Hey, looking forward to applying for a credit card in UAE? Still, confused about which one to choose? Let me help you. Do you wanna know about the best cards in UAE 2023?
The range of credit cards available in the UAE is becoming impressively wider each year. What is more interesting is that each new credit card has new features that enhance your experience.
A credit card is a payment card that enables users to make payments through borrowed money from the banks until it reaches a pre-approved limit of the amount given to the users based on their credit score and history.
When you have a multitude of choices you must compare all the available options and find the best option that suits you. What are the things you should consider? In order to choose the best option for you, you oshould focus on the following things:
- Minimum Income
- Annual Fees
- Interest Rate
- Benefits and Rewards
Now let us see the best credit cards available in UAE 2023.
TOP 5 CREDIT CARDS IN UAE 2023
- FAB GEMS TITANIUM CREDIT CARD
This credit card surely is a gem from the FAB family. This is a multi- purpose credit card with lot of additional benefits.
- Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
- Annual Fee – AED 0
- Interest Rate – 3.50%
BENEFITS:
- Free for life
- Cash back offers
- Fixed discount of up to 4.25% on advance payment of Gems fees
- Access to select Airport lounges
- Gems school offer
- Discounts on cinema tickets
- Discounts on online shopping
- Travel benefits
- Insurance coverage
- Air miles
- Discounts on dining
- Credit shield facility
- RAKBANK RED CREDIT CARD
This credit card is really a golden chance for you to win a lot of travel and lifestyle benefits. 1.5 % cashback on every purchases with the card, isn’t it a jackpot? 1.5% saving program is a unique feature of this credit card, in which the user gets upto 2% cashback on every local or international spend.
- Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
- Annual Fee – AED 0
- Interest Rate – 3.45%
BENEFITS:
- Free for life
- Cash back offers
- Interest free easy payment plan
- 5% Saving program
- Dining benefits
- Lifestyle benefits
- Insurance coverage
- Supplementary card free of cost
- Free international remittance
- EMIRATES NBD LULU MASTERCARD TITANIUM CREDIT CARD
No other credit card can give such an experience in shopping like Emirates NBD Lulu Mastercard Titanium Credit Card. Shopping is not the limit; you can use your Emirates NBD Lulu Mastercard Titanium credit card for many other purposes. This card also offers you many benefits.
- Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
- Annual Fee – AED 0
- Interest Rate – 2.20%
BENEFITS:
- Free for life
- Access to Airport lounges across UAE
- Early access to major sales and promotions across UAE
- Monthly discounts and exclusive offers
- Free shipping from LULU stores
- Checkout priority
- Globally accepted
- Discounts on travels
- Discounts on dining
- Buy 1 Get 1 offers on movie tickets
- Earn up to 3.5% back as LuLu Points on daily spends
- Amazon Prime Membership
- CBD ONE STARTER VISA SIGNATURE CREDIT CARD
CBD One Starter credit card offers you number of rewards and benefits.
It also gives you high flexibility in payments.
- Minimum Income – AED 8000/month
- Annual Fee – AED 0
- Interest Rate – 3.45%
BENEFITS:
- Free for life
- Airport lounge access
- Balance transfer
- Cash on call
- 0% Easy payment plan
- Purchase protection
- Lifestyle benefits
- Discounts on cinema
- Multi-travel insurance
- Discount on Careem rides
- Discount on Hotels.com
- EMIRATES CITI WORLD CREDIT CARD
Emirates Citi World Credit Card is a good choice for you if you are a regular overseas traveller.
- Minimum Income – AED 12000/month
- Annual Fee – AED 0
- Rate – 3.25%
Benefits:
- Skywards Miles
- 1 Complimentary rides to and from airport per year
- Free access to 1000+ airport lounges
- Dining offers across 95 countries
- Travel insurances
- Complimentary movie tickets
- Access to Citi World Privileges
- Balance transfer
- Entertainment offers
- Complimentary travel accident insurance
- Meet and Greet services
These are some of the best credit cards in UAE as of 2021. This is just the tip of an iceberg. Now I will categorize the major features provided by credit cards in UAE. This information will help you more effectively to choose the best credit card for you. These are the major benefits that credit cards offer you.
Free For Life Credit Cards
Free for life credit cards are cards with zero annual fee. Annual fee is a fixed maintenance fee that banks remit from the users for their services. There are banks that charge annual fee for the benefits offered but this may not be worth for the benefits provided. In such cases you can go for free for life credit cards.
TOP FREE FOR LIFE CREDIT CARDS IN UAE
- Citibank Citi Simplicity Card
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Interest Rate – 3.75%
Even with zero annual fees, Citibank Citi Simplicity Card offers you travel insurance, free airport lounge access, dinning discounts and other benefits.
- CDB One Starter Visa Signature Credit Card
Minimum Income – AED 8000/month
Interest Rate – 3.45%
Airport lounge access, balance transfer, cash on call, purchase protection etc are some worthy benefits that this credit card offers.
Cashback Credit Cards
Won’t you be happy if you get back a percent of the money you spend on something? Then just go for cashback credit cards. Cashback cards are the cards that give back you a percent of amount that you spend using the credit cards. This will be added to your additional balance.
TOP CASHBACK CREDIT CARDS IN UAE
- FAB Cashback Credit Card
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Interest Rate – 3.50%
Annual Fee – AED 315
FAB Cashback Credit Card offers you a wide variety of benefits other than cashback offers on supermarkets, fuels and utility. This includes airport lounge access, dining offers, balance transfers etc.
- ADIB Visa Cashback Card
Minimum Income – AED 8000/month
Interest Rate – 3.09%
Annual Fee – AED 500
Yet another cashback credit card with a handful of benefits for you. ADIB Visa Cashback Card offers 1% unlimited cashback on every spends. Adding to it is the airport lounge offers, balance transfer and roadside assistance.
FOR DAILY SPENDS
If you are looking for credit cards that can benefit you for your daily spends, you should look for credit card that provides offers on shopping, grocery, fuels, online shopping etc.
TOP CREDIT CARDS WITH BENEFITS ON DAILY SPENDS
- RAKBANK Titanium Credit Card
Minimum Income – AED 8000/month
Interest Rate – 3.45%
Annual Fee – AED 0
A free for life credit card with cashback offers on supermarkets, dining and cinema tickets is amazing right? Then RAKBANK Titanium Credit Card is one of the best choices for you. Along with 5% cashback on all supermarkets worldwide it also offers discounts on Careem rides. Airport Lounge Access, travel insurance, purchase protection and much more benefits are waiting for you through this credit card.
- Mashreq Bank Cashback Card
Minimum Income – AED 7000/month
Interest Rate – 3.45%
Isn’t good if you get a handful of benefits without giving an annual fee? Isn’t it more exciting if you get AED 500 as a joining offer? The Mashreq Bank Cashback Card offers you cashback offers and dining offers. It offers cashback on local and international spends and 20% cashback on ecom merchants.
REWARD CREDIT CARDS
Rewards credit cards are profitable credit cards that offer you extra benefits every time you spend money through your credit card. Such credit cards offer you multiple rewards for transactions done using the reward credit card.
TOP REWARD CREDIT CARDS IN UAE
- Citi Rewards Credit Card
Minimum Income – AED 8000/month
Annual Fee – AED 0
Rate – 3.25%
Citi Rewards Credit Card is a good choice to earn rewards while shopping. The rewards can be redeemed on various purchases. This credit cards offer you Thank You reward points on every spends. Airport lounge access, offers on movie tickets and dining etc altogether make it a piece of cake for you.
- Emirates NBD LULU 247 Titanium Credit Card
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Annual Fee – AED 0
Rate – 3.25%
Here is another card not just with cashback offers. Emirates NBD LULU 247 Titanium Credit Card gives you rewards for the spends you do with this credit card. Privileges at LULU stores, free airport lounge access, discounts on Careem Chauffer etc add to the icing on the cake.
DINING OFFERS
Access to good restaurants at low prices is always a golden opportunity for you. Some of the credit cards available in UAE provide you with this golden opportunity. Now just enjoy cuisines with your dear and near ones in the famous restaurants using such credit card.
TOP CREDIT CARDS WITH DINING OFFERS
- Citi Simplicity Credit Card
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Annual Fee – AED 0
Rate – 3.50%
Citi Simplicity Credit Card gives you offers over 500 dining and entertainments. It also offers Buy 1 Get 1 offers across hotels, dining, spas, leisure and entertainment around Middle East and Africa. In addition to this it also offers you access to airport lounges and benefits of balance transfer.
- CBD Titanium Mastercard
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Annual Fee – AED 0
Rate – 3.45%
A free for life credit card with amazing dining offers. With the amazing CBD Reward Point program which allows you to bag upto 2 reward points for each AED spend, CBD Titanium Mastercard is an excellent choice for you. Air miles, airport lounge access etc are some other attractive benefits of this card.
CINEMA AND ENTERTAINMENT OFFERS
Credit cards provide specific offers for cinemas and other entertainment. This can be in the form of discounts on movie tickets in selected cinemas. Some credit cards also offer Buy1 Get 1 offers. If you are regular to cinemas this type of cards will benefit you.
TOP CREDIT CARDS WITH CINEMA OFFERS
- FAB Abu Dhabi Titanium Cards
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Annual Fee – AED 0
Rate – 3.50%
Enjoy movies at lower ticket prices with FAB Abu Dhabi Titanium Cards. This card also offers health and fitness offers along with dining offers. Airport lounge access, roadside assistance and air miles are also top attractions.
- Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus Card
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Annual Fee – AED 299
Rate – 3.49%
Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus Card offers you exciting offers on cinema tickets. It also has golf offers and dining offers. Travel insurance, purchase protection, airport lounge access and air miles are also welcoming to you.
TRAVEL/AIR MILES CREDIT CARD
Are you a regular traveller? Do you spend a lot of money for flight tickets and other services? Then credit cards which offer air miles and travel offers are best for you. Some credit cards offer you air miles as rewards for doing transactions with those cards. These air miles can be redeemed for air tickets or other services.
TOP AIR MILES CREDIT CARDS IN UAE
- RAKBANK AIR ARABIA PLATINUM CREDIT CARD
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Annual Fee – AED 400
Rate – 3.45%
This card helps you earn a lot of Air Rewards points. Other than this it also provides great travel offers, dining benefits, 0% easy payment plans, and insurances, exclusive offers on electronic products, furnishing, jewellery and many more.
- EMIRATES NBD Skywards Signature Credit Card
Minimum Income – AED 15000/month
Annual Fee – AED 700
Rate – 3.25%
Emirates NBD Skyward Signature Credit Card as the name suggests earns you Skywards Miles. If offers you a maximum 1.5 Skywards Miles per AED. You can redeem this Skywards Miles for different services like flight tickets, hotel accommodation and other lifestyle needs.
BALANCE TRANSFER CREDIT CARDS
Balance transfer feature enables you to transfer balance amount from one account to another account with less interest rate. This will help you to manage your dues efficiently.
TOP BALANCE TRANSFER CREDIT CARDS IN UAE
- HSBC Zero Credit Card
Minimum Income – AED 10000/month
Annual Fee – AED 0
- United Arab Bank Visa Titanium Card
Minimum Income – AED 6000/month
Annual Fee – AED 300
AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS CREDIT CARD
Airport lounge access credit card enables you to enjoy all the services in an airport lounge without any disparity. You can use this feature to experience an unequal experience at airport lounges sit, relax and enjoy the waiting time in ecstasy.
TOP AIRPORT LOUNGE ACCESS CREDIT CARDS
- Citibank Citi Prestige
Minimum Income – AED 30000/month
Annual Fee – AED 1500
- Dubai First Cashback Card
Minimum Income – AED 5000/month
Annual Fee – AED 400
So this a bird’s eye view on credit cards in UAE its benefits. Now let us see some charges common to all credit cards.
COMMON CREDIT CARD CHARGES
- Joining fee
- This is the initial fee remitted by the bank from the customer for issuing a credit card.
- Annual fee
- It is the fee given to the bank once every year for maintaining your account.
- Renewal fee
- This is the fee for renewing your credit card.
- Finance charges
- The banks levy this charge if you fail to pay your dues on time.
- Withdrawal charges
- Banks charge you when you withdraw money using credit cards. This is the withdrawal charge.
- Late payment fee
- Banks charge you a certain amount if you fail to pay minimum balance due by due date.
- Over limit fee
- This is the fee that banks remit from you if you exceed your credit card limit.
FAQS
- What is a credit card?
A credit card is a payment card that enables the users to make payments through borrowed money from the banks until it reaches a pre- approved limit of amount given to the users based on their credit score and history.
- What are the criteria of eligibility to apply for a credit card?
Minimum monthly income
Credit score
Debt- burden ratio
Credit card history
- What is the minimum income required for applying for a credit card?
As per the circular 28/2010 of Central Bank of UAE, you must have a minimum AED 5000 monthly income.
- What is a credit score?
Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB) determines a score for individuals with bank accounts and who do financial transactions. This is the credit score.
- What is debt-burden ratio?
Debt-burden ratio is the ratio of your total monthly financial commitments to your total monthly income.
- What is a credit card history?
Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB) keeps the records of individual’s financial matters. This is the credit card history.
- What is annual fee for credit cards?
Annual fee is the amount that the bank charges from a card holder every year to maintain your account. More the annual fees more are the benefits.
- What are free for life credit cards?
Free for life credit cards are credit cards with zero annual fee.
- Why should I choose free for life credit cards?
Some credit cards with annual fee don’t provide benefits worth the annual fee. Or in some cases the benefits offered may not be useful for you. In both these cases free for life credit cards is better to choose, because you don’t have to pay for services you don’t want.
- What are cashback credit cards?
Cashback cards are the cards that give back you a percent of amount that you spend using the credit cards.
- How does I use cashback offers?
The amount rewarded to you will be added to your additional balance. You can use this amount to do transactions.
- What are Rewards Credit Cards?
Rewards credit cards are profitable credit cards that offer you extra benefits every time you spend money through your credit card.
- How do I redeem reward points?
To redeem your reward points you should connect with your banks reward portal. You can exchange your rewards for travel tickets, vouchers, gift cards or merchandise.
- What is balance transfer?
Balance transfer feature enables you to transfer balance amount from one account to another account with less interest rate. This will help you to manage your dues efficiently.
- How will I choose the best credit card in UAE?
While considering credit cards in UAE you must look for the one that best suits your needs and means. Minimum Income, annual fees, interest rate, benefits and rewards are some factors you use to compare your priorities.
