UOB EVOL Card Adds New Category For High Cashback, Removes Forex Fees For Foreign Currency Transactions

In a text message sent to cardholders, UOB has announced revisions to UOB EVOL Card — the cashback card is adding a new category of selected gyms, telcos, and streaming services that will get its headline 10% cashback rate. This replaces the overseas in-store foreign currency spend category, though the bank will also drop forex fees for all foreign currency transactions (with no minimum spend and no cap).

For new cardholders who got their cards from 19th June 2025, these changes are in effect immediately. Cardholders whose cards were issued before that date will see the change from the next statement generated from 19th August 2025 onwards.

Get high cashback on selected gyms, telcos, and streaming services

The newly revised UOB EVOL Card will offer its high cashback earn rate on these selected gyms, telcos and streaming services:

Category	Merchant Category Code	Description
Gym	5734 7298 7997	Anytime Fitness Classpass Virgin Active Fitness First Body Fit Training True Fitness 247 Fitness Pure Yoga True Yoga Revolution SG
Telco	4812 4814	Starhub Singtel M1 Gomo MyRepublic Giga CirclesLife
Streaming	4899 5815	Netflix Spotify Disney Plus

These transactions will come under a new category with its own cashback cap of S$20 alongside with the local online and mobile contactless spend category.

Online and mobile contactless spend covers just about anything

As usual, UOB EVOL Card’s online and mobile contactless category can cover just about anything these days. When we are out and about, just about any shop or restaurant that accepts credit card will accept contactless payment, so we just need to add UOB EVOL Card to our phones via Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay and be able to qualify for high cashback. When we are spending online, we don’t need to worry whether it fits a particular category of spend.

Get effective cashback of up to 6.25% on local transactions!

Since the local online and mobile contactless spend category also comes with its own S$30 cashback cap, the total cashback cap for local spend combined will be S$50. 

For instance, if we take someone who spends S$169 on their gym membership, S$18 for their telco bills, S$17 for streaming services and S$597 across all their online and in-person contactless payments, this is the cashback they can expect from UOB EVOL Card:

Spend Category	Amount	Cashback
Gym Telco Streaming	S$203	S$20  (reached cashback cap)
Online and Contactless Spend	S$597	S$30 (reached cashback cap)
Total Spend	S$800	S$50

Getting S$50 cashback on S$800 of minimum spend is effectively 6.25% which is a very good rate. This edges out even 4 miles per dollar cards in my books, and should definitely be considered if the card fits your spending habit. 

Even those who spend less on gym, telco, or streaming services can still earn decent cashback with this card, as long as they meet the S$800 minimum spend. That shouldn’t be too difficult, since most credit card payments today fall under online or contactless spending:

Spend Category	Amount	Cashback
Gym Telco Streaming	S$100	S$10
Online and Contactless Spend	S$700	S$30 (reached cashback cap)
Total Spend	S$800	S$40

In this scenario, the card can still give a respectable 5% cashback. It is also relatively fuss-free since outside of the gym, telco and streaming category, there is no requirement for your spend to be on categories like dining, groceries etc. Just spend online or add UOB EVOL to your phone and pay to get your cashback. 

Forex transactions revamped, no more forex fee with 1% cashback until 31^st December 2025

While foreign currency transactions are no longer part of the UOB EVOL Card’s high cashback categories, the bank has removed forex fees on all foreign currency spend from the card with no minimum spend required. Also, foreign currency transactions continue to contribute to the card’s minimum spend:

Spend Category	Amount	Cashback
Gym Telco Streaming	S$200	S$20
Online and Contactless Spend	S$300	S$30
Foreign Currency Spend	S$300	S$3*
Total Spend	S$800	S$53

In such a situation, the cardholder gets 6.63% cashback across their S$800 spend! This is bolstered by the fact that foreign currency spend will get bonus 1% cashback with minimum spend of S$800 until 31^stDecember 2025.

A compelling card for the working adult 

Many working adults today have unavoidable expenses like gym memberships, telco plans, and streaming services, many of which are practically mandatory spends in our daily lives. UOB EVOL Card not only helps soften the blow from these regular bills but also rewards you with high cashback on the things that matter to you.  

So whether it’s dining out, prawning, picking up pottery classes, or buying little tuxedo suits for your pet cat, UOB EVOL Card helps you curate the life you want and gives you cashback where it counts.*

*Exclusions apply, please see terms and conditions for details.

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Seth Wee was a licensed financial adviser representative from 2009 to 2025, with over 16 years of experience in Singapore’s financial advisory industry.

He started Sethisfy.com in 2019 to share practical insights on credit cards, banking products, and miles strategies, helping readers identify financial products that deliver the best value. Seth has been featured in CNA, Channel 8, Today, and a host of other publications. In 2025, he was also part of a panel at CPF’s Ready For Life festival.

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