Best Credit Cards in UAE
Choosing the best credit card in the UAE depends on your financial needs, spending habits, and preferences. Here are some popular credit cards in the UAE known for their features and benefits
Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit Card
This card is designed for frequent travellers. It offers exclusive Emirates Skywards benefits, including airport lounge access, complimentary golf privileges, travel insurance, and accelerated Skywards miles earning.
Dubai Islamic Bank Emirates Skywards Platinum Credit Card
This exclusive credit card offers a luxurious experience with personalized services. It includes benefits like 24/7 Emirates Skywards miles, airport lounge access, complimentary travel insurance, and discounts on dining and entertainment.
ADCB Etihad Guest Infinite Credit Card
Ideal for Etihad Airways fans, this card provides various travel perks, such as complimentary airport lounge access, fast-track immigration at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad Guest Silver status, and bonus Etihad Guest miles.
Standard Chartered Platinum Credit Card
This card provides a wide range of benefits, including airport lounge access, complimentary golf privileges, Cashback on international spending, discounts on dining and entertainment, and access to the Standard Chartered 360° Rewards Program.
Mashreq Bank Solitaire Credit Card
This card is designed for wealthy people and comes with lifestyle benefits, access to airport lounges, travel advantages, complimentary golf at specific courses, and a personal relationship manager.
HSBC Premier Credit Card
Aimed at HSBC Premier customers, this card offers travel benefits such as airport lounge access, golf privileges, travel insurance coverage, and the ability to earn and redeem HSBC Rewards points.
Citi Prestige Credit Card
Designed for high-income individuals, this card offers a range of lifestyle benefits, including airport lounge access, complimentary hotel nights, concierge services, and Citi ThankYou Rewards points that can be redeemed for travel, shopping, or dining.
Credit Card Cash Back Offers in UAE
| Credit Card | Cashback Offered |
| Mashreq Cashback Credit Card | – AED 500 Cashback as a Welcome Bonus – 20% Cashback on Zomato, Netflix, Du, Noon, Etisalat, etc. – Up to 5% cash back on dining & other expenses |
| Citi Cashback Credit Card | – Get a 200 AED Joining Bonus – 3% Automatic cashback on Non-AED spend – 2% Cashback on grocery or supermarket purchases – 1% Cashback on every purchase – Unlimited access to 1000+ LoungeKey lounges worldwide |
| ADIB Cashback Visa Platinum Card | 1% cash back on every purchase |
| CBD Super Saver Credit Card | 10% cash back at Supermarkets, Education, Transport, etc. |
| RAK Bank Titanium Credit Card | 5% cash back at Supermarkets and Restaurants |
| Standard Chartered Platinum Credit card | Upto 2% cash back on every purchase |
| FAB Cashback Credit Card | 5% cash back at Supermarkets, Utility, Fuel |
| HSBC Cashback Credit Card | Upto 10% cashback on Fuel, Groceries & other expenses |
| Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus Credit Card | Upto 10% cashback at Supermarkets, dining, education & telecom |
1. Mashreq
Mashreq Cashback Credit Card offers a high cashback of 5%, and no annual fees are charged for life.
Mashreq Cashback Credit Card
- Get AED 500 cash back as a welcome bonus
- Get 5% cash back on dining expenses in the UAE
- Get 2% cashback on payments made outside the UAE
- Get 1% cashback on gains made in the UAE
- Get 0.33% cashback on government spending, education, utilities, fuel, charity, telecom and rental.
- Get 20% cashback on Zomato and Netflix
- No annual fees lifelong on primary and supplementary cards
2. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank [ADIB]
ADIB offers cashback cards to reward cardholders for using their cards. It provides different cashback cards, amongst which ADIB Cashback Visa Platinum Card is known for the Cashback supplied in every card usage.
ADIB Cashback Visa Platinum Card
- 1% cash back on every purchase made using the card
- 100% of the card limit can be withdrawn as cash
- Up to 55 days of grace period for a monthly payment
- No annual fees on four supplementary cards
- Free access to Airport Lounges around the world via Veloce Lounge
- Free roadside assistance
- Free valet parking privileges
3. Citibank
Citibank offers cashback cards to reward cardholders. It provides different cashback offers on every purchase the cardholder makes and is the best cashback credit card.
Citi Cashback Credit Card
- Get AED 200 as a joining bonus
- Get 3% cashback on non-AED spending,
- Get 2% cashback on grocery & supermarket spending and 1% on all other expenditures; no caps (up to monthly credit limit), no minimum spending, no redemption process and no spend categories excluded.
- Enjoy automatic Cashback on all spending with the Citi Cash Back Credit Card.
- There is no exclusion of retail purchases
- Unlimited Global Airport lounge access
- Instant cash loan facility on credit card
- Easy instalment plan for big and small purchases
4. Commercial Bank of Dubai
CBD provides several credit cards to fulfil the various benefits of its customers. Amongst the different credit cards offered, the CBD Super Saver Credit Card is one of the best cashback credit cards in the UAE. It provides high Cashback on every purchase made using the card. Along with the Cashback, it also includes travel and movie benefits.
CBD Super Saver Credit Card
- CBD Super Saver Card was awarded the “Most Innovative Card of the Year” at the Seamless Middle East Awards, 2019.”
- You can earn 10% cashback on retail spending like utility bills, telecom bills, education, supermarket, transport, etc.
- You can avail two complimentary valet parking services per month at 15 locations in the UAE
- You can get 50% OFF on tickets at Vox Cinemas in the UAE
- You can get eight free access(Per year) to airport lounges globally
- Provides multi-trip travel insurance
- Provides purchase protection
- You can get a 12% discount on Agoda.com
- You can get 8% OFF at hotels.com
5. RAK Bank
RAK Bank Titanium Credit Card is one of the best cashback credit cards in the UAE region. It offers high Cashback and other discounts and deals on credit cards.
RAK Bank Titanium Credit Card
- No annual fees are charged for lifelong.
- You can get 5% cashback on spending at supermarkets and selected restaurants.
- You can get up to 50% cashback on movie spends
- You can get 2% standard cashback on domestic purchases, international purchases, international cash advances and online transactions
- Free purchase protection can be availed on purchases made using the card
- Free travel accident insurance is provided
- Free supplementary cards can be availed
- Can get exclusive travel discounts
- Can avail of Mastercard Buy1-Get1 free offers and discounts
- You can get free access to airport lounges in Dubai, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Jordan and Kuwait
- You can get 20% OFF on Careem rides
6. Standard Chartered Bank
Amongst the various credit cards the Standard Chartered Bank provides, the Standard Chartered Platinum Credit Card is the best that offers different privileges apart from the Cashback. Some of the benefits provided by the SCB Platinum Card are:
Standard Chartered Platinum Credit card
- Can gain 1% cashback on domestic purchases
- You can get 2% cashback on international expenses
- Get unlimited free access to 20 airport lounges
- Avail buy 1 get one free offer Costa Coffee
- You can avail of a 20% discount on Careem rides
- Get up to 30% off on travel bookings for a straightforward trip. ae
- You can avail of up to 10% off on bookings made at hotels.com
7. First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)
Along with several credit cards with various rewards, the FAB Cashback Credit Card is one of the best credit cards that offers high Cashback on essentials like groceries, fuel, and utility expenses.
FAB Cashback Credit Card
- Get AED 300 cash back as a welcome bonus.
- Get 5% cashback on spending at supermarkets offline and online. It is provided in the form of rewards. Earn 12.5 rewards per 1 AED.
- Get 5% cashback on utility expenses. Provided in the form of rewards. Earn 12.5 rewards per 1 AED.
- Get 5% cashback on fuel. Supplied in the form of dividends. Earn 12.5 rewards per 1 AED.
- Get 1% cashback on retail expenses online and offline. Provided in the form of dividends. Earn 2.5 rewards per 1 AED.
- Get 2% cashback on non-AED costs. Provided in the form of dividends. Earn five rewards per 1 AED.
- Get up to 10% cashback on Shop Smart at the FAB Mobile app
- Avail movie tickets at AED 15 on weekdays and AED 20 during weekends at Reel Cinemas, Cine Royal Cinemas, Oscar Cinema
- Get 20% off on Careem rides
- Get Buy 1 Get one free offer on Mastercard
- Get free unlimited access to 10 airport lounges
8. HSBC
HSBC Cashback Credit Card provides up to 10% cashback with a welcome bonus. Applicants can get a balance transfer at 0% interest for 24 months.
HSBC Cashback Credit Card
- Get 10% cashback on fuel expenses in the UAE
- Get 3% cash back on groceries expenses in the UAE
- Get 1% cash back on all other expenses
- Get 12% off on Agoda
- Get discounts on Dine & Fly with DragonPass
- Get 12 free visits to 1000+ airport lounges through Loungekey
- Get two free airport rides per year through Careem
- Get multi-trip travel insurance
- Get 30% off on dining at selected locations
- Avail buy one get one free on Vox movie tickets
- 24-hour concierge service
- No annual fee in the first year
9. Emirates Islamic Bank
Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus Credit Card is free for a life credit card with up to 10% cashback.
Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus Credit Card
- Get up to 10% cash back at supermarkets
- Get up to 10% cashback on education
- Get up to 10% cash back on dining and telecom expenses
- Get two rounds of golf for free at any time of the week
- Get make RTA related payments easily
- Get free access to airport lounges worldwide
- Get 2 “buy 1 get one free” movie tickets per month at Reel Cinemas
- Get multi-trip travel insurance
Things to consider before getting a cashback credit card in UAE
Before getting a cashback credit card in the UAE, you must consider the following aspects:
Spend eligibility– Some cards can come with minimum spend criteria, i.e., the cardholder must spend a significant amount (varies with the card) to avail of the Cashback offered. Make sure that you read the spending eligibility criteria carefully before applying for a cashback credit card.
Upper limits – Like the minimum spend requirement, most banks also have an upper limit on the amount of Cashback that a cardholder or category-specific limits can avail. These need to be carefully understood to avoid any discord with the bank.
Fine Print – Read the fine print. Is Cashback available across all merchants or only with a pre-specified list of stores? Can you combine an offer with availing a cashback? Not all the transactions will be eligible for Cashback.
Validity – The Cashback offered can have validity. Ensure you redeem the Cashback earned within the truth.
The cashback rate is a prominent factor when looking for a cashback card. It also helps to understand and analyze your spending pattern as it can be aligned with the benefits the credit card issuer offers. With many cashback credit cards in UAE, finding a card that matches your spending style is possible. Some banks offer higher cashback rates on groceries and utility bills, while others offer better rates for travel-related transactions. This analysis can go a long way in maximizing your cashback rewards and can place the top cashback card in your wallet.
FAQs
I want to cancel my credit card. Should I redeem the points before withdrawing, or can I do it later?
A. We recommend redeeming your points before you cancel your card, as most banks would not allow such a transaction. However, you may ask your bank if they can accommodate your request.
Is a higher cashback rate with an annual fee better than a lower one with no annual fee?
A. This depends on your spending pattern and the card’s other features. The Cashback earned is still profitable if it is higher than the annual fees. See what is advantageous for you and pick a card accordingly.
Do I get a cashback for shopping using the cashback points?
A. No. Cashback is awarded only when you transact using a credit card and repay the bank. Cashback bonus transactions don’t qualify for further Cashback.
Do I get Cashback if I exceed the card’s credit limit?
A. Banks might not offer Cashback if you exceed the credit limit. Check with your card provider before your purchases beyond the credit limit.
Can I get Cashback on cash withdrawals?
A. No. Most of the card providers don’t offer Cashback on cash withdrawals.
Will missing credit card payments make me lose the Cashback earned?
A. Yes. You may lose the Cashback earned if you miss the credit card payments.
Do I get Cashback on international transactions?
A. It depends upon the card. If your card claims to offer Cashback on international transactions, then you would get.
What is the eligibility to get Cashback?
A. If you get a card that offers Cashback, you need to check if there is any minimum spend requirement to be eligible for the Cashback and spend accordingly.
What if I don’t meet the minimum spend requirement to get Cashback?
A. To get Cashback, you must meet the minimum spend requirement (if any on the card).
Can I get Cashback on supplementary cards as well?
A. Yes. Most card providers also offer Cashback on supplementary card purchases. The Cashback earned on additional cards will be credited to the primary card.
Conclusion
Remember to carefully review the terms and conditions, annual fees, interest rates, and other associated charges of each credit card before deciding. Additionally, comparing multiple credit cards to find the one that aligns with your specific needs and provides the most value for your spending patterns is advisable.
