“My Bank Paid For 10 Tanks Of Petrol For Me”

Table of Contents

Saving money doesn’t have to be sacrificial and painful. You don’t have to turn your life upside down just to save a few bucks. People, just like you, are saving thousands of Ringgit just by picking the right credit cards for their needs and learning how to navigate the complicated world of credit cards and their policies without losing their sanity.

The best life hacks are those that are easy and give you the best results. So, iMoney has found someone who has actually gained from using the right card, and he is willing to share what he’s learnt to help you deal with the increasing cost of fuel too!

The petrol price hike just days before the Budget 2015 announcement had many people scream (figuratively, and maybe literally for some) in frustration. If you are a light or moderate petrol user, it may not make such a huge impact on your wallet. However, if you are a heavy user (read: RM500 to RM700 a month on petrol), you will be hard-pressed to find a solution to plug that big hole in your wallet after visiting the petrol station.

Ethan Lim*, 28, a sales manager for a local distribution company, was hit hard with the rising cost of petrol. Having to travel from state to state in his trusty Honda Civic as part of his job, he usually clocks in over 300 liter of petrol month.

“That’s over 4,200km in a month. I’m based in Kuala Lumpur, and it’s not uncommon for me to travel to Penang, Kelantan, Perlis, Johor Bahru, Melaka a few times in a month.

“At this point, RON95 is my only affordable option when it comes to fuel. At RM2.30 a liter, I still have to fork out about RM700 a month on petrol,” shared Lim.

Even when Lim is not traveling for work, he travels for about four hours, between Kajang, where he stays and Ampang, where his office is located. Whenever he is not traveling for work on weekends, he would drive back to Taiping to visit his parents.

All these add up to his petrol cost. With all these madness on the city road, saving on petrol is crucial to him!

“One day I was just so fed-up with it, I randomly did a search on the Internet and I went through a gazillions articles on how to save money on petrol. All sounded good, theoretically, but I don’t think I could do that in the long run.

Standard Chartered JustOne MasterCard

“Finally, I chanced upon a credit card that allowed me to save without cutting back,” he said.

The card Lim found was none other than the Standard Chartered JustOne MasterCard.

“With my kind of petrol spending, I could easily get 10% cash back with a maximum cap of RM70 a month. Doesn’t sound too attractive?

“At first, I didn’t think the RM70 was attractive enough, but after some calculation, I realise I can potentially save up to RM840 a year! That’s about 10 tank-full of petrol in a year… for free!” gushed Lim.

The JustOne credit card allows three tiers of cash back, 4%, 7% and 10% cash back, depending on how much you spend a month. If you want to enjoy the same saving as Krishna, you will need to spend RM700 on petrol and another RM1,800 on others.

“The petrol spending of RM700 was easy because I genuinely used that much of fuel a month, but the RM1,800 took a little bit of planning. I didn’t want to get into debt just to earn the maximum cash back!”

When asked how he spend the additional RM1,800 without going into debt, Lim shared how he helped his company to make purchases and later claim back the money, which he promptly used to clear his card balance.

“I also offered to pay whenever I dine out with my friends, and they would pay me back their share. It’s a little on the cheapskate side, but I’m willing to do that for 10 tanks of petrol free a year!” said Lim, cheekily.

What Lim did was a known trick to get the best out of a credit card. If one uses his or her card wisely, it does not only offer convenience, but also a whole of savings!

“Driving around is less painful for me now that I know a hack to get some free fuel,” Lim said, proudly.

Having the right credit card definitely can help you deal with the rising cost of petrol without going crazy. With Lim’s tried and tested the method, saving on petrol is totally possible and everyone can do it!