What Are The Best Travel Credit Cards Malaysia Has To Offer?
A traveller should always choose a credit card that can reward them with points or cash rebates to maximise savings and elevate their lifestyle even further.
Every traveller is unique. Some of you may travel for business and some for leisure such as visiting closed ones on the other side of the world or vacationing at a dream location and so on.
While travelling used to be a privilege for the rich, now everyone from all walks of life can fly and experience the world, thanks to the Internet for tips and tricks on affordable travel.
Looking to find travel credit cards for your next getaway? You're in the right place! We've compiled a few recommendations below for all income bands.
| Best travel credit cards in Malaysia 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Credit Card |
Annual Fee |
Interest Rate |
Minimum Monthly Income |
Travel Perks |
|
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer American Express Gold
|
Free* | 15% p.a. | RM3,000 |
|
| HSBC TravelOne Credit Card
|
RM300 | 15% p.a. | RM5,000 |
|
UOB PRVI Miles Card
|
Free* | 15% p.a. | RM5,000 |
|
RHB World MasterCard Credit Card
|
Free | 15% p.a. | RM6,666 |
|
|
Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card
|
Free* | 15% p.a. | RM8,000 |
|
| CIMB Travel World Elite Credit Card
|
RM1,215.09 | 15% p.a. | RM20,833 |
|
|
Hong Leong Emirates HLB World Elite Card
|
RM2,500 | 15% p.a. | RM20,833 |
|
Benefits and features of a travel credit card
- Air miles bonus - anniversary bonus, welcome bonus
- Free airport transfer - Grab, limousine services
- Free airport lounge access - nationwide or worldwide
- Gold privileges - discounted to free green fees to prestigious golf clubs nationwide or worldwide
- Free travel insurance - coverage for personal accidents, flight delay, missing connecting flight, luggage delay, luggage loss
- Travel and lifestyle coverage - personal services for restaurant reservations, ticket bookings, transportation arrangements, etc.
- Cashback and rewards for overseas spending - save more with cashback and earn points/air miles when you pay with your credit card
Loyalty points: from rewards to air miles
It pays to be a loyal customer of any services you subscribed to because you can gain a lot of benefits, and they continue to retain business with you via a frequent-flyer program (FFP).
The frequent-flyer program (FFP) lets you earn air miles every time you purchase flight tickets with the airlines and their partners. These air miles can be used to pay for or offset the price of services within the airlines.
You can use air miles to redeem free flights, cabin upgrades and free access to the airport lounge.
Now, there is a credit card that can help you collect air miles faster than a loyalty card. They let you spend on anything (not just flight tickets) and reward you with points, which can be converted into air miles.
Take Hong Leong Visa Infinite as an example. This credit card rewards you with Enrich Miles (Malaysia Airlines' air miles) for every retail spend you make locally and overseas.
| Hong Leong Visa Infinite Rewards | |
|---|---|
| Enrich Miles | Spend |
| RM3.50 = 1 Enrich Miles | for local transactions |
| RM2.20 = 1 Enrich Miles | for overseas transactions |
You can also check out other credit cards that offer travel perks with a minimum monthly income of RM5,000 and below such as:
- AEON Visa Gold
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer American Express Gold
- UOB PRVI Miles Card
- HSBC TravelOne Credit Card
Best credit cards for air miles redemption
Not all travel credit cards reward you with air miles for every swipe. Most credit cards have their own rewards programs that give out points for every Ringgit you charge to it.
Since travelling has become commonplace for all, banks have expanded their credit card rewards redemption program to include air miles conversion.
Source: star2.com
All you have to do is spend with your rewards credit card to collect as many points as you want and then convert them to air miles once you reach the minimum conversion rate.
Below are some examples of credit card air miles conversion rates for Maybank, HSBC and Standard Chartered.
It is worth noting that for Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card cardholders, you will be enrolled in a different rewards program that gives out Miles Points with a lower conversion rate.
| Credit Card Air Miles Redemption in Malaysia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airline |
Maybank TreatsPoints |
HSBC Rewards Programme |
Standard Chartered 360° Rewards |
|
| AirAsia | - |
12,000 Points = 1,000 BIG Points |
2 Miles Points = 1 AirMile |
|
| Asia Miles | 14,000 TreatsPoints = 1,000 Asia Miles |
25,000 Points = 1,000 Asia Miles |
- | |
| MAS | 14,000 TreatsPoints = 1,000 Enrich Points |
21,000 Points = 1,000 Enrich Points |
2 Miles Points = 1 AirMile |
|
| Singapore Airlines | 14,000 TreatsPoints = 1,000 KrisFlyer Miles |
25,000 Points = 1,000 Enrich Miles |
2 Miles Points = 1 AirMile |
|
Still unsure of which travel credit card to get? We have compiled the best air miles credit cards in Malaysia for you to compare and apply.
Now, what is a travel credit card without getting the benefit of free airport lounge access?
While you can always pay to access these exclusive airport lounges, it's even better if you can get them for free! We have a list of cards that offer this privilege below.
Best credit cards for free airport lounge access
One of the most sought-after privileges in travel credit cards is complimentary access to the airport lounge. This designated area is private and usually catered to the elite segment.
But now, it is nearly accessible for all travellers with the right airport lounge access credit card. Below is the summary of credit cards that offer you this benefit:
| Best Credit Cards for Free Airport Lounge Access in Malaysia | |
|---|---|
| Credit Card | Airport Lounge Privileges |
| HSBC TravelOne Credit Card |
|
| UOB Visa Infinite Card |
|
| AEON BiG Visa Gold |
|
| Bank Rakyat Platinum Explorer Credit Card-i | 3X access to selected Plaza Premium Lounge in Malaysia, per year |
| AmBank Visa Signature |
|
| Maybank Visa Infinite |
|
| AEON Platinum Visa |
|
| HSBC Visa Signature |
|
| HSBC Premier Travel Credit Card |
|
|
Standard Chartered Journey Credit Card |
|
| AmBank Signature Priority Banking Visa Infinite |
|
Best credit card for overseas spending
There are a tonne of advantages when you use a credit card for shopping when travelling overseas.
First, you will save your cash for emergency purposes only. Secondly, you can earn multiplied points and cashback per swipe.
For example, with RHB Visa Infinite, you earn 1X points for every RM1 spent in Malaysia. But when spending overseas, you'll earn 5X points instead.
Below are the top credit cards for overseas spending that give you higher reward points for every transaction.
| Best Credit Card for Overseas Spending in Malaysia | |
|---|---|
| Credit Card | Point Earned Overseas |
| UOB Visa Infinite Card | RM1 - 10 points |
| HSBC TravelOne Credit Card | RM1 = 8 points |
| HSBC Visa Signature | RM1 = 8 points |
| AmBank Islamic Visa Infinite Card-i | RM1 = 5 points |
| RHB Visa Infinite | RM1 = 5 points |
To avoid your purchase being declined or flagged as suspicious by the bank, make sure you have enabled your credit card for overseas purchases and increased your credit limit before your trip.
Best credit cards with travel insurance coverage
Travel inconveniences such as delayed or missed flights are annoying, as much as losing or waiting for your luggage hours after you have landed. Those are common incidents affecting travellers, which is why some credit cards offer free travel insurance.
This benefit is effective only when you charge your flight tickets to your travel credit card. Even so, it is much more convenient and cheaper than having to purchase third-party travel insurance.
This is usually the case for those, like business people, who have limited time to plan for their journey.
Moreover, credit card travel insurance also provides coverage for personal accidents and medical expenses that you can reimburse later.
| Best Credit Card with Travel Insurance in Malaysia | |
|---|---|
| Credit Card | Insurance Coverage |
| UOB Visa Infinite Card |
|
| Hong Leong Emirates HLB World Elite Card |
|
| Maybank 2 Cards Premier |
|
| RHB World MasterCard Credit Card |
|
So, if your credit card offers this benefit, use your credit card for travel expenses like paying for your flights and hotels and you can be eligible for credit card travel insurance coverage.
