Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card Review: Amass Miles Over Dining, Regular Commutes, and Travel

Maybank has revamped its benefits on eligible overseas and air ticket spend for their Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card.

Here's what you can expect:

Note: "Mpd" refers to "miles per S$1 spend" and "TP" refers to "TREATS Points".

Look out miles enthusiasts, there's a newly-refreshed kid on the block that could very well be your next travelling companion. Bringing it along overseas with you will earn 2.8 mpd / 7X TP on foreign currency transactions and all air ticket purchases.

Meanwhile, unfortunately, its once-stellar 3.2 mpd rate on local spend has now taken a backseat and been reduced to 1.2 mpd / 3X TP on all local retail spend like dining, shopping, petrol, staycations, and others instead. That said, the good news at least is that, there's no minimum spend required to earn bonus miles/TP for these local expenses!

For further consolation, its complimentary annual fee waiver for the first three years remains as well. So, are these new changes to the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Card truly a good revamp? Or is it more meh? Let's find out.

Table of contents

• Overview: Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card
• Reasons to get the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card
• Eligibility, fees & charges
• How to apply?
• Who should get the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card?

What can the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card do for you?

• Up to 2.8 air miles per $1 spend / 7X TREATS Points on travel bookings and foreign currency transactions (either online or overseas)
• 1.2 miles per $1 spend / 3X TREATS Points on all local retail spend including dining, shopping, petrol, hotel, and more
• 0.25 miles per S$1 spend / 0.6X TREATS Points on utilities, education, insurance, and medical expenses
• Income requirement: $30,000 (Singaporeans/PR), S$45,000 (Malaysia Citizens), $60,000 (Foreigners)
• Minimum age: 21
• Annual fee: $181.67 (First 3 years waived; 9% GST w.e.f. 1 Jan 2024)

Why should you choose the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card?

#1: Enjoy bonus miles on all air tickets and foreign spend

We all know the only thing better than travelling itself sometimes is... earning rewards while doing so; and with the recent upgrade to the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature, it's easy to see why.

All cardholders can earn up to 2.8 air miles (7X TREATS Points) per S$1 spend on foreign transactions (both overseas and online) and air tickets (from all airlines) with a minimum S$800 spend per calendar month. While there's a cap on bonus 40,000 TP per month on air ticket expenses, there is no cap on bonus TP for overseas spend.

But how do these miles earn rates compare to those of other travel credit cards?

*Until 30 Jun 2024 for all cardmembers; New-to-Maybank applications must be approved by 31 Mar 2024 to qualify

Overall, it seems that the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Card outperforms all the other travel credit cards in terms of overseas spend. While it ostensibly falls short against cards like Citi PremierMiles, DBS Altitude, OCBC 90°N, and KrisFlyer UOB with regards to dedicated travel bookings, we must highlight that it earns bonus miles/TP on all air tickets.

Yes, you read that right.

All air tickets purchased from any airline are eligible for bonus miles/TP with the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Card. The only downsides are the minimum S$800 spend requirement and the bonus 40,000 TP monthly cap on air ticket purchases – but otherwise, this card has a fairly solid advantage.

However, if you fail to meet the S$800 minimum spend that month, your overseas and air ticket expenses will all earn a reduced 1.2 mpd / 3X TP rate instead.

See also: Cheapest Flights to Popular Destinations: Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Etc.

#2: Earn miles by eating out, refuelling your car and travelling around Singapore

The Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Card offers a decent 1.2 mpd / 3X TP on all local retail spend including supermarkets, shopping, dining, petrol, transportation, hotels, other travel bookings, and more, with no minimum spend whatsoever. It's not difficult to see why we highly recommend this card to locals who head out frequently.

In terms of transportation, the 1.2 mpd rate applies to both contactless public transport (bus/train) charges (under MC 4111), as well as rides with selected taxi service providers, namely Comfort and CityCab, Premier Taxis, Prime Taxi, SMRT Taxis, Trans‐Cab and Grab (under MCC 4121).

In terms of travel bookings, all cruise, travel, and car rental packages under MCCs 3351 - 3500, 4411, and 4722 qualify for the 1.2 mpd earn rate. This includes bookings made via your favourite portals like Agoda, Trip.com, Booking.com, Expedia, and many more. 

For a full rundown on all of Maybank Horizon Visa Signature's qualifying merchants on local spend, refer to its T&Cs here.

Read more:
SimplyGo vs EZ-Link vs EZ-Reload: How to Best Pay For Public Transport in Singapore
9 Best Travel Agencies in Singapore For All Your Travel Needs
Where to Travel in 2023: 7 Best Countries to Visit

#3: No annual fees for three straight years

Although most credit cards offer annual fee waivers to entice new customers to sign up, Maybank Horizon Visa Signature card offers a generous three-year annual fee waiver, equivalent to $540 in savings. The subsequent annual fee of $181.67 can be waived if you spend a minimum of $18,000 per year. In other words, after the first three years, you’ll have to ensure you’re comfortable spending at least $1,500 per month if the annual fee is a bugbear. 

See also: 4 Types of Credit Cards With Lifetime Annual Fee Waivers

#4: Earn miles on commonly-excluded categories

And just when you thought you'd seen it all for this card's list of benefits, we're not done yet. 

The Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Card has gone a step further, to now award 0.25 mpd / 0.6X TP on utilities, insurance premiums, education fees, and medical bills.

This is a pleasant surprise, considering that these categories are commonly excluded from earning any miles or rewards points by other credit cards! For context, only a handful of cards (e.g. UOB Absolute Cashback, AMEX True Cashback) offer some form of rebate on these expenses.

So if you've been GIRO-ing your payments for monthly electricity and water bills, or been using a random card on your insurance top-ups, now's the time to switch those recurring payments to a Maybank Horizon Visa Signature.

Read more:
8 Ways to Lower Your Electricity Bill in Singapore
Best Unlimited Cashback Credit Cards in Singapore
6 Reasons Why Your First Credit Card Should Be An Unlimited Cashback Card

#5: Enjoy travel insurance coverage of up to $1,000,000

Chances are, you need additional travel insurance for your family members to protect them while in transit to your dream vacation. To do so, you’ll just have to charge your full travel fares (including the fares of your spouse and dependent children under the age of 23) to your Maybank Horizon Visa Signature card to get up to $1 million in complimentary travel insurance, in the event of death or permanent disablement. This travel insurance also covers missed flight connections, luggage delay and luggage loss.

The coverage breakdown is as follows:

• Up to S$1,000,000 for accidental death or total permanent disability
• Up to S$5,000 per person for repatriation of mortal remains
• Up to S$400 for missed flight connections
• Up to S$400 for baggage delay
• Up to S$1,000 for baggage loss

For more details, refer to the policy coverage here.

What charges or fees should you look out for?

• Annual fee: $181.67 (First three years waived; 9% GST w.e.f. 1 Jan 2024) 
• Cash advance fee: 6% or minimum S$15, whichever is higher
• Late payment charge: 5% of the minimum payment due or $100, whichever is higher
• Minimum monthly payment: 3% of outstanding balance or $20, whichever is higher, plus any outstanding amount 
• Foreign transaction fee: 3.25%
• Interest on purchases: 26.9% p.a.
• Interest on cash advance: 26.9% p.a.
• 2 free supplementary cards

Eligibility criteria

• At least 21 years of age
• Minimum annual income for Singapore citizens and PRs: $30,000 
• Minimum annual income for Malaysia citizens (in employment for at least 1 year): $45,000
• Minimum annual income for foreigners (in employment for at least 1 year): $60,000 

How to apply? 

Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button on this page and complete the application form on SingSaver site. You might need to prepare the following documents for the application process:

• Front and back of NRIC/Passport/Employment Pass
• Salaried employees: Past 12 months CPF statement (Singaporean/PR) or latest original computerised payslip or latest Income Tax Notice of Assessment and latest original computerised payslip
• Self-employed: Latest two years of Income Tax Notice of Assessment
• Foreigners: Valid passport, Employment Pass (with at least 6 months' validity), utilities bill or bank statement with residential address, and company letter stating proof of employment of at least 1 year

Who should get the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature Credit Card?

Whether you take public transport, ride a taxi or book a Grab, dine out frequently, or all of the above, the Maybank Horizon Visa Signature will reward you with 1.2 mpd nicely for all local retail spend. Doesn't matter what the transaction is, so long as it falls under an eligible merchant, you're well on your way to allowing your daily expenses to sponsor your next trip abroad with all the miles you're racking up so quickly. 😉✈️

Moreover, you earn a sweet 2.8 mpd on all air tickets and foreign spend (both online and overseas) – making this an easy no-brainer of why this card doubles up nicely as a travel credit card too.

Tie it all up with its three-year annual fee waiver, and this credit card might just be the perfect miles/rewards credit card for all credit card newcomers and aspiring (or veteran) miles chasers.