Another Exclusive Best Credit Cards Article by GenX @ http://www.GenXGenYGenZ.com
IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENT – click here to learn the revision to Treats Points effective 15 April 2016 and what credit cards you should use for transactions relating to Government, Education, Insurance and Utilities.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2017 – VERY FREAKING FANTASTIC NEWS. EFFECTIVE 15 March 2017, the Maybank 2 Cards Gold & Platinum AMEX will once again reward us with 5% cash back on weekend for any type of transactions. As for the Maybank 2 Cards Premier, we once again will earn 1 Enrich Mile or 1 KrisFlyer Mile for every Ringgit we spent on Petrol but up to RM300 spending per month on Petrol only. For more info and updates, please click here to The Best Credit Cards in Malaysia 2017. The once upon a time best credit card in Malaysia has returned with a BIG BANG in 2017 🙂
PRELUDE
Back in October 2015, I published my Credit Card Ultimate Showdown 2016 to determine the Top 10 Best Credit Cards for 2016. However, since then many of the credit card issuers have revoked/revised down many of their card benefits and some even revamped their credit card benefits altogether. Below are some examples:
Alliance Bank – completely revamped all of their credit card benefits:
Alliance Platinum Visa or MasterCard credit cards used to be a hybrid card that reward the cardholder with both Timeless Bonus Points and Cash Back; but now it only rewards the cardholder Timeless Bonus Points.
Alliance Visa Infinite used to allow the cardholder UNLIMITED entries to airport lounges worldwide without the cardholder needing to spend a single sen with the card. Today, if you spend less than RM150K with it, you will be entitled to ZERO FREE Entries. You still get UNLIMITED FREE entries on condition you spend minimum RM300K with it. But only a fool or a person who is not a follower of mine would go spend RM300K with the Alliance Visa Infinite and earn minimum 20% less Enrich Miles and/or KrisFlyer Miles instead of using the fabulous Maybank 2 Cards Premier.
For example, a person who uses his Alliance Visa Infinite to purchase a luxury watch costing RM300K would only earn 600K Timeless Bonus Points where he can redeem for 100K Enrich Miles which is not even enough to redeem for a full return Business Class ticket KL/London.
On the other hand, if he was smart or have read my article(s), he would use the Maybank 2 Cards Premier AMEX Reserve and pay for the RM300K watch and earn himself 1,500,000 Treats Points which he can convert to 314,000 Enrich Miles which will enable him to redeem 2 full return Business Class tickets KL/London or upgrade close to 4 return Economy Class tickets to Business Class KL/London. That’s minimum four (4) FREE Business Class tickets!!! And since he is flying Business Class, he gets to enter Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge (for FREE) which is far more superior than Plaza Premium Lounges in KLIA which the Alliance Bank Priority Pass Membership Card offers.
CIMB Enrich World MasterCard now has a cap as to how many Enrich Miles you can earn!!!
CIMB Bank also introduced a new card called CIMB Enrich World Elite MasterCard where the annual fee is waived with spending of RM1,000,000. But here’s the joke, the maximum Enrich Miles you can earn is 150,000 only where you can redeem for only 1 return Business Class ticket KL/London. If I use my Maybank 2 Cards Premier and spend RM1,000,000 with it, I would be able to earn more than 1,000,000 Enrich Miles and redeem for 8 FULL return Business Class tickets KL/London!!! Once again, only a fool or a person who has yet to read my articles would go apply for the CIMB Enrich World Elite MasterCard.
Hong Leong Bank Essential Visa now only gives you 0.6% cash back for the first RM5K spending!!! Click here to my Credit Card Tutorial Page to read a super nano review of the HLB Essential.
HSBC Visa Signature – there is no mention of auto annual fee waiver anymore in their webpage. Call them and maybe they will waive your annual fee for life without any conditions; and please let know if they do or don’t or whatever the outcome is.
RHB Bank also did a complete revamp of all their credit cards’ benefits. The good news is. The RHB Visa infinite, World MasterCard and Visa Signature are now FREE FOR LIFE; but the bad news is, there is a monthly cap on the cash back you can earn with the World MasterCard and Visa Signature. Click here to read my Review of the RHB Bank Visa Infinite, Visa Signature and Platinum Credit Cards 2016.
OCBC launched their Premier Voyage MasterCard and was aggressively promoting it, advertising that you can earn Voyage Miles which you can use to redeem anything. BUT only yours truly, GenX GenY GenZ and no other financial website in Malaysia, can really tell you the actual value you are earning with the OCBC Premier Voyage Miles. Click here to read my Review of the OCBC Voyage MasterCard and see for yourself the miserable returns OCBC Premier Voyage MasterCard cardholders are earning from their credit card transactions.
My useless UOB PRVI Miles (formerly known as UOB Visa Platinum) revised completely the “benefits” that come with the card. The so called 5X UNIRinggit is awarded to categories that fall under Overseas (this year including online), Airlines, Hotels and Travel Agencies. HOWEVER, there is a monthly spending cap of RM3,000 PLUS the 5X UNIRinggit payout is not guaranteed but based on first come first serve basis!!! And worst still, in the month of January 2016, I can’t seem to redeem any cash vouchers using my UNIRinggit! All I can redeem using my UNIRinggit are useless gifts!!! I am really pissed off with UOB as I have close to 100K UNIRinggit in my account.
UOB Visa Infinite – annual auto fee waived with RM50K spending. Once again, you can no longer redeem cash vouchers but “gifts” or Frequent Flyer Miles.
For UOB Privilege Banking Customers – I have good news for you. Effective 1st January 2016, the UOB Visa Infinite P annual fee can be waived on condition that you swipe the card at least once a month. Please take note, it is at least once a month and different from other cards’ condition of total 12 swipes per year. This card is only good if you spend substantial sum overseas as you can earn 5X UNIRInggit and if you are into Enrich Miles because UOB’s UNIRinggit Redemption Program is really “useless”.
Also, previously, many credit cards were entitled to FREE meals and drinks at Green Market KLIA 2. But now, only a selected few cards are entitled to this privilege and one of them is the Entry Level AEON Gold credit card where the annual fee is waived with just 12 swipes.
The only bank that actually improved one of their credit card benefit is Maybank! Previously, the Maybank Islamic MasterCard Ikhwan only allows the Principal cardholder to earn 5% cash back for Petrol and Groceries. But now, Supplementary cardholders also enjoy earning 5% cash back. Bravo to Maybank.
So, with the above mentioned matters, I thought I would reevaluate and carry out another Credit Card Ultimate Showdown and present to you The Best Top Ten Credit Cards in Malaysia Episode III.
And if you are wondering what happened to Episode II, click here to my Exclusive Special Edition Best Credit Cards in Malaysia 2016 – Episode II where I listed the best credit cards for FREE access to airport lounges and for pumping Petrol.
February 2016 – Announcement on Maybank Credit Cards Airport Lounge Access Posted at GenX GenY GenZ Facebook.
If you had read my previous Credit Card Ultimate Showdown 2016 at Generations XYZ, please scroll down directly to sub-section Credit Card Selected For Ultimate Credit Card Showdown 2016 – Episode III. If not, please continue reading.
INTRODUCTION
No two credit cards are the same and in reality there is no such thing as the best credit card. However, with you holding the right credit cards, you can optimize your returns/rewards from your credit cards’ card transactions. Having said this, credit card is also a very dangerous tool as it can lead you into the shit hole of debt. And once you have an outstanding balance (where you only pay the minimum amount) and are paying interest (working for the bank), it is very hard to get out of the shit hole of debt.
For those who are new to my blog, allow me to give you a brief introduction about myself. I have been using credit cards for more than 25 years. Before I graduated from University at the age of 21, I already have had several credit cards including the American Express Gold Charge Card where I have been a member since 1988. And I am still holding this said card as it gives me “shiok sendiri” sensations because it states Member Since 88, haha. I started blogging about credit cards back in 2009; and in 2011, I presented to the world my first Credit Card Ultimate Showdown.
Malaysia top Ten Credit Cards – Ultimate Showdown 2011
The Best Top 10 Credit Cards in Malaysia – Ultimate Showdown 2012
Top 10 Best Credit Card in Malaysia – Ultimate Showdown 2014
The Best Top 10 Credit Cards in Malaysia – Ultimate Showdown 2015
Top 10 Best Credit Cards in Malaysia – Ultimate Showdown 2016 Episode I.
Whenever a card issuer launches a new credit card, they will try to give you the impression that their card’s benefits are better than their competitors in order to attract you to sign up for the card. And usually, after a year or two, the card issuers will revise their cards’ benefits, i.e. Standard Card Features, where they will downgrade the benefits/privileges. This is because rewarding you means less profits for the banks.
As such, it is wise that you re-evaluate your credit cards’ benefits compared to other cards in the market yearly, especially if you are paying annual fee(s) and it’s best to terminate any card before the card’s anniversary date. But there are so many credit cards out there and most people are clueless as to where to start or just plain lazy to go do a comparison.
So, the smart ones will just google – “the best credit card” and most probably end up in some site promoting credit cards on behalf of the banks (the admin of the website gets some commission) and they only highlight the pros but not the cons of the cards they are promoting.
If you have stumbled across my blog, and if you are not put off by the freaking amount of text in my articles, most probably you will then be rewarded with info (from my experience plus sick imagination) that you otherwise would not have thought about. I am not paid by any banks or card issuers to write reviews on credit cards. I analyse, compare and research on credit cards to educate myself so that I can hold the right credit cards based on my spending pattern. And I share my findings with all by stupidly wasting my time writing articles for FREE!
So why am I so stupid to produce and share valuable information with you for FREE? Well, the reason is that I get some “shiok sendiri” sensations whenever someone Likes me at Facebook, hahahaha. Seriously, I have have made many i-friends who appreciate my articles and they unconditionally share valuable info with me relating to credit cards, fixed deposits promos and other stuff that benefits me where which no money can buy.
Click here to read my article titled Zillions Thanks To You My iFriends and My Bragging Rights 2016
If you are a reader of mine, you will know that the once upon a time wonderful Maybank 2 Cards Platinum have been consistently ranked at the very top in all my previous Ultimate Credit Card Showdowns. So, with Maybank 2 Cards Gold and Platinum now only giving us 5% Cash Back for dining on weekends, will the Maybank 2 Cards Platinum be once again be ranked in the Top 3 credit cards in Malaysia and more importantly is the card worth keeping? You will soon find out………
IF YOU ARE NEW TO CREDIT CARDS
Like I mentioned earlier, having the right credit card can be rewarding and at the same time a credit card can also be a very dangerous tool.
The banks in Malaysia are very generous as they will extend credit cards which are actually unsecured loans to the working people. Those irresponsible banks will brainwash you with advertisements that it is okay to go use your credit cards to pay for holidays or buy non-essential stuff to make another person happy or go for 0% Installment Plans, without highlighting the fact that you should only do so if you have the money in hand to Settle In Full your Statement Balance before the Due Date.
You see, in the event you only pay the Minimum Payment or part of the Statement Balance prior to the Due Date, the remaining outstanding balances will be imposed interest. And the interest rate is freaking high (as high as 18% p.a. or more). And if you withdraw cash using your credit card, you will be imposed no less than 5% upfront and then interest on a daily basis (the same applies if you take a Personal Loan where interest is charged upfront and the effective interest rate is much much higher than what the banks tell you). I tell you, the banks are no different from Ah Longs when you have outstanding debts – both of them are out to make you poorer by the day and squeeze as much money as they can from you. Don’t be fooled into thinking the banks are nice people, they will send debt collectors to harass you when you fail or refuse to repay your loans.
And for those who have no money/savings to purchase stuff and think that 0% Instalment Plans are a benefit; well, if you don’t have money today to pay for the stuff before you use your credit card, what makes you think you will have money tomorrow to pay for the credit card bills? Shit always happens and it is wise to have savings equal to 6 months of your monthly salary in the event of an emergency. If you don’t have any savings and are having a hard time coping to pay your bills, DO NOT use your credit card, especially the 0% Instalment Plan ON NON-ESSENTIAL stuff which are not required for survival.
Click here to read my article titled 0% Installment Plan Is A Trap where I showed how a person earning RM2.5K and another person earning RM5K both ended up in the shit hole of debt.
Why do Premier Credit Cards offer better privileges? You think the banks are so stupid or generous to give out privileges for nothing? Well, you’ll be surprised that many people holding Premier Credit Cards with high credit limits such as World MasterCard and Visa Infinite are working for the banks for FREE, i.e. they are paying interest on their credit card outstanding balances! The banks makes much more money from a single person who has Outstanding Balances of RM100K compared to 30 people having credit limits of RM3K.
With so many shopping malls everywhere, the probability of us using our credit cards on impulse is very high. Did you know that over the years many studies have shown that a very unique species termed as females get more joy from shopping that anything else! They don’t like to be rushed and gets continuous pleasure from hours of shopping as they splash money on stuff they don’t need. They never get tired from shopping and can shop from day to night, so much so, their shoes wear off pretty quick and that’s why they need a new pair even though they just bought one the day before. And nowadays most ladies have a pair of shoes (actually slippers that cost more than RM300) that tones their butt while they shop – click here to read my article titled Ass Toning Footwear. Men on the other hand are easily satisfied in mere minutes and will happily go to sleep………….. what is your corrupted brain thinking? I am talking about men’s stomachs lah, hahaha. It has been proven that people who own credit cards spend more than people who use cash. That is why you see most rich men practice paying with cash even if they have a few credit cards in their wallet (most probably “useless” premier credit cards issued from their Premier/Priority/Privilege Banking accounts).
Other than overspending with your credit cards; your card may also be cloned or used fraudulently and you will get a big headache when that happens. So, having a higher credit limit is not necessarily good.
So, for those of you who are new to credit cards, I suggest that you take my FREE Credit Card Tutorial 2016 by clicking here before you proceed any further.
IF YOU ARE WORKING FOR THE BANK FOR FREE
For those who consistently failed to settle their credit card monthly Statement Balance prior to the Due Date, i.e. paying the Minimum Payment or part of the Statement Balance, and are now working for the banks for FREE by paying interest, there is no point in you continuing to read this article. What you should do is go cut your damn credit card and go change your lifestyle and spending pattern immediately so that you can clear off your debt soonest possible.
One way to save on interest is to perform 0% Balance Transfer. If you are paying interest to the bank and are not familiar with Balance Transfer – it is to your benefit that you read my article titled Balance Transfer Plans 2016 – Facts You Need To Know.
IF YOU SETTLE YOUR CREDIT CARD STATEMENT BALANCE MONTHLY IN FULL – CONGRATULATIONS FOR HAVING DISCIPLINE and please continue reading 🙂
It gives me pleasure to once again present to you my Exclusive Credit Cards Showdown which happens to be Malaysia’s only unbiased and comprehensive comparison of credit cards with a systematic methodology to determine the best top 10 credit cards in Malaysia.
CREDIT CARDS SELECTED FOR THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN 2016 – Episode III
This time, I have increased the cards selected to 40 for my Exclusive Ultimate Credit Card Showdown and they are (click on the card to read my review):
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