It’s not been a good 2023 for Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders so far.ย
In January this year, Maybank started awarding points in blocks of S$5, joining OCBC and UOB in this customer-unfriendly practice.ย At the start of July, cardholders saw a devaluation to their airport limo benefit, with the minimum spend per ride effectively doubled.ย
And it seems like Maybank isn’t done yet, because from August 2023, Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders will see their unlimited Priority Pass visits cut to just four.
Maybank Visa Infinite eliminating unlimited Priority Pass visits
Maybank has posted the following seemingly-innocuous notification on the Maybank Visa Infinite product page.
| ย | From 1 August 2023, the physical Priority Pass Card will be deactivated. Eligible Cardmembers are required to register for the new Priority Pass Digital Membership to continue enjoy the Priority Pass Membership, and will be receiving a notice letter together with a Unique Identification Code (via eCoupon on their TREATS SG app) to register for the new Priority Pass Digital Membership. |
On first glance, that doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Maybank is replacing physical Priority Pass cards with digital ones- that’s great! One less thing to carry around or lose.ย
But dig into the T&Cs, and you’ll find this (emphasis mine):
| ย |
6. Principal Cardmembers will enjoy a complimentary Priority Passโข Membership for the first year. Cardmembers will be entitled to four (4) complimentary lounge access in a membership year. Any additional visit will be charged by Priority Pass (A.P.) Limited to their Maybank Visa Infinite Card at USD$32 (or the prevailing rate which can be accessed at www.prioritypass.com) per person per visit. This charge applies to each subsequent visit by each Principal Maybank Visa Infinite Cardmember and each of his/her guest(s). |
| See how the old T&Cs compare to the revised T&Cs on Draftable. | |
Talk about burying the lede!
To put it plainly: On 1 August 2023, the Maybank Visa Infinite will cancel its existing physical Priority Pass cards (which have unlimited visits), and replace them with digital memberships (which have four free visits per membership year).
That’s a massive nerf in benefits, to put it mildly. An unlimited Priority Pass was one of the biggest things the Maybank Visa Infinite had going for it, and with that gone, I just can’t see how this card can hope to be competitive.ย
For the sake of comparison, here’s how the Maybank Visa Infinite’s revised lounge benefit measures up to other $120K cards.
| ๐ณ $120K Card Lounge Benefit Comparison | |||
| Card | Lounge Network | Free Visits (Per Year) |
|
| Main | Supp. | ||
 HSBC Visa Infinite |
LoungeKey | โ | โ |
 Citi Prestige |
Priority Pass | โ + 1 guest | N/A |
 UOB VI Metal Card |
Dragon Pass | โ + 1 guest | N/A |
 OCBC VOYAGE |
Plaza Premium | โ | โ |
 DBS Vantage |
Priority Pass | 10 | N/A |
 SCB Visa Infinite |
Priority Pass | 6 | N/A |
 Maybank Visa Infinite |
Priority Pass | N/A | |
 AMEX Plat. Reserve |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
Yes, it’s woefully inadequate. After the AMEX Platinum Reserve (which arguably isn’t even targeted at miles collectors), four visits per membership year would be the lowest in the entire $120K segment. Heck, there are entry-level cards like the HSBC TravelOne and AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend that offer just as many visits!
Maybank Visa Infinite previously nerfed its limo benefit
It doesn’t help that this nerf comes just one month after the Maybank Visa Infinite devalued its airport limo benefit.
| ๐ Maybank Visa Infinite Limo Benefit | ||
| ย | Till 30 Jun 23 | From 1 Jul 23 |
| Min. spend | S$3,000 for 2 rides | S$3,000 for 1 ride |
| Max rides per month | 2 | 2 |
| Max rides per year | 8 | 8 |
Up till 30 June 2023, Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholdersย who spent at least S$3,000 in the previous calendar month were eligible to book:
- 2 complimentary one-way airport limo transfers, or
- 1 complimentary Quayside service at JetQuay
From 1 July 2023, Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders who spend at least S$3,000 in the previous calendar month will be eligible to book:
- 1 complimentary one-way airport limo transfers, or
- 1 complimentary Quayside service at JetQuay
In other words, they need to spend S$6,000 to receive the same limo entitlement as before.
Conclusion
The Maybank Visa Infinite will be nerfing its unlimited-visit Priority Pass membership from 1 August 2023, replacing it withย just four free visits per membership year.ย
With this change, I just don’t see how it’s worth paying S$600 for this card anymore. It was never a particularly strong player in the $120K segment to begin with, but this just takes it even further south.
(HT: Fernando)
Thanks for confirming this, initial understanding was just a change from physical to digital card until I saw their app notification.
Seems like tncs also suggests that the 4 free visits are only for the principal cardholder and not guests.
“Principal Cardmembers who hold a valid Priority Passโข Membership will be entitled to four (4)
complimentary lounge visits in a membership year. For avoidance of doubt, the complimentary
lounge visits only allow the Principal Cardmembers (and not their guests) to access the participating
lounges at no additional cost. “
I was charged by bringing a guest. The maybank PP doesn’t show how many entitlements you have in a year in the PP App. Citi’s does.