Wow | CIMB Actually Improves Complimentary Grab Benefit on Travel Platinum Mastercard
- Refined Points
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Well, this does not happen often enough to deserve silence.
Just weeks after I published my article titled “CIMB Nukes Complimentary Grab Benefit on Travel Platinum Mastercard”, CIMB quietly released an updated PDF detailing the revised mechanics of the airport transfer benefit. And to my genuine surprise, this is not a removal, nor is it a downgrade.
In fact, CIMB has actually improved the Grab benefit in several meaningful ways.
If you read my previous article, you would remember that the biggest concern was the perceived removal of the RM65 complimentary Grab voucher with no replacement in sight. At face value, that looked like yet another case of a mass market benefit being quietly axed. Thankfully, that assumption turned out to be wrong.
Not only has CIMB retained the benefit, but it has also made it more flexible, more practical, and arguably easier to use for real world travellers.
What Has Actually Changed?
Under the updated mechanics, the complimentary Grab benefit is no longer issued as a standalone voucher. Instead, cardholders simply need to input a dedicated promo code directly within the Grab app when booking an airport transfer.
Once applied, the promo code provides up to RM65 off a Grab Car ride for either pick up or drop off at participating airports in Malaysia. The list is comprehensive and includes KLIA, KLIA2, Subang, Penang, Langkawi, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri, and Tawau.
In other words, this is now a true airport transfer benefit, not just a generic Grab credit that may or may not get used properly.
The Real Upgrade Lies in the Spend Mechanics and Uses
Previously, cardholders had to meet a RM3,000 minimum spend within a relatively rigid timeframe to qualify for each RM65 Grab voucher. While this was not unreasonable, it did require a bit of planning, especially for mass market users who may not consistently hit that spend every single month.
Under the revised structure, CIMB has done something surprisingly sensible.
You still need to meet RM3,000 in spend, but you now have up to 90 days to do so from the date you use the promo code. This effectively turns the benefit into a quarterly mechanic rather than a monthly sprint.
This change alone makes the benefit far more forgiving and far more realistic for the card’s intended audience. It also aligns much better with how most people actually spend, rather than forcing artificial behaviour just to trigger a perk.
Importantly, there is no registration required. You simply use the promo code, take your airport ride, and then naturally meet the spend requirement within the next three months. If you fail to do so, CIMB will claw back the RM65. Simple and transparent.
Crucially, the complimentary Grab benefit on the CIMB Travel Platinum Mastercard was capped at twice a year. That was it. Two redemptions, regardless of how frequently you travelled.
Under the new structure, this has quietly been transformed into a once per month benefit.
Let that sink in.
Cardholders are now entitled to one RM65 Grab airport transfer per campaign month, subject to meeting the RM3,000 spend requirement within 90 days from usage. In practical terms, this means up to RM65 per month, or RM390 in total value over the six month campaign period from January to June 2026.
What was once a small, nice-to-have perk has now evolved into a recurring, predictable travel benefit. For anyone who flies even semi regularly, this turns the CIMB Travel Platinum Mastercard into a genuinely useful airport transfer card rather than a twice a year novelty.
More importantly, this aligns perfectly with how the card is positioned. Mass market users are far more likely to travel a few times a year rather than all at once. A monthly mechanic ensures the benefit is actually usable when trips happen, rather than forcing cardholders to time their travel around arbitrary redemption windows.
It also puts CIMB in a league of its own within the mass segment. There are still virtually no other entry level or free for life credit cards in Malaysia offering monthly airport transfer benefits, let alone one that works nationwide via Grab.
Context Matters. Especially for a Free for Life Card
It is easy to overlook just how rare this benefit still is.
Even with the revised mechanics, there are still virtually no other mass market credit cards in Malaysia that offer any form of complimentary airport transfer benefit. Let alone one tied to Grab, usable nationwide, and attached to a free for life card.
At a RM24,000 annual income requirement, the CIMB Travel Platinum Mastercard continues to offer a combination of perks that simply do not exist elsewhere at this level. Plaza Premium First access. Supplementary lounge access. And now, a properly structured airport transfer benefit that actually makes sense.
This is precisely why I have always said that the Travel Platinum Mastercard is not about miles optimisation. It is about value density.
Final Thoughts
When you combine everything together, this is no longer just a retention of benefits. It is a genuine upgrade.
CIMB has taken a twice a year airport transfer perk and quietly turned it into a monthly benefit. It has extended the spend window to 90 days. It has removed voucher friction. And it has enforced sensible usage boundaries that ensure the benefit is actually used for travel.
For a free for life credit card with a RM24,000 income requirement, this is borderline unheard of in today’s environment of relentless devaluations.
And in a market where most banks are busy taking things away, that alone makes the CIMB Travel Platinum Mastercard stand out even more than it already did.
