Frustrated Malaysians flooded social media last night after encountering disruptions with Maybank’s MAE app, which left many unable to carry out basic cashless transactions.
The temporary glitch caught users off guard, particularly those relying solely on the app for daily purchases — from buying fruits at the market to paying for meals.
Some were even forced to take food on credit.
The issue quickly gained traction on Threads, where users shared their experiences under a now-viral discussion about the app’s unexpected downtime.
“Is MAE down? No wonder I couldn’t open the app just now when I was trying to buy fruits. And I didn’t bring my card either. In the end, I didn’t get the fruits,” wrote user iffahhaziqah__.
“Just now I bought nasi lemak on credit. And there were a lot of side dishes too. Luckily, the kakak (vendor) knows me.
Maybank/MAE was acting up,” said another.
Another user, tengkujuhtengkurak, shared a more serious account:
“Maybank system down: Missed the 9pm ERL Express train. I usually buy tickets using a digital wallet. Had no cash in my pocket. Spent a moment staring into space alone at KL Sentral — a good 15 minutes, just reflecting. I had to call someone to transfer money to my rarely used CIMB account. I finally managed to get the ticket and made my way to KLIA. Felt a bit embarrassed — I rarely ask for help. Usually, people come to me.”
Others took the opportunity to offer advice for future-proofing against similar issues.
“After the Maybank kerfuffle last night, I think some of us learned a lesson: don’t rely on just one payment method,” said jujubeeetz.
“You should always have at least three options — a physical credit card, a TNG eWallet (which is quite popular and widely accepted now), and physical cash. If possible, keep your cash reserve in a different bank too.”
In response, Maybank released a statement on Facebook late last night, informing users that “the main features of the MAE app are now available, while other services are temporarily unavailable.”
A few hours later, a follow-up update confirmed that all services had been restored and customers could resume their banking transactions as normal.
