Grab defaults to SGD in Malaysia: why ringgit can cost less
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Heading to Johor Bahru? Grab will bill your ride in Singapore dollars by default, but if you pay with amaze, ringgit from your amaze Wallet is the cheaper way to pay. The wallet charges no FX markup and no transaction fees, so you skip the extra Grab adds when it converts the fare for you. On our test ride, Grab’s SGD price was about 1.9% higher than the same fare paid in ringgit from the wallet.
Here’s why. The default is automatic, so there’s nothing to tap through and it’s easy to miss. When Grab bills in SGD, Grab sets the exchange rate. If you pay with amaze Link (amaze linked to your Mastercard), SGD spend also carries a 1% fee, with a S$0.50 minimum. Pay in ringgit from amaze Wallet and neither applies.[1]
The short answer
- Pay in ringgit from your amaze Wallet. In Malaysia, Grab’s Preferred currency is set to SGD (Card) automatically, so switch it to MYR once.
- How to tell: if the fare shows S$ with the RM amount underneath, you’re on SGD.
- Same ride, two prices: Grab charged S$5.25 in SGD. The same RM16.48 fare would have cost S$5.15 through the amaze Wallet.
- When SGD still wins: if you pay with a bank card that charges up to 3.25% on foreign spend.
Why Grab’s SGD default looks like the safe pick
Grab makes SGD the default and backs it up. Open Preferred currency in Grab and it reads “Card.” Tap Change and “Card currency • SGD” sits on top, labeled “Recommended,” with a promise to save up to 3.25% in bank fees and “fixed conversion rates.” Local currency (MYR) sits quietly beneath it. This is the prompt we saw in Malaysia with a Singapore-issued card, so what you see may differ.
For many cards, that’s fair. Pay in card currency (the currency your card is issued in, here SGD) and Grab handles the conversion, so your bank doesn’t add a foreign transaction fee. Pay in local currency (Malaysian ringgit, or MYR) and your card provider converts the fare instead. Many Singapore bank cards charge up to 3.25% for that, DBS among them.
The catch is that SGD billing uses Grab’s exchange rate and turns the ride into a domestic transaction. Both details change the math if you pay with Instarem’s amaze card.
One ride, two prices
The test ride was a Grab Standard car in Johor Bahru. Grab quoted S$5.25 and showed “S$5.25 = RM16.48. No fees.”
Put the same RM16.48 through the amaze Wallet, at its rate of 1 MYR = 0.3127 SGD, and it comes to S$5.15. That’s S$0.10 less, or about 1.9% on a short fare.
The gap hides in plain sight. Grab’s “No fees” covers the fee line only. The exchange rate is a separate number, and Grab’s S$5.25 works out to about 0.3186 SGD per MYR, a less favorable rate than the wallet’s 0.3127. Rates move through the day, so your numbers will differ.
Ways to pay, compared
Paying in SGD costs more on both amaze routes. Only a bank card with a 3.25% foreign transaction fee comes out cheaper in SGD. Here is the same S$5.25 ride, paid six ways.
The gap comes from how each route is charged. amaze Link draws from your linked bank Mastercard and carries a 1% domestic fee with a S$0.50 minimum on SGD spend. Foreign spend on amaze Link carries up to a 2.1% FX spread, which is the markup between the market exchange rate and the rate you’re charged. The amaze Wallet has zero FX markup and zero transaction fees.
| How you pay | Grab bills in | Total on this ride | vs amaze Wallet in MYR |
| amaze Wallet | MYR | S$5.15 | Baseline |
| amaze Wallet | SGD | S$5.25 | +1.9% |
| amaze Link | MYR | About S$5.26 | +2.1% |
| amaze Link | SGD | S$5.75 | +11.7% |
| Bank card (3.25% FX fee) | MYR | About S$5.32 | +3.3% |
| Bank card (3.25% FX fee) | SGD | S$5.25 | +1.9% |
These totals are calculated from published fees, not charged amounts. They use Grab’s S$5.25 price, the S$5.15 wallet figure, the up-to-2.1% amaze Link spread and a 3.25% bank fee. The amaze Link and bank card ringgit rows assume the card network’s rate is close to the wallet’s.
Why short rides take the biggest bite
A flat minimum fee is easy to shrug off until you see it as a share of the fare. amaze Link’s S$0.50 minimum domestic fee takes 9.5% of a S$5.25 fare but only 1% of a S$50 fare. That makes paying in SGD on amaze Link most expensive, per dollar, on short rides.
| Fare | link in SGD (fee) | link in MYR (up to 2.1% spread) | wallet in MYR |
| S$5.25 | S$0.50 (9.5%) | Up to S$0.11 | None |
| S$15 | S$0.50 (3.3%) | Up to S$0.32 | None |
| S$30 | S$0.50 (1.7%) | Up to S$0.63 | None |
| S$50 | S$0.50 (1.0%) | Up to S$1.05 | None |
On fees alone, SGD on amaze Link costs less than MYR on amaze Link once the fare passes about S$24, the point where S$0.50 equals 2.1%. But Grab’s less favorable rate, about 1.9% in our example, comes on top of that fee. Counting it, paying in ringgit on amaze Link comes out cheaper at every fare in this example, because above S$50 the fee is 1% of the fare. The amaze Wallet avoids both.
How to pay in local currency (ringgit) with amaze Wallet
Setup takes four steps, and the first three are best done before you cross the causeway. You need ringgit in your amaze Wallet, the wallet set as your default, and Grab set to local currency.
Step 1. Top up your wallet in SGD. Choose PayNow or a linked bank account. The app lists both as no fee and instant.
Step 2. Convert SGD to MYR in the wallet. Enter the ringgit amount you need and check the rate shown, as on the Convert screen earlier in this post.
Step 3. Make the wallet your default. In the Instarem app, open the Card tab. The wallet card shows a “Default” badge when it’s active.
Swipe to the amaze Link card and you’ll see “Set as default” and “Switch.” Leave amaze Link as it is if you want to pay from the wallet.
Step 4. Set Grab to local currency. In Grab, on the ride screen, tap the three dots at the bottom right, above the “Book” button, then tap Change next to Preferred currency, choose Local currency • MYR on the “Select which currency to pay in” screen, and tap Save.
Keep enough ringgit in the wallet for your rides, and top up again before it runs low.
When paying in SGD still makes sense
Grab’s default isn’t wrong for everyone. If you pay with a bank card that charges up to 3.25% on foreign spend, SGD can still win. On our ride it would have been about 1.3% cheaper than paying a 3.25% card in ringgit (S$5.25 against about S$5.32). Check your issuer’s fee page for its rate.
If you use amaze but haven’t topped up your wallet, you can still switch Grab to MYR and pay on amaze Link, with Link set as your default. On our ride that cost up to about S$0.11 in spread, against S$0.50 in fees for SGD on amaze Link.
For the ride in this post, the lowest-cost option was paying in MYR from the amaze Wallet.
FAQs
Does Grab default to SGD in Malaysia?
Yes. If you booked from a Singapore account, Preferred currency is set to Card (SGD) automatically. You can change it in the “For every ride” panel.
Should I pay Grab in SGD or ringgit when I’m in Malaysia?
If you pay with the amaze Wallet, choose local currency. On our test ride, the wallet had no fees, and Grab’s SGD price was about 1.9% higher than the wallet rate.
Why does Grab suggest paying in SGD?
Grab’s prompt says SGD can save up to 3.25% in bank fees. That is true for cards that charge a foreign transaction fee, which many Singapore bank cards do at up to 3.25%. It doesn’t apply if your card or wallet charges none.
Does paying in SGD with amaze Link cost extra?
Yes. amaze Link charges a 1% domestic fee with a S$0.50 minimum on SGD spend. On a S$5.25 ride, that’s S$0.50, or about 9.5% of the fare.
What does amaze Link charge for foreign spend?
amaze Link charges up to a 2.1% FX spread on foreign currency spend. On a S$5.25 ride, that’s up to about S$0.11.
Does the amaze Wallet charge fees on Grab rides?
The app lists zero FX markup and zero transaction fees for the amaze Wallet. Top up in SGD and convert to ringgit before you ride.
How do I switch between the wallet and amaze Link?
Open the Card tab in the Instarem app and set your default to the amaze Wallet or your linked Mastercard. You can switch anytime.
Is Grab’s SGD price always higher?
No. Exchange rates move through the day, so the gap changes. It was higher than the amaze Wallet on our ride, and lower than a 3.25% card paying in ringgit. The S$5.25 ride in this post is one example, not a guarantee.
Where can I check current fees?
Check the amaze fee details in the Instarem app before you travel, since fees and limits can change.
Bottom line
In Malaysia, Grab bills you in SGD unless you change it. If you pay with amaze Wallet, switch to ringgit and skip Grab’s rate markup. If your bank card charges foreign transaction fees, compare both before you ride.
Before your next trip, top up, convert to ringgit, make the wallet your default, then switch Grab to MYR. Check the Instarem app for current rates and fees before you ride. You can get the amaze card in the Instarem app.
