8 Medical Card Benefits You Didn’t Know About

How well do you know your health insurance coverage? Get the most out of your medical card with these lesser known benefits!

A medical card can be a powerful piece of plastic to have in your arsenal for medical care and related conveniences, but you probably don’t know just how useful that card actually is. We’ve taken the liberty to study some of the lesser known but handy benefits that your unassuming medical card has to offer. Keep reading!

Receive Personal Accident Insurance

Most medical cards provide one-time pay outs in the event you become involved in an accident and suffer a disability . Kurnia for instance, offers a lump sum pay out of up to RM50, 000 total permanent disability cases that are caused by accidental injuries.

Get Overseas Emergency Assistance

When you’re travelling, the last thing you want is to be sick or get into an accident, but unfortunately these things do happen even to the most vigilant among us. Most medical cards provide international emergency assistance when you travel, such as emergency medical evacuations. Some even cover flight ticket expenses for a relative to visit you if you’re scheduled for a long-term hospital admittance (typically ten days and above).

Receive Alternative Treatments

When you get sick, you’ll want the option to pursue a treatment that is right for you. If alternative medicine is the preferred route, some cards do offer the option of reimbursements for acupuncture and chiropractic treatments.

Read also: 5 Things Not Covered By Medical Insurance

Get Reimbursed for Nutritional Medicines

If you need vitamins, supplements or nutritional herbs, certain medical cards will cover these purchases. For instance, MSIG will reimburse up to RM500 per admission for nutritional medicines, provided that you’ve been hospitalised for more than five consecutive days.

Receive Cash Allowance

Most policies offer a cash allowance if you choose to get treatment at a government hospital instead of at a private centre, as part of an incentive. The allowance is usually fixed (e.g.RM100 per day based on your plan and is capped to a certain number of days or amount.

Receive Hospitalisation Income

On top of a cash allowance, your policy may also offer an additional income when you are admitted to hospital for a disability. These added cash payments can be helpful to cover non-hospitalization related costs for your family members such as lodging, food and transport.

Get A Second Opinion

If you’ve been diagnosed with a critical illness, some medical cards actually give you the option to obtain a second opinion for your diagnosis from another medical professional. With this, you don’t have to worry about the cost of seeking more information about your illness and treatment options.

Guardian Benefit

Nobody likes staying in a hospital alone. Thankfully, some medical cards offer to reimburse expenses for food and lodging for your “hospital-buddy”. Zurich Flex Medical pays up to RM400 depending on the plan, no matter the age of the hospitalised person. Note though, that some cards provide this benefit for ‘insured children’ only (those under the age of 15 years). MSIG for instance, offers up to RM500 as a guardian benefit for your child, depending on the plan.

Get Acquainted with Your Policy

Don’t simply rely on your agent or broker to tell you what’s in your policy, as they may not be completely up to date on all the special coverage that comes with your policy.

Take the time and initiative to get acquainted with all the benefits you’re entitled to áfrom the product disclosure sheet and brochure, which can be easily found and downloaded from your insurance provider’s website. It may be painstaking – but it is well worth the trouble!

If you don’t have a medical card yet or are interested in a change of policy, don’t forget to research on your options before committing to one. 

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Why Trump Means Malaysia’s Shares Should Be Strong In 2017 & 2019

If history is any guide, under Republican US President Donald Trump, Asian stock markets, especially Malaysia’s – which is up 4.8% this year so far in US dollar terms – should continue to perform strongly this year… and in 2019.

But history may not be much of a guide. On his first day in office, Trump turned the global trade system on its head by signing an executive order to pull the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

This is part of Trump’s “America first” policy – and may hand the mantle of main supporter of globalisation to China.

Meanwhile, President Trump’s next tweet storm – or the one after that – could hit Asian (or any other) markets.

The US election cycle and Asia’s stock markets

In the past, when a candidate from the Republican party of the US (such as Trump) became the country’s president, Asia’s markets had performed well overall during the first year (referred to as post-election year in this article) of the new president’s term. Since 1981 there had been five Republican presidents in the US. During their first year, the KLCI has gained 9% on average.

But the real fireworks really begun during the third year (which will be 2019 in the current US presidential cycle, also referred to pre-election year) of a Republican president’s four-year term. During the third year, the MSCI Asia ex Japan Index saw average returns of nearly 38%, while Malaysia’s stock market has risen an average of 25%.

Except for Hong Kong, election year (which was 2016 in the most recent election cycle) has been generally weak for Asia’s markets, with the MSCI Asia ex Japan rising just 2.6%, while Malaysia dropped by 4%.

For our purposes here in the graph above, we break the election cycle down into four periods:

1. Post-election year: The first calendar year after the U.S. presidential election. For the current cycle, it’s this year – 2017.
2. Midterm: The second year. This is 2018 in the current cycle.
3. Pre-election: Year 3 of the president’s term, which is also the year before the next election. This will be 2019 in the current cycle.
4. Election year: The fourth year of the president’s term, and the year in which elections are held. 2016 marked the election year in the previous cycle, and 2020 will be the current cycle’s election year.

However, the sample size for the Asian market results is small. The indices that we’re using – and Asia’s stock markets – haven’t been in existence for many four-year American presidential cycles. And broken down by the two major US political parties, the sample size is even smaller.

For instance, the KLCI has only been in existence for 10 US presidential election cycles. The MSCI Asia ex Japan Index has seen only seven, covering three Republican party presidents and four Democratic party presidents.

The small number of data points means that historically, unusual periods (like big stock market losses during the global economic crisis in 2008, or particularly strong years for the stock market) have a very big impact on average returns.

Why would American politics affect Asia’s stock markets?

Only rarely does American foreign policy towards Asia have a direct impact on stock market performance in Asia. Far more important is the role of American politics on US market movements, and on global stock market sentiment – and therefore also on Asian markets.

This may play out in a much larger way in smaller, less liquid markets in Asia (where a smaller absolute amount of funds invested or withdrawn can have a far greater impact than in bigger markets). So positive or negative sentiment in the US with respect to American policy, and presidents, might impact Asian markets more than others.

In recent months, Trump’s statements and tweets have had a big impact on a range of US stocks and sectors. For example, the market value of nine large US pharmaceutical companies recently lost almost US$25 billion in value in 20 minutes after Trump criticised the industry during a press conference.

And his opinions and anticipated policies regarding China – threatening to label it a currency manipulator, and launch a trade war with China have also pressured Chinese, and Asian, share prices in recent months.

Trump and the Muslim world

Shortly after assuming office last month, Trump imposed a ban on immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The US government has not indicated any particular antipathy towards Malaysia, but the fact that more than half the population is Muslim suggests that the country – and its markets – might be more exposed to “Trump risk” than generally assumed. Also a factor is that Malaysia has a relatively large trade surplus with the US, and the weakening of the ringgit relative to the US dollar, could make it a target for the US president.

In light of Trump’s unorthodox policies and positions, stock market performance patterns may be completely different over the next four years from the past. So the solidreturns posted by Asia’s stock market during the third term of each US presidents from the Republican party may not come to pass this time around. And in the meantime, it’s looking like the “Trump rally” is running out of steam.

But if the initial volatility of the Trump era turns out to be the exception rather than the rule, and historical trends stay intact, Malaysia’s stock market – as well as those of Asia in general – will likely post strong returns this year and in 2019.

This article was first published on Truewealth Publishing

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Ways To Make Paying For An MBA Easier

The best investments aren’t in magical companies or assets… it’s actually in yourself. Investing in yourself is probably one of the most profitable investments you can make in your life.

While there are several ways to achieve that, the most evident one is developing your knowledge and skills by investing in higher education, like pursuing an MBA to help you advance in your career. Investing in yourself plays a significant role in determining the quality of your life in the future.

The question is – can you afford to pursue an MBA? The best way to get an MBA is, of course, getting it through a scholarship. One of the scholarships available for Master’s students is the Hong Leong Foundation Master’s Scholarship. Find out more about scholarships for postgraduate programmes.

However, scholarships shouldn’t be your only option. There are many ways you can fund your MBA with your own money.

It is a common misconception that pursuing a Master’s degree will cost a bomb – but it is it is possible to afford one. Plus, the benefits, not just financially, will outweigh the cost in a long run.

How much is an MBA?

Depending on the institution you will be getting it from, it is safe to say that an MBA will cost at least RM20,000 in Malaysia. However, there are different types of institution that offer MBA, the costs will differ.

The most important thing to planning for your funding is to understand how the payment schedule is like, and how flexible it is.

If you are thinking of getting your MBA on a part-time basis, you will be required to pay for miscellaneous fees such as registration fee, facilities fee and security deposit. However, SEGi University offers the flexibility of instalment programme at 0% interest, where the fees can be stretched over the time of study – typically 18 to 24 months.

For MBA programmes from international universities, such as the MBA from University of Southern Queensland, Australia, that is being offered by SEGi University, students will be required to pay for the exam fees in foreign currency. That usually amount to A$600 per paper.

However, for those who appreciates more flexibility, they also have the option of going online. For example, taking the MBA (Global Business) course online only cost about RM22,300, which is paid according to the subject(s) enrolled.

Each module costs from RM1,650. This will allow the students to manage their course according to their finances.

With the flexibility available, it’s absolutely feasible to afford your MBA. If you need the extra financial boost, here’s how you can come up with about RM40,000 to cover your MBA fees:

1. Invest in unit trust funds

Your goal is to have at least RM40,000 in cash to pay for fees.

However, as with any savings and investment, it will require time to compound to the amount that you need.

For example, if you are starting with RM5,000 and you would like to invest in unit trust, here’s how much you could potentially save in five years:

Initial investment	RM5,000
Regular monthly investment	RM370
Investment period	5 years
Rate of returns*	12.81%
Total potential returns	RM40,667
Total contributions	RM27,200

* Based on 3-year annualised bid-to-bid returns for Kenanga Growth Fund, taken on Nov. 11, 2016

2. EPF education withdrawal

If you have been working for a while and have saved up a sizeable Employees Provident Fund (EPF) fund, you can consider accessing a portion of this fund to further your education. Though you will be using your retirement fund before your retirement, pursuing an MBA could easily increase your income in the future to make up for the difference.

The EPF allows its members to utilise their EPF savings in Account 2 to finance a full-time, part-time or even distance learning MBA in a public or private institution, both locally and abroad.

If you are pursuing your MBA in a private college, you are only allowed to make one withdrawal every academic year. Your maximum withdrawal limit is your tuition fees amount or all of your savings under Account 2, whichever is lower.

There are many financial options available for you to get an MBA today. If you are worried that taking up an MBA full-time will put too much strain on your finances, you can always consider universities that offer you the flexibility of working while taking up the course.

This way you won’t need to take up additional financing burden, and still have your income intact. One such university is SEGi, where MBA students will have the flexibility of choosing the study mode which best suits them, be it weekend or evening classes, supported and/or independent learning. They even have the flexibility to view the information presented in lectures remotely.

These online programmes only require you to be present for the exams at the end of each semester. This gives you the flexibility to work as usual and fund your education so nothing is put on hold, hence you will not need to pay any financing fees as well.

Other options that can possible make it easier to afford your MBA is such as flexible payment, where you pay as you go, by the number of subjects in a semester, like what is being offered with the online course above.

Investing in yourself will bring a significant difference to your life, well-being and ability to keep moving forward. Besides, investing in yourself is the best way to see an immediate return on your investment.

There really is no risk in investing in yourself, and it will eventually pay off in abundance in the long run. Your future lies in your willingness to invest in yourself the right way today.

Don’t procrastinate. It’s time to invest yourself now for bigger rewards in the future.

Get started!

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The New PR1MA Financing Plan: A Step Up Or Step Down?

Weeks before Budget 2017 was tabled, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched an online survey where Malaysians were asked to list their top three concerns about the economy. In pole position were the rising cost of living and soaring housing prices.

Malaysia already has a household debt of 89.1% or RM1.03 trillion, one of the highest in the region, which has led Bank Negara Malaysia to maintain its tight lending measures.

But the central bank has denied the reason Malaysians are struggling to land their first property is due to its lending measures, alluding to the lack of affordable housing instead. The Finance Ministry also seconded this and urged the government to provide cheaper housing as demand exceeded supply.

During his 2017 budget speech, Najib said house ownership was very close to his heart and the government was committed in ensuring that every family could own a house.

One of the incentives unveiled for homebuyers under PR1MA is the “stepped up” end-financing scheme which aims to help selected PR1MA buyers, particularly those struggling to draw out a loan, to land their first home.

But before diving into the scheme, let’s recap what PR1MA is all about:

The nuts and bolts of PR1MA

Established in 2013, Najib launched PR1MA as an affordable housing scheme to assist middle-income households to purchase their first home. It has a mandate of building 500,000 homes with the aim of alleviating the rising cost of living faced by middle-income earners, or the M40 group.

Who qualifies for PR1MA
A Malaysian citizen	Individual or combine household income (husband and wife) between RM2,500 and RM10,000
Does not own more than 1 property	Single or married age 21 and above

Houses under the scheme are priced between RM100,000 to RM400,000 and located in various urban centres nationwide. To be an owner of a PR1MA home, a buyer will need to register and submit his or her name for balloting.

After being selected, participants will need to verify relevant documents to ensure eligibility, choose their preferred unit based on availability and financing. Prior to Budget 2017, the only scheme available under the PR1MA HOPE Home Assistance Programme is end-financing:

Image from PR1MA.

The difference between this and a conventional home loan is simply that buyers can obtain a 110% loan under the PR1MA as opposed to the conventional 10% down payment and additional miscellaneous fees.

So why a “stepped up” end-financing scheme?

According to Najib, the scheme allows buyers to obtain financing easier with a total loan of 90% to 100%.

It helps homebuyers ease their monthly instalments for the first few years and rejection rates are drastically reduced, meaning opportunities to get a higher loan.

PR1MA end-financing scheme
Exclusive for PR1MA homebuyers and offers a packaged loan consisting of: • Stepped-up financing for the first 5 years of the loan • EPF Account 2 withdrawal for the purpose of PR1MA home instalment up to retirement or end of tenure
What does "stepped-up" financing mean?		• First 5 years: Interest only • Subsequent years: Interest and principal*
Which banks offer this scheme?		PR1MA's panel banks: Maybank, CIMB, RHB and AmBank
Those blacklisted through CCRIS are not eligible for the scheme

*Homebuyers can choose to start early repayment of both principal and interest within the first 5 years, depending on their affordability.
*Buyers can also choose to either or both when it comes to stepped-up financing or through EPF.

Source:PR1MA

How it works

Let’s say Ahmad, 32, has finally decided to purchase his first property. He has been working for ten years and currently earns RM3,000 a month. He does not have any outstanding loans and has been chose for a PR1MA property worth RM250,000.

He has decided to finance the purchase through a combination of the stepped-up end-financing scheme and by withdrawing monthly from EPF Account 2, which entitles him to get an estimated loan amount of up to RM282,200.

Loan amount:	RM250,000
Interest:	4.58%
Loan period in years:	30
Stepped up*
First 5 years (Interest only)	RM54,887
Subsequent years (interest and principal)	RM1,278 x 300 months = RM383,400
Total interest paid:	RM188,287

*This is just a rough estimate based on information available on the PR1MA website and the table found on The Star article.

Disclaimer: The previous version of this article weaved deductions from the EPF Account 2 into its calculations. This has been revised to reflect the latest information on the end-financing scheme where the Account 2 is used as collateral for the loan.

Quick tip

Refinancing is simply getting a new mortgage to replace the original loan. This allows a borrower to obtain a better interest term and rate, and also access their home equity when the value of the home goes up.

For example, a RM250,000-home may appreciate in value to RM350,000 in 10 years, while having a smaller amount owed after paying for the mortgage for 10 years. By refinancing the loan based on the market value of the home, the borrower will be able to cash out the difference.

One step forward, two steps back?

The stepped-up financing is an option for those who are set on landing their first home and with a steady income flow. This person should also have a good credit health as that may help him or her qualify for better interest rates.

The removal of upfront payment does make it easier for a homebuyer to explore the market and the 5-year period paying only interest allows for better cash flow. Without the 110% financing option, a homebuyer would have to fork out at least RM25,000 for down payment, and another RM20,000 for miscellaneous fees.

What is yet to be ascertained is whether there will be an increase in interest rates and if there are any costs brought forward from first five years into the remainder of the loan.

However, using the Account 2 as collateral risks exhausting funds meant for retirement. EPF recently revealed that only 22% of its members have enough for retirement, that leaves a good 78% ill-prepared. Also for Muslims, the scheme risks giving up their right to perform the Hajj.

Then there is the problem of using the Account 2 for medical emergencies or to fund a child’s tertiary education. Property may be a good asset, but it is not liquid. So in case of an emergency, the owner can’t sell the home immediately for money.

One analyst weighing in on the scheme caution banks of the dangers of lowering their criteria to extend loans to buyers who cannot actually afford one.

“This is how the subprime crisis happened in the US, when people who couldn’t afford mortgages were given mortgages. If it is widespread enough, markets worsen, salaries are cut and layoffs happen, there will be people who can’t afford to repay their loans,” he said.

The EPF also weighed in on this and cautioned that higher withdrawals from the pension fund could risk a housing bubble, where the opening up of the Account 2 could encourage people to buy assets that they may not be able to afford.

According to PR1MA and news reports, the stepped-up scheme will be implemented in January 2017.

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Top 4 Grocery Loyalty Cards That Give You The Most Savings

Although you may have heard it a thousand times before, hypermarket loyalty cards can actually help you save money in the long run. A loyalty card allows you to earn points and other rewards each time you make a purchase.

On the business side, a loyalty card is primarily an incentive plan for retail business owners to retain their customers by gathering information on their shopping preferences. The general perks of owning a hypermarket loyalty card includes reward points, special member price for selected items and additional discounts of other merchants.

Here are several hypermarket loyalty cards that you can take advantage of:

1. AEON

Card Name	AEON MEMBER card
Card Fee	RM12 for 1-year membership RM24 for 3-year membership
Reward Points	RM1 spent earns 1 AEON Point Points for Redemption: 1,000 AEON BiG Points = RM5 cash rebate
Earn Points	Shop at AEON Stores, AEON Wellness or Pasar Raya MaxValu. Get 300 AEON MEMBER points when you sign up for AEON MEMBER Card. Get 100 AEON MEMBER points by referring family and friends. Each successful sign up also earns 100 points.
Benefits	Earn AEON MEMBER Rebates worth 5% or 3% every time you shop at AEON General Merchandise Store. Every 6 months, your rebates shall be converted to AEON Gift Vouchers. RM10 rebate = RM10 AEON Gift Voucher. Redeem exciting gifts with your AEON MEMBER points. Shop at any AEON Store and Pasar Raya MaxValu to enjoy more savings with our Specially Priced Items. Receive exclusive birthday rewards on your birthday. Stay updated via e-mail or SMS and get special invites to AEON MEMBER Day, AEON MEMBER Privilege Day, AEON MEMBER Fiesta, activities and other attractive offers. Enjoy exclusive discounts from a wide selection of merchants. Collect a free copy of our bi-monthly PEARL Magazine. Enjoy free parking for the first 2 hours when you shop at AEON Mall.
Points Validity Period	3 years

Advantages:

While other hypermarkets offer you redemptions and offers for shopping items, AEON MEMBER offers shopping related benefits such as free parking for the first two hours. This allows you to save about RM4 if you spent 5 hours shopping on a Sunday, you only need to RM6 instead of RM10 (1 hour parking = RM2).

For every RM200 spent will help you accumulate 200 points, which is equivalent to RM1 redemption.

You also get to save money as you will be able to enjoy discounts from other merchants when you shop.

Disadvantages:

However, the room for redemption is selected or limited to AEON products compared to other hypermarkets loyalty card.

2. Tesco

Card Name	Tesco Clubcard Touch ’n Go
Card Fee	RM10.60 (for 18 years old & above only)
Reward Points	RM1 = 1 Clubcard point 400 ClubCard points = RM2 Clubcard Discount Vouchers
Earn Points	Shop at Tesco in-store, Tesco e-shop and Tesco food court Use Tesco RHB credit card & earn 2x Clubcard points Use Tesco RHB debit card & earn 3x Clubcard points Reuse Tesco green bag and earn 4 Clubcard points Reuse any green bag and earn 2 Clubcard points
Benefits	Store a maximum of RM1,500 at any one time in the Clubcard. ClubCard points converted into Clubcard Discount Vouchers and sent together with Clubcard Statement 3 times a year. Inherit ClubCard points from deceased family members. No reload fee charged for ClubCard. Cashless payment at Tesco stores and participating Touch ’n Go merchants. Receive Clubcard Discount Coupons. Enjoy privileges and discounts with selected merchants. Convert points to cash vouchers. Use ClubCard also at toll booths, LRT, KTM, KL Monorail, RapidKL, selected shopping/business complexes & other participating Touch ’n Go merchants.
Points Validity Period	Clubcard is a lifetime membership  If there are no transactions for 12 months, the Touch ’n Go feature will be inactivated. The Touch ’n Go feature will expire after 10 years.  Get a replacement card 3 months in advance. Clubcard Discount Vouchers validity: 1 year Clubcard Discount Coupons validity: 8 weeks

Advantages:

Tesco Clubcard Touch ’n Go allows you to quickly collect points in various ways. For example, if you made a purchase of RM300 using your debit card and used six Tesco green bags, you will be able to earn points of up to 924 points. This amount already earned you RM4 discount vouchers. In short, with less money, you are able to stretch it to obtain more points – which in turn gives you savings because you need to spend RM924 to get these points.

Similarly, a RM1 discount voucher (minimum denomination for discount voucher is RM10) will require 200 Clubcard points, which is RM200 spent. And the best part? You don’t need to pay to renew your membership!

You actually get to consolidate all your groceries expenses, loyalty rewards and other expenses into one card. You can let go or reduce the need to have different cards for different needs.

Disadvantages:

Compared to the other hypermarkets, Tesco Clubcard Touch ’n Go holds a shorter expiry date for its vouchers and coupons at one year and eight weeks respectively.

Pair your Tesco Clubcard with the right credit card to optimise your points. RHB Tesco Credit Card lets you earn 2x Clubcard points every time you shop at Tesco!

3. MYDIN

Card Name	Meriah Card
Card Fee	Meriah Card Registration & Renewal: RM12 per year (for 18 years old & above only) Supplementary Meriah Card: RM6 per year (for 13 years old – 17 years old)
Earn Points	Shop at Mydin Hypermarket, Emporium & MyMydin Outlets
Reward Points	RM1 = 1 Meriah point 2,000 Meriah points = RM10 gift voucher
Benefits	Meriah points can be exchanged for selected in-store redemption items.  Obtain Meriah Mania Coupons that provide special discount on selected items. Transfer Meriah points of a deceased member to another account. Redeem birthday gift for a loved one using Meriah points accumulated.  Get supplementary cards for your loved ones to combine Meriah points to redeem higher value gifts. Joint loyalty with selected cards e.g. Pension Card, OKU Card, 1Malaysia Privilege Card Use your card at selected merchants to enjoy discounts. Convert your Meriah points to AirAsia BIG Points: 1,000 Meriah Points = 250 BIG Points
Points Validity Period	Three years Card needs to be renewed annually. Renew card within 3 months after expiry date to avoid reward points being zerorised.

Advantages:

One of the prominent advantage with the Meriah card is that you can use the Meriah points you collected to redeem AirAsia BIG Points. At the same time, you can apply for a supplementary Meriah card for your kids of 13 to 17 years old and collect more Meriah points.

The Meriah card requires you to spend RM2,000 to redeem RM10 voucher, which makes every RM1 redeemed worth RM200 spent (200 points).

Disadvantages:

One of the significant disadvantages with the Meriah card is although the expiry date of the points is three years, you will need to go through the hassle of renewing the card annually at a fee of RM12 for the normal card and RM6 for the supplementary card. Also, besides shopping at Mydin Hypermarket, Emporium & MyMydin Outlets, you do not have any other outlets to collect Meriah points. This can push you to make large purchases if you are into collecting points. It also depends on where you are located, as Mydin outlets can only be found in selected areas.

4. AEON BiG

Card Name	AEON BiG member card
Card Fee	None
Reward Points	RM1 = 1 AEON BiG Point
Earn Points	1 AEON BiG Point for every RM1 spent at AEON BiG stores or participating external merchants. 50 AEON BiG Eco points when using AEON BiG recycle bag on Saturdays. 5X AEON BiG Point when booking your vacation hotel stay through Agoda.com (promotion valid till March 13, 2017).
Benefits	Points for Redemption: 1,000 AEON BiG Points = RM5 cash rebate (this is redeemable only after 24 hours of the last purchase). Special member price for items purchased at AEON BiG stores or participating external merchants.
Points Validity Period	Points will expire on December 31 of the next calendar year from the last usage of the card.

Advantages:

AEON BiG member card allows you to earn BiG points in three ways – purchasing at AEON BiG, using AEON BiG recycle bag and booking your vacation hotel stay through Agoda.com.

Sign up for the membership is also free. You are only required to complete the AEON BiG member card form and present your MyKad or passport upon signing up. This card is open to both Malaysians and Singaporeans, age 18 years and above. As there is no validity period for AEON BiG member card, you do not need to worry about renewing the card or paying renewal fees, like other loyalty cards.

Every now and then, AEON BiG allow its members to enjoy various discounts and promotions. The current promotion now is the ability to earn 5X AEON BiG Point when booking your vacation hotel stay through Agoda.com, which is valid till March 13, 2017.

In terms of earning points, AEON BiG card will allow you to collect points much quicker. You not only accumulate points when you shop at AEON stores, you are also able to collect 5x points when you use the same card to make your hotel bookings online via Agoda.com. Thus, you can accumulating more points in shorter time.

Assuming the following, here’s how much points you can collect in a year:

Assumption	Annual	Points
Total Points		11,600
Monthly grocery bill = RM600	RM600 X 12 = RM5,000	5,000
Shop on Saturdays once a month	50 points x 12 = 600	600
Travel twice a year	RM3,000 x 2 = RM6,000	6,000

Disadvantages:

However, purchase of AEON BiG gift card, AEON BiG gift card top up, mobile top-up, tobacco related products and any other product purchased outside AEON BiG stores will not be given points.

And the biggest setback here, is the benefits are pretty much limited, comparatively.

You can only use the AEON BiG member card for redemption of cash rebates, and special member price when you shop at AEON stores. While other cards offer discounts with participating partners and other privileges, such as free parking and converting points to air miles.

Our verdict

So, which is the best card?

Tesco Clubcard is the winner when it comes to groceries loyalty card. This card allows you to quickly collect points from various ways and you can redeem these points to enjoy various special discounts and promotions. When it comes to conversion rate for the points, all the above cards have the same rate, which is RM200 spent to redeem RM1 voucher.

However, what makes the Tesco Clubcard better than the rest is its flexibility in point collection. If you make a RM300 purchase in other hypermarkets, you will only be able to collect 300 points. However, with the Tesco ClubCard, you can earn up to 900 points or more when you purchase with a credit or debit card and shop with green bags.

To really know if a particular hypermarket’s loyalty card is worth getting or not, you have to consider how frequently you visit the store. If you don’t really shop there regularly, then you’re better off without a card. However, if you do shop at that store often, then get yourself a loyalty card to enjoy discounts with everything you buy. 

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