RHB Visa Signature card review - How good is the travel and ecommerce insurance for Malaysians?

The RHB Visa Signature credit card¹ is a popular choice with no annual fee to pay and opportunities to earn cash back on spending. You’ll earn extra cash back when you spend overseas, online, on entertainment or shopping - and you may even unlock RHB Visa Signature lounge access, depending on how often you use your card.

This guide walks through all you need to know about the RHB Visa Signature credit card, and also touches on an alternative you may want to compare - the Wise debit card. There’s no annual fee from Wise, no interest to pay, and no foreign transaction fee, making this a low cost option for overseas spending². More on that later.

What is the RHB Visa Signature credit card?

There’s no RHB Visa Signature annual fee, although to qualify you’ll need an annual income of at least 80,000 MYR. Once you have your card, you can earn cash back on your spending across different categories. The more you spend with your card every month, the higher the potential percentage earning amounts will be, making this a good option for frequent card users spending on the higher earning categories like eating out and online shopping.

There are a couple of drawbacks to the card - cash back earning is capped for some categories, and some spend is excluded, for example. Plus if you’re spending in a foreign currency you’ll pay an extra 1% administrative fee, which can push up your bill overall. We’ll unpick the RHB Visa Signature reward programme in more detail a little later - first let’s take a look at an overview of the key features and fees you’ll want to think about³.

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RHB Visa Signature card benefits

RHB Visa Signature credit card holders can get several different perks and benefits, as well as cash back on spending. Other rewards include:

• Access to Plaza Premium airport lounges
• Travel and ecommerce purchase insurance
• Golf privileges including no green fee at select courses

To qualify for the airport lounge benefits you’ll need to spend at least 500 MYR in a month, but you can then get into selected lounges up to 6 times a year. The rates of cash back you can earn are also dependent on how often you spend, and what type of spending it is:

Cashback is available on online merchants including Lazada, Zalora, or AliExpress, on entertainment spending including KL Bird Park, Petrosains, GSC Cinemas, Speedy, or TGV Cinemas and shopping with major brands like Zara, H & M, Charles & Keith, or Pedro.

Bear in mind also that there’s a foreign transaction fee to pay when you spend in foreign currencies. This means an administrative fee of 1% is added to the exchange rate used to convert your overseas spending back to MYR. This pushes up the costs. Compare the RHB World Mastercard credit card to a low cost debit card like the Wise card to see which works out best for you.

RHB Visa Signature Travel and eCommerce Purchase Insurance Coverage

RHB World Mastercard credit card holders also get some complimentary insurance covering travel accidents, delays and lost luggage, and also some ecommerce purchases.

The travel accident insurance covers up to 600,000 MYR for accidental death or injury overseas⁴. You may also be eligible to claim expenses if your flight is delayed or cancelled or if you’re denied boarding for any reason, or if your luggage is lost, damaged or delayed. However, it’s important to note that there are some limitations and exceptions in this insurance - and it’s not intended as health cover when you’re away from home. As overseas healthcare can be extremely expensive you’ll still need a separate policy covering medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation to make sure you’ve got peace of mind if anything went wrong on your trip.

ECommerce insurance is available at the time of writing up to a maximum claim amount of 200 USD per year. This is intended to cover non-delivery of goods, or items which don’t work when they do show up. ECommerce insurance is available only until September 2024 - so if you’re considering getting a RHB World Mastercard credit card after that date you’ll have to take a look at the up to date details to see what cover is on offer then.

Bring along the Wise card when you travel - To maximise your transactions and travel experiences

Credit cards aren’t always the right option - particularly when you’re spending in a foreign currency. Picking a powerful international debit card - like the Wise card - could help you save money in the end.

Debit cards usually have lower overall costs compared to credit cards - and the Wise card has no ongoing charges, no interest costs and no cash advance fees to pay. Plus you can use your Wise card in 150+ countries, with mid-market rate currency conversion and no foreign transaction fee.

Hold and exchange 40+ currencies with Wise - just top up in MYR and convert to the currency you need in advance or when you pay. Plus, you can make 2 free withdrawals of up to 1000 MYR a month to make sure you have cash in your pocket when you need it.

Sign up for your Wise card today 💳

Summary

With no annual fee and options to earn cash back the RHB Visa Signature is a good choice for Malaysians looking for a credit card. However, credit cards can still be an expensive choice, particularly overseas and if you run into interest and penalty charges. Compare your options carefully, and consider adding a low cost debit card to your wallet for overseas spending. The Wise card is a smart way to pay in 150+ countries, with the mid-market exchange rate and no foreign transaction fee - so your money could go further when you travel.

1. RHB Visa Signature credit card
2. 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
3. RHB fees
4. RHB travel insurance terms and conditions