Top 5 Travel Credit Cards for Malaysians Earning RM5k & Below in 2018!

This article is mainly for readers who are yet to qualify for premium cards but interested to rake in serious airline miles.

Entry level credit cards do not offer as much miles or benefits compared to the premium cards but that doesn’t mean you are unable to rake in serious miles with them. Most importantly, READ the T&C to understand the rules & take advantage of it to maximize your point earning. Some common rules are: Monthly & Yearly Quota, Overseas spending, Limitation of specific transaction to earn more points.

Etihad Airways First Class Apartment

What’s so great about owning the correct travel credit cards? Free First & Business Class flights, Free Airport Lounge, Free Hotel Upgrades and Free Airport Transfer are some of the perks to indulge. Read our Top 10 Travel Credit Cards to Apply for Malaysians in 2018 to find out the best travel credit cards.

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1. Maybank 2 AMEX Gold Card

The Maybank 2 Gold Card AMEX is the best card for most people who yet to qualify for the premium cards which generally need RM100,000 annual income. With only RM30,000 min income required, anyone with RM2,500 monthly salary should apply this card to rake in airline miles.

Best of all, this card has no annual fees, there is no worry on achieving the minimum spending.

Best for : Earning Airline Miles

Redemption Rate :

• Local & Overseas – RM1.48 for 1 Asia Mile / RM1.69 for 1 Krisflyer

Eligibility : RM30,000 p.a

Annual Fees : Free for Life

Advantage :

• Very low eligibility to apply
• No annual fees
• High airline mile earning even for domestic transactions

Disadvantage :

• American Express is not widely acceptable compared with Visa & Mastercard
• Basic card without any extra benefits

More info : Maybank 2 AMEX Gold Card

2. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer AMEX

The Singapore Airline KrisFlyer AMEX Gold card is a medium entry card with a RM4,000 monthly salary to qualify.

This card allows holders to earn up to RM1 per 1 KrisFlyer mile making it one of the highest miles redemption card in the market. You will need to spend above RM60,000 in a year to achieve RM1 per 1 KrisFlyer

The downside, this card is limited to earn Singapore Airline KrisFlyer miles only and the miles are automatically transferred to your KrisFlyer account hence reducing your miles lifespan from 6 years to 3 years only. (Usual credit cards points are valid for 3 years and airline points valid another 3 years which makes it 6 years). So make sure you can earn enough points to redeem a worthy air ticket within 3 years when using this card.

Best for : Earning Singapore Airlines Krisflyer

Redemption Rate :

• Local & Overseas – RM2 for 1 Krisflyer Mile

*Double up your miles (RM1 for 1 Krisflyer) with minimum spend of RM60,000 within twelve (12) months Card anniversary year

Eligibility : RM48,000 p.a

Annual Fees : RM250 per year

Advantage :

• One of the highest earning credit card for Krisflyer even for domestic transactions
• 5X Free Plaza Premium Lounge Access in Malaysia per year
• Up to 50% off dining at Starwood Hotels in Malaysia

Disadvantage :

• Miles earning limited only to SIA Krisflyer
• Reduce validity of miles as it is automatically transferred
• AMEX is less accepted compare to Visa & Mastercard

More info : Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer AMEX

3. CIMB Enrich Platinum Mastercard

The CIMB Enrich Platinum Mastercard is another entry level card. Anyone who earns RM2,000 per month is eligible to apply this card.

What I like about this card is the simplicity of points earning. Regardless of any transactions, card holders earn 1 Enrich point for every RM4.00 spent.

Redemption Rate :

• Local & Overseas – RM4 for 1 Enrich

Eligibility : RM24,000 p.a

Annual Fees : Free for Life

Advantage :

• 2x Exclusive access to Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge worldwide provided flying with MAS
• No Annual fees

Disadvantage :

• Miles earning limited only to Malaysia Airlines Enrich

More info : CIMB Enrich Platinum Mastercard 

4. UOB PRVI Miles

Redemption Rate :

• Overseas, Airlines, Hotel, Travel Agency (Capped at RM3,000 per month)

– RM1.40 for 1 Asia Mile / RM1.70 for 1 KrisFlyer / RM2.10 for 1 Enrich Mile

• Local & Other Spending

– RM7.00 for 1 Asia Mile / RM8.50 for 1 KrisFlyer / RM10.50 for 1 Enrich Mile

Eligibility : RM60,000 p.a

Annual Fees : RM209.88 per year

Advantage :

• Good for specific category spending to earn miles.

Disadvantage :

• The 5X points earning is capped at RM3,000 per month.
• UOB removed the Plaza Premium Lounge benefit in 2018.

More info : UOB PRVI Miles 

5. Hong Leong Sutera Platinum

Redemption Rate :

• Overseas – RM1.70 for 1 Enrich Mile
• Dining & Weekend (Sat & Sun) – RM3.40 for 1 Enrich Mile
• Local & Other Spendings – RM10.00 for 1 Enrich Mile

Eligibility : RM60,000 p.a

Annual Fees : RM424 per year

Advantage :

• Free access to Plaza Premium Lounge in KLIA & KLIA2. (Limited to first 250 card holders)

Disadvantage :

• Selected category to earn higher mile.

More info : Hong Leong Sutera Platinum

Conclusion

We rank the credit cards mainly by conversion of point to mile, privileges available, annual income required and lastly the annual fees. We do not receive any commission nor benefits from any banks. This article is purely for our readers benefits.

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