Review: Maybank Visa Infinite Card

Here’s The MileLion’s review of the Maybank Visa Infinite, which launched in 2012 as a super premium, invite-only card with an eye-popping annual fee of S$1,400 and a minimum income of S$200,000 per year.

But just like the HSBC Visa Infinite and other so-called elite cards, the pretence only lasted a few years. Eventually, the annual fee was cut and the income requirement slashed, and today it’s best described as a “mass affluent” offering.

Once upon a time, the Maybank Visa Infinite could be described as one of the better deals in its segment, but recent nerfs to its airport limo and lounge benefits have left it with very selective appeal. 

Maybank Visa Infinite
🦁 MileLion Verdict
☐ Take It ☐ Take It Or Leave It ☑ Leave It
What do these ratings mean?
While its lack of exclusion categories is welcome, nerfs to the Maybank Visa Infinite’s limo and lounge benefits make the S$600 annual fee a steep ask.
👍 The good	👎 The bad
First year fee waiver Very few exclusion categories; still earns points on donations, education, insurance premiums, hospital bills and utilities Golf privilege does not require a paying guest in Singapore and selected countries	Unlimited airport lounge access has been cut to just four visits a year Minimum spend for airport limo has doubled Mediocre earn rates, compounded by S$5 earn blocks No dining privileges beyond generic Maybank offers
💳 Full List of Credit Card Reviews

Overview: Maybank Visa Infinite

Let’s start this review by looking at the key features of the Maybank Visa Infinite.

Apply Here
Income Req.	S$150,000 p.a.	Points Validity	No expiry
Annual Fee	S$600 (FYF)	Min. Transfer	25,000 points (10,000 miles)*
Miles with Annual Fee	N/A	Transfer Partners	SIA Air Asia Cathay Pacific MAS
FCY Fee	3.25%	Transfer Fee	N/A
Local Earn	1.2 mpd	Points Pool?	Yes
FCY Earn	2 mpd	Lounge Access?	Yes : 4x Priority Pass
Special Earn	N/A	Airport Limo?	Yes
Cardholder Terms and Conditions
*For KrisFlyer; 5,000 miles for Cathay and MAS, 2,000 points for Air Asia

Maybank actually offers two different Visa Infinite cards: the plain vanilla one (which is the focus of this article), and the Visa Infinite Diamanté (yes, the accent is part of its official name).

The latter is reserved for Maybank Private Clients who maintain a minimum AUM of US$1 million, with perks such as 12 no-spend limo rides, six JetQuay Quayside services, six meet and greet services, and unlimited lounge access. 

However, regardless of which card you end up with, there’ll be no metal cardstock for you- both cards come in regular, down-to-earth plastic!

How much must I earn to qualify for a Maybank Visa Infinite?

The Maybank Visa Infinite has a S$150,000 p.a. income requirement, which is 25% higher than the usual S$120,000 you’d expect for cards in this segment. It’s not clear how strictly Maybank enforces this requirement, however.

You might think that it’d be possible to qualify with an income requirement of S$30,000 p.a. provided you’re a Maybank Privilege Banking customer, but no. Maybank Privilege Banking customers get the Maybank Privilege Horizon Visa Signature Card instead, a very different type of product.

How much is the Maybank Visa Infinite’s annual fee? 

The Maybank Visa Infinite has an annual fee of S$600 which, unusually for its segment, is waived in the first year. The fee remained constant even when GST rose from 7 to 8%, so one hopes there’ll be no change in 2024 either when GST further rises to 9%. 

No miles are offered upon approval or renewing this card. The subsequent years’ annual fees will be automatically waived with a minimum total spend of S$60,000 per membership year.

All supplementary cards are free. 

How many miles do I earn?

SGD/FCY Spend

Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders earn:

• 3 TREATS points for every S$1 spent in Singapore Dollars
• 5 TREATS points for every S$1 spent in foreign currency (FCY)

5 points are worth 2 airline miles, so that’s an equivalent earn rate of 1.2 mpd for local spend and 2 mpd for overseas spend. It’s fairly pedestrian stuff for its segment, and even worse once you factor in the S$5 earning blocks (see below).

💳 Earn Rates for General Spending Cards (income req.: S$120K)
Card	Local Spend	FCY Spend
SCB Visa Infinite	Up to 1.4 mpd*	Up to 3 mpd*
DBS Vantage	1.5 mpd	2.2 mpd
OCBC VOYAGE	1.3 mpd	2.2 mpd
HSBC Visa Infinite	Up to 1.25 mpd^	Up to 2.25 mpd^
UOB VI Metal Card	1.4 mpd	2.4 mpd
Citi Prestige	1.3 mpd	2 mpd
Maybank Visa Infinite	1.2 mpd	2 mpd
AMEX Plat. Reserve	0.69 mpd	0.69 mpd
*Min. S$2,000 spend per statement month, otherwise 1 mpd for both SGD and FCY ^From second year onwards, with min S$50,000 spend in the previous membership year, otherwise (or if first year) 1 mpd (SGD) and 2 mpd (FCY)

All FCY transactions are subject to a 3.25% fee, which means using your Maybank Visa Infinite Card overseas represents buying miles at 1.63 cents apiece.

When are TREATS Points credited?

TREATS Points are credited when your transaction posts, which generally takes 1-3 working days. 

How are TREATS Points calculated?

Here’s how you can work out the TREATS Points earned on your Maybank Visa Infinite Card.

The minimum spend to earn points would be S$5, whether in local or foreign currency.

These S$5 earning blocks further compound its already lower-than-average earn rates, causing the Maybank Visa Infinite to perform significantly poorer than competitors, especially on smaller transactions.

	Maybank Visa Infinite Earn Rate: 1.2 mpd	Citi Prestige Earn Rate: 1.3 mpd
S$5	6 miles	6.4 miles
S$9.99	6 miles	11.6 miles
S$15	18 miles	19.6 miles
S$19.99	18 miles	24.8 miles
S$25	30 miles	32.4 miles
S$29.99	30 miles	37.6 miles

If you’re an Excel geek, here’s the formulas you need to calculate points: 

For the full list of formulas that banks use to calculate credit card points, do refer to these articles:

• General Spending Cards
• Specialised Spending Cards

What transactions aren’t eligible for TREATS Points?

A full list of transactions that do not earn points can be found in the T&Cs at point 2.2.

I’ve highlighted a few noteworthy categories below:

• Betting and gambling transactions
• Brokerage and securities transactions
• Government services 
• Prepaid account top-ups, e.g. GrabPay and YouTrip

It’s a refreshingly brief list actually, and for avoidance of doubt, you will earn points on commonly-excluded transactions, such as hospitals, charitable donations, education, and up to S$3,000 of insurance premiums per calendar month.

That alone may be a big selling point for some people. Assuming you spend S$3,000 on insurance each month, that’s an extra 43,200 miles you wouldn’t otherwise have earned.

What do I need to know about TREATS Points?

Expiry

While TREATS Points normally expire after one year, Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders are automatically enrolled into the Rewards Infinite programme. This means their TREATS Points never expire. 

Pooling

TREATS Points pool with other Maybank cards. If you have 20,000 TREATS Points on the Maybank Visa Infinite, and 5,000 TREATS Points on the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature,  you can redeem 25,000 TREATS Points at one shot.

This also means that if you cancel your Maybank Visa Infinite Card, you won’t lose your accumulated TREATS Points unless it happens to be your very last TREATS-earning card.

Transfer Partners & Fees

TREATS Points can be transferred to the following partners:

Frequent Flyer Programme	Conversion Ratio (TREATS Points: Partner)
	25,000: 10,000
	12,500: 5,000
	12,500: 5,000
	4,000: 2,000

With regards to KrisFlyer miles, you must convert via the TREATS SG app (Android | iOS) in order to enjoy the rate above. If you opt for a manual conversion, you’ll receive an inferior rate of 30,000 points = 10,000 miles. 

Conversion fees are waived for Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders, and since TREATS Points pool, you can use the Maybank Visa Infinite Card as a conduit to convert TREATS Points earned on other Maybank cards for free.

Transfer Time

Conversions to KrisFlyer miles are generally completed within 3 working days.

Other card perks

Four complimentary lounge visits

The Maybank Visa Infinite used to offer unlimited lounge visits, courtesy of Priority Pass. However, from 1 August 2023 that allowance was cut to just four. Four!

Lounge visits are issued to principal cardholders only, and cannot be used for guests. This is simply not good enough compared to other cards in the $120K segment.

💳 Airport Lounge Benefits (income req.: S$120K)
Card	Lounge Network	Free Visits (Per Year)
		Main	Supp.
HSBC Visa Infinite	LoungeKey	∞	∞
OCBC VOYAGE	Plaza Premium	∞	∞
Citi Prestige	Priority Pass	∞ + 1 guest	N/A
UOB VI Metal Card	Dragon Pass	∞ + 1 guest	N/A
DBS Vantage	Priority Pass	10	N/A
SCB Visa Infinite	Priority Pass	6	N/A
Maybank Visa Infinite	Priority Pass	4	N/A
AMEX Plat. Reserve	N/A	N/A	N/A

To apply for your Priority Pass membership, look in the eCoupon section of the TREATS SG app for a unique registration code.

Complimentary airport limo & JetQuay access

Principal Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders who spend at least S$3,000 in the previous calendar month are entitled to book either:

• 1 complimentary one-way airport limo transfers, or
• 1 complimentary Quayside service at JetQuay

Prior to July 2023, the same spending would unlock two limo rides, so this represents a big devaluation. That said, it’s still admittedly one of the lower spending requirements on the market. 

💳 Airport Limo Benefits (income req.: S$120K)
Card	Qualifying Spend	Cap
HSBC Visa Infinite	S$2K per month for 1 ride*	24 per year
Maybank Visa Infinite	S$3K per month for 1 ride	8 per year
Citi Prestige	S$12K per quarter for 2 rides	2 per quarter
OCBC VOYAGE	S$12K per quarter for 2 rides	2 per quarter
AMEX Plat. Reserve	N/A	N/A
DBS Vantage	N/A	N/A
SCB Visa Infinite	N/A	N/A
UOB VI Metal Card	N/A	N/A
*First 2 (Regular customer) or 4 (HSBC Premier) per year are free

A few points to note:

• Bookings must be made at least three days and up to two months before the actual date of limo transfer or JetQuay service
• Booking entitlements cannot be carried forward to the next calendar year
• The maximum complimentary limo rides/JetQuay service per calendar month is capped at two
• The maximum complimentary limo rides/JetQuay service per calendar year is capped at eight

As for Quayside service, cardholders can check-in at a private terminal and use the lounge facilities before being driven to their gate in an electric buggy.

I visited the Jetquay back in 2019 and was roundly unimpressed. It’s old and tired, the F&B selection is poor (and some of the alcohol requires an upcharge!), and while the service is good, there’s no reason why you should choose to stay here over, say, the SilverKris Lounge or any oneworld lounge at Changi for that matter.

Review: JetQuay CIP Terminal Changi

For what it’s worth, there are plans to redevelop JetQuay into a “premium travel hub” by 2025, and all I can say is “it’s about time”. The current space is just miserable, and completely not worth the S$400 asking price.

Golf benefits

The Maybank Regional Golf programme offers principal Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders complimentary green fees at more than 100 participating golf clubs across 19 countries.

Cardholders must spend at least S$2,000 in the previous calendar month to enjoy this benefit, and can book a maximum of two flights per month per cardholder. In Singapore, the participating clubs are:

• Sembawang Country Club
• Warren Golf & Country Club
• Orchid Country Club
• 2 additional “premium golf clubs” (not named)

Golf perks offered by other credit cards normally require a paying guest, but no such requirement exists for Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders who book clubs in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. 

The T&Cs of the Maybank Regional Golf programme can be found here.

For avoidance of doubt, this is a separate perk from the generic Visa Infinite golf benefit, which has no minimum spend requirement. 

Complimentary travel insurance

Maybank Visa Infinite Cardholders receive complimentary travel insurance when they charge their full travel fares to their card. Unfortunately, coverage will not apply in situations where you redeem miles for an award ticket, and charge the taxes and fees to your Maybank Visa Infinite Card.

This features up to S$1,000,000 coverage for accidental death or total permanent disablement, S$400 for luggage delays or missed connections, and S$1,000 for luggage loss.

However, there is no coverage for medical expenses or emergency medical evacuation. Because of this, I highly advise that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance elsewhere.

Visa Infinite benefits

As a Visa Infinite card, Maybank Visa Infinite cardholders enjoy the following additional perks:

• Avis President’s Club status
• 50% off weekday golf at 50 participating golf clubs across Southeast Asia
• 50% off weekday golf at Sentosa Golf Club
• Visa Luxury Hotel Collection

Terms & Conditions

• Maybank Visa Infinite Privileges T&Cs
• Maybank Visa Infinite General T&Cs
• TREATS Rewards Programme

Summary Review: Maybank Visa Infinite

Apply Here

At the start of 2023, the Maybank Visa Infinite was arguably one of the best deals in the $120K segment. Without the need to pay the first year’s annual fee, cardholders would enjoy an unlimited-visit Priority Pass and limo rides/JetQuay visits with one of the lowest minimum spends on the market.

Sadly those benefits have now been nerfed, and with its low earn rates, S$5 earning blocks, and lack of card-specific dining benefits, the only reason I could see for getting this card is if you want to earn miles on commonly-excluded transactions like insurance premiums, hospital bills, education and donations.

And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that per se. Assuming your spend on these categories is substantial enough that you can hit the S$60,000 required for an annual fee waiver, it’s basically free miles you wouldn’t otherwise have earned.

But for everyone else, it’s hard to make a case for the Maybank Visa Infinite when you could get a Citi Prestige with much better perks for a 10% lower annual fee.