The ministry of domestic trade and cost of living (KPDN) has announced that the use of foreign credit and debit cards for RON 95 petrol purchases at petrol stations nationwide will start being restricted in stages beginning from this Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
This is aimed at curbing owners of vehicles with foreign registration plates from refuelling with RON 95 at self-service pumps using foreign cards, which has been the case in many instances previously.
According to KPDN enforcement director-general Datuk Azman Adam, the move, one of the mechanisms that were mulled to control the purchase and sale of RON 95, will ensure ineligible users cannot access the fuel. “After April 1, the system will automatically filter transactions,” he said, adding that the new approach would also ease the burden on petrol station operators.
He said that the use of foreign cards will still be allowed, payment can only be made through over-the-counter transactions and not at the pump, the New Straits Times reports. In the case of foreign registered vehicles, they should only be able to gain access to RON 97 petrol.
“This measure is intended to facilitate monitoring by petrol station operators and enforcement authorities, while ensuring compliance with existing regulations,” he explained. He said several oil companies are already fully prepared to implement the new mechanism, while others will do so in stages.
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