Brands: Standard Chartered Bank

You Should Consider This New Credit Card If You Shop Online & Love E-Wallet Offers

[This is a sponsored article with Standard Chartered.]

In the past, we looked forward to seasonal sales in physical stores for deals and discounts. That has changed a lot over the past few years. 11.11 is just barely behind us, and we’re already looking forward to 12.12 for the next big online sale.

With 51% of Malaysians now preferring online payments instead of in-person payments, it makes sense to have a credit card that’s updated to cater to a digital-savvy crowd. 

This is where the new Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card comes in. Online shoppers in particular will appreciate the cashbacks and additional discounts you get for digital purchases.

1. Get Cashback By Spending Online

With the pandemic and the current situation, online shopping is the best and safest way to get your shopping done. 

Personally, I’ve been going back and forth on getting a new camera.

If you do make the purchase on online e-commerce platforms like Lazada, Zalora and Shopee using the credit card, you will be eligible for a 30% cashback (capped at RM15 a month).

If you act fast, you can maximise your shopping with discounts from big day sales like 11.11 or 12.12 and getting cashback while you’re at it. But the cashback opportunities aren’t just specific to e-commerce sites.

You can also get a 30% cashback when you top-up e-wallets such as Touch ‘n Go, Boost and Grabpay using the card too (capped at RM15 a month).

2. Get Additional Discounts On Specific Days

When shopping online, I spend a good amount of time searching around for additional voucher codes that I can use, usually with limited success. 

The Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card simplifies things, all you need to do is wait for a specific day and spend it then to be eligible for a RM20 or RM30 off.

If I buy the camera I’ve been eyeing using the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card on Shopee on a Monday, I’ll be eligible for a RM20 discount, plus a RM15 cashback.

3. Get Discounts And Cashback When You Get Food Online

Although many of us have been toying at being chefs throughout the work from home period, food deliveries have also become a norm. 

Restaurants have estimated that their current revenue is now divided into 20% dine-ins/takeaways and 80% food delivery apps. Pre-MCO, this ratio was reversed, so it’s clear that many of us have transitioned into online orders.

If you’ve been hankering for non home-cooked food, you can also utilise the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card to get discounts and cashback when you order food from dahmakan, DeliverEat, Domino’s Pizza, foodpanda and Hungry2u.com.

Here’s a quick table on what you can get:

4. Get Cashback From Your Entertainment

As someone who spends on subscription platforms and games monthly, having this card will also entitle me to up to 6% cashback per month (capped at RM20) on several subscription or gaming platforms.

You will need to spend more than RM1,000 a month on retail purchases to be eligible for the cashback from Netflix, Spotify, Astro, Steam, PlayStation, Joox and iQIYI.

You also don’t have to use all the platforms to get the cashback.

But during months where there are a lot of game launches, it makes sense to use the card to buy upcoming games.

5. Get Extra Cash For Other Spending With 0% Interest Rate

If you do shop somewhere that doesn’t accept credit cards, you can still use the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card to your advantage by getting a Cheque-On-Call Plus that can provide you with cash up to RM15,000 with 0% interest rate, plus RM100 cashback when you apply before December 31, 2020. 

This is particularly useful for high-value purchases that give an additional discount if you pay in cash. 

• For more info on the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card, click here. Do note that as per a normal credit card, there are some eligibility checks and you’ll need to have at least a minimum income of RM36,000 per annum. 
• There is also an annual fee of RM120 for the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card. However, the first year is waived and subsequent years are waived with annual spend of RM12,000.
• Read more on what we’ve written previously about Standard Chartered here.

Also Read: Understanding The New Credit Card By Standard Chartered And Why You’d Even Want One

Featured Image Credit: Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

Understanding The New Credit Card By Standard Chartered And Why You’d Even Want One

[This is a paid article by Standard Chartered Bank.]

When you think about the millennial lifestyle, your mind probably goes to all things digital.

Our favourite radio station? Try Spotify. Favourite TV channel? More like Netflix. Our favourite way of shopping for things? Lazada or Shopee. How do we like to pay nowadays? E-wallets.

Of course, the majority of these services require you to pay some amount of money to access them. Along the way, someone came along and invented the smart concept of cashback. 

Since then, it’s been a common way for financial service providers to reward their customers, but not many are as in tune with the millennial digital lifestyle of today.

With millennial priorities in mind, Standard Chartered is releasing its new Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card, targeted towards working professionals earning an annual income of RM36,000.

If you fall into this category, here’s why you should want it.

1. 30% Cashback On E-Commerce Spending

Now that we’re not so keen on going out to jalan-jalan, a lot of us are probably spending our free time browsing e-commerce sites, fingers itching to make purchases.

It’s tough to hold back, but using the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card will earn you 30% cashback when spending on merchants in different categories.

Do note that your cashback would be capped at RM80/month for the first 6 months after onboarding, however.

Here’s an example breakdown of how the cashback would work:

2. 30% Cashback On In-Store Dining Deals & Food Deliveries

We have no choice but to spend on food, but getting rewarded to eat makes it a little less painful.

The Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card grants users 30% cashback for both in-store and delivery dining with T&Cs, but that’s not all.

Each participating merchant also offers varying discounts to sweeten the deal.

To get 30% cashback on in-store purchases, you simply have to spend RM100 minimum. (Hint, hint, it’s time to take your family out for a nice lunch or dinner, but with proper COVID-19 SOPs in place.) 

This applies to merchants like Dragon-i, An Viet, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Bar.B.Q Plaza, and more.

If you just want to stay home and have some nice meals with your family, spending RM50 minimum through food delivery merchants like dahmakan, Domino’s Pizza, foodpanda, and more, will get you that 30% cashback.

This promotion will be available till December 31, 2020.

3. 6% Cashback On Digital Entertainment Spending

Most of us have some form of entertainment to kick back and relax, and if you tend to spend on games and shows, this deal would benefit you.

By spending a minimum of RM1,000 per month on retail purchases (local and international) using your Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card, you’d unlock a 6% cashback deal at selected merchants, capped at RM20 each month.

The merchants involved are:

• Netflix,
• Spotify,
• Astro,
• Steam,
• PlayStation,
• Joox,
• iQIYI.

4. RM20-RM30 Off In Daily Deals

From now until December 31, 2020, using your Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card would also get you daily deals from selected merchants.

5. Extra Cash With 0% Interest Rate

A major benefit of the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card is that you can get up to RM15,000 extra cash with 0% interest rate plus RM100 cashback when you transact at least once with the card within 60 days of approval.

It’s a current promotion called the 0% Cheque-On-Call Plus.

Here’s how it compares to standard credit card interest rates:

The promotion is valid until December 31, 2020, and you enjoy a repayment period of 12 months.

This offer is exclusively for new-to-bank credit card applications only (for those who do not have any prior banking relationship with Standard Chartered).

6. Saving Money & The Earth With CarbonNeutral Cards

The Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card is positioning itself as Malaysia’s first CarbonNeutral card.

What’s that, you ask?

7. You Get A Bonus Sign-Up Offer

When you sign up for the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card, you get RM200 cashback after you activate the card and spend within 45 days from the approved date.

But that isn’t the only bonus you get when you sign up.

There’s a hidden surprise hidden in this link, and you’ll get the bonus of RM100 cashback when you manage to find it. (This is only available from November 1 to 15.) 

The hint is: Look for smarT. You can also follow their Facebook page for more clues.

• You can get more information on the Standard Chartered Smart Credit Card here.
• Note: Some T&Cs apply, so make sure you check those first.

Also Read: Malaysia Is Leading A Key Agenda In Asia-Pacific For 2020, Here’s What You Need To Know

Featured Image Credit: Anna Shvets on Pexels

8 Home Furnitures You Shouldn’t Really Buy In-Store, From A Personal Experience

When we got the keys to our bare and dusty condo unit, it was overwhelming. The echoes of every sound we made in the vacant rooms reflected how much work had to be done to even make it liveable.

The good news was that we weren’t in a rush to move in. That meant we had time to do our due diligence in researching for the best furnishings that fit our needs in terms of design and pricing. 

For those who are immediately rushing to the nearest IKEA or other retail stores to furnish your new home, read this article first. From a rough calculation, we saved about 30% from our total expense, so you very well could too.

But allow me to start first with a disclaimer. Although we are writing about a Shopee promotion in this piece (RM15 off with the code in this article!), all the items mentioned here were not sponsored and were fully paid by myself.

Therefore this is an unbiased summary of how I recently furnished my newly renovated condo unit by leveraging on helpful platforms like Shopee and Lazada. Here are a few main categories of items that you should consider buying online instead. 

1. Pet-Related Items

Cat trees are relatively pricey in pet stores, even single or double-tiered ones would already be RM100-200. Anything more than 2 tiers would be easily above RM200+.

I got this large wooden cat tree on Shopee for only RM150 excluding shipping. Complete steal. There was a discount voucher for shipping too. 

Other than that, smaller items like cat toys, hammock, and cat litter were bought on Shopee at a low price as well. 

Tip: Wooden cat trees are much less prone to dust and cat fur compared to fabric ones. 

2. Kitchen Appliances

Buying kitchen appliances online was a no-brainer because I did the same when furnishing our office too. 

After checking the measurements to see if it would fit my kitchen island and making notes of the prices, I could check in the store itself if the prices were cheaper online.

In the end, almost all my main kitchen appliances (microwave oven, electric oven, kettle, slow cooker, baking mixer) were bought via Shopee.

Tip: Despite retail stores pushing promotional items, always check online prices first because I’ve found that usually, prices on Shopee are still lower. 

3. General Electrical Items

My husband wanted to have a smart home, but since we can’t always get what we want, we settled with just getting smart light bulbs.

We got the Philips Hue Starter Kit just below RM700 on Lazada (usual price is around RM830!) and we’ve been enjoying different ambient lighting since.

Our Philips steam iron was ordered via Shopee for about RM580 (original price is above RM1000, most retail stores are selling for around RM660). It’s a lifesaver because it easily cuts my ironing time in half. 

Tip: Always go to retail stores first to check out what kind of model you want because there are various types of steam irons. For our ironing usage, this model is more than enough.

4. Hardware Tools

As most of the furniture comes pre-packaged and not pre-installed, my husband and I had to build and assemble them ourselves. By purchasing heavy-duty tools and parts through Shopee, we were then able to DIY without hiring additional help.

My husband chose to get a new power drill and rotary tool on Shopee. He even bought screws because some of the sizes were hard to source from stores and he’d had to take a gamble to check retail stores if they had stock. On Shopee, he could just simply pick the screw size and type that he needed.

Tip: Even some cleaning materials like polishing compound and isopropyl alcohol are sold on Shopee. To our surprise, these chemicals were packaged and shipped carefully, and we received them safely in perfect condition.

5. Cooking Utensils

Personally, I am sceptical of branded utensils. Of course, with branded goods, they might look and feel more premium. However, I’m no Masterchef so they all work the same to me.

So instead of heading to expensive retail stores that only sell branded utensils, buying them online was a cheaper bet. I snagged this 10-piece silicone cooking utensil set for RM41, and I’ve been cooking frequently with them, no complaints so far.

Tip: There are many cooking utensil sets being sold, scroll for the best bundle set that you can get.

6. Bathroom Accessories

Being someone that enjoys a tidy bathroom, I absolutely had to get my hands on bathroom shelves that will keep all my bathroom goods neat.

This rack fits just nicely above our toilet so it’s space-saving and it’s below RM40.

Tip: I generally recommend racks that are not flat-surfaced because they are more prone to collecting dust and hair, especially in the toilet. 

7. Water Filter

Now this one was a surprise even for us because my husband and I have never bought a water filter online before. Due to the design of our sink and countertop space, not many water filter brands would fit. 

With some extensive research, we found a water filter brand with a design, performance, and price that fits our requirements.

The specific model we were looking for wasn’t even sold in retail stores! We installed it ourselves and saved another RM100.

Tip: It is recommended to buy water filters that have NSF certification (National Sanitation Foundation) so that it meets a certain level of performance for filtration.

8. Furniture

I must admit, buying furniture online was particularly tricky due to quality, and comfort is subjective.

For example, you wouldn’t be able to tell the firmness of a sofa cushion just by looking at the pictures. We did manage to find a simple fix to this problem—by calling up the merchant and asking if we could drop by their showroom to personally check out the sofa.

Once we were satisfied, we could confidently buy the sofa from the merchant on Shopee. As for other furniture, we decided to go for the ones that had a decent number of feedback and reviews from previous customers.

Home Sweet Home

Overall, I’m very pleased with the loot that we got and the total money saved from being resourceful. I’d admit it took some additional time to find everything that we needed and more than a bit of effort to install certain items ourselves; but at the end, there were no regrets.

If you’re itching to get your own home items via Shopee, here’s how you can save even more:

1. Plan ahead by adding your items to your Shopee cart.
2. Make sure that you have over RM150 worth of goods. 
3. Check out your shopping cart on a Monday (every Monday from now till the end of December).
4. Pay using your Standard Chartered Bank Mastercard Credit Card and remember to use the code SCBMON.
5. RM15 will be discounted from your total bill!

Personally, I probably need to get a good vacuum cleaner soon. I’m not a fan of sweeping my home twice a day.

There are other deals that you can take advantage of with the Standard Chartered Bank Credit Card if you’re shopping on Zalora, Lelong.my, and more. Read about the deals here, or check out the table below.

• This article is sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank.
• Get RM15 off when you spend over RM150 on Shopee when you check out with a Standard Chartered Bank Mastercard Credit Card. Use promo code SCBMON.
• Do note that there’s a limited number of codes that can be used per day, so be quick!

Also Read: The Education Industry Needs To Jump Onto The Entrepreneurial Bandwagon. Here’s How.

How You Can Get Discounts From 4 Of Malaysia’s Top Ecommerce Platforms

I still recall the first time I purchased something from eBay about 10 years ago—a pair of second-hand Beats earphones. It was nerve-wracking, but when it arrived, I was more than overjoyed. I had my first taste of online shopping and I couldn’t get enough of it.

According to stats collected by iPrice, I’m not the only Malaysian in this boat. The number of Malaysians actively online shopping is getting higher, and our basket sizes are also getting bigger.

Many of us are just trying to get a better deal. And in this piece, we’re highlighting how Standard Chartered Bank’s credit cards help users to get special daily discounts at 4 of the top 10 ecommerce platforms in Malaysia.

Shopee

Sitting atop the throne at #1, Shopee tops the list for the most monthly visits for Q3 of 2019.

Shopee is most likely at the top by offering plenty of sales that cater to different people. I even got myself a few USB Type-C cables for just RM1.99 per cable.

However, even on those special days, some of the items are even discounted further. 

To look for these deep discounts, you will have to drop by the ‘Shocking Sale’ portion of the website. There are a few tabs within the shocking sale to go through. For example, you can check out the top picks or even check for items with free shipping.

• You can also use promo code SCBMON on Mondays to get RM15 off your minimum purchase of RM150 (must use Standard Chartered Bank Mastercard).

Lelong

Lelong is the #3 ecommerce merchant on the list. They are also #10 on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. In Q3 of 2019, they still managed to nab about 2.2 million web visits.

On Lelong, I could even buy a Horn Snail for my aquarium, which shows they have variety going for them. I would be a little worried about shipping, but the seller did detail that the snail will be packaged within a foam box with ice gel.

Lelong also houses other products that include e-vouchers that can be used in restaurants and even hotels.

For cheaper sales, you can also head on to Lelong’s Flash Sale to get better deals on the site.

• Use promo code SCBSAT on Saturdays to get RM20 off your minimum purchase of RM150.

Zalora

Next one on the list is Zalora on the #4 spot. Zalora’s online presence is not to be scoffed at. They have a good amount of followers on social media with about 7.7 million followers on Facebook alone.

As you might know, Zalora is one of the go-to sites for apparel as they offer plenty of brands and that includes Adidas and Calvin Klein to name a few.

They also have a portion dedicated to sales, mostly from their outlets. For example, the Topman trousers above: Its original price is RM259 which is deducted to RM129.5. You can even get additional discounts if you check out with a Standard Chartered Bank credit card.

• Use promo code SCZ25 on Wednesdays for 25% off your total purchase.

PrestoMall

For those confused, PrestoMall was previously known as 11street. So, it’s no surprise that they are on the top 10. Ranked at #8, PrestoMall looks to be extremely active on Twitter, with 43k followers on the platform.

Personally, I do find PrestoMall’s categories pretty intuitive. If you wanna shop for Korean goods, simply search for Korean and they’ll have a huge list of Korean goodies to look through ranging from makeup, snacks and apparel.

• Simply check out with a Standard Chartered Credit Card and you can get RM15 off with a minimum purchase of RM150 on Thursdays.

Superbuy

Superbuy is also on the list, but lower down in terms of monthly visits. Ranked #33 out of 50, the site also offers some discounts on a variety of items. They even have luxury-type items like Coach bags that are worth RM1,200 on sale in their store.

• Use promo code SCBSUN on Sundays to get RM20 off from a minimum purchase of RM150.

Other Days

On the other days where you won’t be getting discounts from these popular sites, you can still drop by sites such as HappyFresh on Fridays to get RM18 off your grocery shopping on the site. With that in mind, you’d probably cut down on having to drive out to the shop for your groceries and get it delivered right to your door.

You can also get discounts on vouchers from RebateMango if you’re looking to travel anytime soon. You can nab up to 6% cashback on AccorHotels and 3.6% cashback if you shop at Watsons.

To make sure you’re eligible for all these deals, check out with a Standard Chartered Bank Credit Card.

For more info on the deals and when you can use them, check out the table below:

• This article is sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank.
• There’s a limited amount of promo codes available to be used in a day, so make sure you have them in your cart early and check out on the relevant days.
• For more info, you can drop by Standard Chartered Bank’s link here.

Also Read: The Education Industry Needs To Jump Onto The Entrepreneurial Bandwagon. Here’s How.

Indulge In Daily Shopping Until Dec 2019 Thanks To These 7 Online Deals

As
Malaysians, we often keep an eye out for discounts or freebies that we can take
advantage of. We also have a plethora of discounts on special days such as 9.9,
10.10 and the upcoming 11.11. It is never easy to pass up on deals like that.

But, instead of waiting for a specific “special” day that is a month away, you can utilise Standard Chartered Bank’s new daily e-commerce deals instead. These discounts are available with all Standard Chartered credit cards.

You
will have to be strategic though, to take full advantage of these deals.

The
deals are tabled to be running daily
until the end of the year, so there’s plenty of time to plan out your
shopping.

Beat The Monday Blues

To cure your Monday blues, you can simply head on to Shopee and get some much-needed shopaholic medicine. If your purchases on the site surpass RM150, you’ll be able to get RM15 off your purchase.

For example, if I purchase a new pair of wireless earbuds and a power bank that I’ve been eyeing, this will cost me about RM213.90. Using the RM15 discount, all I’ll have to pay is RM198.90.

Monday Deal: RM15 Off on
Shopee with a minimum purchase of RM150 with discount code: SCBMON. (Note: Can
only work with Standard Chartered Mastercard Credit Cards.)

Cash-back Tuesdays

Being
so close to the end of the year, you are no doubt looking to score some holiday
deals for you and your family.

The company is bringing us to Taiwan for a trip soon, so I decided to see if there are any attractions that are worth going to. By going through RebateMango, I can get cash-back when I purchase attraction tickets via Klook.

For example, if I’m planning to book a bus tour with 4 of my other colleagues, it will total to RM340. Paying with an SCB card will take the price down to RM325 and will give me 10%* additional rewards on the site.

Tuesday Deal: RM15 cashback +
extra 10%* rewards (Cashback, Air Miles, Loyalty Points) on RebateMango via rebatemango.my/scb
with promo code VISA (for Visa card) or MAST (for Mastercard).

Dress Up Wednesdays

Sometimes we need to dress for the occasion and ZALORA has a wide array of styles to choose from.

Checking through the list for something my size, I wanted to see if I could put together one full formal dinner-ready outfit. Yes, I took the easy way out by choosing a set, and it added up to a total of RM726. With a 25% discount, the damage to my wallet was RM544.50. That saves me about RM 181.50 for my purchase.

Wednesday Deal: 25% Discount on ZALORA with promo code SCZ25.

Snack Up Thursdays

PrestoMall, for those that are unaware, was previously known as 11Street. On the site, there are plenty of official stores such as Kmarket, Caring Pharmacy, Nestle and so on.

Their
prices are also not wildly different from their physical stores as well. So
it’s fairly easy to stock up on some of my monthly supplies from the site.

My total reached up to RM333.28. If I do pay with Standard Chartered credit card, I will then get RM15 off from my total, so all I have to pay is RM318.28.

Thursday Deal: RM15 off with RM150 minimum purchase on PrestoMall.

Stocking The Fridge Fridays

Many would know the struggle to find the time to drop by a supermarket for fresh produce. This is where businesses like HappyFreshcome in.

They
have trained pickers to choose the produce for you. If you are someone who
wants fresh food to stock your fridge every week, this could be a decent deal.

So I simulated some of the groceries that I would require in a week. My groceries rounded up to about RM173. With the RM18 discount, it goes down to RM155.

Friday Deal: RM18 discount with RM150 minimum purchase on HappyFresh.

Weekend Shopping Spree

Now
that the weekend is officially on, you will have plenty of time to browse
around for the things that you want but never really got the chance to check it
out.

Lelong.my and Superbuy.my has a host of products to choose from. They have products ranging from home appliances to electronics and shop vouchers.

Saturday Deal: 10% off with
RM150 minimum purchase on Lelong.my with Promo Code SCBSAT.

Sunday Deal: 10% off with RM150 minimum purchase on Superbuy.my with Promo Code SCBSUN.

-//-

Do note that to get these deals, you will have
to spend a minimum of RM150 on each
respective platform.

So plan right, prioritise, and do note again that you have the next 2 months plus to maximise each offer. And, even if you miss one round, fret not, just catch the deal next week instead.

• For more info, drop by this link here.
• The offer is valid until the 31st December 2019.
• Payments must be made with a Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad’s credit card (aside from Shopee that requires Standard Chartered Bank Mastercard).
• Terms and conditions apply and offer subject to change.

Also Read: Celcom Just Scored An A+ In This Industry Report, Here’s How