Which Credit Cards Offer the Best Rewards Program in UAE?

Credit cards have brought the entire world at our feet. They are fast, they are convenient and they come bearing gifts. The rewards and offers credit cards provide are endless. Apart from becoming an indispensable part of our lives, credit card companies in the UAE are vying to get the attention of its customers through endless reward programs. 

The increased usage of credit cards in recent years has forced companies to offer more and more, partaking in a healthy competition. The rewards and offers credit cards providers and banks are giving enable customers to enjoy a wide array of benefits.  

These plastic cards seem insignificant but once you understand the huge range of rewards they offer; you cannot overlook their importance. These benefits cater to a list of financial and lifestyle needs of an individual. Bundled with tempting rewards and offers credit cards are not only convenient but extremely useful. 

Let’s take a look at the different types of credit cards and the numerous rewards they offer in the UAE:

No Annual Fee Credit Cards

As the name suggests, these cards reward you by not charging an annual fee. Here are the names of some of the best credit cards that offer the benefit of no annual fees along with the list of all the rewards and offers credit cards with no annual fee provide-

ADCB Lulu Platinum Credit Card

• Balance transfers without interest
• No annual fees
• Benefits of going to Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World
• Reward points can be redeemed instantly at Lulu
• Lulupoints can also be redeemed with a supplementary card

ADCB Touchpoints Gold Credit Card

• Enjoy benefits at Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World
• No interest for a period of 12 months for school and college fees
• Complimentary access to the airport lounge

ADCB Touchpoints Titanium Credit Card

• No annual fees
• Enjoy benefits at Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World
• No interest for a period of 12 months for school and college fees
• Complimentary airport lounge access

CBD Titanium Mastercard

• Lifetime free credit card
• A welcome bonus of AED 20,000 reward points

CBI MasterCard Titanium Credit Card

• No Annual fees
• Cashback up to AED 150 per month on movie tickets in the UAE

Cashback Credit Cards

Cashback are the easiest way to earn and redeem the rewards and offers credit cards often offer. The customers earn even when they spend! What is a better deal than that? UAE has a wide range of cashback credit cards that offer benefits when one spends on selected categories. Buy a credit card that offers the best cashback offers according to your requirements and reap the two-fold benefits of owning a credit card. Here is a list of some of the best credit cards that offer cashbacks along with the list of all the rewards and offers credit cards come with-

Fab Cashback Credit Card

• 2% cashback on foreign expenditure
• 1% cashback on online retail shopping
• 5% cashback utility bill payment
• 5%  cashback on fuel purchases
• 5%  cashback on grocery items at the supermarket as well as on online platforms 

Citibank Citi Cashback Credit Card

• 3% cashback on foreign expenditure
• 2% cashback on local spending
• 1% cashback on all other purchases 

Deem Platinum Cash Up Credit Card

• Maximum 5% accelerated Cash up on shopping online
• Maximum 5% accelerated Cash up on entertainment for example- movie tickets
• Maximum 10% accelerated Cash up on departmental store purchases
• 1% Cash up on all retail purchases

Standard Chartered Platinum Credit Card

• 10% cashback on utility bills
• 10% cashback on school fees
• 10% cashback on making purchases in Supermarkets

RAKBANK Titanium Credit Card

• Maximum 50% cashback on movie ticket booking globally
• 5% cashback in restaurants
• 5% cashback on purchases in Supermarkets
• 2% cashback on all local as well as international retail purchases 

Air Miles or Travel Credit Cards

As someone whose passion is to see the world, traveling is a huge part of your life. A frequent traveller however is well aware of how expensive this hobby can be. From air tickets to hotel charges, from transportation costs to food bills, the list of expenses is quite overbearing and is often the reason some people get scared of unleashing their travel bug. Keeping in mind the interests of the travel enthusiasts, credit card providers in the UAE offer an extensive list of travel privileges to their customers.

Mentioned below is a list of the top travel credit cards available in the UAE alongside the rewards and offers credit cards provide: 

ADCB Traveller Credit Card-

• 20% discount on Cleartrip when booking air tickets
• 6 nights complimentary stay at selected hotels globally
• Exclusive Starwood Hotels discount
• Free access to around 900 airport lounges
• Free travel insurance

ADIB Etihad Visa Platinum Credit Card

• Welcome bonus of 50,000 Etihad Guest Miles
• Earn 3 Etihad Guest Miles upon spending AED 4 internationally every time
• Earn 2 Etihad Guest Miles upon spending AED 4 locally every time
•  Companion ticket complimentary
• Complimentary access to airport lounge along with LoungeKey
• Complimentary Valet parking across selected locations in UAE 

Deem MasterCard Platinum Miles Up Credit Card

• Earn 3x Miles Up on flight tickets
• Earn 3x Miles Up on hotel bookings
• Earn 3x Miles Up on shopping
• Free access to 25 airport lounges across the Middle East
• 1x Miles Up on retail spending across the globe

Najm Voyager Signature Credit Card

• Maximum 50% off on movie tickets
• Maximum 50% off on dining
• Maximum 50% off on travel bookings
• Earn 3 Voyager reward points for every AED spent internationally
• Earn 2 Voyager reward points for every AED spent locally
• Multi-trip travel insurance for a maximum amount of USD 500,000

Emirates NBD Skywards Signature Credit Card

• Earn a welcome bonus of 40,000 Skywards Miles
• Complimentary Travel insurance
• 35% discount on flight tickets
• Earn a maximum of 1.5 Skywards Miles on every USD spent
• Access to 1000+ airport lounges across the globe along with LoungeKey 

Points or Rewards Credit Cards

The rewards and offers credit cards provide their customers with many lucrative privileges. Putting them a step ahead of any other type of credit card is the air miles, discounts, and several cashbacks offered every time the credit card holder uses their card. Let us have a look at some of the top rewards and offers credit cards along with their benefits: 

HSBC Platinum Select Credit Card

• 12% discount at Agoda worldwide
• 15% discount on 4 Careem rides monthly
• Earn 1 air mile for every AED 4 spent
• Buy one, get one free movie ticket across the UAE 

ADCB Touchpoint Infinite Credit Card

• Earn 5 touchpoints for every AED spent
• Complimentary airport lounge access across 850+ airports worldwide
• Earn a bonus of 15,000 touchpoints by spending AED 15,000 monthly 

Emirates Islamic Flex Elite Credit card

• Earn a welcome bonus of 75,000 El SmartMiles
• Complimentary access to around 1000 airport lounges
• Earn 3.75 El SmartMiles for every AED spent
• Get free airport chauffeur rides from Careem 

ADIB Value+ Credit Card

• Earn 1 reward point for each AED spent domestically
• Earn 2 reward points for each AED spent internationally
• Free airport lounge access across MENA/GCC region

Balance Transfer Credit Cards

When you have outstanding debt on one of your credit cards, you can transfer it to a different card, usually a new one. This is known as a balance transfer. They are extremely useful for customers who wish to transfer the amount owed to a credit card to another card that has a fairly lower interest rate and also offers better benefits. Companies waive the balance transfer fees to tempt new customers with rewards and offers credit cards can provide. Here is a list of the top balance transfer credit cards with some of their benefits: 

HSBC Black Credit Card

• No interest rate charged on the first 12 months of balance transfer
• Best for managing your finances 

ADCB Etihad Guest Platinum Credit Card

• Offers the balance transfer facility for a period of up to 24 months
• The interest rate charged is decided on the time period 

Mashreq Platinum Elite Credit Card

• 75% of the available credit limit can be transferred
• No income documentation required
• Balance transfer repayment allowed in instalments for a period of 36 months 

Emirates Islamic Skywards Infinite Credit Card

• Allows you to clear outstanding debts owed to other banks
• Balance transfer allowed without any profit rates 

Deem MasterCard Titanium Cash Up Credit Card

• Offers savings on the interest amount
• Interest rate charged on the amount transferred 

Movie Credit Cards

Credit card providers in UAE leave no stone unturned to attract customers. One such tactic involves the offer of free movie tickets along with your credit card. These rewards and offers credit cards supply could even include free or discounted refreshments with your movie tickets. As a result, these are coveted by the lovers of entertainment. Here are the top movie offers credit cards in the UAE for the frequent moviegoers: 

Emirates Citibank ultima Credit Card

• 1 complimentary ticket on buying 1 at Reel and VOX cinemas every month
• Entertainment discount across 95n countries 

CBD Smiles Visa Signature Credit Card

• 50% discount on booking tickets at VOX Cinema across UAE
• Earn a welcome bonus of 50,000 Smiles points
• Earn a quarterly bonus of 15,000 Smiles points

Emirates NBD Go4it Gold Card

• Earn 5 Plus Points for every AED 400 spent
• 50% off on movie tickets booked at VOX Cinemas
• Charge of AED 47.25 on 2 regular 2D VIP as well as 2D Standard cinema tickets at VOX Cinemas

Mashreq Novo Credit Card

• 50% discount on movie tickets
• Special ticket and F&B counter for cardholders at NOVO Cinemas
• Maximum 8 discounted movie tickets per month 

RAKBANK World Credit Card

• 50% off on booking movie tickets at VOX Cinemas
• Restaurant discounts across leading establishments 

Here’s a simplified comparison of the best Credit Cards offered in the UAE: 

Card Name	Annual Fees (in AED)	Minimum Salary (in AED)
RAKBANK World Credit Card	999	35,000
Mashreq Novo Credit Card	300	-
Emirates NBD Go4it Gold Card	99	5000
Emirates Citibank ultima Credit Card	3000	36,750
CBD Smiles Visa Signature Credit Card	999	15,000
HSBC Black Credit Card	1500	-
ADCB Etihad Guest Platinum Credit Card	525	-
Mashreq Platinum Elite Credit Card	650 (From the 2nd Year)	7000
Emirates Islamic Skywards Infinite Credit Card	2000	25,000
Deem MasterCard Titanium Cash Up Credit Card	200	5000
HSBC Platinum Select Credit Card	Free for Life	5000
ADCB Touchpoint Infinite Credit Card	1050	40,000
Emirates Islamic Flex Elite Credit card	700	25,000
ADIB Value+ Credit Card	Free for Life	5000
ADCB Traveller Credit Card	1050	20,000
Najm Voyager Signature Credit Card	523.95	12,000
Emirates NBD Skywards Signature Credit Card	700	15,000
Deem MasterCard Platinum Miles Up Credit Card	Free for the first year	10,000
ADIB Etihad Visa Platinum Credit Card	700	10,000
Fab Cashback Credit Card	315	-
Citibank Citi Cashback Credit Card	300	8000
Deem Platinum Cash Up Credit Card	Free for Life
Standard Chartered Platinum Credit Card	525	5000
RAKBANK Titanium Credit Card	Free for Life	10,000
ADCB Touchpoints Gold Credit Card	-	5000
ADCB Lulu Platinum Credit Card	-	15,000
ADCB Touchpoints Titanium Credit Card	-	5000
CBD Titanium Mastercard	-	5000
CBI MasterCard Titanium Credit Card	-	15000

In a Nutshell

Credit cards are useful for a variety of reasons but it is best to make an informed decision based on your personal needs. Choose a credit card that is most suitable to your requirements after evaluating the rewards and offers credit cards can provide and shop till you drop!