| FAQs on Credit Cards |
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What are the various types of credit cards? |
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| In general, there are three types of credit cards, namely Classic, Gold and Platinum. These credit cards are issued based on your income level and other criteria set by the credit card issuer. |
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What is a co-branded credit card? |
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| A co-branded credit card is a card which is issued jointly by a credit card issuer and a merchant under a well-known brand name. The merchant usually offers additional benefits to the cardholders, such as discount on certain products and reward points for purchases. Examples of co-branded credit cards include Maybank-Sogo Visa and Public Bank-Esso Visa. |
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What are other types of payment cards available in Malaysia? |
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Besides credit cards, there are other types of payment cards available in Malaysia such as debit, charge and stored-value cards (SVC).
A debit card is a payment card where the transaction amount is deducted immediately from your savings and/or current accounts, upon authorisation. There are several types of debit cards available in Malaysia. For example, Bankcard which is the ATM card issued by domestic banks and Maybank Kawanku e-POS. There are also international debit cards such as VISA Electron and MasterCard Electronic, which can be used at merchants wherever their logos are displayed.
A charge card is also used in the same manner as a credit card, except that you must settle in full any outstanding amount in your monthly bill by the due date. American Express and Diners are well-known examples of charge card brands available in Malaysia.
A SVC is a prepaid card. The card contains a monetary value, which has been pre-loaded by the issuer. Some SVC schemes may allow the cardholder to reload the amount in the card. The value will be automatically deducted from the amount stored in the card whenever purchases are made. |
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Can anyone get a supplementary card? |
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| It is up to the principal cardholder to nominate his/her supplementary cardholders depending on the T&C of the credit card issuer. |
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Who is responsible for the payment of the purchases made on the supplementary card? |
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| The principal cardholder is primarily held responsible to pay for the purchases made by the supplementary cardholder and also his/her own purchases made on the credit cards. However, you should check the T&C on whether the supplementary cardholder would also be held liable for the credit card debt. |
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The credit limit is the maximum credit extended to you by the credit card issuer.
The limit set is based on the assessment of the information provided in your application form.
The credit limit may be changed over time depending on your spending pattern and payment capability. You should have a credit limit that matches your repayment capacity to avoid spending unnecessarily and to minimise your liability in the case of fraud. |
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How can I make cash advances using my credit card? |
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| You can make cash advances over the counter of the participating credit card issuers or via ATMs, which display the logo of your credit card brand. Other restrictions may be applicable. |
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Why does a merchant need to get authorisation before accepting my credit card? |
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| A merchant will require authorisation from your credit card issuer in ensuring that the amount of purchase does not exceed your credit limit. Your transaction will be rejected due to reasons such as exceeding your approved limit. You may wish to contact your credit card issuer if you encounter such a situation. |
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What measures should I take when making purchases at a merchant? |
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| Never lose sight of your credit card. When making payment in the merchant outlets, hotels or restaurants make sure your credit card is swiped in front of you. Someone could copy your credit card details by swiping your credit card through a skimming device. |
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Do I have to pay additional costs to the merchant if I use my credit card to make purchases? |
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| There is no additional cost of using credit card for making purchases. If you are being charged, you may wish to contact your credit card issuer for clarification. |
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Are there any differences in terms of authorisation process, fees and charges imposed when I use my credit card to make purchases locally or overseas? How is the exchange rate determined? |
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| The authorisation process, fees and charges are the same when you make purchases using your credit card regardless of your location. However for purchases made overseas, the transaction amount is subjected to the exchange rate determined by the credit card payment schemes (eg. Visa and MasterCard). The conversion of currencies will be done automatically when the transactions are made. The exchange rate is normally determined based on the mid-point of the prevailing buying and selling rates of the exchange of foreign currency against Ringgit. |
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What should I do if someone knows my PIN? |
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| If you believe that your PIN has been compromised, you should refer to your credit card issuer. |
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Is it necessary for me to monitor my credit card statements? |
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| Yes. You must make it a practice to check your credit card statements regularly for any discrepancies or unauthorised transactions. Taking a few minutes to review the information in your credit card statement is an important and effective way to detect unauthorised use of your credit card. |
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Will I be liable for the unauthorised charges if my credit card has been stolen or lost? |
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| You must always use reasonable precautions to prevent the loss of your credit card. If you do so, you will not be held liable for the transactions occurring after you have reported the loss to your credit card issuer, verbally or in writing. However, for verbal notification, some credit card issuers may require you to provide written confirmation and a police report to them. On the other hand, if there is an unauthorised use of your credit card before the report is made, you may be held liable up to a certain amount, depending on the T&C of the credit card issuer. |
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What should I do if I find an error in my credit card statement? |
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You should notify your credit card issuer immediately of any error in the monthly statement or possible unauthorised transactions in relation to your credit card or PIN verbally, and to follow-up in writing as soon as possible.
For credit card issuers that are banking institutions, information on the contact person or email address is available on Bank Negara Malaysia's website at www.bnm.gov.my
In addition, for unauthorised transactions, if you are not satisfied with the response given by your banking institution, you can also write to the Banking Mediation Bureau:
The Financial Mediation Bureau
Level 25
Dataran Kewangan Darul Takaful
4, Jalan Sultan Sulaiman
50000 Kuala Lumpur
For more information on how to make a complaint against banking institutions, please refer to "Making a Banking Complaint." |
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