Bad experience with DA. I had cancelled my both DA master & visa 2 months ago. They always charged late charges and interest even late payment of just 1 day. For example, the payment due date was 4th of each month. I paid by cheque at CIMB autopay machine on 1st of every month. Even it was a local cheque, they took at least 3 working days to clear it and the payment transaction always happened on 4th or 5th. I was so tired to call them asking for late charges and interest waiver every month.

Secondly, the bonus point expire every 3 yrs. They forefeited my 15000 pts when I was busy in overseas. Recently, I redeemed a voucher. I asked them to send it to my hse but they charged courier fee which was shown in the bill statement of the following mth!

Not really true. It all depends on banks...some banks are more flexible in giving grace period for late payment. I have HLB credit card too, and sometimes I did pay late (1 or 2 days late only). But they didn't charge interest and late charges in my next month's statement.

I totally agree to what u said. I think only ppl like us who used other bank cards before would know DA and CIMB bad service. Not only HLB, I also own Citi Platinum and Alliance, when there's only 1 or 2 days late, there's no penalty charges.

Moreover, I don't know whether any of u have experienced this. When I showed DA card at purchase counter, some retailers had no idea on which financial institution it is and asked me, "which bank?" or "can it be used?"!!! I also found out that DA cards' swipes were much slower than other cards, impatient retailers might have to wait a bit longer for the slip to come out from swipe machine. My previous DA visa also got rejected when I used it in Thailand.

Different cards suit different ppl. For those who r bearable with the bank's service, and hassle free to ask for annual free waiver, DA might be the card u want, especially for fresh degree holders. But I reckon it's more practical to use CIMA than DA, since both r under the same bank and have the same feature. Further, the former is more recognised widely.

For a frequent traveller like me, I opt for a globally recognised card like Citi. Holding Citi Platinum also gives me privilege in premium lounge at airport and philharmonic.
p/s: I m not working with Citi.
I have definitely informed all my bankers before I travelled overseas

All the bank credit cards in M'sia are decent. What distingush their performance are the features and customer service. For Direct Access, the best selling point and benefit is free for life, without any conditions. Other than that, sorry to say that it just can't be on par with certain other banks. Under the CIMB group, I think DA targets more fresh graduates, while CIMB is more corporate based. So long as you are an unversity degree holder and have a decent job, your application for DA card can easily been approved. Because of this, some fresh graduates may use DA as an alternative to get other bank cards in future. My cousin who just graduated last year and now helps her dad in a shop, applied for Maybank, Public and Citi but got rejected. She then applied for DA and get the approval without any difficulties. 6 months later she applied Citi thru an agent at Shell petrol station by showing her existing DA card. She was then approved with Citi card with the same credit limit.

That's right, what we customers want is advice and solution on the spot. Because when people call the customer service, they must be facing an urgent issue to be solved. I really hate those customer service staff who have promised to call me back to advise me after my enquiries but NEVER get back to me!!!

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Added on May 10, 2009, 7:50 amYes, CIMB cc business has improved because of “free for life” cc from the former Southern Bank. But, why did you compare CIMB with smaller players like Bank Rakyat and Affin??? It looks like comparing Toyota Camry with Toyota Vios. Before the KLSE rally last month, CIMB ranked 2nd in M’sia in terms of market cap, after Public Bank but ahead of Maybank. Why not rate CIMB against Maybank and PBB. CIMB still has a long way to go….

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Added on May 10, 2009, 8:06 amAfter DA charged courier fee for the RM50 voucher I redeemed, I called them to ask for waiver. The customer service staff said her company won't waive for it because they have already waived the annual fee of the card. Consumers need to be wary of "free for life" term, as this term always comes with a lot of strict conditions. Since they are so many other banks who also offer free cards, we consumers have many choices to choose other banks. But I think we must thank DA for being the first to create "free for life" cards, otherwise we won't be spoilt for choices now...

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Added on May 10, 2009, 8:06 amAfter DA charged courier fee for the RM50 voucher I redeemed, I called them to ask for waiver. The customer service staff said her company won't waive for it because they have already waived the annual fee of the card. Consumers need to be wary of "free for life" term, as this term always comes with a lot of strict conditions. Since they are so many other banks who also offer free cards, we consumers have many choices to choose other banks. But I think we must thank DA for being the first to create "free for life" cards, otherwise we won't be spoilt for choices now...


This post has been edited by winner: May 10 2009, 08:06 AM

To hye,

No problem. We are here to review cc service and share our experience as cc users. You are welcome to reveal your good and bad experience, so that other ppl reading this thread can gain some information when dealing with respective banks.

I've never dealt with so many banks like what you did, but I did own a few cards issued by different banks, such as HLB, DA, Citi and Alliance. Let me share my experience here. I've so far had worst experience with DA as mentioned earlier, so I will not elaborate further. I have been using HLB since 1994, and I am still very happy with their service. The recent 5% cash rebate promotion is a plus point. I have been rewarded RM50 for 2 consecutive months. Besides, they sent those things that I redeemed in a week time without charging courier fee. However, the biggest disadvantage is that the card is not free, and I have to make a call requesting for waiver every year, even though I am their existing housing loan customer. Since I was advised by my banker friend not to own cc from more than 2 banks, I will cancel this card once the cash rebate promotion is over.

I own Citi Platinum. This card so far gives me the best service ever, probably due to the platinum status. I enjoy lots of privileges, especially when I travel overseas. Further, I feel very proud of showing this card while making payment, whenever with my gf and bussiness associates.

I've just applied for Alliance Younique, soon after I cancelled my DA early this year. I like the unique feature, which allows customers to choose any design they like. It really looks cool and so different from conventional cc. It also gives cash rebate and bonus point simultaneously. The bonus points collected will never expire. Another plus point is that it is free for life, with condition of minimum 5 swipes in a year. Alliance deserves a praise for their creativity. But I doubt whether they could garner a bigger market share because the number of branches is limited. Generally ppl will only own cc from the banks located near their house and office, or their existing banks where they can do online banking.

I was informed that cases on cc scam are on the rise in this economic turbulent time. When market is bad, there will be more new techniques of cc scam. It’s better to be conservative and alert while using your cc during recession. Moreover, you don’t know whether your personal particulars with the banks are safe and kept in confidential. Still remember the article in The Star few weeks ago about customers’ personal details being sold and leaked out? Another reason is that you’ll be spending less if you hold lesser cards. Just imagine, human being are so easily tempted by brochures if they have cc with lots of banks. They might end up buying things they don’t actually need by using easy payment scheme. Number of balance transfer also increases, resulting in snowball of outstanding balance and interest, as well as increase in cc defaults among younger cc users. Why do we still keep the cc that we seldom use? The fewer cc from banks you have, the fewer risk for you to be targeted by the cc scam and be fallen into the NPL category.

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Added on May 11, 2009, 11:01 amIt is not the case for Citi. The name appeared on the card is the name I want. It’s confirmed, because I own Citi cc.

Same thing happened to my Alliance cc. They only approved the credit limit which is less than half of the limit of my other cards. But I have no complains because this makes me spend less and cap my spending at no more than 5k on this card to enjoy the 2% cash rebate.



This post has been edited by winner: May 11 2009, 11:01 AM

I did not my real name shown on IC. I used an Eng name + my surname

Has anyone here encountered this unpleasant experience from Alliance Bank recently? I received my 2nd month statement for Younique card. They charged interest on retail transaction in the statement. I remember clearly when I called the CS last month, they told me that there won’t be any interest for the first 3 months. That’s why I only made minimum payment stated in the 1st month statement before the payment due date.

This afternoon I called the CS and made an enquiry about the interest charged in the statement. To my surprise, the CS girl told me that it is their company’s policy to impose interest on outstanding balance, and she kept arguing that she was never aware of such a promotion which gives interest free for 3 months. She said she can’t simply waive the interest and she will consult her manager on the interest free issue. OMG!!!! What kinda CS is this? The staff is not well trained and not familiar with the company’s ongoing promotions! I am still awaiting their response. I am thinking of lodging a complaint to Bridget Lai if I do not receive a clarification from them by tomorrow.

This incident really ruins my impression on Alliance. I feel cheated and annoying. The “instant interest waiver” promotion is clearly stated in their website below:
Alliance

https://younique.alliancebank.com.my/pop_rebate.html

What? They used "free interest" to lure customers but they can't keep their promise when too many customers utilise the benefit! I won't be troubling myself sending email and fax, requesting something that has been promised. But if I am free to do so, it will be a complaint letter directed to their CEO.

Wah...thinking of giving them a 2nd chance. If they don't respond by end of today, then I'll decide my next course of action. The CS girl and the one prepared the statement could lose their jobs if I lodge a complaint to BNM directly.

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Added on May 13, 2009, 9:59 amYes, to some extent. At least I can say that ppl can only hijack your card up to a limit of 6k only if this unfortunate incident happens.

This post has been edited by winner: May 13 2009, 09:59 AM

Oh yeah..the issue has finally been resolved. The CS girl has just called and apologised, saying that the mistake was due to some technical problems. Huhh, "technical problem" seems to be the best excuse? She informed that my next month's statement will still be interest free. At least I feel a bit more comfortable for now.

I urge those currently holding Younique cards to check their statements thoroughly. If I took the statement easily and didn't practise consumer right, I would have fed the bank with extra money unconsciously.

That sounds logical. I may do the same to my Younique cc. Btw, it's confirmed that the max rebate per month is RM68.25, equivalent to 1.365% only.

68.25 / 5000 = 1.365%

It would be good if they maintain the rebate rate at 2%. But they have now slashed it to 1%. Further, there is no reward points. I wonder whether the existing Visa Ess cardhorders are allowed to participate in the current HLB 5% cash back promo. It doesn't attract me now.

From your explanation, I understand that your main requirements are cash rebates, free for life and evergreen points. At this point in time, I don't see any cards that offer all the combined benefits except Alliance Bank. The cash back from Alliance is applicable to all kinds of purchases. However, the number of branches is quite limited though. Convenience is the key element of consideration when choosing a cc. It is advisable to select a bank which is located near your house and office, or your existing bank which you normally do online banking.

I do not agree with your view. Firstly, the SCB JustOne card is not free for life, and you need to spend at least RM15k per annum in order to get the annual fee waived. Secondly, the reward points will expiry every 3 years. Third, the maximum cash rebate per card per year is only RM600, compared with Alliance at RM819 (@RM68.25 x 12 month). Moreover, this card can serve as debit card too. It comes with cheque book facility and you MUST open a current account with them.

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Added on May 18, 2009, 10:38 pmAgree. DA really needs to improve their service. Their so-called “free for life” concept comes along with some stringent conditions. They are extremely strict in imposing late payment and interest charges. Courier fee is definitely a NO NO for customers. Plus point is their reward products have a good variety.

This post has been edited by winner: May 18 2009, 10:38 PM

You are welcome. You will make the right decision by selecting a bank which is most convenient for you.

To aerolim:

I suppose you are a cc sales personnel from HLB. Does HLB still have other cash rebate campaigns after the recent 5% cash back promotion? I'm thinking of cancelling my HLB cc as the cash back promotion has ended. My reward points are gonna expire in Aug'09. The 5% cash back was really good.

Just concentrate your spending on every Friday to maximise the benefit of the 5% cash rebate. In case your annual expenditure on the card is less than RM15k and SCB charge annual fee for the 2nd year, then you can just redeem the reward points and cancel this card.

The 5% rebate is tempting. I think I’ll apply this card too, after I cancel my HLB.