelyn Tan, Head, Group Personal Financial Services, UOB said, “Every customer is unique, and at UOB, we are continuously expanding our catalogue of deals and rewards to ensure that there is an abundance of choices for every lifestyle, passion and need. We are honoured and excited about the strength of the brands that are coming on board, and the exclusive privileges they are extending to our customers across the region. Our partners share our ambition to serve consumers living in and connecting within ASEAN, and this is how we differentiate ourselves as a true regional bank, where geographical borders are not limiting factors to us providing the best rewards to our cardholders across the region.
Mr Ronnie Lim, Managing Director and Country Head of Personal Financial Services, UOB Malaysia said, “We are excited to expand our partnership with these regional brands to ensure that we continue to offer a robust suite of regional and local deals that is relevant to our cardholders. This includes Citi cardholders, who have recently been transferred to UOB following the completion of our acquisition of Citigroup’s consumer banking business2. All our cardholders can look forward to more benefits, a wider range of privileges and an enhanced rewards redemption programme as we leverage our expanded partner ecosystem.”
Connecting ASEAN with Singapore’s flag carrier airline
Ms Jacquelyn Tan (centre left), UOB Head of Group Personal Financial Services with Ms JoAnn Tan (centre right), SIA Senior Vice President, Marketing Planning at the signing of the UOB-SIA strategic regional partnership MOU
In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) inked in October 2022, UOB and SIA will explore developing a co-branded credit card for customers in Thailand, where cardholders will be able to enjoy benefits such as earning attractive KrisFlyer miles per dollar spend and travel-related privileges.
To offer existing UOB customers in ASEAN an even more rewarding banking journey, there are also plans to offer enhanced privileges, such as more miles rewards based on their banking segment tier and miles rewards when they achieve certain banking milestones. The MOU will also expand the range of perks for customers through exciting promotional offers to be launched over the coming months.
Food always makes the heart fonder
Malaysian and Thai UOB cardholders are in for a treat, as UOB will be the exclusive partner of the renowned The MICHELIN Guide in these two countries. For Malaysia in particular, where The MICHELIN Guide is making its debut in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, UOB is proud to be the official bank partner. As the sole bank partner, UOB cardholders across ASEAN will receive exclusive invitations to private dinners and gala events at MICHELIN-starred restaurants in Malaysia. The customised dining experiences by The MICHELIN Guide are synonymous with UOB’s dedication to personalisation, where the Bank celebrates every customer’s uniqueness by tailoring offerings to their specific lifestyle and needs.
“For over 100 years, The MICHELIN Guide has acted as a destination guide for travellers all over the world, creating memorable experiences for food lovers through our recommendations. Through this partnership with UOB, The MICHELIN Guide enables UOB the opportunity to offer their valued customers unique and delightful fine dining experiences in Thailand and Malaysia,” said Mr Chris Gledhill, Director of MICHELIN Guide Asia and Middle East.
Style in every region
In support of UOB cardmembers' pursuit of individual style, the Bank has partnered Club21, the leading purveyor of luxury fashion, to offer exclusive access to more than 150 celebrated brands and specially curated seasonal events in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to all its cardholders across the region.
“Club21 celebrates 50 years of fashion this year. Our cachet in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand complements the influence that UOB has over stylish, affluent consumers in these markets. This partnership crystallises the synergies between our two brands,” said Howe Chegne, Chief Operating Officer of Club21, which is under the COMO Group.
Beyond fashion, the COMO Group will also extend a whole suite of travel and dining benefits to UOB cardholders from 14 November 2022. Whether it’s shopping or dining at COMO Dempsey in Singapore, staying at selected properties under COMO Hotels and Resorts in Bali, Phuket, Bangkok and the Maldives, or embarking on a digital wellness journey with the Group’s wellness arm COMO Shambhala, UOB cardholders can look forward to special privileges such as discounts and a range of perks across the Group’s range of establishments.
The best deals for regional customers, online as well as offline
To strengthen its online retail presence across ASEAN, UOB will be working with eCommerce giant Shopee to bring more exclusive deals and benefits to cardholders. In Singapore, customers are offered up to 10 per cent cash rebate on purchases made on Shopee using the flagship UOB One Card. Since its introduction in 2020, the partnership has growth from strength to strength with UOB Cards billings showing robust growth of over 500 per cent, and number of transactions increasing by 600 per cent to date. With Shopee, UOB is looking at further expanding its successful partnership in the ASEAN region.
"Shopee is honoured to be UOB's partner of choice across Southeast Asia. We have a shared commitment of providing easy and secure transactions for customers' daily needs. Through this partnership, we will be able to offer attractive rewards and greater choice to customers when they transact with us. We look forward to more of such meaningful partnerships with UOB to better serve our users across the region." said Zhou Junjie, Chief Commercial Officer, Shopee.
Inside scoops on regional deals with Travel Insider
UOB’s one-stop online travel portal, the Travel Insider, will be bolstering its range of more than 1,000 curated deals worldwide with even more tie-ups with major malls, duty free franchises and restaurant chains across ASEAN. In addition to its unique blend of local insider recommendations, exclusive offers and ability to personalise travel itineraries, the Travel Insider will now feature mall-wide privileges at shopping destinations including ION Orchard and Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, centralwOrld, The EmQuartier and The Emporium in Bangkok, Thailand as well as Pavilion Bukit Jalil and Sunway Malls in Malaysia. Discerning shoppers can also look forward to deals at Thailand’s and Singapore’s foremost duty-free retailers King Power and The Shilla Duty Free respectively. Foodies can now indulge in attractive discounts at regional restaurant chains Din Tai Fung, Crystal Jade and the TungLok Group of Restaurants, Malaysian franchises Dragon-i Restaurant and Grand Imperial Group, as well as Oversea Restaurant in Malaysia. With its range of deals and offerings, the Travel Insider ensures that UOB cardholders in ASEAN will feel like a local no matter where they venture to worldwide.
As part of the Bank’s year-end regional campaign, UOB is also giving away a total of 32 pairs of SIA first-class tickets bound for anywhere in the world, to lucky winners from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The weekly lucky draw in each country will commence on 14 November 2022.
2Please see news release, ‘UOB completes acquisition of Citigroup’s consumer banking businesses in Malaysia and Thailand’, 1 November 2022.