Alliance Bank 6.6% Bundle FD

It is the season of FD promotions from banks. Alliance Bank has joined in to bring you the 6.6% p.a. Bundle FD, started from 27 November 2012 and ends on 31st January 2013. The information is yet to be uploaded to Alliance Bank's website and the information I got was from Call Center.

Bundle FD means that you need to deposit 10% equivalent of your FD deposit into Alliance CASA when you sign up for the Fixed Deposit. There are 2 packages of Bundle FD:

1. Package one, FD + 10% equivalent amount of FD place in Alliance Buddy (Children's savings account).
2. Package one, FD + 10% equivalent amount of FD place in CASA.

Minimum amount to place for FD is RM 10000 and the FD tenure is 6 months. If you place RM 10000, you need to place another RM 1000 into the CASA account.

This is the interest rate for the 6-month tenure FD:

Month	Package 1 (p.a.)	Package 2 (p.a.)
1	3.10%	3.10%
2	3.10%	3.10%
3	3.10%	3.10%
4	3.20%	3.20%
5	3.20%	3.20%
6	6.60%	6.00%
Actual	3.72%	3.62%

The actual interest rate is lower than that of Bank Rakyat and MBSB.

Save More with Free Newspaper & Online Subscription

Do you still subscribe to paper copy of local newspaper daily? I've stopped buying local newspaper for quite a long time as we can get all the latest and uncovered news from the Internet.

Instead of buying newspaper, I'm now getting a free copy of newspaper everyday when I go to work. It's The Sun Daily. There isn't much content in the newspaper but it is a good source of information to know the latest promotion from banks, car dealers, shopping malls and more.

Have you calculated how much you can save when you stop subscribing paper copy of newspaper? Say 1 issue is RM 1.30 and distributed 360 days, subscription fees for 1 year is already RM 468. If you subscribe to the best online news portal in Malaysia, it only cost you RM 150 a year for the standard package. You can save RM 318 annually and at the same time go green by reducing papers.

15% Cash Back with AMEX

It is end of the year and it is time to shop in conjunction with Malaysia Year End Sales (YES). At the same time, American Express is giving out a total cash back of RM 3 million to its card holders for shopping, starting from 1st Dec 2012 until 31st January 2013.

The campaign is open to all AMEX Cards issued by Maybank and Maybank Islamic except Corporate Cards. Each principal card holder can earn 15% cash back, with a total cash back of up to RM 300. All you need to do is to spend at 21 participating malls listed below:

a) Mid Valley

b) Gardens

c) Sunway Pyramid

d) 1 Utama

e) Suria KLCC

f) Pavilion KL

g) Starhill

h) Ikano Power Centre

i) The Curve

j) Paradigm Mall

k) Setia City Mall

l) Bangsar Shopping Centre

m) Bangsar Village I & II

n) Gurney Plaza, Penang

o) QueensBay Mall, Penang

p) Suria, Sabah

q) Spring Mall, Sarawak

r) Tebrau City Mall, Johor

s) AEON Bandaraya, Melaka

t) Station 18, Ipoh

u) East Coast Mall, Kuantan

Transactions from departmental stores located at the Participating Shopping Malls for example Isetan, Tangs, Metrojaya, Parkson, Robinson, Tesco and Jusco Departmental Stores as well as merchants that sign-up before 15 Nov 2012 are qualified for the campaign. However, Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, hotels and their F&B and retail outlets, which are located in the 21 Participating Shopping Malls are not qualified for the  cash back. To read full terms and conditions, click here.

If you wish to enrol in this campaign, please click here to register.

Bank Rakyat Mubeen Deposit Account-i

Other than MBSB, Bank Rakyat is another financial institution that offers highest interest rate for fixed deposit. The product is called Mubeen Akaun Deposit-i.

These are the requirements and features of Mubeen Deposit Account-i:

• Open to individuals from 18 years old and above.
• Minimum deposit of RM 500 ( for at least 2-month tenure).
• Minimum 1-month tenure (for deposit of RM 5000 and above).
• For deposits more than RM 20000, interested will be paid by monthly basis.
• Attractive incentives when you introduce new depositor.

A quick comparison with MBSB Fabulous FD promotion:

Months	Mubeen Individual (%)	MBSB Fabulous FD (%)
1	3.26	-
3	3.65	-
6	3.75	3.80
9	3.85	3.90
12	4.01	4.05
15	4.05	4.10
18	4.10	4.15
24	4.20	4.25
36	4.25	4.30
48	4.30	4.35
60	4.50	4.70
>60	4.60	-

The interest rates of Mubeen Deposit Account-i for tenure of 6 months to 48 months are only 0.05% lower than MBSB. If you make a deposit of RM 1000 from now to 31st Mar 2013, you can stand a chance to win cash prizes under the "Save & Win Campaign".

Every RM 1000 deposit in Mubeen Deposit Account-i will grant you 1 entry to the campaign. You can refer to the full terms and conditions here.

Haagen Dazs@RM10 Voucher with minimum spend of RM50

*Promotion: Haagen Dazs@RM10 Voucher with minimum spend of RM50

*Promotion period: Till End of November 2012

*Term & Condition:  -

*Shop locator list: Please click HERE.

BlackBall@BUY 1 FREE 1 (Bukit Mertajam) - 26/11 & 27/Nov (Corrrection)

*Promotion: BlackBall@BUY 1 FREE 1 (Bukit Mertajam)

*Promotion period: 26/Nov/2012 & 27/Nov/2012 (Monday & Tuesday)

*Term & Condition: 
1. While stock last.

*Shop locator list: 

17, Medan Limau Emas,Pusat Perniagaan Limau Emas,14000 Bukit Mertajam,Penang.
Tel :04-505 9069

GENTING Resort World@BUY 1 FREE 1 (Year End Craziest Room Fair)

*Promotion: GENTING Resort World@BUY 1 FREE 1 (Year End Craziest Room Fair)

*Booking site: click HERE.

*Booking period: 23/Nov/2012 ~ 01/Jan/2013 
*Stay period: 01/Jan/2013 ~ 31/Mar/2013

*Term & Condition: 

1.	Opened to all Genting Rewards Classic and above card members with sufficient Genting Points / WorldCard Points. Accommodation at Resort Hotel / Highlands Hotel is only applicable at Genting Rewards Silver and above card members.
2.	The period of stay is only applicable to low and shoulder season as per Genting Highlands Resort 2013 Seasonal Chart.
3.	The promotion is not valid during the Chinese New Year 2013; from 09 – 16/02/13.
4.	All room reservations are based on a first-come first-served basis. It is subject to room availability and not inclusive of breakfast.
5.	The FREE rooms are only applicable for room reservations made by Genting Rewards Classic and above card members who have purchased a room under the Year End Craziest Room Fair promotion before 1st January 2013.
6.	The FREE room is only applicable on the equivalent or lower season based on the room purchased during the promotion perion.
7.	The FREE room type is base on the equivalent hotel property of the room purchased or at a lower rate.
8.	The FREE room must be reserved within the booking period.
9.	Limited to two (2) free rooms per member and subject to availability of the free room allotment.
10.	Once the reservation has been confirmed, no amendment, cancellation or extension of validity period will be entertained.
11.	All room reservations made are subject to “No Show” charges unless cancellation is made 72 hours prior to the check-in date. There will be no refund of Genting Points / WorldCard Points for the same check-in date.
12.	Back-to-back booking is allowed (including free room) but not applicable for the same check-in date.
13.	Genting Malaysia Berhad reserves the rights to alter the terms and conditions or withdraw this promotion at any time without prior notice.

*Room availability calendar: 

 

 

*Step to booking: Step 1

Key in the first 10 digits of your Membership Card number, select your preferred hotel, check-in date, number of nights and click on ‘Show Room Rates’.

  
Step 2

Kindly select the number of rooms. The GP/WP rate shown should be the promotional rate for the Genting WorldCard Rooms Fair. If the rate shown is higher, it means that your selected date is not entitled for this crazy deal. 

Step 3

Make sure that the hotel, check-in and check-out dates, name and membership number are correct. Click ‘Proceed To Deduct Points’ when everything is good to go!
  

Apple Store Black Friday Sale

In the United States of America, Black Friday is the name given to the day after Thanksgiving Day, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early and offer promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season.

Apple is also giving discount to some of its products through Apple Store including iPad 4 and iPod touch 5G. Below table lists out some of the products on sale:

No	Product	Normal	Discounted	MY
1	iPad 4 16GB Wifi	USD 499 (RM 1547)	USD 458 (RM 1420)	RM 1499 (Estimated)
2	iPad 2 16GB Wifi	USD 399 (RM 1237)	USD 368 (RM 1141)	RM 1199
3	iPod touch 5G 32GB	USD 299 (RM 927)	USD 268 (RM 831)	RM 1049
4	iPod touch 4G 16GB	USD 199 (RM 617)	USD 178 (RM 552)	RM 699
5	iPod nano	USD 149 (RM 462)	USD 138 (RM 428)	RM 529

The discount is really a lot compared to the selling price in Malaysia especially for iPod. You can see the full list of the products here. I wonder when Malaysia Apple Store will have similar promotion?

iPhone 5, iPad Mini & iPad 4 Launch Date

It is already 2 months since iPhone 5 was officially launched. Many of us are guessing when the Apple's latest product line up of iPhone 5, iPad Mini & iPad 4 will be officially available in Malaysia.

According to the news report of the Malay Mail, iPhone 5, iPad Mini & iPad 4 are very likely to be released in Malaysia after 2nd January 2013 due to 3 main reasons:

1. Apple is focusing to fulfill orders for Christmas sales in its key markets.
2. Apple may be facing constraints in the supply of its retina display touchscreens.
3. Foxconn, the manufacturer for Apple's products, is having difficulty to keep up with the demand.

If you are interested in Apple smartphone or tablet, should you just go ahead and purchase the current models this year or wait for the new models next year? Let's look at the performance benchmark of Apple iOS products done by Geekbench.

Based on the graph above, it's definitely worth to wait for the new models to arrive as both iPhone 5 and iPad 4 are more than 2 times more powerful than their predecessors. While for iPad Mini, its performance is slower than iPad 2.

A6 chip designed by Apple is a great success until there are rumours spreading around that Apple is looking to implement similar chips for its Mac and MacBook products to replace Intel chips.

Am50 Plus Fixed Deposit

Am50Plus is a fixed deposit account specially tailored for senior savers. You will get higher rates and various benefits when you deposit with AmBank. You can get 3.50% p.a. for 9-month tenure if you sign up Am50Plus now. The promotion ends on 30th November 2012.

A quick comparison on Am50Plus Rate and Ambank Conventional FD Rate:

Tenure	Am50Plus Rate	Conventional FD Rate
6 months	3.20% p.a.	3.15% p.a.
9 months	3.20% p.a.	3.15% p.a.
12 months	3.25% p.a.	3.20% p.a.
15 months	3.30% p.a.	3.20% p.a.
18 months	3.30% p.a.	3.20% p.a.
21 months	3.30% p.a.	3.20% p.a.
24 months	3.35% p.a.	3.25% p.a.
36 months	3.40% p.a.	3.30% p.a.
48 months	3.40% p.a.	3.30% p.a.
60 months	3.40% p.a.	3.30% p.a.

The features of Am50Plus:
• Free Personal Accident Insurance plan up to RM50,000.
• Interest will be credited into your Savings or Current Account on a monthly basis.
• Option to have automatic renewal.
• ATM card access.
• Also offered under Islamic Banking: Am50Plus Investment Account-i

Requirements & Eligibility:
• Minimum age: 49 years old and above.
• Minimum deposit amount : RM 5000 and above for 6 months or more.

iPod Touch 5th Generation

Apple has launched iPod Touch 5th generation in October and it is already available in Malaysia. This is the most iPhone like iPod Touch ever made by Apple.The iPod Touch 5G comes in a 4-inch Retina display that is exactly the same with iPhone 5 and it is even thinner than iPhone 5 by 1.5 mm.

iPod Touch 5G is powered by A5 chip, the same chip that is used to drive iPhone 4S. The front & back camera are also major upgrades as compared to the previous generation of iPod Touch. It seems that Apple is intending to make iPod Touch 5G as an alternative to Point-and-Shoot camera. Every iPod Touch 5G comes with a strap that Apple calls the loop to let you take the iPod just like a camera.

This is a quick comparison for the 3 new products of Apple:

Category	iPod Touch 5G	iPad Mini (Wifi)	iPhone 5
Processor	A5 chip	A5 chip	A6 chip
Dimension	Height: 123.4 mm Width: 58.6 mm Depth: 6.1 mm	Height: 200.0 mm Width: 134.7 mm Depth: 7.2 mm	Height: 123.8 mm Width: 58.6 mm Depth: 7.6 mm
Weight	88 g	308g	112 g
Display	4-inch Retina display	7.9-inch	4-inch Retina display
Resolution	1136 * 640	1024 * 768	1136 * 640
Back Camera	5 MP	5 MP	8 MP
Front Camera	1.2MP photos 720p HD video Backside illumination	1.2MP photos 720p HD video Backside illumination	1.2MP photos 720p HD video Backside illumination
Video Recording	1080p HD video recording	1080p HD video recording	1080p HD video recording
Earphones	Apple EarPods	N/A	Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic Storage and travel case
Talk Time	Music playback time: Up to 40 hours Video playback time: Up to 8 hours Charging times: Fast charge 2 hours (80% capacity), full charge 4 hours	Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music	Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G Browsing time: Up to 8 hours on LTE Up to 8 hours on 3G Up to 10 hours on Wifi Standby time: Up to 225 hours
Price	32GB RM1049 64GB RM1399	16GB RM1099 (est) 32GB RM1399 (est) 64GB RM1699 (est)	16GB RM2199 (est) 32GB RM2499 (est) 64GB RM2799 (est)

You can see from the table that iPod Touch 5G has almost all the features like iPhone 5 except it only has Wifi connection and unable to make phone calls but the price of iPod Touch 5G is 58% cheaper. If you compare iPod Touch 5G with iPad Mini, you would notice that iPad Mini is actually overpriced with a screen that is not Retina display.

The selling price of iPod Touch 5G in the US is USD 299 (RM 900) but it is selling at RM 1049 in Apple Store. Since iPad 2 is selling for RM 1199 now,  if the upcoming iPad Mini is priced at RM 1099, it will affect both iPad Mini and iPod Touch sales. I hope that by the time iPad Mini is launched in Malaysia, the iPod Touch 5G price would be revised to RM 900.