Best Cashback Credit Card in Malaysia 2026: Petrol, Groceries, Utilities

[Updated on: 19 January 2026] Malaysians are trying to stretch the same monthly budget—petrol, groceries, bills, Grab, online shopping—without turning everyday spending into a complicated “points game”. That’s why the cashback credit card Malaysia search never really slows down: cashback feels simple, immediate, and easy to compare.

But cashback is rarely “as advertised”. The headline percentage is only one part of the story. The real winners are determined by cashback cap, minimum spend, and how a bank defines categories (often via MCC codes, the merchant category codes behind the scenes). One wrong merchant classification or one missed threshold, and a “10% card” can quietly pay out 0.2%.

Key takeaways

• Always check the monthly cap before chasing a high %.
• “Minimum spend” can mean total monthly retail spend or per-category minimums—they work very differently.
• Some cards pay higher cashback only if you hit a spend tier (or a balance-based condition).
• Category definitions can be strict (e.g., dining may be limited to specific MCC codes).
• E-wallet cashback is not universal—treat it as “opt-in unless stated”.
• Paying interest/late fees can wipe out a full month of cashback gains.

What to Consider When Choosing Credit Card for Cashback

Cashback Rate

The cashback percentage tells you how fast you earn—but not how much you’ll actually get. A 10% cashback rate can be less valuable than 3% if:

• the cap is tiny, or
• The rate is locked behind a high monthly spend threshold.

Treat the rate like a “speed limit”. The cap is the “distance” you can travel each month.

Monthly Cashback Cap

The cashback cap is the maximum you can earn per month (sometimes per category). When caps are low, your “effective cashback rate” drops fast once you spend past the cap.

A quick way to sanity-check:

• If a category pays 10% capped at RM15/month, the most that category can reward is RM15 even if you spend RM1,000.
• At 10%, you hit RM15 cashback after RM150 of eligible spend (because RM150 × 10% = RM15).

Minimum Spending

“Minimum spend” is where most people slip. It can mean:

• Total monthly retail spend threshold (e.g., hit RM1,500+ monthly spend to unlock a higher rate), or
• Per-category minimum (e.g., spend at least RM250 in groceries and RM250 in utilities to earn category cashback), or
• A balance-based condition (e.g., statement balance or previous balance amount affects the rate/cap).

If you can’t reliably hit the threshold most months, assume you’ll earn the lower rate.

What to verify before applying (quick checklist)

• Income requirement (monthly/annual) and who qualifies (principal vs supplementary)
• Annual fee and waiver rules (and whether they’re realistic for you)
• Cashback posting time (same month vs following month) — Not stated—verify T&Cs
• How caps work: per category or overall cap?
• What counts toward “minimum spend”: retail only? includes online? excludes utilities? — Varies by issuer/terms—check the product page or T&Cs.
• Exclusions list (government payments, insurance, etc.)
• E-wallet eligibility (top-ups vs spend; which wallets are included) — if it matters to you

Quick Glance of Cashback Credit Card Malaysia

1)RHB Shell Visa Credit Card

Best for: If you’re a regular Shell driver and you can reliably hit monthly spend tiers, this card is built around that pattern.
Application difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆.
Min monthly income: RM2,000.

How the cashback works: 

• Shell petrol: Tiered cashback (12% / 5% / 3%) based on total monthly spend, capped at RM30/month.

• Groceries & utilities: Tiered cashback (5% / 2% / 1%) with minimum RM250 per category, cap RM10/month per category.

• E-wallet top-ups & online spend: Tiered cashback (5% / 2% / 1%) with minimum RM500, cap RM10/month.

• Overseas spend: Tiered cashback (5% / 2% / 1%), cap RM50/month.

• Other spend: 0.2% uncapped.

Extras: It’s one of the more “all-rounder” structures in this list because it covers petrol, groceries, utilities, e-wallet/online, and overseas—though caps vary by category. The annual fee is shown as RM195 for principal (supplementary RM0), with first year free and a waiver rule tied to a minimum number of swipes (as stated).

Gotchas / fine print to watch: The biggest trap is thinking the cashback is purely category-based—your rates are tied to total monthly spend tiers, and several categories also have their own minimum spend thresholds. Petrol cashback is explicitly for Shell petrol spend, so it’s not a fit if you rotate brands often.

Verdict: Great upside for Shell loyalists with consistent spending, but the tier-and-threshold structure punishes “in-between” months.

2)UOB ONE Card

Best for: People who can consistently spend at least RM1,500 per statement month and want focused cashback on petrol, groceries, dining, and Grab.
Application difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆.
Min monthly income: RM3,000.

How the cashback works:

• Petrol, groceries, dining, Grab:

• • 10% cashback if monthly retail spend ≥ RM1,500, capped at RM15/month per category.
  • 0.2% cashback if spend ≤ RM1,499 (same RM15 cap).
• Other retail spend: 0.2% uncapped.

Extras: The category clarity (especially groceries/dining/Grab definitions) is a real advantage because it reduces guessing. Annual fee is shown as RM195 (principal) / RM100 (supplementary) with waiver conditions stated (including a first-year waiver for “New To Bank” customers under a campaign end date, and a spend-based waiver rule for subsequent years).

Gotchas / fine print to watch: The caps are the limiting factor: RM15/month per category means you can hit the ceiling quickly, so your “effective” cashback rate may be much lower than 10% once you spend past the cap. Also, the 10% rate depends on meeting the overall monthly retail spend threshold, not just spending within one category.

Verdict: Strong on paper and clearer than most on category definitions, but the small caps are what ultimately determine value.

3)AFFIN DUO Visa Cash Back

Best for: Malaysians who spend heavily on online shopping, auto-billing, and e-wallet usage, and who want those categories explicitly recognised.
Application difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆.
Min monthly income: RM2,000.

• • How the cashback works:
    E-commerce/online, auto-billing, e-wallet reloads & transactions: 3% cashback.

• Monthly caps depend on previous balance amount:

• • Balance ≥ RM3,000: up to RM50/month (online, auto-billing); RM30/month (e-wallet).
  • Balance ≤ RM2,999: up to RM30/month for each category.

Extras: Compared with many cashback cards that are vague or restrictive about wallets, this one is unusually direct about e-wallet cashback being part of the programme (subject to caps and terms). Annual fee is shown as RM75 (principal) / RM30 (supplementary) with waiver notes stated (first 3 years free, and after that waived with a minimum number of retail transactions per year).

Gotchas / fine print to watch: The “previous balance amount” condition can confuse people because it’s not a straightforward spend threshold; if you’re not tracking statements closely, you may not realise why caps differ month to month. Also, no matter what, the e-wallet cashback ceiling is still RM30/month, so heavy wallet users will hit it quickly.

Verdict: A practical pick if e-wallet and online are your core categories, as long as you’re comfortable managing balance-linked cap rules.

4)HSBC Amanah MPower Platinum Credit Card-i

Best for: Higher-income users who want a relatively straightforward cashback structure on essentials and don’t mind low monthly caps.
Application difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆.
Min monthly income: RM8,500.

How the cashback works:

• If monthly spending ≥ RM2,000:
  • Petrol (any station), groceries, selected e-wallets: 8% cashback, cap RM15/month per category.
• If monthly spending ≤ RM1,999:
  • Same categories earn 1%, cap RM15/month.
• Other local & overseas spend: 0.2% uncapped.

Extras: The “any petrol station” definition is more flexible than brand-restricted petrol cards, and the e-wallet list is explicitly stated (rather than implied). Annual fee is shown as RM240 (principal) / RM120 (supplementary) with waiver notes stated (first year free, and a subsequent-year waiver with annual spending RM6,000 effective 1 Sep 2025).

Gotchas / fine print to watch: The caps are tight: RM15/month per category means the payout ceiling is low even at 8%. The income requirement is also the highest in this list, so it’s simply not accessible for many Malaysians.

Verdict: Clean, no-nonsense cashback rules for essentials, but the low caps make it a “light rewards” card rather than a big earner.

5)CIMB Cash Rebate Platinum Credit Card

Best for: People who want a simple everyday cashback card with no annual fee, and who are okay with a balance-based condition affecting the rate on key categories.
Application difficulty: ⭐⭐☆☆☆.
Min monthly income: RM2,000.

How the cashback works: 

• Cinema, petrol, groceries, mobile, utilities via standing instruction:

• • 5% cashback (cap RM30/month) if statement balance ≥ RM3,000.
  • 2% cashback (cap RM30/month) if statement balance ≤ RM2,999.
• Other retail & online spend: 0.2% uncapped.

Extras: The annual fee is shown as RM0 / RM0 (free for life), which reduces “fee friction” if you’re keeping the card long term. It also covers broad day-to-day categories in one bucket rather than splitting into too many micro-categories.

Gotchas / fine print to watch: The big one is the statement balance condition—your rate on the main categories changes based on that balance threshold, not just spend. Also, utilities cashback is specifically described as utility bills payment via standing instruction, so ad-hoc bill payments may not be treated the same way.

Verdict: A low-maintenance cashback option with an uncapped base tier, but the main-category rate hinges on balance mechanics you need to understand upfront.

Best Cashback Card Based on Your Needs

These are “best picks” based strictly on the mechanics and limits stated in your data pack—not on marketing claims.

Best for Groceries Cashback

UOB ONE Card can deliver high groceries cashback (headline rate) if you can consistently meet the stated monthly retail spend threshold and you’re comfortable with tight monthly caps.
If you prefer a potentially simpler everyday structure and don’t want to rely on a very high monthly spend threshold, CIMB Cash Rebate Platinum includes groceries in its cashback group, but its payout depends on a statement balance condition and is capped.

Best for Unlimited Cashback

If you define “unlimited” as uncapped cashback, the uncapped component shown in the data pack is typically the 0.2% uncapped tier on “other spend” (where stated).
Among the listed cards, CIMB Cash Rebate Platinum stands out for being free for life on annual fee and offering 0.2% uncapped on other retail/online spend (as listed).

Best for Petrol Cashback

• If you fuel mostly at Shell and can hit higher monthly spend tiers, RHB Shell Visa is built for that pattern (Shell petrol cashback with tiering and a cap).
• If you want petrol cashback across any petrol station in Malaysia (as explicitly stated) and you meet the higher income profile, HSBC Amanah MPower Platinum provides a simpler petrol category definition—but with small caps.

5 Mistakes Malaysians Make With Cashback Credit Cards

1. Chasing the headline % and ignoring the cap
   A “10% cashback” headline with RM15/month cap stops being exciting after RM150 of eligible spend.
2. Missing the minimum spend threshold
   If the high rate only applies when you hit a monthly spend tier, one “quiet month” can drop you to a base rate.
3. Assuming category eligibility is obvious
   Groceries vs specialty retail; dining vs café; online vs in-app purchase—MCC coding can surprise you.
4. Using the wrong wallet or the wrong type of wallet transaction
   Even when an e-wallet is supported, the rules may differ between top-up and spend, and may name specific wallets only. If e-wallet cashback matters, treat “Not stated” as “not supported” until confirmed.
5. Paying interest/late fees that wipe out cashback
   Cashback is a small percentage. One finance charge can undo a month’s rebates.

What Spending Qualifies for Cashback

Category eligibility is often decided by merchant category codes (MCC codes). You might think you’re doing “groceries”, but the bank system might code it as “general retail” or “specialty store” depending on the merchant setup.

Below is a practical Malaysia-focused guide to what these categories usually mean—plus where people get surprised.

Petrol

Typically includes fuel purchases at petrol stations. However, some cards may:

• restrict petrol cashback to specific brands (e.g., Shell-only), or
• allow “any petrol station in Malaysia” if explicitly stated.

Practical tip: If a card is brand-limited, your cashback depends on whether you consistently fuel at that brand. If it’s “any station”, it’s more flexible—but caps may still be tight.  Interested with more petrol cashback perks? Check out our Petrol Credit Card Review in 2026.

Groceries

“Groceries” often means supermarkets/hypermarkets, but definitions vary. Some issuers publish examples (which helps a lot). In your data pack, groceries examples appear in card definitions such as:

• Lotus’s, Mydin, AEON BIG / AEON Supermarket, Giant, and similar supermarkets/hypermarkets (as listed on certain card pages).

Common gotcha: A specialty shop inside a mall (e.g., butcher, organic shop, convenience store) may not code as “groceries”.

Dining

Dining usually covers restaurants and food outlets, but some cards restrict dining to specific MCC codes. In your data pack, dining is tied to MCC 5812 and 5814 for selected merchants (as shown on the UOB ONE Card page).

Common gotcha: Cafés, dessert stores, food courts, or delivery platforms may code differently than you expect.

Online Shopping

Online spend can mean:

• e-commerce platforms, brand websites, app purchases, subscriptions, or
• “online” as coded by the merchant processor.

Common gotcha: Not all in-app payments code as “online shopping”. Some code is based on the merchant category rather than the channel.

Utilities

Utilities often include recurring bill payments like electricity, water, telco, or internet—but the payment method matters. Some cards may only treat utilities as eligible if paid via specific mechanisms (e.g., standing instruction / auto-billing).

Practical tip: If your card’s utilities cashback requires auto-billing or standing instruction, paying manually via JomPAY or an app might not count the same way. If you’re unsure: Varies by issuer/terms—check the product page or T&Cs.

E-Wallets

E-wallet cashback is the most misunderstood category in Malaysia because:

• Many cards exclude e-wallet reloads/top-ups entirely,
• Some include only certain wallets, and
• Some treat “top-up” differently from “wallet spend”.

In your data pack, e-wallet eligibility is explicitly mentioned for certain cards (e.g., one card lists e-wallet reloads/transactions; another lists specific wallets such as SamsungPay, GrabPay, Touch ’n Go, FavePay; another has an “e-wallet top-up & online spend” category).

Practical tip: If you rely on Touch ’n Go eWallet/GrabPay daily, don’t assume cashback. Only count it if the card’s T&Cs clearly state it.

Transactions that Don’t Qualify (or usually don’t)

Cashback programmes commonly exclude certain transaction types. Even if your card offers cashback on “all spend”, these categories are often treated differently:

• Balance transfer
• Cash advance
• EPP/instalments (including some “easy payment plan” transactions)
• Fees and charges (including finance charges/interest, late payment fees)
• Government-related payments (commonly excluded; treatment varies)
• Insurance premiums (sometimes excluded; sometimes exceptions)
• Charity/donations

The safe rule: commonly excluded—always confirm issuer T&Cs before assuming cashback on these transactions.

Conclusion

The best cashback credit card depends on your spend mix and your ability to consistently meet the card’s rules. The difference between “good” and “great” isn’t the headline rate—it’s whether the card’s cap and minimum spend match how you actually spend.

A simple way to choose in 3 steps:

1. Map your monthly spending into petrol, groceries, utilities, dining, online, and e-wallet.
2. Check the cap math: how quickly you hit the monthly cap in your top categories.
3. Stress-test the minimum spend: if you miss it 2–3 months a year, does the card still make sense at the lower rate?

FAQ