Best credit cards for buying groceries: Maybank Family & Friends Card vs Citi Cash Back vs CIMB Visa Signature Card

Want a cashback credit card that lets you rack up rewards on groceries and more? Take your pick from Maybank Family & Friends Card, Citi Cash Back and CIMB Visa Signature Card. 

Maybank Family & Friends Card, Citi Cash Back and CIMB Visa Signature Card are high cashback credit cards you wouldn’t want to miss considering how rewarding they can be.

Besides dishing out generous cashback on essentials like groceries, depending on which credit card you hold, you can also look forward to earning high cashback on common categories like dining, food deliveries, petrol, online shopping and more. 

While they may seem similar at first glance, Maybank Family & Friends Card, Citi Cash Back and CIMB Visa Signature Card aren’t duplicates of each other. Read on to find out more about them, what they have to offer and which one could be the right one for you.

Maybank Family & Friends Card vs Citi Cash Back vs CIMB Visa Signature Card

What these cashback credit cards have in common 

Maybank Family & Friends Card, Citi Cash Back and CIMB Visa Signature Card offer higher-than-usual cashback if you are able to chalk up a minimum spend of $800 per month. 

These three cashback credit cards are great for grocery shopping (and more!) and they only require cardmembers to have a minimum annual income of $30,000.

How these cashback credit cards differ 

Comparison 1: Cashback workings

Maybank Family & Friends Card	Citi Cash Back	CIMB Visa Signature Card
Cashback workings	8 per cent cash rebates on dining, groceries, food deliveries, transport, petrol, telco, online media subscriptions and more Unlimited 0.3 per cent cash rebates on all other spend	Eight per cent cashback on grocery shopping, both online and at major supermarkets Eight per cent cashback on petrol spending (up to 20.88 per cent savings at Esso and Shell)  Six per cent cashback on dining at restaurants, cafes, fast food eateries, and caterers Unlimited 0.25 per cent cashback on other spend	10 per cent cashback on groceries, online shopping, beauty/wellness, pet shops/veterinary services and cruises Unlimited 0.2 per cent cashback on other spend

Maybank Family & Friends Card, Citi Cash Back and CIMB Visa Signature Card offer generous cashback on essentials like groceries and more. If you drive or dine out a lot, definitely consider going for Maybank Family & Friends Card or Citi Cash Back to boost the overall cashback you can potentially earn. 

The CIMB Visa Signature Card is a good option if you tend to spend a fairly equal amount across those five categories.

Comparison 2: Cashback cap

Maybank Family & Friends Card	Citi Cash Back	CIMB Visa Signature Card
Cashback cap	$80 per calendar month	$80 per statement month	$100 per statement month; split into $20 per category

A cashback cap is a common feature across credit cards that offer generous cashback. In this Maybank Family & Friends Card vs Citi Cash Back vs CIMB Visa Signature comparison, the more fussy card is, of course, CIMB VIsa Signature Card — its $100 monthly cashback cap is split across the five categories so you’re required to plan and track your purchases if you want to maximise your cashback every month. 

Comparison 3: Annual fee waiver

Maybank Family & Friends Card	Citi Cash Back	CIMB Visa Signature Card
Annual fee waiver	Three years waiver	First year waiver	Free for life

CIMB Visa Signature Card lets you enjoy all the perks without having you bother about annual fees at all.

Which card comes with free supplementary cards? Maybank Family & Friends Card lets you enjoy a free supplementary card while CIMB Visa Signature offers cardmembers up to four free supplementary cards.  

Comparison 4: Extra perks 

Maybank Family & Friends Card	Citi Cash Back	CIMB Visa Signature Card
Extra perks	You can earn 5 per cent cashback on the same categories if your monthly spending is between $500 – $799 Enjoy the same benefits on groceries, food deliveries, transport and petrol when in Malaysia Maybank retail, dining and lifestyle promotions 3X interest on your child’s savings with Maybank Family Plus	Up to $1 million coverage when you charge your travel tickets to the card Citi World Privileges: Get dining, lifestyle, travel and shopping deals locally and in 95 other countries	CIMB dining, retail and lifestyle offers across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia Transit with ease with SimplyGo Complimentary travel insurance of up to $500,000 for you and your family when you charge your full travel fares to the card Access to Visa Signature Concierge

If the minimum monthly spend of $800 seems difficult to obtain, take heart that Maybank Friends & Family lets you earn five per cent on the same categories if your monthly spending is between $500 to $799. 

Prefer something that offers complimentary travel insurance? Zoom in on Citi Cash Back or CIMB Visa Signature Card. 

Conclusion: Which one should you choose?

Maybank Family & Friends Card, Citi Cash Back and CIMB Visa Signature Card let cardmembers rack up cashback quickly thanks to their generous cashback rates.

If a large chunk of your expenses goes to things like groceries, petrol, dining or food deliveries, definitely take advantage of what these cashback credit cards have to offer. 

Choose Maybank Family & Friends Card: If there are months you can’t hit the $800 minimum monthly spend, don’t worry.

This card still lets you earn five per cent cash rebates on the selected categories — not shabby at all considering the attainable monthly spend of just $500. It’s also good to know that its $80 monthly cashback cap isn’t split into categories so you don’t have to worry about spending more on certain categories than others.

Welcome offer: From now till June 30, 2021, get $100 cash credit when you apply for one of seven participating Maybank credit cards (for new Maybank cardmembers only) and a CreditAble account.

To earn this reward, you will have to make a min. spend or withdrawal of $250 for the first two consecutive months upon card approval. Terms and Conditions apply.

Choose Citi Cash Back: If your expenses mainly revolve around groceries, petrol and dining, Citi Cash Back is one to have in your pocket. Similar to Maybank Family & Friends Card, Citi Cash Back has a cashback cap of $80 per statement month across categories. 

A little-known perk that this cashback card offers? Complimentary coverage of up to $1 million when you charge your travel tickets to the card.

Choose CIMB Visa Signature Card: This card is ideal if you regularly spend across categories like groceries, online shopping, beauty and wellness (e.g. pharmacies, cosmetic stores, spas), and pet shops and veterinary services. 

How to maximise the 10 per cent cashback you can earn monthly? Ensure you’re spending a fairly equal amount on each category (i.e. at most $200 per category). This card has no annual fees yet offers complimentary travel insurance of up to $500,000 for you and your family when you charge your full travel fares to the card!

CIMB sign-up promotion: Get a Fitbit Inspire 2 (worth $168) or $130 via PayNow when you apply as a new CIMB credit cardmember from now till May 7, 2021. You will have to make a minimum spend of $350 per month for two months following card approval to be eligible. T&Cs apply.

This article was first published in SingSaver.com.sg.