Press Release 2017
UOB Malaysia: Female credit card spend has been growing at almost twice that of men's since 2011
Malaysian women are using their credit cards more for their discretionary and non-discretionary purchases
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 3 July 2017 - Credit card expenditure among Malaysian women has grown by 129 per cent in the last five years, while men's credit card spend has grown by 71 per cent over the same period1.
According to data2 released by United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia), women are increasingly using their credit cards to pay for basic necessities such as insurance, groceries and utilities; as well as the niceties such as travel and lifestyle shopping3.
In 2016 alone, women cardholders spent 15 per cent more than they did in 2015 on insurance-related products versus men who spent 12 per cent more on insurance. Women's spend on groceries saw a 10 per cent growth over the year before in contrast to men who spent just two per cent more on their cards for this necessity in 2016.
As for the niceties in life, women's credit card spend showed significant growth in the areas of travel and lifestyle shopping. In 2016, women spent 28 per cent more on travel and 13 per cent more on their cards for lifestyle shopping compared with their spend in 2015. For both these categories, it was more than twice that of men who spent just 14 per cent and five percent more on travel and lifestyle shopping, respectively.
Mr Ronnie Lim, Managing Director and Country Head of Personal Financial Services, UOB Malaysia, said the growth in women's credit card spending across both discretionary and non-discretionary products and services reflects women's greater earning capacity and balanced spending priorities.
"As more women join the workforce and enjoy greater financial security, so too does the size of their disposable incomes. In addition to spending on the basic necessities such as groceries, utilities and insurance, it is good to see that Malaysian women are prioritising their own personal development as they direct some of their income towards life-enriching activities and pleasures like travel, dining and fashion."
Mr Lim added that the data is also indicative of women's savvy expense management skills.
"Women are using their credit cards rather than cash to make both priority and discretionary payments. This suggests that women, more so than men, value the cost management benefits credit cards have to offer. By centralising spending on a single credit card, consumers earn cash back rebates and reward points, enabling them to offset their expenses and benefit from greater savings," Mr Lim said.
UOB Malaysia celebrates women's choices with revamped Lady's Card
In keeping with the preferences and spending habits of Malaysian women, UOB Malaysia is rewarding its Lady's Card cardholders with a dedicated spend campaign and a chance to win a return trip to one of Europe's top three fashion capitals.
From now until 31 August 2017, Lady's Card cardholders will stand a chance to win a pair of return tickets to Paris, Milan or London. They will also be in the running to receive RM1,000 cashback when they use their credit card to make purchases at home or abroad before the end of August4.
All Lady's Card cardholders will also receive 10 per cent cashback on selected fashion purchases made in a weekend and have the flexibility to convert designer purchases of RM2,000 and above into a six or 12 month installment plan at zero per cent interest5.
"To support the Malaysian woman's lifestyle and spending priorities, we launched the UOB Lady's Card in 2003, the first card designed exclusively for women. Over the years, we have seen how women's rising income and management of their expenses have encouraged them to turn to their credit cards as a more convenient way of budgeting. So long as you use your credit card wisely and responsibly, earning while you spend is an efficient way to budget and to manage monthly expenses," Mr Lim said.
To match the contemporary taste of Malaysian women further, UOB recently enhanced and redesigned its suite of Lady's Cards. The improved features and new card face, designed exclusively for UOB by acclaimed fashion designer Vivienne Tam, is the latest generation of UOB Lady's Cards and Malaysia's first and only designer credit card.
For more information on the UOB Lady's Card, please log on to www.uobladys.com/my.
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1 Source: UOB Malaysia credit card spend data, 2011 vs 2016.
2 UOB Malaysia Credit Card data that tracks the annual growth in credit card spend among its UOB cardholders in 2015 and 2016.
3 Lifestyle shopping includes purchases made on fashion apparel, accessories and beauty products.
4 This promotion is subject to Terms & Conditions
5 These promotions are subject to Terms & Conditions.