2023/24 Edition: The Maybank Manchester United Card gamble

With the 2023/24 English Premier League (EPL) season now underway, it’s time once again to revisit the Maybank Manchester United Platinum Visa, in my opinion the most fascinating credit card in Singapore.

Now, it is a matter of public record that I am the biggest Manchester United fan there is. My wall is adorned with posters of club legend Eric Djemba-Djemba and midfield maestro Kleberson. My most prized possession is a jersey signed by all-time great Carlos Tevez. And whenever I’m down, nothing cheers me up more than belting out that timeless Manchester United hymn: Glory, glory Man United, you’ll never walk alone!

But even if you’re not, and even if you couldn’t care less about 22 grown men chasing a ball, you’ll want to listen up because we’re talking about an opportunity to earn 3% cashback and 2 mpd on commonly excluded categories like charitable donations, education, hospital bills and utilities.

Overview: Maybank Manchester United Card

Apply Here
Income Req.	S$30,000 p.a.	Points Validity	12-15 months
Annual Fee	S$80 (2 year waiver)	Min. Transfer	Varies*
Miles with Annual Fee	None	Transfer Partners	SIA Cathay Air Asia MAS
FCY Fee	3.25%	Transfer Fee	S$27
Local Earn	1% + 0.4 mpd	Points Pool?	Yes
FCY Earn	1% + 0.4 mpd	Lounge Access?	No
Special Earn	3% + 2 mpd (if Man Utd win)	Airport Limo?	No
*10,000 KrisFlyer miles, 5,000 Asia Miles/ Enrich miles, 2,000 AirAsia points
Cardholder Terms and Conditions

Manchester United and Maybank signed an agreement in 2011 which saw the latter become the club’s official retail banking partner in Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. This was followed by the launch of the Maybank Manchester United Card in Singapore in March 2012. 

Maybank Manchester United Cardholders earn:

• 1% cashback and 1X TREATS point (0.4 mpd) per S$1
• 3% cashback and 5X TREATS points (2 mpd) per S$1, on days where Manchester United win an EPL match

While the regular earn rate is underwhelming, the bonus is very tasty indeed. The additional 2% cashback is capped at S$20 (so you’ll max it out with S$1,000 spend), but there’s no cap on the additional 4X TREATS points.

That said, the post-Fergie years have not been kind to cardholders. In the debut season of the Maybank Manchester United Card, cardholders could look forward to bonuses on 28 of 38 matchdays, an astounding 74%. Subsequently, the win ratio has averaged around 50% (talk about unannounced devaluations!), though 2022/23 under Erik ten Hag brought more cheer at 61%.

But leaving aside the probability of a win, 3% cashback + 2 mpd would make the Maybank Manchester United Card hands down the best general spending card in Singapore, trashing the competition which maxes out at 1.6 mpd.

There’s just one problem: time zones.

Squeaky bum time

Here’s an illustration of how the Maybank Manchester United Card’s bonus mechanism works:

• Manchester United play an EPL match on Sunday, 13 August 2023 (UK time) and win
• All transactions charged to the Maybank Manchester United Card on Sunday, 13 August 2023 from 12.00 a.m to 11.59 p.m (Singapore time) receive a bonus 2% cashback + 1.6 mpd (i.e. 3% cashback and 2 mpd total)

I hope you see the problem already. Because the UK is 7-8 hours behind Singapore and most EPL matches take place in the mid to late afternoon, it’s rare that you’ll be able to confirm a Manchester United win in advance of spending.

Here’s a complete list of Manchester United’s EPL fixtures for the 2023/24 season. I’ve put a check next to the matches which will conclude before the end of day in Singapore (for the uninitiated, a football match lasts 90 minutes + a 15 minute break).

Based on the current schedule (which may change due to fixture clashes), 12 out of 38 games will conclude before midnight in Singapore. While that sounds like a decent number, you need to remember that they all end at 11.45 p.m SGT (and that’s not even counting Fergie time!), which leaves you with 15 minutes or less to spend.

Now, you might argue that’s just the price you pay for being a plastic fan. A true fan would be spending throughout matchday with wild abandon, because a Manchester United win is never in doubt.

That may be so, but the prawn sandwich brigade can still stand to benefit through online transactions. And I’m not talking about the stuff where you can earn 4-6 mpd with the Citi Rewards or UOB Lady’s Cards; I’m talking about commonly-excluded categories like donations, education, hospital and utilities bills.

All these still earn rewards with Maybank cards, so it’s a simple matter of waiting till the final whistle, firing up your laptop and making payment. 

Remember: the 3% cashback + 2 mpd applies regardless of transaction currency, and the 2 mpd is uncapped. Moreover, the Maybank Manchester United Card is on the Visa network, so acceptance shouldn’t be an issue.

Conclusion

The Maybank Manchester United Card presents an opportunity to earn 3% cashback + 2 mpd on commonly-excluded transactions like charitable donations, education, hospital bills and utilities, and there are days where you can confirm the win in advance of spending.

With so many credit cards nerfing these categories (remember: AMEX is set to follow suit with donations and education from 1 October 2023), this could be a useful option to have in your Arsenal.

What?