Alliance Bank Credit Card Lounge Access - Which cards are the best for free lounge passes?

When you’re applying for an Alliance Bank credit card in Malaysia with free lounge access, you have four credit card options to pick from. While some cards in this guide offer complimentary access to cardholders by default, others require redemption through the bank’s rewards points system.

They each also vary in terms of their fees, eligibility requirements and additional features. In this guide, we take a comprehensive look at all 4 popular Alliance cards that grant lounge access. On the topic of getting the most out of your travels, we’ll also touch on the Wise card, a nifty international debit card for overseas spending.

What to consider when choosing an Alliance Bank credit card with lounge access?

While the credit cards on this list all grant complimentary lounge access, they vary in terms of access, fees and additional features.

Even though the lounge access that these cards allow ranks highly in your priority, it is also useful to consider the card’s additional features. This will help you decide on the credit card that is the best for your spending habits and lifestyle requirements.

Before you apply for a Alliance Bank credit card with lounge access, here are some things to bear in mind:

• Minimum income – the minimum income level for Alliance Bank credit cards in this guide starts from 24,000 MYR
• Annual fee – all selected cards have fee waiver for the first year
• Number of visits – the Alliance Bank credit cards in this list offer access to Plaza Premium lounges in Malaysia and beyond, plus access to Travel Club Lounge in Malaysia
• Supplementary cardholder visits – supplementary cardholder visits are 20% to 25% discounted
• Minimum spend requirement – cards on this list do not have a minimum spend requirement
• Rewards – earn Timeless Bonus Points with the Alliance Bank cards that can be redeemed for lounge access amongst other gifts

Next, let's consider the common lounges that Alliance Bank cardholders can access.

Alliance Bank credit card lounge access list

With the Alliance Bank credit cards, you can access¹ the Plaza Premium Lounges, Plaza Premium First Lounges, and the Travel Club Lounges in Malaysia and worldwide. All cards offer access to Plaza Premium Lounges in Malaysia but access varies depending on the specific card that you apply for.

For instance, the Alliance Bank Visa Infinite allows access to Plaza Premium Lounges worldwide and the Travel Club Lounge in Malaysia, while the Alliance Privilege Visa Signature offers access to Plaza Premium First Lounges in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau and Malaysia.

Best Alliance Bank credit cards with complimentary lounge access

In this guide, we look at four Alliance Bank credit cards that can grant cardholders complimentary lounge access. While some cards on this list grant complimentary access by default, others are dependent on redemption of points. Here are the Alliance Bank credit cards than can get you an airport lounge pass:

Alliance Bank Visa Infinite

Having the Alliance Bank Visa Infinite card² grants cardholders 2x complimentary access to Plaza Premium lounges worldwide and 1x free entry to Travel Club Lounge in Malaysia. While entry is not free for accompanying guests, they can enjoy a 25% discount on the walk-in rate at Plaza Premium Lounges in Malaysia and 20% off overseas.

With this card, you can earn Timeless Bonus Points (TBP) that can be redeemed for attractive gifts. You'll earn 8x TBP on online shopping transactions and eWallet top-ups, 5x TBP for dining, groceries and overseas spending, and 1x TBP on local spend. The best part – these points do not expire.

Alliance Privilege Visa Signature

Principal cardholders of the Alliance Privilege Visa Signature card get 4x lounge access to Plaza Premium First and Plaza Premium lounges around the globe. Accompanying guests, on the other hand, get a 25% discounted entry at Plaza Premium lounges in Malaysia and 20% off overseas.

Lounge access privileges for principal cardholders also extend to 2x complimentary entry to Travel Club lounges in Malaysia. These lounge access are specific to the Alliance Privilege Visa Signature card and do not apply to the regular Alliance Visa Signature cardholders.

Besides its travel perks, this card offers 5% cash back on all retail spend. The Alliance Privilege Visa Signature is an accessible option if you’re looking to charge your day to day expenditure to a card for more savings.

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Alliance Bank Visa Platinum

Being a Alliance Bank Visa Platinum⁴ cardholder alone will not get you complimentary lounge access. To get complimentary lounge access, cardholders will have to accumulate 69,000 TBP points. This will grant 1x free entry to Plaza Premium Lounges in Malaysia.

The good news is that it's easy to collect these points. Not only do they not expire, it is also uncapped. Earn 8x TBP when you shop online and top-up your e-wallet, 3x TBP on overseas transactions and dining, and 1x TBP on other local spend.

Another reason to swipe the Alliance Bank Visa Platinum card is to continue having your annual fee waived after the first year.

Alliance Bank You:nique

Like the Alliance Bank Visa Platinum card, the Alliance You:nique Gold credit card⁵ requires cardholders to accumulate 69,000 TBP points before redeeming them for 1x complimentary lounge access to Plaza Premium Lounges in Malaysia.

With this card, you will earn 1 TBP point for every MYR spent. The main appeal of this card, however, is its 3% cashback on all retail purchases without any restrictions on petrol, groceries, or specific merchants.

It’s a fuss-free rebate card with a low minimum annual income requirement that most people would be eligible to apply for.

Foreign transaction costs when using the Alliance Bank credit card overseas

Before you swipe your Alliance credit card when you’re travelling, there are a few additional fees⁶ you should be aware of. First, the additional 1% transaction fee charged by the bank on top of the charges determined by Visa or MasterCard.

Second, a 5% cash advance fee or 15 MYR (whichever is higher) that you will incur when you make ATM withdrawals with your credit card overseas. And lastly, expect that the conversion rates determined by the credit card providers may not always be in your favour.

Bring along your Alliance Bank credit card for lounge access and the Wise card for low-fee overseas transactions

Having a credit card for lounge access adds to the convenience and ease of travel. However, where the other areas of travel are concerned, like overseas expenditure, using a credit card may not be the best idea.

Malaysian issued credit cards incur extra charges every time you swipe your cards overseas or make an ATM withdrawal away from home. Not only that, the foreign exchange fees charged by the credit card providers might put you at a disadvantage.

All things considered, even with a seemingly attractive rewards programme, the additional cost of using a credit card overseas can still add up significantly. Instead, using a debit card like the Wise card to pay overseas might be the smarter option for when you’re travelling.

Not only can you spend 40+ currencies in your digital Wise account in over 150+ countries, all currency conversions go by the mid-market rate, with low fees from 0.33%. Plus, you are also entitled to some free ATM withdrawals every month of up to 1,000 MYR, which means no extra charges involved when you’re withdrawing cash overseas.

Along with your Alliance Bank lounge access credit card, the Wise card is a trusty travel companion you should bring along on every trip.

🚀 Get your very own Wise card

Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information