My Thoughts on Malaysia Airlines’ 2026 Enrich Loyalty Program
- Refined Points
- 7 hours ago
- 10 min read
As many of you would have known by now, Malaysia Airlines has recently announced a significant revision (and I really do mean revision, not overhaul) to its Enrich Frequent Flyer program. As one would expect, opinions are sharply divided. On one side, we have Enrich loyalists defending the airline’s latest move, and on the other, we have a wave of critics calling out what they perceive as yet another devaluation.
To be honest, I wasn’t planning to write an article on this. But after receiving a barrage of messages from Refined Points readers, many assuming that I’m a full-blown Malaysia Airlines hater (which, to be fair, is spot on), I figured it’s time to weigh in.
Let’s make one thing clear before we begin. Malaysia Airlines is, in my opinion, a terrible airline. Enrich, however, is a pretty decent frequent flyer program. The two may share the same brand, but it’s painfully obvious that they are run by entirely separate management teams with vastly different levels of competence. Over the last few years, this separation has only grown more apparent.
It’s also worth mentioning that this latest revision directly affects me personally, as I have been an Enrich Platinum member for the past four years. So yes, what I’m about to say comes from firsthand experience rather than secondhand speculation.
Given the extensive coverage this topic has already received elsewhere, I’m taking a different approach. Instead of recycling what’s already out there, I’ll be comparing Enrich’s latest revision against other Oneworld programs, breaking down its structure, and sharing my honest thoughts—especially on how these changes affect Enrich Platinum members and the equivalent Oneworld Emerald status across other airlines.
Revised Elite Status Requirements
Let’s start with the most fundamental part: the updated tier point structure.
While the climb from Enrich Blue to Silver and Gold tiers only sees mild adjustments, Enrich Platinum takes a noticeable hit. The number of Elite Points required to qualify has been raised by approximately 40% compared to Gold. On paper, this might sound like a devaluation, but a deeper look at the new chart—effective from 1 January 2026—reveals some interesting sweet spots that weren’t there before.
For example, Business Class flights between Kuala Lumpur and London or Paris will now earn 50% more tier points than before. Meanwhile, key routes such as Tokyo see a 66.7% increase. In other words, Enrich is placing higher value on long-haul and premium routes, while subtly discouraging mileage runs on short-haul sectors.
I’ll be updating my separate article The Ultimate Guide to Earning Enrich Platinum Status with a full breakdown of this chart, but for now, it’s safe to say that these adjustments are carefully designed to incentivize quality flying rather than quantity flying.
My Thoughts on the New Tier Points Structure
At the risk of sounding controversial among loyal readers of Refined Points, I’ll say it outright: this was an excellent move by Enrich.
Here’s why.
In recent years, major Oneworld carriers have completely overhauled their loyalty structures. British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and Finnair Plus have all made it increasingly difficult to attain top-tier Oneworld Emerald status. As a result, frequent flyers worldwide have been searching for easier pathways to retain their elite privileges.
That’s where Enrich comes in. Its relatively accessible qualification system, combined with Malaysia Airlines’ extensive regional connectivity, has made Enrich an attractive alternative for travelers looking to secure Oneworld Emerald without jumping through endless hoops.
Add to that the contribution of Enrich’s local co-brand credit cards, particularly the AmBank Enrich Visa Platinum and Visa Infinite, which allow for “fast-track” status acquisition. It’s not hard to see why the number of Enrich elites has ballooned in the last two years.
This, however, comes with a major downside: overcrowded lounges.
During my return trip to Malaysia in September, I visited the Golden Lounges several times, including the Platinum Lounge, and the situation was disastrous. Overcrowding, limited seating, and long waiting times during peak hours were the norm. It’s clear that Malaysia Airlines’ lounges have reached breaking point.
Now, part of this problem can be traced directly back to Malaysia Airlines’ earlier decision to grant higher-tier statuses to cardholders who didn’t actually earn enough tier points. The AmBank Enrich Visa Infinite is a prime example of this. Its status fast-track benefit is possibly one of the most poorly designed features ever introduced in the co-brand space.
For example:
AmBank’s marketing proudly promotes a “30% off status requirement” feature, which effectively reduces the number of Elite Points you need to achieve a certain tier. But here’s the problem: there’s no minimum spend required. It’s a blanket discount for anyone holding the card.
Contrast that with the Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard in Hong Kong, which awards up to 100 status points per year based on a clear spending threshold of HKD500,000. The difference is night and day.
To put it bluntly, AmBank’s Enrich cards are a textbook case of self-sabotage. They have some of the worst design mechanics in the airline miles industry, and now the bank is likely crying about low margins and “profitability issues”.
You don’t have to be a genius to connect the dots: when you offer elite shortcuts without logic, you inevitably flood the lounges with people who didn’t earn their way there.
CIMB’s previous Enrich co-brand cards never had such issues precisely because they didn’t offer such gimmicks. The CIMB Enrich World Elite stood the test of time without any massiev devaluations until AmBank came along and destroyed the equilibrium.
The result? Golden Lounges that are now overcrowded to the point of dysfunction, and a bank-airline partnership that makes no financial sense.
This is a problem seen elsewhere too. American Airlines faced similar issues in 2022 when their revamped loyalty points system caused record levels of lounge congestion, prompting them to raise entry thresholds and cut back on guest privileges. It’s the same principle—too much generosity without structure leads to chaos.
The fix for Malaysia Airlines, however, has been predictably misaligned. Instead of refining the qualification logic or restructuring access tiers, they’ve chosen to punish loyal frequent flyers and prioritize co-brand cardholders. It’s a decision straight out of a comedy script, and once again, Malaysia Airlines has found a way to steal the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
The Devaluation of Enrich Platinum Companion
Now, let’s move on to one of the most discussed changes—the removal of companion guest lounge access for Enrich Platinum companions.
At first glance, this might seem like a huge loss, and understandably, it has angered many. But when we look at it from a global perspective, the change is actually quite reasonable.
Currently, Enrich Platinum members can nominate one companion (typically a spouse or family member) to receive equivalent status, including Oneworld Emerald. This companion enjoys all the same privileges—priority check-in, additional baggage, and yes, lounge access.
In theory, this means one Enrich Platinum could bring up to four people into first-class lounges: one under their own privileges and another one under their companion’s privileges. That’s incredibly generous by any standard.
Now, if we benchmark this against other Oneworld airlines, we’ll see that Enrich has actually been an outlier all along. Most Oneworld Emerald programs don’t even come close.
Cathay Pacific’s Diamond members, for instance, can only nominate a Gold-level companion after accumulating 1,800 tier points, well above the 1,200 points required for Diamond itself. In the upcoming 2027 revamp of Cathay’s program, this companion privilege is being moved even higher to the Diamond Executive tier, which requires 2,400 points.
In other words, Malaysia Airlines has been giving away too much for too little.
More importantly, this new restriction only applies to Malaysia Airlines-operated lounges. Enrich has no control over partner lounges. So when flying Oneworld, your companion can still access lounges like The Pier or The Wing in Hong Kong, the Qantas First Lounge in Sydney, or the Qatar Al Mourjan Lounge in Doha, simply by presenting their Oneworld Emerald-printed boarding pass.
So, does this change matter much? Not really.
Besides, let’s be honest. Malaysia Airlines’ Golden Lounges are far from premium. Between their uninspired food, mediocre drinks, and outdated interiors, it’s not exactly the kind of place you’d want to show off to your companion anyway.
If you value good lounge experiences, you’re better off with access via credit cards such as CIMB Travel World Elite, where the Plaza Premium First Lounge serves far better food and wine.
The Laughable Seat Selection Policy
It’s been a while since I last touched on Malaysia Airlines’ seat selection policy, but given the timing of this program revision, it’s worth revisiting.
Malaysia Airlines’ seat selection policy remains one of the most restrictive across the Oneworld Alliance. Enrich Platinum members can select standard economy seats for free at booking, but have to wait until 48 hours before departure to select extra-legroom or exit-row seats without charge.
At first glance, that might sound reasonable—until you realize what competitors are offering.
Almost all Oneworld carriers allow top-tier elites to select extra-legroom seats immediately upon booking.
American Airlines Platinum (Oneworld Sapphire) members can choose Main Cabin Extra seats right away and can even extend that benefit to up to eight companions. Japan Airlines allows even its Ruby members (equivalent to Enrich Silver) to select extra-legroom seats for free on international flights. Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Alaska, and Royal Jordanian all offer similar privileges with no waiting window.
So when Japan Airlines’ lowest-tier elites enjoy better seat benefits than Malaysia Airlines’ highest-tier members, you know something’s fundamentally wrong.
Only Qantas and SriLankan Airlines share Malaysia Airlines’ restrictive approach—hardly a group worth aspiring to.
And here’s the kicker: this restriction only applies when flying Malaysia Airlines. On other Oneworld carriers, Enrich Platinum members are treated as Oneworld Emeralds, meaning you’ll have access to better seat selections right from booking.
I’ve personally had no issues selecting extra-legroom or emergency-exit seats on Cathay Pacific with my Enrich Platinum number attached.
In other words, Malaysia Airlines continues to treat its own elites worse than its partners do.
The Reality of Status Runs
For those unfamiliar, a “status run” is the concept of flying purely for the sake of earning elite status. It’s something that’s become a cult ritual among aviation enthusiasts, but in Malaysia Airlines’ case, it’s historically been a nightmare.
The main reason is that over 60% of Malaysia Airlines’ mainline fleet consists of Boeing 737s. These aircraft serve most of the short- and medium-haul network and feature uninspiring recliner Business Class seats with no seatback entertainment. Passengers are told to use their own devices, which is absurd for a full-service carrier.
Flying these aircraft repeatedly just to earn tier points has always felt more like punishment than privilege.
However, this is where the new Enrich structure gets interesting.
With the 2026 revision, short-haul flights now earn significantly fewer Elite Points, while medium- and long-haul flights see higher returns. For example, a return Business Class trip to Denpasar now earns only 12 Elite Points, meaning you’d need nearly a dozen such trips to reach Platinum.
In contrast, long-haul Business Class flights on routes like Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo now earn 20 Elite Points per return journey. And more importantly, some of these routes are now being served by Malaysia Airlines’ new Airbus A330neo fleet, which features fully enclosed Business Class suites with sliding doors—finally bringing Malaysia Airlines into the modern era.
For the first time in a long time, Malaysia Airlines’ best routes are also the most rewarding for earning status. This alignment of product and program is something Enrich deserves credit for. It’s no longer a punishment to fly the airline’s flagship routes; it’s now a genuine incentive.
Final Thoughts
Enrich is modern, data-driven, and competitive within the Oneworld ecosystem. Malaysia Airlines is outdated, inconsistent, and chronically mismanaged (don't even get me started on removing Flex benefits for Economy Flex tickets). The two might share a logo, but they couldn’t be further apart in execution.
This is precisely why the new Enrich structure deserves praise. It’s a clear reflection of a loyalty program that’s finally thinking long term. The emphasis on rewarding quality travel over short-haul mileage runs, the recalibration of tier points toward premium and long-haul routes, and the decision to cut excessive companion privileges all point to a management team that understands sustainability.
For the first time in years, I can confidently say that the Enrich program is moving in the right direction (apart from the dinosaur-age seat selection benefits), although still far away from the likes of Cathay’s Marco Polo (or now, Cathay) and Finnair Plus.
But therein lies Enrich’s biggest Achilles’ heel: the AmBank Enrich Visa credit cards.
These cards have single-handedly undermined what Enrich is trying to achieve. The fast-track status “discounts” with no minimum spend requirements, coupled with their questionable benefit structure, have created an influx of artificial elites—people who did not truly earn their tiers. This isn’t just bad optics; it directly devalues the program and destroys the experience for genuine frequent flyers.
The situation mirrors what happened in other markets when banks over-incentivized elite shortcuts without proper guardrails. What should have been a valuable co-brand partnership ended up backfiring, hurting both the bank’s margins and the airline’s lounge ecosystem. The irony is almost poetic: AmBank likely cries about profitability while offering mechanics that guarantee losses.
If Enrich wants to sustain its credibility, this is the problem it needs to fix first. The quality of a loyalty program is only as strong as its weakest partner, and right now, that weakest link is AmBank. A restructured partnership—or a new co-brand entirely—would not only solve the overcrowding issue but also restore the exclusivity that top-tier status should represent.
Ultimately, Enrich has shown that it can stand on its own two feet, independent of Malaysia Airlines’ mediocrity. The program is finally building a foundation that rewards genuine loyalty, aligns incentives with profitability, and refines elite privileges for long-term sustainability.
If Enrich can clean up its co-brand ecosystem and continue focusing on strategic, data-driven growth, it could become one of the most compelling loyalty programs in the region—perhaps even one that Malaysia Airlines doesn’t deserve.
Until then, it remains a story of two very different trajectories under one brand. One moving forward with purpose and intelligence, and the other still trapped in nostalgia and inefficiency.
Fly Malaysia Airlines if you must—but chase Enrich status because it’s worth having. Just pray the next time you walk into the Golden Lounge, your seat isn’t already taken by someone who got theirs through a 30% discount credit card.
great insights. did not know mas is so far behind on seat selection
Thanks Kingsley. When will you share the platinum run article?