Best Credit Cards In Malaysia 2015

What makes a credit card the ‘best’? Well, they’re usually the ones that offer you perks you can’t get with another card. However, the best perks are not going to do you any good if the plastic does not match your lifestyle. Having a fantastic travel card, the best in Malaysia, won’t do you any good if you don’t travel.

This is why it is extremely important to get a plastic credit in Malaysia that fits your spending habit. Then, determine what type of card that you want, before deciding on the card that will actually help you maximise your cash.

If you want to find the best offer for your unique situation, you should conduct some initial research on the best offers and what they entail. We’ve done the research for you with the best bank cards in Malaysia. Take a pick!

Top 3 best cashback cards

Maybank Visa Signature

Citibank Cash Back Platinum

HSBC Amanah MPower Visa Platinum Credit Card-i

If you prefer to be rewarded in cold hard cash, then a cashback card is your ultimate plastic choice. This type of cards rebate a certain percentage for spending in certain categories. Choosing a one that best suits your lifestyle and personality type will give you the most benefits and advantages, and help you make the most of your transactions.

Here are the top 3 cashback cards based on iMoney’s review.

Maybank Visa Signature is one of those cashback cards that does not have a long list of restrictions on how to earn your cash rebates. It gives 5% cashback on petrol and groceries spending every day! This card also offers one of the highest cashback limit in the market at RM88. One of the hero products offered by Maybank, the Maybank Visa Signature also rewards you with reward points, known as TreatPoints. For every RM1 spend on the card, regardless of categories or day of the week, you will accumulate 1x TreatPoint on your account. The only drawback with this card is its high minimum income requirement at RM8,333 and annual fee at RM550. However, the annual fee is waived for the first year, and waived for subsequent years with spending up to RM50,000 in a year. Interest rate starts from 15% per annum.

This card is also suitable for regular travelers with 5x TreatPoints for every RM1 spent overseas and complimentary Premium Airport Lounge access when you are travelling. Click on this link to apply for the Maybank Visa Signature.

Highlights
• 5% daily cashback on petrol and groceries • Cashback limit: RM88 a month • 5x TreatPoints for every RM1 spent overseas • 1x TreatPoint for every RM1 spent locally • Annual fee of RM550 is waived for the first year • Annual fee is waived for subsequent years with annual spending of at least RM50,000

Citibank Cash Back Platinum is one of the best in this category. For those who love to earn cash rebates, this Citibank card allows you to earn up to 5% cashback on all retail spending. The breakdown of the rebate percentage is 5% for petrol spending, 2% for pharmaceuticals from Guardian, Caring, and Watsons, 2% for grocery at Giant, AEON Big, Tesco, Cold Storage, Everrise, Servay, Econsave and Mydin, 2% for phone bill payment with Maxis, Celcom and Digi, 0.3% for Astro bill and municipal council bill, and lastly 0.2% for all other retail spend. The best part about the Citibank Cash Back Platinum is, there is no minimum spend required to enjoy the maximum cashback. Citibank Cash Back Platinum card caps the cashback for groceries at RM60 and other retail transactions at RM30. The cashback is automatically credited into your account once your cashback amount reaches RM20.

The Citibank card requires a minimum monthly income of RM5,000, and its annual fee is at RM195. Interest rate starts from 15% per annum. You can even purchase protection for your purchases made on the card for coverage of up to RM30,000 for 30 days. Click here to apply for the Citibank Cash Back Platinum.

Highlights
• 5% daily cashback for petrol spending • 2% daily cashback for pharmaceuticals, 2% for grocery, 2% for phone bill payment, 0.3% for Astro bill and municipal council bill, and lastly 0.2% for all other retail spend • Cashback limit: RM60 for groceries and RM30 for others

The HSBC Amanah MPower Visa Platinum Credit Card-i is the perfect card for social butterflies who swipe their cards the most on weekends. If you find yourself zipping around town, shopping and grabbing a bite with your friends, the HSBC Amanah card offers you attractive weekend cashback. With up to 8% weekend cashback for petrol, dining and groceries, and 1% cashback on shopping and entertainment, you can find yourself cut down your fuel expenses every month. However, the maximum cashback of 8% is applicable only for monthly spending above RM2,001. Total spending of RM2,000 and below will be subject to 3% weekend cashback only.

Cashback limit is one of the highest in the market at RM100. The annual fee charged is at RM240 and the minimum income requirement RM5,000 a month. Click here to apply for the HSBC Amanah MPower Visa Platinum Credit Card-i.

Highlights
• 8% weekend cashback for petrol, dining and groceries, if you spend above RM2,001 every month • 3% weekend cashback for petrol, dining and groceries, if you spend below RM2,001 every month • 1% daily cashback on shopping and entertainment • Cashback limit: RM100 a month

Top 3 best travel cards

Standard Chartered WorldMiles Card

Citibank Rewards Platinum Card

Maybank 2 Cards Premier

Travel cards today not only let you earn points for travel related expenses, such as booking of hotel rooms, or flights, they also give you points on your everyday spending. These points can then be used to redeem air tickets from the selected airlines.

Here are top 3 travel cards in Malaysia that maximise your spending, so you can travel for cheap (or sometimes, even for free!):

Standard Chartered WorldMiles Card is one of Malaysia’s best travel card. This card would work for you if you like to earn points that can easily be redeemed towards travel expenses. You can earn WordMiles Points from retail spending, and then convert them into Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Enrich Miles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles, or even AirAsia BIG Points! Every RM2,000 spent overseas, or RM3,000 spent locally will earn you 1,000 WorldMiles Points.

However, this card requires a higher minimum income requirement, at RM8,334 a month. It also comes with a higher annual fee of RM180. However, not many cards allow you to accumulate air miles for all your spending, not just in travel category, but also in groceries, shopping, entertainment and dining so this card is worth it. Click here to apply for the Standard Chartered WorldMiles Card.

Highlights
• 1 WorldMiles Point for every RM3 spent on groceries • 1 WorldMiles Point for every RM3 spent on shopping, dining and entertainment locally, and RM2 spent overseas • Get 1,000 WorldMiles Points for RM2,000 spent overseas, or RM3,000 spent locally • Points expire in three years

Citibank Rewards Platinum Card. Fast-track your air miles accumulation through the Citibank Rewards Platinum Card, as it allows you to get 5x Citi Rewards points for every RM1 spent from selected Rewards categories. This card offers you better flexibility as it allows you to change your Rewards categories according to your lifestyle. The card also allows you five airlines to choose from with different conversion rates. Convert 6,400 Rewards points into 1,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Airmiles, British Airways Executive Club, or convert 7,000 Rewards points into 1,000 MAS Enrich Airmiles, or even 8,000 Rewards points for 1,000 Etihad Airways.

With an annual fee of RM100 for every Rewards category (minimum two categories), and minimum income requirement of RM5,000 a month, the Citibank Rewards Platinum Card is definitely a good travel companion for jet-setters. Click here to apply for the Citibank Rewards Platinum Card.

Highlights
• 5x Citi Rewards points for every RM1 spent from selected Rewards categories (Shopping, Driving, Home, Travel, Entertainment) • Enjoy 2 free Rewards categories for free in the first year • 1x Citi Rewards point for every RM1 spent in other categories that are not selected • RM100 annual fee is applicable per Rewards category, minimum two categories (RM200)

Maybank 2 Cards Premier is the card for you if you are looking for a travel card that gives you amazing air miles conversion rate. It is the best rated card for air miles conversion in the market, with 4,770 TreatsPoints exchangable for 1,000 air miles.

This Maybank card allows you to get 5x TreatPoints for every RM1 spent on your American Express card, and 2x TreatPoints for every RM1 spent locally on your Visa/MasterCard, and 5x Treatpoints for overseas spending on the same card. Spending categories include dining, petrol, shopping, groceries and travel. For the golf lovers, this card also comes with complimentary green fees to play at more than 70 Golf Clubs in 13 countries. You will be covered with travel insurance, accidental death and disablement with compensation amount up to RM2,000,000.

With no annual fee, the Maybank 2 Cards Premier is an awesome travel plastic that allows you to convert your points to MAS Enrich Miles or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles. Convert 4,770 points into 1,000 Enrich Miles or Singapore KrisFlyer Miles. Click here to apply for the Maybank 2 Cards Premier.

Highlights
• Highest air miles conversion rate at 4,770 TreatPoints to 1,000 air miles • 5x TreatPoints for every RM1 spent on your American Express card • 2x TreatPoints for every RM1 spent locally and 5x TreatPoints on RM1 spent overseas on your Visa/MasterCard • No annual fee

Top 3 best petrol cards

Maybank Islamic MasterCard Ikhwan Gold Card

HSBC Amanah MPower Visa Credit Card-i

AmBank Carz Platinum MasterCard

We are a nation of people who can’t live without cars – some by preference, while most of us have no choice. This makes petrol expenses one of our fixed expenses in your monthly budget. So, why not get a card that help you manage that cost, so you can save some money for something else?

Here are top 3 petrol cards in Malaysia that can put money back into your wallet!

Maybank Islamic MasterCard Ikhwan Gold Card is a flexible petrol card, as there’s no restriction on petrol brand that can earn you 5% cashback on Friday and Saturday. The cashback is capped at RM50 a month. The Friday and Saturday 5% cashback does not only apply to petrol spending, but also groceries. Other spending categories like travel, shopping and dining will be rewarded with 1x TreatPoint for every RM1 spent, daily.

With low income requirement of RM2,500, the Maybank Islamic MasterCard Ikhwan Gold Card is the perfect card for those who tend to fuel up during the weekend. The cherry on top of the icing for this card is, it has no annual fee! Click here to apply for the Maybank Islamic MasterCard Ikhwan Gold Card.

Highlights
• 5% cashback on Friday and Saturday on petrol and groceries • 1x TreatPoint for every RM1 spent on other categories • Cashback limit: RM50 a month • No annual fee

HSBC Amanah MPower Visa Credit Card-i is meant for those who spend the most during the weekends. With this card, you can get up to 8% cashback on weekend petrol, dining and groceries. You are not limited to one petrol brand only because the cashback is applicable for Shell, Caltex, Petronas fuel. If your total spending is RM2,001 and above per month you can enjoy 8% cashback. Anything below that, you will be getting 3% weekend cashback. The same cashback rate is applicable for dining and groceries too. Cashback limit is RM50 a month.

To make the card even sweeter, you can get one free movie tickets at Golden Screen Cinemas every Sunday, with a purchase of one ticket! With a low monthly income requirement of RM3,000 and RM91 in annual fee, the HSBC Amanah product is a good card for all your spending, especially petrol. Click here to apply for the HSBC Amanah MPower Visa Credit Card-i.

Highlights
• 8% weekend cashback on petrol, dining and groceries if you spend above RM2,000 a month • 3% weekend cashback on the same categories if you spend below RM2,000 a month • One free movie tickets at Golden Screen Cinemas every Sunday • Cashback limit: RM50 a month

AmBank Carz Platinum MasterCard is living up to its name as it offers perks for all drivers. The best part of the car that gives you valuable savings is the maximum of 5% cashback on your petrol spending. If you have a habit of not clearing your card balance, this card gives you 5% cashback, capped at RM80 per month. However, if you do clear your balance every month, you will still get to enjoy 2% cashback, capped at RM20 per month.

Other than cashback, you can also earn 1 CARz Point for every RM1 spent on groceries, entertainment, shopping and dining on the CARz Card. CARz Points can be used to redeem auto-related goods and services. If road tax payment is getting you down, you can also use the Easy Payment Plan on this card to spread out the payment over 12 months with 0% interest!

The monthly income requirement is RM5,000, with no annual fee! Click here to apply for the AmBank Carz Platinum Visa.

Highlights
• 5% cashback on your petrol spending, and cashback limit of RM80 a month, for credit revolvers (cardholders who only make partial payments on their balance) • 2% cashback on your petrol spending, and cashback limit of RM20 a month, for credit transactors (cardholders who make full payments on their balance) • 1 CARz Point for every RM1 spent on groceries, entertainment, shopping and dining

Top 3 best 0% balance transfer plans

BSN 12-month balance transfer

Maybank 0% balance transfer

Public Bank 0% Balance Transfer

Racking up a huge debt on your card doesn’t always have to make you fall into an endless debt spiral. ? Consolidate all your outstanding balance from a high-interest card by shifting it to another card that offers 0% interest on balance transfers for a set period of time so that you can pay off your existing debt interest-free during that period.

BSN 12-month balance transfer programme is one of the best balance transfer programmes in the market right now. The best part of the programme is, it doesn’t come with a hefty admin or transfer fee. The 12-month period is divided into two, where the first 6 months will see a 0% monthly interest, while the remaining 6 months will be charged 0.3% interest rate per month. After this introductory period, the interest rates charged will be from 8.88% to 17.5% p.a, depending on the credit card applied. There are a total of 10 BSN products to choose from.

This is best for those who would like to see their balance spread out over 12 months with minimal interest charges. Click here to apply for BSN 0% balance transfer programme.

Highlights
• No admin or management fees • 0% monthly interest for first six months • 0.3% monthly interest on subsequent six months

Maybank 0% balance transfer lets you transfer a balance a minimum of RM1,000 from up to 3 other banks. The 0% interest rate is applicable for 12 months. To enjoy the 12-month 0% balance transfer, you will be charged a 3% upfront handling fee on the amount transferred. The shortest balance transfer you can opt for is 6 months, with 0.5% monthly interest rate. The minimum amount you can transfer under the 6- and 9-month plans is RM1,000, while the amount for the 24- and 36-month plans is RM2,000. The maximum amount depends on your available credit limit. Maybank offers long repayment period of up to 36 months. Interest rates for balance transfer range from 0% to 4.95% and there are a total of 18 Maybank cards to choose from.

This balance transfer programme is best for those who would like to spread out their balance to a longer period, making the monthly repayment more manageable. Click here to apply for Maybank 0% balance transfer programme.

Highlights
• 3% admin or management fees • 0% monthly interest for 12 months • Minimum balance transfer amount is RM1,000

Public Bank 0% Balance Transfer is one of the top-rated balance transfer programmes around. For a period of 6 months, you can transfer balance of up to RM5,000. There are a total 4 0% balance transfer plans offered. Balance of below RM5,000 for a period of 6 months will be charged 1% management fee, while the 12-month plan will be charged 2% upfront fee and 24-month will be charged 5% upfront management fee. Only a minimum balance of RM5,000 for 6 months will enjoy 0% interest and 0% management fee. There are a total of 6 Public Bank cards to choose from.

This plan is perfect for those who would like to pay off their balance in the shortest time. It is also best of the total balance is not too high to ensure the monthly payment within the 6 months is still affordable. Click here to apply for Public Bank 0% balance transfer programme.

Highlights
• 0% interest and 0% management fee for 6 months, if you transfer at least RM5,000 • 1% management fee for 6-month package, if transfer amount is below RM5,000 • 2% and 5% management fees will be charged for transfer below RM5,000 for 12-month and 24-month respectively

Top 3 best dining cards

Maybank 2 Cards

HSBC Visa Signature Card

Standard Chartered CashBack Gold MasterCard

Are you the kind of person that likes to eat out frequently? It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to dine out often. Anyone can save cash by using the ideal payment method to maximise their dining privileges, and rewards or cashback they receive from their dining expenses. If you are a pure foodie, you are in luck, because there are tons of credit products that offer awesome dining privileges. Here we found 3 of the best in the market:

Maybank 2 Cards is hand-downs the winner in the dining category. This product offers not only one, but two cards – Visa or MasterCard and American Express. The American Express is the card that you should bring along for all your dining adventures because it not only offers 5x TreatPoints for every RM1 retail (including dining) spent, it is also offering 5% cashback on all weekend dining expenses swiped on the card. The Visa/MasterCard will also get you 1x TreatPoint for every RM1 spent.

If you are a fan of fine dining, now you can dine with the crème de la crème without paying a bomb with up to 50% discount at Starwood Properties such as The Westin Kuala Lumpur, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, Four Points by Sheraton Penang, The Andaman Luxury Collection Resort and many more.

Click here to apply for the Maybank 2 Cards.

Highlights
• 5% cashback on all weekend dining expenses on the American Express card • 5x TreatPoints for every RM1 retail (including dining) on the American Express card • 1x TreatPoint for every RM1 spent on the Visa/MasterCard card

HSBC Visa Signature Card is a good dining card for those who will travel across oceans and continents to taste wonderfully different delicacies. This HSBC card is designed for the jet-setting foodies with 10x Rewards Points for every RM1 spent overseas on hotel and dining, and 5x Rewards Points for every RM1 spent on local dining. Even if you are not travelling the world, you will still be rewarded for your spending. It gives 8x Reward Points for every RM1 spent on shopping and groceries at participating outlets at Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens Mall, and 5x Reward Points for airline ticket purchases, room and dining spend at local hotels and also other spend at 30 plus participating malls nationwide. Other perks include 1x Reward Point for every RM1 spent on petrol and also all other daily spend.

The accumulated points can be converted to air miles. For every 3,000 Reward Points, you can redeem 1,000 air miles. To help you accumulate more, faster, 20% Bonus Reward Points on total Reward Points already earned will be given on the anniversary of the card.

The best part about the card? Annual fee is waived for life! The minimum income requirement is slightly higher at RM8,334 a month. Click here to apply for the HSBC Visa Signature Card.

Highlights

• 10x Rewards Points for every RM1 spent overseas on hotel and dining • 5x Rewards Points for every RM1 spent on local dining • 8x Reward Points on shopping and groceries at Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens Mall • 5x Reward Points for airline ticket purchases, room and dining spend at local hotels and also other spend at 30 plus participating malls nationwide • 1x Reward Point for every RM1 spent on petrol • 20% Bonus Reward Points on card anniversary

Standard Chartered CashBack Gold MasterCard is an excellent choice for those who frequently dine out, as it gives you up to 5% cashback for every RM1 spent in the dining, shopping, groceries, entertainment and utilities categories. There are three tiers of cashback: 5% cashback for spending more than RM1,500 per month, 3% cashback for spending between RM800 and RM1,500 per month, and 2% cashback for spending between RM500 and RM800 per month. On top of that, you can enjoy more than 1,000 dining deals nationwide.

The card has a low entry requirement with the minimum income of RM2,000 a month. However, the annual fee is RM175. Click here to apply for the Standard Chartered CashBack Gold MasterCard.

Highlights

• 5% cashback on dining, shopping, groceries, entertainment and utilities categories for spending more than RM1,500 per month • 3% cashback on dining, shopping, groceries, entertainment and utilities categories for spending between RM800 and RM1,500 per month • 2% cashback on dining, shopping, groceries, entertainment and utilities categories for spending between RM500 and RM800 per month • 1,000 dining deals nationwide

Top 3 best cards for entrepreneurs

Mach Signature Credit Card

Maybank Visa Infinite Card

Hong Leong Platinum Business

You don’t need to own a thousand-employee conglomerate to reap the rewards from business credit cards. Small businesses with few employees or sole proprietors can all use these cards to manage cash flow and earn rewards on their spending.

Here are 3 that will knock you off your feet:

Mach Signature Credit Card is the perfect card for travelling entrepreneurs. A jet-setters who travel frequently would appreciate the perks and benefits of a good travel card. The Mach Signature card allows you to earn MAS Enrich Miles when you spend on any retail transactions. You can earn 1 Mile for every RM3 spent locally and RM2 spent overseas. This applies to all retail spending including dining, entertainment, shopping, groceries and utilities.

The best part of the card? You can maximise your cash flow by utilising the 0% interest Instalment Payment Plan for 6 months on overseas purchases between RM500 – RM20,000 in a single receipt. Other travel perks include 2x Plaza Premium Lounge passes for the first year, preferential foreign exchange rates when purchasing currencies from Hong Leong Bank Bureau de Change, complimentary travel accident and inconvenience insurance coverage of up to RM1.5 million for you and your dependents, and access to Visa and CIT travel desks for concierge service and personalised travel packages.

The minimum income requirement for this card is RM8,334 a month and annual fee is RM160.

Click here to apply for the Mach Signature Credit Card.

Highlights
• 1 Mile for every RM3 spent locally and RM2 spent overseas • 0% interest Instalment Payment Plan for 6 months on overseas purchases between RM500 – RM20,000 in a single receipt

 

Maybank Visa Infinite Card understands that entertainment cost is no stranger to any entrepreneur. This card offers up to 5x TreatsPoints from retail spending overseas, which includes shopping and dining, and 2x TreatPoints for local spending in entertainment, groceries and petrol categories. To get you started, you will get 10,000 TreatPoints upon card activation!

The minimum income requirement for the Maybank Visa Infinite Card is RM15,000 a month with annual fee at RM800. Meeting and entertaining clients are all part and parcel of being a business owner. With travel, golf, spa, dining, and entertainment privileges, you can better manage your entertainment cost.

You can also get Travel Accident Insurance with coverage of up to RM2,000,000 and Travel Inconvenience Coverage covering missed flight connection, luggage delay, and lost luggage if full airfare is charged to this card. Click here to apply for the Maybank Visa Infinite Card.

Highlights
• 5x TreatsPoints from retail spending overseas on shopping and dining • 2x TreatPoints for local spending on entertainment, groceries and petrol • 10,000 TreatPoints upon card activation • Travel, golf, spa, dining, and entertainment privileges

Hong Leong Platinum Business is a card that can expand your credit limit not just for you as the boss, but also your wing men in business. This card allows you to keep your cash liquid, as it gives up to 60 days interest-free credit period for all retail transactions, and with a business-size credit limit of up to RM300,000. You can also get complimentary Travel Accident Insurance coverage with the card.

Other business features you’ll get is a cheque facility with interest rate of BLR + 6%. Make travelling for business more enjoyable with complimentary visit to Plaza Premium Lounge at selected airports (subject to minimum retail spending of RM2,500 within 30 days from date of visit), and save with preferential forex rates on purchase of foreign currency worth RM30,000 – RM150,000.

This card comes with a minimum income requirement of RM10,000 a month, and an affordable annual fee of RM400. Click here to apply for the Hong Leong Platinum Business.

Highlights
• 60 days interest-free credit period • Credit limit of up to RM300,000 • Cheque facility with interest rate of BLR + 6%

Still unsure of which card to get? Take our short quiz and let us do the thinking for you!