CIMB Bank has announced a revision to its Travel World Elite 8x Bonus Points campaign, which will soon limit the amount of Bonus Points (BP) that CIMB Travel World Elite credit cardholders can earn on various local spend. Set to take effect from 1 September 2023, this includes the introduction of an overall cap on the total points that you can earn via local spend in a statement cycle, as well as specific caps on the points that you can earn for selected local spend categories per statement cycle.

At present, CIMB Travel World Elite cardholders are allowed to earn unlimited 10 BP for every RM1 spent on overseas spend (inclusive of hotels), airlines and duty free transactions, as well as a special temporary benefit offered under the ongoing Travel World Elite 8x Bonus Points campaign to celebrate the launch of the card. This benefit, which is set to end on 31 December 2023, provided cardholders with an additional 8 BP for every RM1 spent on all other local retail spend, on top of the base 2 BP. This effectively allowed cardholders to earn 10 BP on all retail spending.

Once the campaign ends, all local spend (aside from airlines and duty-free expenses) will only be awarded the base 2 BP for every RM1 spent – unless the campaign is renewed.

With the implementation of this latest update in September, however, existing CIMB Travel World Elite cardholders will soon be limited to a maximum earning of 1,000,000 BP for all local spend (aside from airlines and duty-free expenses) in a single statement cycle. Additionally, there will be a cap of either 50,000 BP or 100,000 BP introduced for selected spend categories (under local spend), as listed out in the table below:

Spend category	Campaign BP	Total campaign BP cap per statement cycle
Transportation	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	50,000 BP
Supermarket/hypermarket	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	50,000 BP
Utilities	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	50,000 BP
Professional services	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	50,000 BP
Insurance	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	100,000 BP
Mail and telephone orders	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	100,000 BP
Telecommunication	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	100,000 BP
Automobile	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	100,000 BP
Retail	10 BP (2 BP base + 8 BP additional)	100,000 BP

Effectively, this revision will affect heavy users of this card, as the imposition of a monthly limit per category combined with the 1,000,000 BP cap means you won’t earn the accelerated rate after spending either RM5,000 or RM10,000 per category. In addition, the removal of the redemption of BP for cashback for all CIMB credit cards (which was also announced today) also means the CIMB Travel World Elite is no longer an “unlimited cashback credit card” that offered 2.5% effective returns on all retail spending.

That said, the CIMB Travel World Elite card remains one of the best credit cards for travellers. Fortunately, CIMB has not revised the 10x BP accelerated earn rate for Overseas, Airlines, and duty free store transactions, as well as the air miles redemption rates. Its other generous travel perks – such as the 12x access to Plaza Premium First, Plaza Premium Lounges, and affiliated lounges worldwide, as well as hotel benefits – also continue to make it a valuable addition to your collection of cards if you travel often.

Alongside this amendment to the CIMB Travel World Elite 8x campaign, note that CIMB also announced several other concurrent revisions that will impact the bank’s overall credit card portfolio – including the CIMB Travel World Elite card – come 1 September. Specifically, CIMB is set to terminate the redemption of BP for cashback, and will also stop awarding cash rebate, rewards or BP for DuitNow QR transactions.

If you’re one of those who have been earning BP via your CIMB Travel World Elite card with the intention to redeem cashback under the Member Rewards Programme, remember to do so before these revisions come into effect.

(Source: CIMB)

• TAGS:
• CIMB
• CIMB Bank
• CIMB Travel World Elite
• Credit Card Revisions