been reading few months now in this card subforum, still cant decide (for now) the better complement for mbb2cards AMEX.

Purpose: Searching for Visa/Mastercard for retails not accepting AMEX.

1. Annual Income: RM36K to RM60K
2. Free Lifetime Annual Fee: Yes
3. Card required for: Cash Back/Rebate Only
4. Existing credit cards if any: Maybankard 2 Cards Gold
5. Looking at CC from: Any cards that give better than 1X TP from mbb2card Visa.

6. Others:

-- Monthly spending <RM1K (average RM500-600, inclusive petrol of ~RM200). Non-frequent dining out (usually kopitiam )
-- No problem using AMEX on weekends for petrol, Unifi, Tesco, Paypal (US retailer).
-- Possibility to waive RM50 GST, by points or waiver.
-- So far, OCBC Ti is OK for general use. No GST waiver is turning me off

thanks!

thanks victorywp!

was considering the same too. keep mbb2cards as is. dont waste unnecessarily by paying gst to govt

in a year, averaging <1K per month.

i recently swiped 2.5K using mbb2card visa (amex not accepted by the merchant), hence was considering a 2nd card for such "big" purchases.

i foresee 2-3 more such transactions (~2K per swipe) within this year.

This post has been edited by cybpsych: Feb 14 2014, 04:54 PM

thanks again for the recommendation

i only have mbb2card gold (amex+visa). that's it. since the introduction of GST, i've been avoiding getting 2nd/3rd card (banks) to spread and optimize my spending/cashbacks.

chances are, i wont be hitting even 1K spending per month, let alone every quarter

only on certain occasion i hit high spending, eg car accessories (definitely wont accept amex), computer parts, and upcoming insurance.

if i can foresee consistent >1K spending per month, Aeon Watami is a better choice. next would be OCBC TMC.

thanks for the feedback!

best entry-level with cashback is Maybankard 2 Cards

some reading from Gen-X http://generationsxyz.blogspot.com/2012/02...an-express.html

from M2U http://www.maybank2u.com.my/mbb_info/m2u/p...sonal/CRD-Cards

if your pay goes into Maybank, it'd easier for them to check. since you dont have any prior payslips, get ready your appointment letter as backup.

this may take time to adjust, but use Amex whenever possible.

just to share a quote from master sifu Gen-X's blog @ http://generationsxyz.blogspot.com/2013/12...edit-cards.html

**warning: sarcasm overload **



also we have an existing topic with forumers posting frequent updates on which local merchants supporting AMEX (and those that doesnt): https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2819336

cheerz!

This post has been edited by cybpsych: Mar 4 2014, 07:45 AM

Something to share.

Though they can issue card within 2hrs, I think. But upgrading card is slow.

I went to maybankard centre the gardens, Tuesday evening after 7pm. Was renewing mbb2card gold -> platinum. No rush getting card the same day, but was expecting next day or etc.

Till now, upgrade not processed yet. MBB cs told me need 5-7 days to process, if approved, then only send new cards to my house (inxonvenient for me to self-collect).

Oh well.

read thru this http://generationsxyz.blogspot.com/2013/10...n-malaysia.html

and this http://generationsxyz.blogspot.com/2013/12...edit-cards.html

if possible, get cards from 2 different banks: HLB Wise and Maybank2Card.

best is HLB Wise Gold (10% on 3 categories, any days, monthly max cap RM100), you can use them on your expensese highlighted BLUE above. Just split the swipe/purchase to RM50 each and you hit 10 times of RM50 transaction to "activate" the cashback. Those highlighted above may already hit 10 times.

HLB Wise tricky to manage since it's MCC dependent, but once adjusted your spending behavior/location, it'll be all right.

next seconday card is Maybank2Cards Gold/Platinum (5% weekends, monthly max cap RM50) for those highlighted ORANGE. swipe TGV over-the-counter (amex), subjective to your type of apparel purchase but H&M (selected outlet)/Uniqlo accepts Amex. Unifi/Streamyx via M2U (charge to Amex card when pay bill). Shell/Aeon/Giant/Tesco all accept amex. buy voucher at umobile counters @ Sunway Pyramid/BTS or reload pin @ Tesco using Maybank2card Amex.

Amex 5% weekend cashback is simpler to manage, as long as amex is accepted, you'll get the cashback.

umobile reload, can get better cashback if use HLB Wise, next is Amex. SESCO/prudential insurance, not sure. someone reported SESCO payment doesnt accept amex.

you can also maximize HLB Wise at Tesco to buy prepaid reload (if you didnt choose Grocery category) and pharmacy @ Caring. read this thru


just general suggestion. do study each card's benefits and T&Cs to be eligible for the cashback, and also some suggested transaction cutoff (e.g. HLB Wise at 26th since some posting may be few days late. if you ngam-ngam hit 10x, you'll lose the cashback if 1 last transaction posted to next month)

This post has been edited by cybpsych: May 24 2014, 07:25 PM

HLB Wise Gold's annual fee = RM160. waive condition is subjective, so just assume you had to pay it.

if you can consistently getting cashback every month, you've covered the AF in 2 months time. the rest of the year, 10 months free for you to reap the cashback benefits.

need more work, spending arrangement and behavior, but the benefits are worth it. no easy money, but it's there

even with maybank2card amex, there is no limit on spending category but still need to "hunt down" your frequently-used merchants whether they accept amex at all based on majority of your bulk spending (groceries and petrol), you're safe


there is another card with slightly lesser cashback % is Aeon Watami Visa card. 3% cashback per quarter spending. Just need a min accumulated RM3k spending in the quarter, and you'll get 3% cashback. since it's capped at RM150 per quarter, max recommended spending is RM5k (3% of 5K = RM150).

you're already spending on average RM1.5k per month (~RM4.5k per quarter with ~RM135 cashback). Though lower cashback %, it's easier to manage with this card first. There are some rebates during signup and annual fee waiver is pretty straightward (1st year free, 12 time swipe per year for subsequent years' waiver) <-- this is a good card to start with.

This post has been edited by cybpsych: May 24 2014, 10:22 PM

just wondering, for purely insurance payment... if within 3 months doesnt exceed RM3k (e.g RM600/mth or RM1.8k/qtr), any suggestion what card can give better benefits?

so far that i can think of, only OCBC's Mastercard unlimited 1% cashback is the best universal card without AF or spending criteria.

other spending, e.g. petrol/groceries/mobile/etc already covered by most popular cards.

perhaps try Maybank Islamic MasterCard Ikhwan Gold Card @ min. income RM30k pa

Benefits:

• No Annual Fee with no conditions attached.
• Umrah Trip. One weekly Umrah winner (package for 2pax) will be selected to win an Umrah package (for Muslims) or holiday package (for non-Musilims) – non exchangeable / transferable. Every RM200 retail spending in one single receipt entitle for 1x entry. Campaign starts 1st August 2014 and ongoing. Winner selection will be done every six (6) months.
• 5% rebate on petrol and groceries on Friday and Saturday, capped at maximum of RM50.00 per customer per month (Principal Cardmember only)
• Charity Fund. With every spending the Bank will contribute 0.1% for charity purposes.
• FREE Maybank Touch ‘n Go Zing card
• TreatsPoints. Every RM1 spend locally and overseas earn 1 Treatspoints

CashBack T&Cs
Product Disclosure

as victorywp did propose maybank2card amex, it should be able to cover most of your monthly, predictable spending.

rm250 on Utilities (TNB, maxis Internet, postpaid) <-- Pay TNB via M2U to your AMEX. not sure which telco you use for 'postpaid', but maxis payment can be done via kiosk that accepts Amex.

rm200 on petrol <-- most all Shell and Petronas already accepting Amex at the fuel dispenser.

rm100 on toll <-- cash only? try 'upgrade' to Touch 'N Go for your convenience and also to reload via credit card/Amex. need some legwork to hunt for suitable petrol stations/grocery stores that accepts Amex. this topic should help you get started

other spending like room rental, it'd be interesting for the landlord/lady to accept credit card/amex


assuming without toll, you're at least covered ~RM450 of monthly spending using Amex, albeit need some work to adjust. those non-payable spending using Amex, if it's just optional to you, try testing and changing to other merchants that accepts Amex?

there's no 1-card that can cover every single spending type while giving higher cashback. so far, only 1% cashback cards give you such 1-card-for-all spending, if you really dont bother much about the return you'll be getting.

am sure fly126 didnt pluck this from the forbiddden tree

here's the source from horse's mouth.

only banks will know exactly what is the MCC associated to each transaction goes through them.

even asking from the merchant, most likely they wouldnt know (I've tried asking numerous times from various merchants).

how many cards you're carrying now?

if got mbb2cards (monthly cashback max cap at RM50), then use it on weekend, of course provided your college accepts Amex too. if planning to get new mbb2cards now, still ok cuz got new signup promotion (shared by adele123 above)

try ask your college admin whether they accept multiple-cards combination swipes to make up RM6.1k college fee.

e.g.
since mbb2cards cashback capped at RM50 per month, that translates to RM1k swipe per month.
You still got remaining RM5.1k <-- for this remaining, swipe it with Aeon Watami card (cashback max capped RM150 per quarter = RM5,000 cumulative swipe amount per quarter)
The remaining RM100, just stick with mbb2cards to earn 2X points or if your college allow you to swipe remaining RM100 to next calendar month, lagi better cuz u get RM5 cashback instead.

Total cumulative cashback for RM6.1k swipe = RM200-205 with points from mbb2card+aeon watami

rough calculation only la, cuz excluding your other misc spending like groceries, petrol, bills, etc etc



btw, what is the college fee payment schedule like? RM6.1k per annum? per quarter?

need more study on your cards availability and the college fee payment schedule (distribution). then find the nearest available cards to best cater you.

next question is does the college allow instalment payment?

since this is an 8-month course, say, split payment to RM3k + RM3.1K or max it out at RM5K + RM1.1k, per quarter each payment. Use Aeon Watami card instead.

this way you're expected to get RM90+93 or RM150+33 = RM183 total cashback.

Aeon Watami has low sign-up requirement too. however cashback per quarter is derived from approval date+3 months cycle, not calendar quarter. need to time your card application.


if it's too tedious, whack all in to mbb2card amex 5% RM50 cb+TPs or OCBC 1% unlimited cb (RM61 cashback). Both doesnt have annual fee and both have signup rebates which essentially free 1st year usage.

u have to understand that MBB doesnt have direct points-to-cash conversion. having a 12200 points doesnt mean you can get back RM48.80 in cash/credit.

all have been discussed is about the equivalent value of the points in relation to the available vouchers for redemption.

lowest so far is 12,500 TP for RM50 shopping vouchers (Aeon, Metrojaya, SOGO, Parkson, Mydin, etc)

e.g. 12,500 TP for RM50 AEON voucher (recently reported here) <-- whereby RM1 value equivalent to 250 points.

refer this https://www.maybankard.net.my/catalogue.php?prodid=89 for MBB TreatsPoints shopping voucher redemption.


update:

if no instalment, the best is Aeon Watami.

1) Swipe RM6.1k lump sum. that'll max out RM150 cashback.
2) RM6.1k gives you 6,100 points (RM1 = 1 point). Aeon Card gives you cash rebate redemption from points, RM25 = 6,250 points. Refer here.
3) So, swipe another RM150 using Aeon Watami card to gain additional 150 points on top of 6,100 points = 6,250 points = RM25 cash rebate into your credit card statement. Also, you can BT from other cards to Aeon cards, cuz you get points too!
4) Total cashback/rebate = RM150 + RM25 = RM175 for the total swipe of RM6,250 = 2.8%

above just a suggestion

This post has been edited by cybpsych: Oct 5 2014, 05:38 PM

nope! just read a lot from this forum and understand each card's benefits and T&Cs

no wonder they stopped Flash deal also. let's hope they revamp the entire blue/pink cards with better cashback (>1%)/reward scheme.