UOB One Account interest now maxes out at 1.90% p.a. on a S$150,000 balance, down from 2.50% before the bank cut rates on 1 December 2025. To hit that, you spend at least S$500 a month on an eligible UOB card and credit at least S$1,600 of salary via GIRO or PayNow. Spend without salary and you are looking at 0.65% p.a. on the first S$75,000. The headline number sells the account, but your real return depends entirely on which tier your balance sits in and whether you take the salary path or the GIRO path. This guide lays out every tier rate as of June 2026, the exact dollars you earn at common balances, and the two balance points where OCBC 360 quietly beats it.
The account uses a stepped, tiered structure. Each band of your balance earns a different rate, so the 1.90% headline is a blended effective interest rate (EIR) across the whole S$150,000, not a flat rate you earn on every dollar. The top band actually pays 3.40% p.a., but only on the slice between S$125,000 and S$150,000, and only if you credit salary.
Below are the bonus-inclusive total rates that took effect on 1 December 2025, drawn from UOB's own rate-revision notice. There are three ways to qualify, and the path you pick changes the numbers a lot.
| Balance tier | Card spend S$500 only | Spend + 3 GIRO debits | Spend + salary credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| First S$75,000 | 0.65% | 1.00% | 1.00% |
| Next S$50,000 (S$75k-S$125k) | 0.05% | 2.00% | 2.50% |
| Next S$25,000 (S$125k-S$150k) | 0.05% | 0.05% | 3.40% |
| Above S$150,000 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% |
Tiered rates trip people up because the EIR keeps climbing as you fill the higher bands. The figures below come straight from UOB's revised illustration and assume you meet the criteria every calendar month for a year. Bonus interest is worked out on your monthly average balance, so a single big month does not game it.
If you cannot park six figures, the math is less flattering. At S$30,000 on the salary path you sit entirely in the first tier at 1.00%, earning roughly S$300 a year. The account only starts pulling ahead once you cross into the second tier above S$75,000.
| Balance | Spend S$500 only | Spend + 3 GIRO | Spend + salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| S$75,000 | S$487.50 | S$750.00 | S$750.00 |
| S$125,000 | S$512.50 | S$1,750.00 | S$2,000.00 |
| S$150,000 | S$525.00 | S$1,762.50 | S$2,850.00 |
Both paths need the same baseline: S$500 of eligible card spend in the calendar month. That can sit across your UOB One Card and other selected UOB cards combined, so groceries, transport and bills usually clear it without effort. The difference is the second condition.
The salary path is the only route to the full 1.90% EIR and the 3.40% top tier. You credit at least S$1,600 of salary monthly, and the transaction has to carry the right reference code or it will not count as salary.
Your salary credit must arrive tagged as GIRO with the reference "SALA", or as "PAYNOW SALA". From 1 April 2026, UOB also recognises "FAST SALA" references, which helps if your employer pays by FAST transfer rather than the older GIRO batch. A plain PayNow transfer from your own other bank does not qualify, because it lacks the salary tag.
If you are self-employed or your employer will not tag the credit, you cannot use this path. Check your transaction history for the SALA reference before assuming you qualify.
No salary? Make three GIRO debit transactions in the month instead, on top of the S$500 spend. Recurring bills like your phone plan, insurance premium and town council fees count. This path caps your EIR at 1.40% on S$125,000, and the third tier above S$125,000 earns only base interest, so there is no point parking more than S$125,000 if you are on GIRO.
There is no monthly account fee as long as you keep at least S$1,000 in the account. Drop below that and UOB charges a S$5 fall-below fee per month. You need a S$1,000 minimum initial deposit to open, and you must be 18 or older.
Singapore-dollar deposits are insured by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation up to S$100,000 per depositor per bank. That cap is worth noting if you are stacking the full S$150,000 here for the top tier, since the slice above S$100,000 is not protected by SDIC insurance. Base interest of 0.05% accrues daily; bonus interest is credited monthly on your average balance.
UOB One is no longer the automatic winner since the December 2025 cut. OCBC 360 pays up to 1.95% p.a. on its first S$100,000 for meeting salary, save and spend conditions, and that climbs further if you also buy eligible insurance or investment products. For balances up to roughly S$123,000, OCBC 360 returns more; beyond that, UOB One's deeper S$150,000 ladder pulls ahead.
The practical takeaway: if you hold around S$100,000 or less and want the simpler high tier, OCBC 360 often wins. If you can park the full S$150,000 and credit salary, UOB One's S$2,850 annual ceiling is the bigger number. Compare both against parking idle cash in SSBs, T-bills or a fixed deposit before you decide, since government-backed options can match these rates without spend hoops.
| Account | Max EIR | Cap for max rate | Main hoops |
|---|---|---|---|
| UOB One | 1.90% p.a. | S$150,000 | S$500 spend + S$1,600 salary |
| OCBC 360 | Up to 1.95% p.a. | S$100,000 | Salary + save + S$500 spend |
| DBS Multiplier | Up to ~3% p.a. | S$100,000 | Salary + transactions across categories |
It works best for salaried earners who can hold S$75,000 to S$150,000 and route both salary and at least S$500 of monthly spending through UOB. Hit that and the blended return beats most plain savings accounts comfortably.
It works against you if your balance is small, your salary is not GIRO-tagged, or you would force unneeded spending just to clear the S$500. In those cases the headline 1.90% is fiction; you would more likely earn 0.65% or even drop to the 0.05% base. Run your own number through a compound interest calculator using your real balance and tier rate, not the headline, and set a target with the savings goal calculator so the account is a tool, not a trap.
The maximum effective interest rate is 1.90% p.a. on a S$150,000 balance, effective 1 December 2025. You earn it by spending at least S$500 monthly on an eligible UOB card and crediting at least S$1,600 of salary via GIRO or PayNow tagged with the SALA reference.
UOB lowered the rate from 2.50% to 1.90% p.a. from 1 December 2025 to align with long-term interest rate expectations. The qualifying criteria stayed the same; only the bonus interest on the higher tiers was reduced, which trimmed the maximum annual interest at S$150,000.
No, but salary credit unlocks the highest rates. Without salary you can make three GIRO debit transactions monthly alongside S$500 of card spend, which caps your effective rate at 1.40% p.a. on S$125,000. Card spend alone earns only 0.65% p.a. on the first S$75,000.
You drop to the base interest rate of 0.05% p.a. on your entire balance for that month, losing all bonus interest. The qualifying conditions are assessed each calendar month, so missing one month only affects that month's bonus, not the months you do qualify.
It depends on your balance. OCBC 360 pays up to 1.95% p.a. on the first S$100,000 and generally returns more for balances below about S$123,000. UOB One pulls ahead above that because its bonus tiers extend to S$150,000, where it can earn up to S$2,850 a year.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.