Hi some expat colleagues asked me about credit cards so I thought we could share our experiences.
Why have a local card? Convenience, cashback(!), promotions (buy with interest free installments), discounts (coffee bean 20% off with Citibank) and no hassles sending money home to pay a card bill. And home cards tend to get cancelled for "fraud" if not careful! Obviously great for holidays, although I use Metro Bank (UK) when traveling as debit/credit card cash with withdrawels are totally free of charges!
I hold an employment pass. On a tourist visa no way. MM2H I understand it is possible, but usually with a FD. Student visa I guess with a large FD maybe possible. Another site did the same last year and came up with random oddities, so getting a card can be a random experience! As always some branches may be more lenient or apply old rules. I have two local cards and tried many banks and a summary of these are:
Accepted
Citibank with decent limit (30k+) Credit Limit (Platinum Cashback) 5% at Petronas and 2% at supermarkets cash back. Fee after one year - can be waived with a phone call if you use the card a lot
Maybank Amex/Mastercard: ok limit (10k+) renewable yearly but with 5% Cashback at weekends (max 50RM pm) and 2% via points. No fee. They even gave me a one year interest free balance transfer.
Wanted employer guarantee
RHB. Only went for as had to bank with RHB. Very high fees anyway so didn't bother as bad value credit card.
Wanted Fixed Deposit
Ambank
Hong Leong (50,000 RM min FD get 90% "credit" limit of that)
Rejected
Standard Chartered
MBF Expat Platinum (for expats so they claim! As I earn enough and have a good local history credit wise and paid tax etc for several years seems they are NOT expat friendly)
UOB
Public Bank
OCBC
Bank Islam (I keep my Malaysia cash reserves with them)
Don't accept Expats
CIMB - despite claim in a certain magazine they are "targeting expats" HO told me expats cannot apply and the application form had nationality with MALAYSIAN already printed on it. again from same mag that promotes the MBF card. Maybe they mean they reject expats in a friendly way? Note now they told me need to make a "large" FD to get a credit card with a limit less than FD.
HSBC heard you can but I had bad experience in UK with HSBC and refuse to bank with them. Overall no surprise that Malaysia's biggest bank and an international bank offered me credit cards with no hassles! Others seem to fear runaways.
Getting a Credit Card in Malaysia as an Expat
I only opened one account in Malaysia, with CIMB, and they told me at the time that I could get a credit card but I would have to have a fixed deposit with them. For example, if I wanted a card with a 20k limit I would have to open an account and have a minimum of 20k in it at all times. Since I was in a hurry and just needed an account to bank my salary, I didn't go for that.
You mentioned MAY in your list above that you could get a card with them. Maybe I'll try them but not sure as when I got here I went there first to open an account and they told me it would take a week for them to process the paperwork to open the account (so wouldn't accept any money from me at the time). Since I hate going to banks, I didn't want to go back to give them the deposit. I also didn't like they couldn't open an account right away. Walked across the street to a CIMB and they opened an account for me immediately - no paper application form form me to fill out like with May Bank, the clerk just typed everything into her PC straight away and bang the account was up and running within 15 minutes.
Standard Chartered - no problems opening an account with employment pass (MM2H) and promise of credit balance to be transferred of RM10k immediately. Reasonable service at branch and no charge for debit card withdrawals (don't use credit cards) at their ATMs otherwise RM1 per transaction. Fixed term deposits at standard rates (better deals Nov/Dec each year). See also Groupon , LivingSocial, etc. for god CC deals and free gifts. Only convenient if there is a branch near where you work or live, as you tend to have to go into the branch to arrange certain transactions. Staff well trained and good English language skills.
Have been using HSBC (local account) for many years, wouldn't recommend it to anyone. In fact I would recommend you NOT to use HSBC.
If I wasn't so lazy I would have changed to another bank long time ago. For the last couple of weeks you cant even talk to a telebanker:
Please press 0 to talk to our telebanker
0
- Sorry I cannot understand. Please press 0 to talk to our telebanker
0
- Sorry I cannot understand, thank you for calling HSBC tele banking *click*.
I got plenty more bad experience with HSBC.
Luckily I shall be closing my account with them soon since I'm moving out 
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