What is the best debit card in Malaysia? We compared top 8 most popular options

Hannes Ausmees

05.02.24 (last updated)

7 minute read

Using a debit card to spend in person and online - and to make cash withdrawals at home and abroad - is convenient, safe, and often comes with relatively low overall costs. Unlike a credit card, there’s also no risk of accidentally spending more than you intend to, and getting hit with interest or penalty fees.

If you’re choosing a debit card, you’ll want to look at the card coverage, features and fees, to make sure you’re getting the perfect match for your needs. This guide walks through some of the more popular debit cards in Malaysia, including cards from major banks and specialist providers so you can answer the most important question: what is the best debit card for your specific needs?

Wondering - what is the best debit card for me? One great place to start is to think about how you’ll use the card once you have it. This guide walks through our top Malaysian debit card picks, split out by features and categorised to show what’s great about them. More detail coming up - but first, an overview.

	Currencies covered	Fee to get a card	Maintenance fee	ATM fee	Foreign transaction fee	Virtual cards
Wise Card	Hold and exchange 40+ currencies	13.7 MYR	No fee	No fee for 2 withdrawals up to 1,000 MYR/month 5 MYR + 1.75% after that	No fee to spend currencies you hold in the account Currency exchange from 0.43%	Available
Maybank Visa Platinum Debit card²	MYR	8 MYR	8 MYR/year	Maybank withdrawals are free 1 MYR for domestic out of network withdrawals 12 MYR for international withdrawals	1% markup on the Visa exchange rate	Not available
CIMB Debit Mastercard⁴	MYR	Waived at time of writing	Waived at time of writing	CIMB withdrawals are free Up to 4 MYR for domestic out of network withdrawals Up to 10 MYR for international out of network withdrawals	Up to 2% fee, depending on the card type and specific promotions at the time	Not available
PB Visa Lifestyle Debit Card⁷	MYR	8 MYR	8 MYR/year	PB withdrawals are free 1 MYR for domestic out of network withdrawals Up to 10 MYR for international out of network withdrawals	1.25% markup on the Visa exchange rate	Not available
RHB Premier Multi Currency Card⁹	MYR + 16 major foreign currencies	20 MYR	20 MYR/year	1 MYR for domestic withdrawals 20 MYR for international out of network withdrawals	No fee to spend currencies you hold in your account (exchange rate markup may apply to convert from MYR) 1% markup on other currencies or if your balance is not sufficient in the particular currency	Not available
Hong Leong Debit Card¹¹	MYR	0 - 12 MYR depending on linked account	0 - 8 MYR depending on linked account	HLB withdrawals are free 1 MYR for domestic out of network withdrawals 12 MYR for international withdrawals	2%	Not available
HSBC Everyday Global Visa Card¹³	11 currencies	No fee	No fee	1 MYR for domestic out of network withdrawals Up to 10 MYR for international withdrawals	1%	Not available
BigPay Card¹⁵	MYR	20 MYR	No fee	6 MYR for domestic out of network withdrawals 10 MYR for international withdrawals	Up to 1% + network charges	Available

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing: Only Pay for What You Use for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

Wise Card - best debit card for overseas travel

If you shop online with international retailers, or travel often, the Wise Account and card could be a great fit for you. Open a Wise account online or in the Wise app - with no need to visit a bank, and no restrictive minimum balance or income requirements. There are no ongoing fees, and you can order your Wise card for a simple, one time charge of 13.7 MYR.¹⁷ You’ll then have both a physical and virtual card, for spending in 150+ countries.

Wise-card

Wise is a specialist in currency conversion, and offers the mid-market exchange rate for all customers. You’ll be able to hold 40+ currencies in your account, and if you don’t have the one you need when you make a card purchase, the auto convert feature will switch your balance in the way that incurs the lowest possible fees every time.

Visa debit card, for spending and withdrawals in 150+ countries Hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your account - it’s free to spend any currency you hold, or the card can auto convert if you don’t have the right balance on hand No need to visit a bank to get your card - plus no monthly fee, maintenance charge or minimum balance Virtual cards available

Learn more about Wise

Maybank Visa Platinum Debit Card - best debit card for free domestic ATM withdrawals

Maybank has a comprehensive range of accounts and cards - as well as other financial products such as loans and credit. As Maybank is the largest bank in Malaysia, you’ll usually find it easy enough to locate a Maybank ATM - and local in-network withdrawals with the Maybank Visa Platinum Debit Card¹ are fee free. Use your card internationally and you’ll pay a 1% markup on the Visa exchange rate² - but the good news is that the Visa rate is usually pretty fair.

Order your Maybank Visa card by visiting a Maybank branch near you, and applying for a new account, or to add a card to your existing Maybank account. It’s worth noting that the account product you select may come with its own fees or minimum balances - so do check out the details thoroughly.

Visa card, accepted wherever you see the Visa logo Free in-network ATM withdrawals locally, and a low 1 MYR fee for domestic out of network withdrawals, too 1% markup on international spend, with the Visa exchange rate applied for currency conversion back to ringgit

CIMB Debit Mastercard - best debit card for young customers, aged 12+

CIMB has both a standard debit Mastercard³, and its Preferred card and account. At the time of writing, the standard card comes with waived issuance and annual fees⁴ - and is available to customers aged 12+ with relatively few restrictions. The Preferred account⁵ is the CIMB high wealth option, and has no issuance or annual fee - but also has quite restrictive eligibility rules.

At the time of writing, the CIMB debit card has no foreign transaction fee, but you’ll usually have to pay a 1% cross-border fee. There’s a further 1% administration fee, which is waived at the time of writing (program period until 1 December 2022). This card offers promotions like these, plus the opportunity to earn rewards and access discounts and bonus opportunities as you spend.

Mastercard network, accepted worldwide Standard cards available for customers aged 12+, with few restrictions - or trade up to a Preferred card if you’d prefer 1% - 2% foreign transaction fees may apply

PB Visa Lifestyle Debit Card - best debit card for lifestyle promotions

The PB Visa Lifestyle Debit Card⁶ offers a range of evolving and changing lifestyle related promotions, like discounts on food delivery, birthday treats and more. There’s no joining fee for this card, but you’ll have to pay an annual fee of 8 MYR⁷ to keep the card active. In return you’ll be able to spend locally and internationally, and make in-network ATM withdrawals free here in Malaysia.

Visa card, accepted by merchants worldwide Free in-network MYR withdrawals, with a low 1 MYR fee for out of network domestic withdrawals Foreign spending has a 1.25% currency conversion fee, on top of the Visa exchange rate

RHB Premier Multi Currency Visa Debit Card - best multi-currency debit card from a traditional bank

If you want a multi-currency account from a traditional bank, the RHB multi-currency account and card⁸ is worth a look. You can hold and exchange 17 currencies, with the RHB exchange rate, and then spend any currency you hold with no transaction fee to pay. There’s a 1% fee if you don’t have the right currency - or enough of the currency - in your account⁹.

This account is also interest earning with rates set by currency. If you spend 3,000 MYR a year on the card you may find the annual fee is waived. Learn more about the RHB Multi Currency Card and account here.

Visa card, linked to a multi-currency account to transact in 17 currencies in total No fee to spend currencies you hold in your account, 1% foreign transaction fee for other currencies or if you have an insufficient balance Annual fee waived if you meet minimum spending requirements

Hong Leong Debit Card - best debit card for linking to a basic account

HLB¹⁰ has a debit card which can be offered alongside a range of different accounts, from basic checking accounts, to standard and multi-currency account products. We’ve picked this out as a solid option if you want a card to be linked to a basic checking or saving account, as there’s no issuance or annual fee to pay in this case. You’ll still face a range of transaction fees - but this can bring down the overall costs of using the card, nonetheless.

Visa card, available for worldwide spending once you opt in to international services No issuance or annual fee if you link to a basic account product 2% international transaction fee¹¹

HSBC Everyday Global VISA Debit Card - best debit card for multi-currency access including options for high wealth customers

You can open one of 3 different HSBC Everyday Global accounts, from the standard option which has no minimum balance requirement, to the Premier Account which requires you to hold 200,000 MYR or more in HSBC accounts.¹² The higher tier account options also come with extra perks - but even the standard account lets you hold 11 currencies for easy global spending.

Visa debit card, with linked account for 11 currencies Choose a standard account or if you’re willing to tie up funds in other HSBC accounts and investments, you may want to unlock a higher tier option 1% foreign transaction fee applies, plus any relevant Visa charges¹³

BigPay Card - best debit card for AirAsia rewards and promotions

BigPay¹⁴ offers ewallet services and cards in Malaysia and Singapore. As well as using your card for spending and withdrawals, you may also be able to access budgeting and analytics tools to manage your money, send international transfers to select markets, and even apply for a personal loan.

BigPay cards can’t go overdrawn - you can only spend the money you add to your account in MYR in the first place, which makes this an option for MYR spending if you’re trying to manage your budget and can’t risk running into extra fees.

Get a full BigPay card review here.

Visa or Mastercard, both of which are globally accepted Earn rewards as your spend, including AirAsia points to use on flights Up to 1% foreign transaction fee¹⁵, plus ATM charges of 10 MYR for international use Virtual cards available¹⁶

Conclusion

The best debit card for you will depend a lot on your personal preferences and the types of transactions you make. Use this guide as a starting point to weigh up a few of our top picks - and invest some time in what really matters to you while you choose your card, whether that’s the Wise card or BigPay card for low cost international spending, or a card from a major Malaysian bank so you can access a broad range of products and services all from the same place.

Sources:

Learn more about Wise card benefits in Malaysia

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.