PUBLISHED ONJanuary 17, 2023 12:00 AMByYuki LingAs a recent graduate from the Class of 2022, my journey as a young working adult has been anything but smooth sailing. From getting used to a nine-to-six schedule to managing my finances, it has been a learning process – and boy, there is still so much to learn.
Drawing a full-time salary for the first time has also ironically made me feel the pinch when spending, especially on big-ticket items. Case in point, I realised I have to put in a painstaking number of hours to pay for things I really want, like my Apple AirPods.
Knowing this, I was constantly on the lookout for ways to maximise my dollar, with getting a credit card at the top of my to-do list. After trawling the internet to find out which credit card can get me the best bang for my buck, I chanced upon the new DBS yuu Card and its rewards programme – yuu Rewards Club.
Boasting more than 1,000 merchants across different lifestyle segments and a more efficient rewards system, the DBS yuu Card and its rewards programme looked fairly promising. Plus, participating yuu merchants include household brands that I often frequent, like Cold Storage, CS Fresh, Giant, 7-Eleven, Guardian, BreadTalk, Toast Box and Food Republic!
To start earning points, all I had to do was scan my yuu ID on my yuu App (1x base point) during payment and pay with the card (4x base points), and I would be rewarded with 5 yuu Points for every $1 spent.
From now till March 31, 2023, I can even earn up to 30x yuu Points, equivalent to 15 per cent cash rebates at participating merchants. The card also requires no minimum spending and has no cap on points earned for their base tier!
Well, consider me sold. After a simple application process, the card arrived safely in my mailbox within a couple of days.
I downloaded the yuu App, linked my DBS yuu Card and decided to put it to the test for a week – here's the lowdown on my experience and the rewards I've scored as a first-time credit card user.
In a bid to integrate greater work-life balance and redeem myself for all the hours spent sedentary each day, I recently signed up for a gym membership. Dragging myself to exercise continues to be a daily struggle, but no pain no gain, right?
After clocking in my workout each morning, I will try to grab a quick breakfast before work, which is usually some bread and coffee. So I was pleasantly surprised to find out that BreadTalk Group is actually one of the participating merchants under yuu Rewards Club.
My gym buddy and I headed to Toast Box where we got our usual iced kopi and a slice of honey cake to share, which totalled $7.80. I made sure to let the cashier scan my yuu ID, and of course, pay with my new credit card.
On top of the 39 base points earned, I earned an additional 2x bonus points for every $1 spent – all thanks to Toast Box's points promotion.
Nothing motivates me more at work than having some snacks to munch on. To load up on my snack stash, I made a trip to the nearest CS Fresh on my way home from work.
Within minutes, I loaded my shopping basket with some sustenance for the week – Farmhouse dark chocolate milk, Meiji yoghurt, a Hershey's dark chocolate bar and mini M&M'S – and was off to the cashier.
My bill came up to $11.55, which was equivalent to 57.75 points. Plus I got an extra 23.10 points, owing to CS Fresh's promotion where I can get an additional 2x bonus points on my first and second transactions.
Phew, making it through mid-week means the weekend is only three days away.
To celebrate hump day, I made plans to meet a friend for dinner after work. I recently discovered a new food haunt, Wisma's Food Republic, where my top favourites are the ma la xiang guo and chicken pot.
We went for the piping hot chicken pot which was perfect for a rainy evening, along with some iced kopi as usual.
And not forgetting the best part of the meal: scoring some yuu Points while indulging in my comfort food. My bill of $29.10 scored me 145.5 points in return.
The fatigue of the work week had caught up to me, leaving me to choose an evening workout over an early morning session. When 6pm rolled around, I had around an hour to spare before my gym session – just enough time to fuel up with a quick bite at the nearby convenience store.
After some deliberation at 7-Eleven, I decided on the Prawn Salad Sandwich and Honey Mustard Roasted Chicken Sandwich. Both sandwiches added up to $7.30, which was equivalent to 36.5 points, and with a points promotion giving me an additional 4x bonus points of 29.20.
I also saw that I could get extra yuu Points for certain products like their 7Cafe coffee and bottled water – and how could I pass up the chance to score more points? I grabbed an iced Americano and a bottle of water, scoring me 2x and 4x bonus points respectively.
Totalling my base and bonus points, I walked away with 99.4 points.
TGIF! I have made it through yet another work week.
After a quick dinner at Funan Mall, I was doing some window-shopping (in the spirit of saving money this week) when I walked past Guardian. There were some daily essentials I had to stock up for so I made a quick trip inside – which, in my defence, was a need and not a want.
My mini haul included two ART kits, Guardian's facial tissue packets (two for $3!) and some Fisherman's Friend lozenges.
My bill came up to $13.40, and I managed to score 67 points and 38.80 bonus points. I got an additional 2x bonus points on my total bill as it was my first transaction at Guardian using the DBS yuu Card, and 4x bonus points for purchasing a Guardian brand product.
Feeling peckish after running some errands, I dropped by Butter Bean which I thought was very Instagram-worthy. Plus, the food selection looked extensive and prices seemed reasonable.
One look at the glass display and I had my eyes set on the Milo Dino Croissant. Stuffed with a thick slab of salted butter, milo powder and condensed milk, the indulgent pastry was topped with a generous amount of hazelnut cream. Each croissant was $3.80, with a special promotion of two for $6.90, and I have got to say it was worth every cent.
Thanks to Butter Bean's storewide points promotion, I got an additional 2x bonus points as well!
Over the past week, I had unknowingly accumulated a whopping 512.75 points in my yuu App. The experience so far has been a smooth-sailing one, as I could conveniently tap and pay with the DBS yuu Card, plus easily keep track of my points and rewards in the yuu App.
Since it is the weekend and there's no place I need to be, I decided to check out Jasons Deli.
As a higher-end brand under the Cold Storage Group, it has always been one of the more atas supermarkets that I have been meaning to check out. What's more, it's one of yuu's merchants.
My agenda was clear: get a healthy and delicious brunch to start my weekend right.
I immediately made a beeline for the ready-to-eat meal selection. Among options such as beef bolognese and truffle mushroom carbonara, I went for the chilli crab mac and cheese, an interesting fusion that was only 410 calories according to the label.
The drinks selection here was slightly different from the usual supermarkets so I decided to try something new as well. The chocolate lover in me chose Lewis Road Creamery's Fresh Chocolate Milk, and the delicious, velvety chocolate milk was a decision I did not regret.
My bill came up to $13.25, and while checking out at the self-checkout machine, I got a prompt asking if I wanted to exchange 200 points for a $1 discount. Shave a dollar off my bill? A hundred per cent yes.
It's Sunday and time for another grocery run to get ready for the upcoming week.
This time round I dropped by Giant as I saw they had quite a few ongoing promotions for yuu members. On top of the 2x bonus points on your first and second transactions, other offers include getting 2x bonus points for every $1 spent on Meadows brand products, and 1x points for every $1 spent on bread.
To maximise my points earned, I grabbed a pack of vanilla Twiggies for breakfast tomorrow, along with some Meadows brand snacks – a bottle of green tea, tortilla chips and a pack of dried cod with camembert cheese.
As I had accumulated quite some points throughout the week by paying with my DBS yuu Card, I thought it would also be a good idea to redeem some rewards now. I exchanged 100 points for a Meadows Honey Green Tea and 200 points for a Ferrero Rocher three-piece pack. Talk about cheap thrills!
My first week of using a credit card has been a game changer. Besides how refreshing it was to not feel the immediate pinch of my purchases, I was even rewarded for spending – a first for someone who had only experienced the debit card life.
Throughout the week of paying with the DBS yuu Card, I've scored myself some sweet savings, and racked up points that can offset my future purchases or be exchanged for rewards. What's more, with the promotions offered by various merchants, I easily scored bonus points for my purchases.
Apart from the grocery, dining, as well as health and wellness stores that I've visited this week, I'm also looking forward to booking a visit to Mandai Wildlife Reserve under the yuu Rewards Club in the coming weeks!
Ongoing offers include a 20 per cent discount on all merchandise at Mandai Wildlife Reserve's Shopee store, and redeeming child admission tickets to Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari or River Wonders using your yuu Points.
Need more reason to sign up for the DBS yuu Card? New DBS/POSB Card holders will get $250 cashback when you apply for the card and spend at least $500 in the first 30 days, while existing DBS Black card members will earn $10 cashback when you activate your DBS yuu Card by Mar 31, 2023.
If you're of the camp that you don't need another credit card, don't worry, you can still enjoy perks of the yuu Rewards Club by applying for the PAssion POSB Debit Card instead. P.S. now might be the best time to apply as new sign-ups can enjoy up to $50 cashback!
From now till Mar 31 next year, get up to 16x yuu Points (equivalent to eight per cent cashback) at over 1,000 yuu places when you use the PAssion POSB Debit Card.
Other PAssion POSB Debit Card privileges you can enjoy include:
After a week of using the DBS yuu Card, I'm convinced to use it for all things from shopping to dining.
For all you savvy shoppers looking for a go-to card that gives good value for money, sign up for the DBS yuu Card and join the yuu Rewards Club to step up your shopping game today!
This article is brought to you in partnership with DBS.
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