In Malaysia, finding a credit card that excels in both local and overseas spending for airline miles accrual can be challenging. Most cards tend to specialize in specific spending categories or regions.
However, a few stand out as solid all-rounders. Here, we highlight some of these versatile credit cards that offer balanced benefits for both local and overseas expenditures.
UOB Visa Infinite
The UOB Visa Infinite is a robust all-rounder credit card. It offers a generous 0.55 miles per ringgit (MPR) on dining and an impressive 0.88 MPR on overseas spend. Given that a significant portion of local expenditures often goes towards dining, this card's enhanced MPR for dining transactions makes it particularly attractive.
Additionally, it provides 12 regional lounge accesses via DragonPass annually. UOB Privilege Banking customers can benefit further with global lounge access instead of just regional.
Standard Chartered Journey
Launched in June 2023, the Standard Chartered Journey has gained popularity for its comprehensive benefits, especially for those who frequently travel within Malaysia. This card offers unlimited lounge access to KLIA1 and KLIA2 lounges, a unique feature in Malaysia.
It also provides a solid 0.5 MPR on dining, travel, and overseas spend. With an annual income requirement of RM90,000, it is accessible to many and serves as an excellent entry point for those new to the airline miles game.
Alliance Bank Visa Infinite
The Alliance Bank Visa Infinite stands out for its peculiar yet advantageous features. It offers 0.53 MPR for all e-wallet reloads and 0.33 MPR for overseas spend.
The strategy here is to prioritize e-wallet reloads to maximize the 0.53 MPR, capped at RM3,000 monthly. This card also offers a moderate 0.33 MPR on dining and groceries once the e-wallet cap is exhausted.
Additionally, it includes 2 international lounge accesses and 1 Travel Club lounge access per annum.
CIMB Preferred Visa Infinite
CIMB's credit cards have taken a very different approach as of late, opting to go for a tiered bonus structure, which caters to those of you that spend on a variety of merchant categories.
The good news is that even without the tiered bonus structure, the CIMB Preferred Visa Infinite offers a very solid 0.64 MPR on Dining and overseas spend.
It's baby brother, the CIMB Visa Infinite, offers a 0.4 MPR on Dining and overseas spend. Both credit cards offer a one-time amount of bonus points if you meet the designated spend threshold. For the CIMB Preferred Visa Infinite, the threshold is at RM10,000, which nets you 35,000 Bonus Points. For the CIMB Visa Infinite, the threshold is at RM3,000 and RM5,000 which nets you 7,500 and 15,000 Bonus Points respectively.
Both cards offer 8X lounge access per annum, but the CIMB Preferred Visa Infinite offers access to the Plaza Premium First, which sits very high on my ranking of great lounges.
UOB World Card
The UOB World Card is a decent mid-tier offering for those looking to start accumulating airline miles. It provides additional UNIRM for various merchant categories, including groceries and e-wallets.
However, to maximize your UNIRM gains, careful planning and monthly coherence are required. For instance, while you get 0.8 MPR on e-wallet reloads, this is limited to only RM300 per e-wallet, and the card grants UNIRM for only three e-wallets: TNG E-Wallet, Boost, and BigPay.
It also offers a 0.33 MPR on groceries and overseas spend, both of which are capped. This necessitates strategic planning to fully benefit from this card. For a detailed analysis, check out my full review, where I also discuss whether the 125,000 UNIRM bonus is justifiable.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer American Express Platinum Credit Card
This credit card is a good choice for KrisFlyer miles accrual for those in the RM60,000 income bracket. It offers 0.4 MPR on local spend and 0.5 MPR on overseas spend, along with 0.5 MPR on online transactions, making it a solid contender for online shoppers.
The highlight is its 1 MPR on spend with Singapore Airlines, Scoot, and KrisShop, given its co-branded nature.
Additional perks include fast track to KrisFlyer Elite Gold status, which is beneficial for those who frequently travel to Singapore or Bangkok, the nearest Star Alliance hubs to Malaysia.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right credit card for airline miles accrual depends on individual spending habits and travel patterns.
The UOB Visa Infinite, Standard Chartered Journey, Alliance Bank Visa Infinite, CIMB Preferred Visa Infinite, UOB World Card, and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer American Express Platinum Credit Card each offer unique benefits that cater to different needs.
Whether it's maximizing dining expenses, benefiting from lounge access, or leveraging e-wallet reloads, these cards provide solid all-round value for both local and overseas spending, making them some of the best options in Malaysia for balanced airline miles accrual.
