The transaction amount shown in your statement has already factored in the admin fee and currency conversion. Banks won't show the details on currency conversion to you.


Previously, its 1% cash back was based on demoniation of RM100. That means, you would only get RM1 cash back if you spend RM199. However, I was informed few months ago that you could receive rebate for every single RM1 you spend. I doubt so, as the information was given by a promoter. Furthermore, HLB used to impose stringent T&Cs for all the promotions.


Do note that the 2x points on overseas transactions are only applicable to Platinum cards.


It is a trap. I had rejected so many pre-approved cheques from HLB. Fortunately my existing banks such as SCB, Alliance and MBB do not give (or haven't given) me such rubbish.


Normally, HLB would only update the information on additional points 1 or 2 months later, or after the expiry of the promotion period.


If you have a premier account from HSBC Malaysia, it will be easier to get a HSBC cc in Singapore if you work there.

20k was the old figure. It is much lower nowadays.

Generally, most banks do not have minimum CL nowadays.

It doesn't really excite me much:
1) I presume no reward points will be given
2) 0.3% cash back for "other" spending is simply too little
3) For grocery and telecommunication bills, Amex Gold cc gives 5x points which is equivalent to 2.5% cash back vs Citibank 2.0% cash rebate

Nevertheless, the 5% rebate for petrol is deemed good!

My car is not a heavy drinker so rebate for petrol is not a main point to consider. Anyway, I may have to terminate my Alliance Visa Plat as I discover that its admin fee on forex conversion is not zero as promised, but also among the highest in the industry! My recent hotel payment was split into 2 concurrently, using Alliance Visa Plat and Amex Gold cc respectively. To my surprise, the currency conversion done by Alliance Visa Plat was 0.6% higher than Amex Gold cc!

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Added on May 26, 2010, 9:08 pmHLB Visa Essential. But 1% cash back isn't a big thing to me. I forgo this card.

I reckon SCB JustOne, Amex Gold cc and Alliance Plat (if you spend RM5k per month) are still considered good in today's market.

This post has been edited by winner: May 26 2010, 09:09 PM

That's why I said, forgo this card. HLB always has stringent T&Cs.

I do notice that PBB has been organising attractive cash back promotions since last year. Fortunately PBB keeps renewing the cash back campaign.

This new card is not bad at all, but not good enough. Citibank should be more generous when giving cash rebate to "other" spending. The 0.3% cash back is kind of a letdown.

Yes, there is! Should you think carefully, Amex Gold cc fits your requirement if 1% cash rebate is deemed a big thing to you. You can redeem your MR points for cash rebate. 200 points = RM1. Amex Gold cc gives x5 points (equivalent to 2.5%) for petrol, grocery and telco bills, as well as x2 points (equivalent to 1.0%) for all other retail transactions.

Anyway, 1% cash back isn't really a big deal nowadays. You can easily get a flat rebate rate of 2.0% or 1.5% if you own Alliance Premium or Plat debit card.


It doesn't really matter. I don't think many people will carry this card when travelling abroad, as it gives a mere 0.3% for overseas transactions which are categorised under "other" spending. People apply for this card mainly due to the attractive 5% rebate for petrol.

Yes, it is quite annoying to see people requesting agents or agents promoting cards directly here.


It has been discussed many times. See the link below.

https://younique.alliancebank.com.my/FAQ.php?page=faq

2% rebate may sound good. But it is based on tier system. If you don't spend RM5k monthy, the rebate you get is insignificant.


For me, I generally use Amex Gold cc for payment of petrol, telco and grocery only. Whilst Alliance Visa Plat is my main card for overseas transactions for cumulative spending of RM5k, in order to maximise the cash back on top of the 2x points given. If my spending has reached RM5k, I will then use Alliance Premium MC Debit Card for 2% rebate.

A debit card is still a VISA or MasterCard, and thus merchant fee applies.

If it will be something like CIMB/DA World MC then we should forget it. It has to be something with features better than or similiar to SCB VI.

I guess Ambank, just like Eon Bank, has improved a lot now. From its aggressive advertisement on newspapers and magazines, we can notice that the bank is trying to improve its branding and increase the market share. It is currently having a 20% cash back promotion. I am not sure about the details but I guess the T&Cs must be stringent.

It's confirmed Alliance charges higher than other bank!

Last week I again used my Alliance Visa Plat to settle my hotel bill in Abu Dhabi, while my colleague used his HSBC Premier MC to pay the hotel bill. We checked out and made the payment at the same time. When I checked my unbilled amount online a few days later, Alliance's figure was 0.9% higher than my friend's HSBC!


The card is not good enough to me. That's why I cancelled it long ago.

However, if it is compared to other premium card like CIMB/DA VI or World MC, this card is still better. For example, it gives free travel insurance of up to RM3mil and free travel medical insurance of up to RM50,000 each for cardholder and his/her spouse. No other cards in Malaysia offer such a high premium.

One-year-old card is accepted.

No problems, you can use any Malaysian issued CCs in Australia. In terms of card recognition, nonetheless, the 2 banks above are very well recognised worldwide.

I also received an official offer from SCB today. SCB will grant me 11,000 choice points if I use my SCB JustOne cc at least 3 times by end of this month. This offer is for SCB CCs due for renewal in July. That's very generous!

As long as you are still a Priority Banking customer with SCB, the AF can be easily waived. Very few people are willing to pay AF nowadays.


As I get reimbursement in full from my company, the high admin fee on forex conversion is not really a big issue to me. I am however disappointed over Alliance's dishonest gimmick.

If you think carefully, the 2x points from Alliance bank is actually equivalent to 0.40% - 0.45% cash back only, still far from the additional 0.9% charge.


SCB requires 10,000 choice points to offset the RM50 service tax. Under the reward programme, you can use 5,000 points to redeem RM25 cash rebate vs 12,000 points for a RM50 voucher. Cash redemption is obviously much better than vouchers.

Same as Alliance. They are not afraid of "threats", even though you are their Privilege Banking customer.


No. CIMB Enrich MC is not free. You need to request for AF waiver, which is subject to approval.

Yes, you can do that.


I am sure the bank will grant you the waiver, if you can give them a solid reason.