KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — Did you know that there are credit cards that offer you deals and discounts on movie tickets? Whether you’re looking for a new credit card that helps you save on entertainment expenses or just interested to see what promotions there are floating around, here are some of the best credit cards to use when going to the movies in Malaysia.
Deal: RM5 for normal adult tickets on Fridays
Validity: Until 3 April 2020
Minimum income requirement: RM36,000 per year
Annual fee: RM90 (first year free), waived with 12 swipes per year
The YOLO Credit Card definitely offers the cheapest price for a normal adult ticket on this list. YOLO cardholders get up to two tickets at the RM5 flat price when they purchase normal adult tickets on Friday. Has a cap of 330 tickets at the promotion rate each Friday and cardholders will have be entitled to them on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Unlike a number of the other promotions offered for cinema tickets, the YOLO offer is not only restricted to movies showing on the same transaction day. As long as you purchase the ticket on Friday, you’re eligible for the RM5 price — the movie doesn’t necessarily need to be showing on Friday as well. As this offer is valid through the website or mobile app only, this makes it even more convenient for cardholders to score cheaper tickets a little bit in advance.
By the way, the YOLO isn't only just good for really cheap movie tickets. It's a rewarding cashback credit card, particularly for online shopping — this means you're entitled to cashback for your online movie ticket purchases in addition to the flat rate promotion.
Deal: 1-for-1 standard movie tickets at TGV on Fridays
Validity: Ongoing
Minimum income requirement: RM24,000 per year
Annual fee: RM90 per year (free for the first three years)
Buy one standard ticket using your Citi Clear Credit Card and you’ll get a second ticket for free. Tickets have to be bought through its online website or mobile app to be eligible for the buy-one-free-one offer, whereas TGV tickets must be bought over-the-counter. Each cardholder is entitled to one set of 1-for-1 tickets and the transaction day must be the same as the movie screening day.
This promotion is only valid for standard tickets in a common cinema hall, but it’s rewarding because there is no cap on the total number of 1-for-1 tickets Citibank gives out on a given Friday. Moreover, the deal can be used at both and TGV outlets, while most other cards only offer for one cinema.
Standard Chartered JustOne Platinum Card
Deal: RM10 for normal adult tickets after 1pm every day (except Wednesday)
Validity: Until 28 February 2020
Minimum income requirement: RM36,000 per year
Annual fee: RM250 (first year free), waived with RM20,000 annual spend
The Standard Chartered JustOne Platinum Card gives you a flat rate of RM10 per ticket for movies showing after 1pm every day except for Wednesday. (Previously, Standard Chartered ran this promotion for tickets at a flat rate of RM7.) You are entitled to buy up to two standard tickets at this discounted price. The offer is only valid for same-day purchases and for tickets purchased through the website or mobile app.
Although this deal is generous in that it’s valid for six out of seven days in a week, it is only available for 149 tickets on a first-come-first- serve basis each day. So, there’s a chance that you might not be able to score tickets at this price if the quota has been reached. That said, the Standard Chartered JustOne Platinum Card isn't just good for buying movie tickets – it is one of the better cashback credit cards in the market.
Deal: RM6 off on all movie tickets every day (except Wednesday)
Validity: Ongoing
Minimum income requirement: RM24,000 per year for Gold; RM60,000 for Platinum
Annual fee: RM150 per year for Gold; RM300 per year for Platinum
Unlike other credit cards which offer movie promotions as just part of their wider benefits, this entire credit card has been designed for movie-goers in particular. The Hong Leong Credit Card offers movie ticket deals, discounts on snacks and drinks, and its own Reward Points scheme.
Cardholders get RM6 off all movie tickets every day except for Wednesdays for all halls and types of movies, including Signature and Gold Class screenings. This discount is only valid for tickets purchased via website or mobile app and is capped at three transactions per day.
You can collect reward points when you spend using the Hong Leong Credit Card as seen in the table above. 200 rewards points amount to RM1 in value, which can be used to claim movie tickets for 2D, Premiere, Gold Class, and other non-standard tickets.
The Hong Leong Credit Card comes in two editions, Platinum and Gold. New Platinum cardholders are granted 10 free tickets whereas new Gold cardholders will receive 5 free tickets as a card approval bonus – however only those who don’t already have an existing Hong Leong Bank credit card are eligible to receive this offer.
Standard Chartered Visa Infinite Credit Card
Deal: Buy 1 get 1 free for Gold Class or Premiere Class tickets on Fridays to Sundays
Validity: Until 1 March 2020
Eligibility: By invitation only
Annual fee: RM800 (first two years), waived with RM10,000 annual spend
Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, you can buy one normal adult Gold Class or Premiere Class ticket and get one free. This offer is open to Standard Chartered Visa Infinite cardholders or anyone with a Standard Chartered Priority Banking debit card – so this isn’t exactly a promotion that can be taken advantage of by the masses, but a good thing for existing cardholders to be aware of.
Cardholders are entitled to a maximum of 1 free ticket per transaction per day and can purchase the tickets through the website or mobile app. There is no capping on the overall amount of tickets on offer. However, do look out for some of the fine print: For example, the offer is not applicable when the Gold Class Privilege option is selected (this gets you a hot beverage and a blanket).
Deal: 1-for-1 Gold Class tickets on weekends and public holidays
Validity: 31 March 2020
Minimum income requirement: RM200,000
Annual fee: RM1,000
Every Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday, Citi Prestige cardholders get a buy one free one deal for Gold Class tickets. Each cardholder is entitled to a maximum of two free tickets to be redeemed per card per day. As usual for credit card promotions, the tickets must be purchased through the website or mobile app to be eligible.
Given its minimum income requirements and annual fee, you probably wouldn’t be getting the Citi Prestige Credit Card just for its movie promotions. Still, getting buy-1-free-1 Gold Class tickets definitely is a sweet perk for those who are accustomed to the premium life. Unlike the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite, there's no restriction against selecting the Gold Class Privilege with this offer – so you can enjoy your promotion with your hot beverage and blanket too.
Deal: Buy 1 Get 1 Free normal tickets on weekends
Validity: Until 30 April 2019
Ambank credit card holders can enjoy a buy one get one free deal for normal adult class tickets every Saturday and Sunday. Each cardholder can redeem one free ticket per card per day. You’ll only be able to use this promotion for movies on the weekends, as the transaction day must be the same as the movie screening day. Moreover, there is an overall cap of 250 tickets being given out free as part of the offer per day. As usual, tickets must be bought through the website or app only.
Deal: RM12 for preferred seats at TGV on weekends
Validity: Until 30 April 2019
Enjoy a flat rate of RM12 for preferred seats at TGV cinemas on weekends with any or Amanah credit or debit card. Preferred seats refer to preferred seats in a standard TGV hall only and do not apply to tickets for 3D, Premium, IMAX classes, and so on.
The tickets must be purchased at the TGV counter for same-day showings, so you can’t buy tickets in advance, online, or on the TGV app. This offer is also applicable for multiple ticket purchases in one transaction (up to 10 tickets per day), but the flat rate price is limited to 1,000 tickets every weekend.
Deal: Cheaper tickets at TGV every day before 6pm
Validity: Ongoing
Maybank Mastercard, Visa, and AMEX credit or debit cardholders are entitled to cheaper tickets at TGV every day of the week as long as the movie is before 6pm. The cheaper pricing for tickets is as follows:
RM10 for standard halls ticket (standard and preferred seats)
RM20 for IMAX 2D ticket
RM24 for IMAX 3D ticket (with 3D glasses)
Previously, these discounted tickets could only be purchased over-the-counter, but are now available via the TGV Mobile App as well. The promotional price is applicable to same day purchases only. It is not applicable for early bird prices, non-IMAX 3D facilities, Twin Premium seats, Beanie, LUXE, or INDULGE.
Deal: Percentage of cashback on cinema tickets
Validity: Ongoing
Not all credit cards offer deals on movie tickets through promotions or flat-rate prices. You can also save money on movie tickets by earning credit card cashback on your expenditure.
For example, the One Card offers 8 per cent cash rebate at ticket counters on weekends. For weekdays, you only get 0.2 per cent worth of rebate from the One Card (it was previously set at 2 per cent for weekdays). There is no cap on cashback for cinema expenditure using this credit card. Of course, another reliable cashback option would be the Maybank 2 Credit Cards — the American Express card offers 5 per cent cashback as well as 5X TreatsPoints on all weekend spend.
Earning cashback is beneficial especially if you tend to splurge on the pricier seats at higher-end cinema halls such as Gold Class, TGV LUXE, and the rest. If you’re curious to see what we thought about premium cinemas in Malaysia and whether they’re worth your money, you can read about it in our review.
Never pay full-price for a movie ticket again
With all these cinema-related promotions available, it wouldn’t be too hard to secure yourself some cheaper tickets if you’ve got the right credit card.
The Hong Leong Credit Card would be best for the most frequent patrons, but if you’re just looking to save some money for your movie outings, you could opt for a credit card which has other non-cinema related benefits too.
Each credit card’s promotions are also valid for different periods, methods of purchasing, and cinema outlets, so you would have to see which is best suited to you.
Remember, to make your search for the right credit card easier, you can always use our RinggitPlus credit card comparison tool and apply for your next credit card all in one place.
* This article is brought to you by RinggitPlus.com.
