AEON Member Plus (AMP) Visa Gold Credit Card

A mid-tier AEON card with dining cashback

The AEON Member Plus (AMP) Gold Credit Card sits between the Classic and Platinum cards in the AMP series. It is mainly for people who shop at AEON often, but do not need the higher Platinum tier. Compared with the Platinum card, the Gold version has a lower income requirement and annual fee, but the rewards are also less generous.

The main cashback benefit is tied to AEON Thank You Day, held on the 20th and 28th of each month. Cardholders get 8% cashback at participating AEON Stores and AEON BiG Hypermarkets, subject to a monthly cap. The card also gives 5% cashback on dining, which makes it more useful outside AEON. However, unlike the Platinum card, it does not offer cashback for online spending.

The card also earns AEON Points, redeemable at a fixed rate of 200 points = RM1. At AEON Stores, excluding Thank You Days, cardholders earn 2 bonus AEON Points for every RM2 spent, plus 1 base AEON Point per RM1 through AEON member recognition. In total, this works out to 4 AEON Points for every RM2 spent, or about 1% effective rebate.

Overseas spending earns 3 AEON Points for every RM2 spent. Other eligible retail transactions earn 1 AEON Point per RM4 spent, with exclusions such as petrol, government-related payments, utilities and fees. That is a low return, so the card is not very strong for general local spending outside AEON and dining.

The lifestyle benefits are modest, but still useful if you travel occasionally. Cardholders receive up to 3 complimentary Plaza Premium Lounge visits per calendar year in Malaysia, provided they spend at least RM500 in single or cumulative transactions within 30 days before or after the lounge visit. Selected AEON Malls and AEON BiG Hypermarkets also offer up to 2 hours of parking rebates when using the card.

The AMP Gold is available in both Visa and Mastercard versions. Rewards, benefits and fees are the same across both networks, so the choice mainly depends on merchant acceptance. The AMP series is also issued using biodegradable PLA material as part of AEON Credit's sustainability initiative.

The minimum income requirement is RM36,000 per year. The annual fee is RM95, waived for the first year and waived in later years with at least 12 transactions per year.

Verdict: The AEON Member Plus Gold makes sense if you regularly shop at AEON and can also use the dining cashback. It is easier to qualify for than the Platinum card, but the trade-off is weaker AEON points, no online cashback and fewer lifestyle perks. For most users, this works better as an AEON and dining card than as a main everyday credit card.