If you’re planning to book flights in early 2026, the Maybank Family & Friends Card is running a limited-time promo that lets you earn up to 8% cashback on air tickets — something you don’t see often with cashback cards.
Promo Overview
- Promo period: 1 January to 31 March 2026
- Eligible spend: Flight tickets booked directly with airlines
- This promo applies to both paid tickets and even taxes/fees on award flights, as long as the airline is charged directly.
What’s Special About This Promo?
Under normal conditions, airline transactions do NOT fall under “Commute” Category.
However, during this promo period:
- Maybank will temporarily classify airline transactions as “Commute”
- This applies to airline MCCs 3000–3308 and 4511
- Only applicable for flights booked directly with airlines, make sure that you will not book through online travel agencies (Agoda, Trip.com, Expedia, etc)
Once the promo ends on 31 March 2026, flights go back to being non-Commute spend.
Recap of the Recent Maybank Family & Friends Card Nerf:
Recently, Maybank announced changes to the Family & Friends Card, effective 1 January 2025, with full 8% cashback requiring a higher monthly spend of S$1,600 from 2026, while spending S$800–S$1,600 will earn 6% cashback and base cashback on other spend dropping to 0.22%.
How to Earn 6% or 8% Cashback on Flights
To qualify, you must still follow the usual Maybank Family & Friends Card rules:
Step 1: Select “Commute” as one of the five Cashback Categories
- You can choose any 5 out of 10 cashback categories. If no categories are selected, default categories will be used automatically. So for this promo, you must have chosen “Commute” already.
Categories | MCCs | Description |
Automotive (DEFAULT CATEGORY) | 5541, 5542, 5532, 5533, 5599, 7531, 7535, 7538,5552 | Petrol stations, EV Charging and automotive related services globally |
Dining & Food Delivery (DEFAULT CATEGORY) | 5812, 5814 | Restaurant dining, Fast Food Eateries, Foodpanda and Deliveroo globally |
Kids & Pets (DEFAULT CATEGORY) | 0742, 5995 | POPULAR Bookstores, Toys ‘R’ Us, Yamaha Music, Mothercare, Kiddy Palace, pets and veterinary related services globally |
Online Shopping (DEFAULT CATEGORY) | 5611, 5262, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331, 5399, 5621, 5631, 5641, 5651, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5948 | Online purchases on Marketplace, Apparels, Shoes, Accessories, Leather goods, Luggage and other fashion purchases globally |
Telco & Streaming (DEFAULT CATEGORY) | 4812, 4814, 4899 | StarHub, Singtel, M1 Limited, Circles.Life, MyRepublic, Disney+, Netflix and/or other telecommunication, pay television, cable and radio services globally |
Beauty & Wellness | 7297, 7298, 7230 | Massage parlors, Health & beauty spas and Barber shops globally |
Commute | 4111, 4121, 4789, 4112, 4131 (NEW) 3000 – 3308, 4511 (limited period) | Contactless bus and train rides, Limousines, Taxi, Grab/GOJEK rides and other passenger transportation services globally Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, airasia and more. |
Entertainment | 5813, 7832, 7922, 7929 | Bars, Drinking places, Cinemas, Motion Picture Theatres, Theatrical Producers and Ticketing agencies globally |
Groceries | 5411 | NTUC FairPrice/Finest/X-tra, Cold Storage, Giant, Market Place, Jasons, Sheng Siong, DON DON DONKI, HAO Mart, RedMart, Amazon Fresh and all other grocery stores and supermarkets globally |
Sports & Sports Apparels | 5655, 5940, 5941, 7032, 7941, 7992, 7997 | Sports/Riding apparels, Sporting goods, Bicycle shops, Recreation & sporting camps, Athletic fields, Commercial sports, Professional sport club, Golf courses, Country clubs and Membership (Athletic/Recreation/Sports) globally |
Step 2: Hit the Monthly Spend Requirement
Cashback rate depends on how much you spend overall on the card:
Tier | Earn Rate | Monthly Spend and Cap | Maximum Spend |
1 | 6% cashback | Minimum spend of S$800; capped at S$120 (S$20 per category) | S$333.33 |
2 | 8% cashback | Minimum spend of S$1,600; capped at S$180 (S$30 per category) | S$375 |
Assuming you’re aiming for Tier 2— to earn the full 8% cashback on flights, the maximum amount to spend under ‘Commute’ category is only S$375, which can give you the maximum S$30 cashback. Any spending above this on flights won’t increase your cashback, so you would have to spend more in other categories to reach the S$1,600 monthly minimum required for the 8% tier. This makes the promo less rewarding for high-cost flights, as the cashback is effectively limited by the category cap.
Conclusion:
An 8% cashback on flights is rare, especially from a general cashback card. While the cap limits upside, it’s still a solid deal for cheaper flights or award ticket taxes — as long as you’re already meeting the spend requirements. For regular users of the Maybank Family & Friends Card, this is a nice bonus worth taking advantage of before the promo ends.
