CIMB Platinum-i Credit Card Review (2026): Tawarruq, Points, Fees, Verdict

The CIMB Platinum-i Credit Card is CIMB Islamic's entry-level Shariah-compliant card. Its annual fee is waived on principal and supplementary cards, it earns 1 Bonus Point per RM1 with 5X on zakat and charity payments from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027, and it requires RM24,000 of annual income. Since 1 January 2026 every CIMB Islamic card runs on Tawarruq (commodity murabahah) rather than Ujrah, with an 18% ceiling and an effective rate of 15% to 18%. In short: a fee-free halal card for people who pay in full, not a rewards card. At CIMB's Pay With Points rate of 500 points to RM1, RM2,000 of monthly spend is worth RM4. Our Islamic credit card comparison covers the field.

What changed on 1 January 2026: from Ujrah to Tawarruq

CIMB's product page carries a notice that 'effective 1 January 2026, the Shariah concept for all CIMB Islamic Bank Credit Cards and the related services which are currently under the Ujrah concept will be converted to the Tawarruq concept'. The product disclosure sheet dated 18 September 2026 describes the new mechanics. The bank buys a commodity worth your approved credit limit plus a temporary 50% uplift (the Bank's Purchase Price), sells it to you at the Bank's Sale Price on deferred terms, and then, acting as your agent, sells the commodity to a third party for cash at the Purchase Price. The Sale Price is the Purchase Price plus total profit at the 18% ceiling rate over a five-year tenure, and the arrangement renews automatically on expiry unless either side ends it.

In practice you never see the commodity; the Sale Price is the legal maximum you could owe, and Ibra' (rebate) brings what you actually pay down to profit on the balance you revolve. The PDS says the bank absorbs the wakalah (agency) fee for now and would justify any future charge on actual cost. If you want the contract itself explained step by step, our Tawarruq personal financing explainer uses the same structure.

How the Bonus Points work and what they are worth

The card earns 1 Bonus Point for every RM1 spent, redeemable from the member rewards catalogue, against selected flights and hotel stays, or through Pay With Points at participating merchants. The Bonus Points page gives the Pay With Points conversion as 500 Bonus Points to RM1, which is the only published cash-equivalent rate and therefore the honest yardstick: 0.2% of spend. The 5X campaign on zakat and charity payments runs from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027, with the additional 4X points credited quarterly under separate terms. The product page does not list exclusions or caps for the base 1X earn, so check the cardholder terms for government, e-wallet and instalment transactions, which other issuers commonly exclude.

Catalogue redemptions can be worth more or less than 0.2% depending on the item, and flight or hotel redemptions depend on the partner rate at the time. But nothing on CIMB's pages promises a higher fixed value, so treat points as a modest bonus rather than a reason to pick the card.

Fees: what is waived and what is not

The PDS and the fees table agree that the annual fee is waived for principal and supplementary CIMB Platinum-i cards with no spend condition, which is the card's strongest feature. Everything else follows the standard CIMB Islamic schedule. Note the RM25 service tax per card charged by the Government on activation and each annual renewal; it is not a bank fee and is not waived.

Eligibility: income, age and the no-income route

The product page states a minimum annual income of RM24,000. The PDS adds a route for applicants aged at least 21 who cannot prove annual income: place a Fixed Deposit-i with CIMB Islamic equal to the credit limit granted and keep it there for as long as the card facility runs. The page we fetched does not list the application documents; expect to be asked for income proof in the usual forms, and if you hold your main account elsewhere, check whether CIMB wants statements. For a lower bar, CIMB Lite-i caps the limit at RM20,000 or twice monthly income and runs at a 14% effective rate, but it is a different card with a different rewards table.

• Confirm you meet the RM24,000 annual income line, or be ready to pledge a Fixed Deposit-i equal to the limit if you are 21 or over without provable income
• Read the CIMB Islamic Bank Credit Card PDS dated 18 September 2026 and the cardholder terms, both linked from the product page
• Check the Zakat and Charity campaign terms if the 5X points matter to you, since the extra 4X is credited quarterly and ends on 28 February 2027
• Decide whether you need a supplementary card; it is also fee-waived but still attracts the RM25 service tax
• Set a full-payment auto-debit before the first statement so the 15% prompt-payment tier applies if you ever revolve

What revolving a balance costs: 15%, 17% or 18%

The effective profit rate on retail balances depends on your payment history: 15% a year if you have paid promptly for 12 consecutive months, 17% if you paid promptly in 10 or more of the last 12 months, and 18% otherwise. Cash advances are always 18% on a daily rest basis from the day the cash is drawn. The minimum monthly payment is 5% of the current balance plus taxes, instalment plan dues and any unpaid prior minimum, or RM50, whichever is higher. Carrying RM3,000 for one month at 18% costs about RM45 in profit, which wipes out roughly a year of Pay With Points value from RM2,000 of monthly spend.

Late payment triggers Ta'widh (compensation) based on actual cost up to 1% of the unpaid balance, with a RM10 minimum and RM100 maximum, which is the Islamic card equivalent of a late fee and is structured as compensation rather than penalty income. The PDS also lists set-off against any credit balance you hold with the bank after seven calendar days' notice, appointment of collection agencies after the same notice, suspension and legal action. Treat the card as a payment instrument, not a credit line: the 18% ceiling is the same as a conventional card and the Tawarruq contract does not make revolving cheaper. Our personal financing hub compares the cost of a structured Personal Financing-i against card debt if you already carry a balance.

Versus Maybank Ikhwan Mastercard Platinum and Bank Islam Visa Platinum

The two obvious alternatives are Maybank Islamic's Ikhwan Mastercard Platinum Card-i and Bank Islam's Visa Platinum Credit Card-i, both of which publish category rebates that CIMB Platinum-i lacks. Maybank's page shows a card that is free for life, requires RM40,000 income, pays 5% rebate on petrol and groceries on Fridays and Saturdays capped at RM50 a month for the principal cardholder, earns 1 TreatsPoint per RM1 elsewhere, and contributes 0.1% of spend to a charity fund; cards approved before 26 December 2025 moved from Ujrah and Qard to Commodity Murabahah. Bank Islam's Visa Platinum requires RM36,000 income, runs on Tawarruq at 15% to 18%, charges RM388 a year waived with 12 transactions or RM120 of spend, and pays 3% or 5% cash back on online, auto-billing, grocery and dining merchant codes capped at RM30 a month, plus an unlimited 0.2% on other local spend above RM500 and 1% overseas above RM5,000 capped at RM100.

The rival figures depend on spend mix. Bank Islam's RM31 assumes RM1,500 in its four categories (hitting the RM30 cap) plus 0.2% on the remaining RM500; its RM37 assumes the same cap plus 0.2% on RM3,500. Maybank's RM30 and RM50 assume you can route RM600 or RM1,000 of petrol and groceries to Fridays and Saturdays; TreatsPoints value is not published as a ringgit rate on the page we fetched. On any realistic basket, both rivals return more cash than CIMB Platinum-i, but both require higher income.

Who should choose which card

Choose CIMB Platinum-i if your income is between RM24,000 and RM36,000 and you want a no-fee halal card for online payments, travel bookings and building a payment record, or if you pay zakat and charity by card and will use the 5X campaign to 28 February 2027. It is also the natural pick for an existing CIMB Islamic customer who wants a card without a spend hurdle. The CIMB Islamic guide covers how the card fits with the bank's accounts.

Choose Bank Islam Visa Platinum if you clear RM36,000 and spend at least RM1,500 a month on online, dining and groceries; the RM30 cap arrives fast and the RM388 fee is easy to waive. Choose Maybank Ikhwan if you clear RM40,000 and buy petrol and groceries at weekends. Whichever you pick, pay the statement in full: the 18% ceiling and the Ta'widh schedule are near-identical across the three, and the rewards are small next to one month of revolving profit. If you are weighing a card against a buy-now-pay-later plan, our is BNPL halal analysis explains the contract differences. Facts checked against cimb.com.my, maybank2u.com.my, bankislam.com on 18 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CIMB Platinum-i credit card Shariah-compliant?

Yes. It is issued by CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad and, since 1 January 2026, structured on Tawarruq (commodity murabahah) instead of Ujrah. The bank buys a commodity worth your limit plus a 50% buffer, sells it to you at a Sale Price built on an 18% ceiling rate over five years, and sells it on for cash as your agent. Ibra' rebates reduce what you actually pay to the effective profit on balances you carry.

Does the CIMB Platinum-i card give cashback?

No. It earns Bonus Points: 1 point per RM1 spent, and 5X on zakat and charity payments from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027. Points can be redeemed from the rewards catalogue, against flights and hotels, or through Pay With Points at 500 points to RM1, which equals 0.2% of spend. Bank Islam Visa Platinum and Maybank Ikhwan Platinum offer true category rebates instead.

What is the minimum income for CIMB Platinum-i?

RM24,000 a year, according to CIMB's product page. Applicants aged 21 or above who cannot prove income can instead pledge a Fixed Deposit-i with CIMB Islamic equal to the credit limit for as long as the card runs. The lower-tier CIMB Lite-i caps limits at RM20,000 or twice monthly income and charges a 14% effective rate.

Is there an annual fee on CIMB Platinum-i?

The annual fee is waived on both principal and supplementary cards with no spend condition. You still pay the Government's RM25 service tax per card on activation and at each annual renewal, plus standard charges such as 1% on cash advances (minimum RM4), RM20 for a replacement card and RM2 per paper statement. The bank currently absorbs the wakalah fee.

What is the profit rate if I do not pay in full?

The effective profit rate on retail balances is 15% a year if you have paid promptly for 12 consecutive months, 17% if you paid promptly in at least 10 of the last 12 months, and 18% otherwise. Cash advances are charged at 18% on a daily rest basis. The minimum payment is 5% of the balance or RM50, whichever is higher, and late payment attracts Ta'widh of up to 1%, between RM10 and RM100.

Is CIMB Platinum-i better than Maybank Ikhwan Platinum?

It is easier to get and costs nothing a year, but it returns less. CIMB needs RM24,000 income and pays 1 point per RM1 (about 0.2% via Pay With Points). Maybank Ikhwan Mastercard Platinum needs RM40,000 income, is free for life, and pays 5% on petrol and groceries on Fridays and Saturdays capped at RM50 a month, plus 1 TreatsPoint per RM1 elsewhere. If you qualify for Maybank and buy fuel at weekends, it returns more.