What are Supplementary credit cards?

Supplementary credit cards are credit cards issued by the bank to you based on your request for them.  Supplementary cards are linked to the primary credit card and access the same credit limit available to the primary credit card.  Supplementary credit cards are issued so your family members can also enjoy the benefits of using a credit card. In most instances, supplementary credit cards are only issued to immediate family members.  In the UAE, some banks offer supplementary credit cards to children as young as 13 years of age. An exception to only family members being offered credit cards are Business credit cards offered by certain banks where supplementary credit cards are issued to employees of the company owned by the primary credit card holder.

While supplementary credit cards access the same credit limit as the primary credit card, their credit limit can be set lower than the primary credit card as per the instructions of the primary credit card holder.  This is a useful feature for the primary credit card holder to have more control on their overall credit limit. Giving your 13 year old access to your full credit limit might not prove to be a very wise financial decision! Having said that, however, introducing your children to a credit card at an early age can be an opportunity to help them understand how credit cards work and prepare them better for when they have access to credit themselves as young adults.

Most banks also do not levy any charges on supplementary credit cards.  This is at least the case for the first 3-5 credit cards issued. Any supplementary credit cards issued beyond that may incur marginal annual fee charges.  If this is an important criterion of consideration please do keep it in mind when assessing options of which credit card to apply for.