Best Air Miles Credit Cards in Malaysia

There are certain credit cards that are specifically designed to reward frequent travelers, whether you travel locally or overseas. These best travel credit cards offer different types of benefits. 

Some of the more common benefits you'll see on a travel-centric card is travel insurance to cover all those unexpected circumstances. Additionally, you'll often find complimentary access to premium airport lounges, free or discounted airport transfer and a points collection system.

Each credit card provider has a different points collection system with different names. For instant, Maybank offers TreatsPoints and UOB has their UNIRinggit/UNIRM points. You can usually earn these points by spending on daily necessities like petrol, groceries and the like. Travel credit cards also like to reward points for overseas or foreign currency spend.

How do These Points Translate to Air Miles?

The points that you collect with your travel credit card can be used to redeem  Air Miles. Air Miles are basically the points system employed by different airlines. Here are some examples of Airlines and their Air Miles Schemes.

Some may wonder, how Air Miles differ from Frequent Flyer programmes. The answer is simple. Air Miles can be earned or redeemed with points from a wide array of spends, such as petrol, groceries, dining, and more.

On the other hand, Frequent Flyer schemes allow you to earn points only from flying with an airline, i.e. the further you fly and the more often, the more points your earn. 

Top 5 Best Air Miles Credit Cards in Malaysia

Here are the best credit card for air miles in Malaysia that allows you to earn points easily. These points can then be redeemed for Air Miles from several airlines, as well as be used themselves to redeem travel goodies.

HSBC TravelOne Card

The HSBC TravelOne offers a tonne of ways to collect points, and exchange them for Air Miles. For starters, you can earn up to 8X reward points for any overseas expenditure you make on your trips. 

When you travel and dine locally, you can get up to 5X reward points. These HSBC reward points can then be used to redeem both Air Miles and Frequent Flyer schemes from the HSBC rewards catalogue. 

Here's what you can redeem and how much:

Travellers will also enjoy 6X access to Plaza Premium Lounge for free per year, as well as up to USD250,000 travel insurance. This is truly the card to make your travels more rewarding and comfortable. 

Requirements:

• Minimum monthly salary , RM5,000
• Annual fees RM300

Standard Chartered Journey

Just like its name suggests, the Standard Chartered Journey card is meant exclusively for travelers. If you love being rewarded, then you will thoroughly enjoy the benefits this card offers. 

To begin, this card allows you 5X Miles points on travel, dining and overseas spend. That's almost everything you spend on if you're a frequent wanderer or if you travel for business. These Miles points are flexible as you can use them to redeem Air Miles, gifts or cashback. 

Every 2 SC Journey Miles can be converted to 1 AirMile from the frequent flyer program of your choice. 

Without the Miles points, the card itself comes with plenty of hotel privileges including free night stays, room upgrades, complimentary breakfasts, and early or late check-outs. 

We should also mention that the card comes with UNLIMITED access to Plaza Premium Lounge and complimentary airport transfers via Grab in Malaysia. With this card, you'll travel like a VIP.

Requirements:

• Minimum monthly income RM7,500
• Annual fee RM600

Alliance Bank Visa Infinite

When you collect points with other cards, these points usually have an expiration date. That way, you'll feel like you have less flexibility on when you want to redeem your reward. In fact, you may even feel rushed into a decision.

With Alliance Bank, you'll be able to collect Timeless Bonus Points which never expire. This lets you redeem points whenever you're ready. It also allows you to accrue points for more valuable redemptions. 

With the Alliance Bank Visa Infinite, you can collect up to 8X Timeless Bonus Points (TBPs) for online and e-wallet spend. You'll also get 5X TBPs for dining, grocery and overseas spend. You can then exchange the TBPs you've earned for Air Miles. Here are the exchange rates:

• Minimum monthly salary RM5,000
• Annual fees RM 438 ( waived the first year, and subsequent years with RM12,000 spend p.a.)

Hong Leong Sutera Platinum

The Hong Leong Sutera Platinum is a great card for collecting points, especially if you're a young adult, since its minimum monthly income requirements are rather affordable at RM3,000. 

You can collect up to 8X reward points for Online Spend merchants, groceries, selected convenience stores, dining and overseas spend. You'll even be able to collect 1X reward points for every other spend. 

You can then exchange your Hong Leong reward points for Air Miles as per their credit cards reward catalogue:

Apart from Air Miles, you can also use your reward points to redeem travel and dining related vouchers, such as those from Sofitel and Grab. Cardholders also get to enjoy travel insurance of up to RM1.7 million.

• Minimum monthly salary RM3,000
• Annual fees RM120 (waived for the first year if you swipe your card within 45 days of issuance)

CIMB Travel Platinum

It would seem like we've saved the best air miles credit card for last. The CIMB Travel Platinum is the perfect first card for any avid traveler. This is due to the fact that it only requires a minimum monthly income of RM2,000 and is also free of any annual fees, for life. 

With this CIMB card, you'll be able to collect up to 5X Bonus Point for every RM1 spent overseas and on airlines. There's also 2X Bonus Points for every RM1 spent locally. You can then exchange these CIMB Bonus Points for Air Miles at these rates. 

As you can see, CIMB is one of the providers with the most options when it comes to exchanging your points for air miles. It's arguably one of the most affordable and easiest as well, with only 8,000 Bonus Points needed for 1,000 airasia points. 

CIMB also offers points transfer schemes for various hotels, including Marriot-Bonvoy and Accor Live Limitless programmes. 

Requirements: 

• Minimum monthly salary RM2,000
• NO annual fee for life

In Conclusion

Whilst the perfect AirMiles credit card may not yet exist, there are many options for you to consider. These travel-centric cards are designed especially for your jet-setting lifestyle and will offer you enhanced comfort and increased savings the more you travel and use them. 

Compare all the travel-friendly credit cards here at CompareHero and get rewarded when you apply, activate and spend! Also, sign-up and get all the latest news and promotions directly from us.