Best Credit Cards in Malaysia - The 2023 No-nonsense List!

A credit card is a card issued by a financial institution for the purpose of payment of goods and services, balance transfers and/or cash advances. It is basically a small loan, just like a home loan or personal loan, because you are essentially borrowing cash from your card issuer that must be paid back with an additional charge (depending on your card issuer).

When using a credit card, you are required to pay at least the minimum amount of your credit card balance every month by the due date.

The remaining balance will be brought forward to the following month and an interest rate will be charged. For balance transfers and/or cash advances, the interest rate will be applied from the date of the transaction. The interest rate varies with every bank so make sure to choose your card wisely.

In Malaysia, if you have an annual income of RM36,000 or below, you can only have a maximum amount of 2 credit cards.

If you earn more than RM36,000 per annum, you will not have any limitation on the number of cards you can apply for. However, if you have a bad credit history, it would depend on your bank’s requirements. As different banks have different terms and conditions, make sure you read the fine print to get more information.

There are various types of credit cards in Malaysia, each tailored to different lifestyles, spending habits, and purposes. The following categories represent the major types of credit cards that are available to the Malaysian public:

• Cashback Credit Cards These cards provide a cash rebate on your purchases, which allows you to reduce your financial burden and shop with peace of mind. Different cards have different terms for when, where, and how much cashback you can get, so it pays to do your research.

• Petrol Credit Cards Malaysia has one of the highest car ownership rates in the world. Just about everyone has a car, and everyone who has a car needs petrol. Petrol cards help you by allowing you different petrol-related benefits such as cashback or discounts for petrol from specific companies such as Shell or Petronas, or points that allow you to earn rewards while you fill up your tank.

• Rewards Credit Cards This kind of card allows you to accumulate points as you make payments. These accumulated points can be exchanged for a wide variety of things - usually gifts and gadgets from your card issuer’s rewards programme. Some cards even let you trade your points for air miles, use your points like cash to pay for items, or even holiday trips!

• Travel Credit Cards These cards allow you to accumulate points or air miles for travel purposes, making them suitable for frequent travellers. Most travel cards also give you great complimentary travel insurance coverage, making them a great way to get the most out of your travels.

• Balance Transfer Credit Cards These cards have attractive balance transfer rates, so you can transfer an existing balance to a brand new card from a different card issuer and take advantage of the lower rate to save on interest costs. You may need to pay a one-time fee to complete the balance transfer, but you stand to save money in the long run, making this type of card a great debt management tool for those who want to regulate their finances.

• Shopping Credit Cards These cards are the best type of cards for shopaholics! You can get the best discounts, reward points and gain cashbacks depending on where, when and how you spend.

• Promo Credit Cards These cards come with amazing offers and free gifts that will surely have you smiling from ear-to-ear. Check out Loanstreet’s Promo Card Page to find out which cards have great promos waiting for you now!

A primary card possesses a credit limit, but a supplementary card does not possess its own limit. Instead, the supplementary card shares the same credit limit as the primary card. The primary cardholder can set specific limits for specific supplementary cards. Supplementary cards will also share the same features as the primary card.

However, supplementary cards generally have lower annual fees, and sometimes come free together with a primary card.

Credit Card Issuers:

• Provides the credit card to you
• Sets the terms and conditions for every credit card
• Decides the interest rate on your credit card balances
• Controls your credit limit

Credit Card Networks:

• Decides where the credit cards can be used
• Helps the transactions made by you to the merchant through the bank
• Sets the interchange fee that the retailer has to pay when you swipe your credit card for your purchases

These networks have various types of complementary benefits such as premium access to airport lounges, travel protection, cashback, and rewards points. Every card may have different benefits depending on the card issuer. However, not every bank provides all these credit card network choices so be sure to check which type you would like.

A chargeback is the refund of a payment or purchase made to your credit card with the assistance of your card issuer. The process may take 1 to 6 months as the bank will have to investigate the dispute. You should contact your bank for more assistance as different banks have different policies.

It’s as simple as filling up an application form and submitting the relevant personal documents. On Loanstreet, just press apply and fill in your details. You will receive a phone call from us within 1 working day in order to check your eligibility, after which we will submit your application to the banks. You will then deal with the banks directly until your application is approved and your credit card is received.

• Ensure that you have sufficient income to repay your balance and the income declared in the application is solely yours.
• You could also have a guarantor who has a good credit history to cosign the application, for example, your parents, to be able to get a preferred interest rate.

Employed

• Latest Month Payslip and/or
• Latest EA Statement and/or
• EPF Statement and/or
• Employment Letter / Employer Confirmation

Self-Employed

• Latest 1 year Tax Returns / Tax Receipts
• Latest 6 months company CASA statement (for company directors)

However, do check with your respective bank on what documents you will need, as some banks will require extra documents.

Every card issuer has a different processing time to approve your application. However, it usually takes 7-10 days to receive your card, either by mail or collection at the bank. To make the processing time faster and more efficient, be sure to submit all the relevant documents with the correct details required by the card issuer.

There are a few options to track your expenses:

• Online/Mobile Banking: register through your bank’s website or by visiting the nearest branch
• Email: register and request for your statement to be sent to your email address
• SMS: may incur minor charges, for example RM0.50 per SMS
• Mail: no extra charges

You must contact your respective bank immediately and request to block your card. If you do not report it as soon as possible, you may be liable for the charges made to your card. The hotline services are available 24 hours for this issue. Besides that, you should also report to the police to protect yourself from any unauthorised usage.