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list of best emirates skywards credit cards in UAE

Best Skywards Credit Card in UAE

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What are the best Emirates Skywards credit cards for UAE residents?

As the world’s populace fervently hopes, we are all finally putting the nightmare of Covid 19 behind us and hopefully getting back to our pre-pandemic lives. Here in the UAE life has pretty much gone back to normal and one can’t help but notice the air of optimism of all the possibilities that now lie ahead which were a distant dream for the last two years. One of the biggies of course is that travel is back on the menu again folks! Whether it is to just go back and visit our families and loved ones or to be able to travel again as tourists and visit new destinations which was, let us admit, a favorite indulgence but almost cruelly denied to us these past 2 years.

As UAE residents we are so fortunate to have access to Emirates Airlines which is easily one of the best airlines in the world and is the obvious airline of choice when considering any international travel for us. How often do we find ourselves looking for reasons to stretch our budgets a bit to justify any price differences travelling with Emirates versus other budget airlines? Deep down we know that traveling with Emirates is quite simply the best option in terms of the entire experience – right from the dedicated terminal, class leading on demand in-flight entertainment options, direct routes saving us the hassle of multiple stops and of course for the well-heeled travelers amongst us, the Emirates business class lounge experience which is second to none!

A great option for residents and citizens to enjoy the many benefits of flying with Emirates Airlines is to use an Emirates Skywards credit card which is offered by some of the leading banks in the UAE. These credit cards are offered as a partnership between Emirates Airlines and the bank and offer a multitude of benefits to customers who have these credit cards. These benefits can vary from earning Emirates Skywards miles on purchases made with the credit cards, gaining membership to exclusive Emirates Airlines membership tiers including Skywards Silver status, and in some cases, even the coveted Skywards Gold Tier membership status. These tiers bring their own significant benefits to customers and ‘earning’ them by getting a credit card is a quick and easy way to gain entry into these exclusive membership categories. But these are just a couple of examples and as you will find out these credit cards offer a wide array of benefits to suit every individual profile.

Given the popularity and demand for flying with Emirates it is no wonder that several leading banks offer co-branded Emirates Skywards credit cards as part of their credit card portfolio offerings. And as can be expected, not all of these cards offer the same level of benefits or are indeed even offered to the same profile of customers. There are no fewer than 14 different Emirates Skywards co-branded credit cards currently available in the UAE and it is no easy task to identify which of them is best suited to you. But fret not, our team here at Soulwallet.com has done the heavy lifting to help you find the best ones suited to your specific needs.

 Banks in UAE that currently offer Emirates Skywards co-branded credit cards are –

  • Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB)
  • Citibank
  • Dubai Islamic Bank
  • Emirates Islamic Bank
  • Emirate NBD
  • RAKBANK

Across these 6 banks there are currently a total of 14 different Emirates Skywards credit cards offered. These are broadly categorised based on the minimum income required to be eligible for each credit card, the features and benefits offered, annual fees charged and so on.

Income Eligibility

The monthly minimum income requirement for Emirates Skywards credit cards are as below:

Credit CardMinimum Salary
Dubai Islamic Emirates Skywards Platinum Credit CardAED 5,000
Citi Emirates World CardAED 12,000
Emirates Islamic Skywards Signature Credit CardAED 12,000
ADIB Emirates Skywards World CardAED 15,000
Dubai Islamic Emirates Skywards Signature Credit CardAED 15,000
Emirates NBD Skywards Signature Credit CardAED 15,000
Citi Emirates UltimateAED 18,000
RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard Credit CardAED 20,000
ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite CardAED 25,000
Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit CardAED 25,000
Emirates Islamic Skywards Infinite Credit CardAED 25,000
Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit CardAED 30,000
Dubai Islamic Emirates Skywards Infinite Credit CardAED 35,000
Citi Emirates Ultima CardAED 36,750

As can be seen from the table above, there is an Emirates Skywards credit card option available for customers with income segments starting from as low as AED 5,000, which incidentally is also the minimum monthly salary required as per UAE Central bank regulations for a credit card.

Which is “The Best Emirates Skywards credit card” in the UAE?

While many readers would want to scroll directly to this section to find out the ‘winner’, the reality as is often the case, is that among the multitude of options available there is no single “Best Emirates Skywards credit card” for everyone. Different Emirates Skywards credit cards offer different benefits. In the sections below we will help you identify which one is the “the best Skywards credit card for you” based on your specific needs, spend patterns and priorities as an individual.

Best “PREMIUM” Emirates Skywards Credit cards

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card

Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card

RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard Credit Card

Best Emirates Skywards Credit Cards to EARN SKYWARDS MILES FROM REGULAR SPENDS

Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card

Emirates Skywards Dubai Islamic Bank Infinite Credit Card

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card

Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit Card

Best Emirates Skywards Credit Cards for BONUS SKYWARDS MILES

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit Card

Emirates Skywards Dubai Islamic Bank Infinite Credit Card

Best Emirates Skywards Credit Cards for BEST JOINING OFFERS

Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card

Citibank Emirates Ultimate credit card

Citibank Emirates World credit card

Best Emirates Skywards Credit Cards for EMIRATES SKYWARDS MEMBERSHIP TIERS

Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Credit Card

RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard Credit Card

Best for COMPLIMENTARY EMIRATES AIRLINES HOME CHECK-IN SERVICES:

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Credit Card

Best for HEALTH & FITNESS BENEFITS:

Dubai Islamic Skywards Infinite Credit Card

Best for EMIRATES SKYWARDS MILES PURCHASE DISCOUNTS

RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

Best for CINEMA OFFERS & DISCOUNTS

Citibank Emirate Ultima credit card

Citibank Emirates Ultimate credit card

Citibank Emirates World credit card

Best for COMPLIMENTARY AIRPORT DROPS & TRANSFERS

RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard Credit Card

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card & ADIB Emirates Skywards World Credit Card

Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card

Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit Card

Best to EARN EMIRATES SKYWARDS TIER MILES

Emirates Islamic Skywards Black credit card & Emirates Islamic Skywards Infinite credit card

RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard Credit Card

 

Best “PREMIUM” Emirates Skywards Credit cards

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

The ADIB Emirates Skywards credit card is arguably the best premium Skywards credit card available not just for the range of benefits it offers but also being the most competitive in several key aspects. This card offers very generous Emirates Skywards miles for spends at Emirates Airlines, for international spends as well as for domestic retail spends in the UAE. In addition to the excellent Skywards miles rewards offered, this card also offers:

  • 3 Emirates Skywards miles per USD of spend at Emirates Airlines, up to 2 & 1.5 Skywards miles per USD for international and domestic spends respectively
  • Fast track to Skywards Gold tier membership for BOTH the primary as well as a supplementary card holder
  • Complimentary Emirates Skywards Silver Tier membership
  • Up to 120,000 Bonus Emirates Skywards miles (highest amongst all credit cards)
  • Complimentary Emirates home check-in services (only credit card to offer this benefit)
  • Complimentary airport transfers across UAE (up to 4 per year)
  • Complimentary valet parking benefits at Dubai & Abu Dhabi
  • Unlimited complimentary airport lounge access for each cardholder plus a guest
  • Highest category of Mastercard credit cards – ‘Mastercard World Elite’ benefits & offers

Minimum Salary requirement: AED 25,000

Annual Membership Fee: AED 4,500

All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card

The Citibank Ultima credit card is an exclusive premium credit card offering from Citi which is well known to be one of the leading credit card issuers in the world. Among other benefits this card offers the card holder the unique opportunity to hold a metal credit card. The Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card offers an extremely well-rounded feature set of good Skywards miles rewards across most categories, an excellent joining offer for customers applying online, and many other significant benefits including:

  • 5 Emirates Skywards miles per USD of spend at Emirates Airlines, up to 1.5 & 1 Skywards mile(s) per USD for international and domestic spends respectively
  • Complimentary Emirates Skywards Silver Tier membership
  • AED 2,000 statement credit for online applications
  • Credit card is made of metal (only one among all Skywards credit cards)
  • Complimentary cinema offers at both VOX & Reel cinemas
  • Unlimited complimentary airport lounge access for each cardholder plus a guest
  • Highest category of Mastercard credit cards – ‘Mastercard World Elite’ benefits & offers

Minimum Salary requirement: AED 36,750

Annual Membership Fee: AED 3,000

All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card

The Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card offers premium features comparable with any other Skywards credit card offered by any bank in the UAE currently. It has the distinction of offering the highest Skywards miles earn rates across all Skywards credit cards in the UAE and also offers a host of excellent benefits including:

  • 5 Emirates Skywards mile per USD of spend at Emirates Airlines, up to 2 & 1.5 Skywards miles per USD for international and domestic spends respectively
  • Complimentary Emirates Skywards Silver Tier membership
  • Fast track to Skywards Gold tier membership for BOTH the primary as well as a supplementary card holder
  • Complimentary airport transfers across UAE (up to 4 per year)
  • Complimentary valet parking benefits at Dubai & Abu Dhabi
  • Unlimited complimentary airport lounge access for each cardholder plus a guest
  • Highest category of Visa credit cards – ‘Visa Infinite’ benefits & offers including purchase protection, travel insurance & medical cover and so on
  • 25% discount on purchase of Emirates Skywards miles
  • Option to earn 1 Skywards Tier mile for every 4 Skywards miles earned

Minimum Salary requirement: AED 25,000

Annual Membership Fee: AED 4,200

All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard Credit Card

The RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard is a premium credit card offering from RAKBANK that offers several unique benefits to card holders including:

  • Opportunity to earn Skywards miles across all spend categories with a unique tier-based rewards system
  • Complimentary Emirates Skywards Silver Tier membership
  • Fast track to Skywards Gold tier membership by maintaining an AED 500,000 deposit in an Emirates Islamic Skywards Savings account
  • Complimentary airport transfers across UAE and in India (up to 6 per year)
  • Unlimited complimentary airport lounge access for each cardholder plus a guest
  • Complimentary cinema offers at VOX cinemas (50% off for up to 4 tickets each month)
  • 15% discount on purchase of Emirates Skywards miles
  • Option to earn 1 Skywards Tier mile for every 4 Skywards miles earned
  • Highest category of Mastercard credit cards – ‘Mastercard World Elite’ benefits & offers
  • Complimentary Discovery Black membership
  • Free petrol delivery via CAFU

Minimum Salary requirement: AED 20,000

Annual Membership Fee: AED 1,499

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Best credit cards to “EARN SKYWARDS MILES FROM REGULAR SPENDS”:

This is perhaps the most important feature to be considered for any Emirates Skywards co-branded credit card as the main purpose for a cardholder is to maximize the Skywards miles earned during regular purchases made using their credit card.

This is also an aspect where there are significant differences in earning rates and eligibility requirements between the different Emirates Skywards credit card options available. Readers are advised to review these conditions carefully before arriving at a decision on which card is best suited to their specific spend patterns.

Please note that the best credit cards identified in this category tend to be ‘premium’ credit cards as they understandably have the best rewards as well as features and benefits that the bank can offer. As such, these credit cards are likely to have higher annual membership fees. However, the benefits offered by these credit cards most often can easily justify the annual fees charged. This is especially true if the cardholder takes advantage of the specific features and benefits on offer – another reason to ensure they apply for credit cards most suited to their specific needs.

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

The ADIB Emirates Skywards credit card is arguably the best premium Skywards credit card available not just for the range of benefits it offers but also being the most competitive in several key aspects. This card offers very generous Emirates Skywards miles for spends at Emirates Airlines, for international spends as well as for domestic retail spends in the UAE. This credit card would easily have been the only choice for earning miles but for the fact that it offers lower miles earning rates on several categories.

The ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card awards miles per USD (equivalent) spent on the credit card as below:

  • 3 Skywards miles for purchases made at Emirates online or at Emirates sales offices
  • 2 Skyward miles for purchases made in foreign currencies
  • 5 Skyward miles for all other local purchases
  • 25 Skywards miles for these categories – supermarkets, government transactions, utilities, education, petrol stations, real estate, public transportation, Salik and charities.

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card

The Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card has the distinction of offering the highest Skywards miles earn rates across all Skywards credit cards in the UAE on spends at Emirates airlines and on international spends and domestic spends offers almost as many Skywards miles as the ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite credit card. While it appears that all categories are covered under these 3 segments, there are certain categories of spends where this credit card offers much lower earn rates.

The Emirates Skywards Dubai Islamic Bank Infinite Credit Card awards miles per USD (equivalent) spent on the credit card as below:

  • 5 Skywards miles for purchases made at Emirates online or at Emirates sales offices
  • 2 Skyward miles for purchases made in foreign currencies
  • 1.5 Skyward miles for all other local purchases
  • 15 Skywards miles for spends on these categories – supermarkets, government services, utilities, education, petrol stations, real estate, insurance, car dealership, telecommunications, and quick service restaurants

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Emirates Skywards Dubai Islamic Bank Infinite Credit Card

The Emirates Skywards Dubai Islamic Bank Infinite Credit Card is arguably the best credit card to maximise Emirates Skywards miles earnings as it offers an excellent combination of high earn rates on specific categories as well as no excluded spend categories. This is indeed a rarity as almost all other Emirates Skywards credit cards have restrictions on some segments of spend (such as groceries, utilities and so on) that have a lower earning rate.

The Emirates Skywards Dubai Islamic Bank Infinite Credit Card awards miles per USD (equivalent) spent on the credit card as below:

  • 2 Skywards miles for purchases made at Emirates online or at Emirates sales offices
  • 5 Skyward miles for purchases made in foreign currencies
  • 1 Skyward mile for all other local purchases
  • A cap of AED 25,000 on government spends per statement (which we believe is quite generous!)

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card

The Citibank Ultima credit card offers an attractive combination of a high earn rate along with minimal spend category restrictions. This credit card offers an even better earning rate on purchases made at Emirates as compared to the DIB Skywards Infinite above, however, it also pays a lower earnings rate on two specific categories and awards no miles on a few categories.

Emirates Skywards miles earned per USD (equivalent) spent on the card:

  • 5 Skywards miles for purchases made at Emirates online or at Emirates sales offices
  • 5 Skyward miles for purchases made in foreign currencies
  • 1 Skyward mile for all other local purchases
  • Spends at groceries/supermarkets and related to real estate will earn 0.5 Skywards miles per USD of spend.
  • Spends on government services, utilities, and telecommunications do not earn any Skywards miles.

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit Card

The Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit Card is also a good option for earning Skywards Miles on regular purchases. However, this card has a few categories on which earning rates are much lower than the base rate.

Emirates Skywards miles earned per USD (equivalent) spent on the card:

  • 5 Skywards miles for purchases made at Emirates online or at Emirates sales offices
  • 5 Skyward miles for purchases made in foreign currencies
  • 1 Skyward mile for all other local purchases
  • 2 Skywards miles for spends at duty free, online food delivery and car booking apps
  • 25 Skywards miles for domestic purchases relating to groceries, supermarkets, insurance, car dealership and quick service restaurants
  • 1 Skywards miles for domestic purchases relating to government services, utilities, education, petrol stations, real estate, transit and telecommunication

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Best for “BONUS SKWARDS MILES”:

Several credit cards award “bonus” Emirates Skywards miles based on specific criteria, such as a minimum spend levels achieved on the credit card within a specific time period. In this category, there can be varying opinions on which is the “best” option as some cards award higher total maximum bonus miles but at the same time require higher spend levels and over shorter time periods as well. The “best” option here would be determined by the individual’s specific spend patterns.

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card

Cardholders will be awarded a total of 120,000 bonus Emirates Skywards miles with this credit card which is the maximum offered by any Emirates Skywards credit card in the UAE. 50,000 welcome bonus miles are offered on payment of the membership fee, and another 70,000 Skywards miles are awarded if a total spend of AED 140,000 is met within the first 6 months of card issuance.

This credit card was chosen the winner as it has the best combination of the total bonus miles awarded and the overall minimum spend requirement over a period of 6 months. In addition, there are no specific spend category restrictions.

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit Card

The Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite credit card offers the next best Skywards bonus miles after the ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite credit card. Cardholders can earn up to 100,000 bonus Emirates Skywards miles:

  • 35,000 “Welcome Joining Miles” on payment of the joining fee
  • 40,000 additional “spend based miles” if cumulative retail spend of USD 25,000 is achieved within 3 months
  • “Annual miles”: 25,000 miles will be credited if USD 7,500 is spent at Emirates (online or at sales offices) within the first 12 months

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Emirates Skywards Dubai Islamic Bank Infinite Credit Card

This credit card offers cardholders 75,000 bonus Skywards miles but requires a balance transfer of at least AED 50,000 to earn 25,000 of the total miles. Earn up to 75,000 bonus Emirates Skywards miles:

  • 25,000 miles on card activation
  • 25,000 miles if spend of USD 20,000 is achieved in the first 4 statements
  • 25,000 on balance transfer (minimum balance transfer of AED 50,000)

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

 Best for “JOINING OFFERS”:

While it is usually not advisable to apply for a credit only to take advantage of a specific joining offer by the bank, it is worthwhile considering the joining offers in addition to all other benefits and features offered by the credit card.

Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card

Customers that apply online can get AED 2,000 back as a statement credit if a minimum retail spend of AED 25,000 is made within 90 days of the credit card being approved.

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

 Citibank Emirates Ultimate credit card

Customers that apply online on Citibank UAE can get AED 800 as a statement credit if a minimum retail spend of AED 20,000 is made within 90 days of the credit card being approved.

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Citibank Emirates World credit card

Customers that apply online on Citibank UAE can get AED 400 as a statement credit if a minimum retail spend of AED 10,000 is made within 90 days of the credit card being approved.

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Best for “EMIRATES SKYWARDS MEMBERSHIP TIERS”:

As most readers are probably aware the Emirates Skywards Miles programme offers different “Tiers” of membership – Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each of these tiers offer different benefits to members, with the type and number of benefits increasing in that order – starting with Blue and ending with Platinum which offers the maximum benefits.

An important feature offered by some Emirates Skywards co-branded credit cards is automatic membership for the cardholder into a higher tier of the Emirates Skywards programme simply by virtue of having the credit card. This saves cardholders from having to ‘earn’ the minimum tie” miles required to be eligible for the specific tier level, obtained normally through purchase of tickets on Emirates airlines.

In this aspect as well, there are a few differences in the options available among the various Emirates Skywards credit cards. Most of these credit cards offer direct membership to the Silver Tier for the primary cardholder. A few credit cards also provide supplementary card holders the opportunity to enjoy Silver status, subject to a few conditions being met. However, only 3 credit cards offer cardholders the option to upgrade to the Gold Tier Skywards membership. This can be considered to be a significant perk of having the card by people who value the Gold membership tier in the Emirates Skywards program.

Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card

The Emirates Islamic Skywards Black Credit Card offers card holders the opportunity to fast track to Emirates Skywards Gold tier membership by simply spending AED 5,500 at Emirates Airlines within 12 months from the card issuance date. This credit card also offers one supplementary card holder the option to get Gold tier membership status by spending AED 5,500 at Emirates Airlines and payment of an annual membership fee of AED 4,000. This is the quickest option to gain Emirates Skywards Gold tier membership amongst all Skywards credit cards offered in the UAE.

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

 

ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card & ADIB Emirates Skywards World Credit Card

Both Emirates Skywards credit cards offered by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) offer cardholders Skywards Silver Tier membership as a basic feature of the card. However, in addition they both also offer cardholders the option to upgrade their Silver Skywards membership tier to the Gold tier if specific spend based criteria are met. Additionally, both these cards also offer the supplementary cardholder with the opportunity to upgrade to Gold tier status.

  • With the ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite credit card cardholders can get Skywards Gold Tier membership by simply spending AED 5,500 at Emirates airlines within 12 months. For the supplementary card holder, a spend of AED 200,000 (+ AED 5,500 at Emirates Airlines) within the first 12 months is required to get fast tracked to Emirates Skywards Gold Tier membership status.
  • For the ADIB Emirates Skywards World credit card the primary cardholder can get Gold tier membership with a total spend of AED 150,000 and spend of AED 5,500 on Emirates within 12 months
  • For the supplementary cardholder: total spend of AED 300,000 and spend of AED 5,500 on Emirates within 12 months

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard Credit Card

The RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard offers cardholders Silver tier membership as a default offering. Additionally, it also offers the opportunity to fast-track to Skywards Gold tier membership based on the below criteria being met:

  • Minimum spend of AED 5,500 at Emirates
  • On maintenance of an average quarterly balance of AED 500,000 in the customer’s RAKBANK savings account

This credit card also offers supplementary cardholders the option to enroll in the Skywards Silver Tier membership at a fee of AED 900 per year.

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

The below Emirates Skywards credit cards all offer the primary cardholder complimentary Skywards Silver Tier membership as a benefit:

  • Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card
  • Dubai Islamic Emirates Skywards Infinite credit card
  • Emirates Islamic Skywards Infinite credit card
  • Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite credit card

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Best for “ASSOCIATION FEATURES AND BENEFITS”:

Credit card associations refer to organizations that set common transaction terms for merchants, issuing banks and acquiring banks. The associations we are referring to in our context here are Visa and Mastercard. All the Emirates Skywards credit cards issued in the UAE are either associated with Visa or Mastercard.

The relevance of this for a cardholder is that there are specific benefits and features offered by these associations to the cardholder by virtue of the partnership between the bank and the association. Similar to the different tier levels available in the Emirates Skywards miles programme, both Visa and Mastercard offer different “tiers” or levels of benefits for different credit card types.

Please note that these association features are offered in partnership with the banks and are for the most part a standard offering for the specific credit card type across all banks. Examples of these include VIP airport lounge access, travel insurance cover, car rental offers and so on. Please note that the type of benefits offered vary significantly between Visa and Mastercard.

These (Visa/Mastercard) features must not be confused with specific features offered by banks directly to their cardholders which are not part of the Visa or Mastercard benefits. Examples of such bank-specific features include complimentary valet parking, cinema tickets, airport transfer offers and so on.

Customers are advised to review closely all the features offered for each credit card to understand all the benefits available before arriving at the best credit suited to them.

Below is a categorization of the available Emirates Skywards options based on their Visa or Mastercard credit card association type:

Mastercard

  1. Mastercard World Elite:

This is the top-of-the-line tier of credit card benefits offered by Mastercard and are available in the following credit cards:

  • ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite credit card
  • Citibank Emirates Ultimate credit card
  • RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Mastercard credit card
  1. Mastercard World:

This is the second highest tier of credit card benefits offered by Mastercard and are available in the following credit cards:

  • ADIB Emirates Skywards World credit card
  • Citibank Emirates World credit card

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

 Visa

  1. Visa Infinite:

This is the top-of-the-line tier of credit card benefits offered by Visa and are available in the following credit cards:

  • Citibank Emirates Ultima credit card
  • Emirates Islamic Skywards Black credit card
  • Dubai Islamic Emirates Skywards Infinite credit card
  • Emirates Islamic Skywards Infinite credit card
  • Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite credit card
  1. Visa Signature:

This is the second highest tier of credit card benefits offered by Visa and are available in the following credit cards:

  • Dubai Islamic Emirates Skywards Signature credit card
  • Emirates Islamic Skywards Signature credit card
  • Emirates NBD Skywards Signature credit card

 Visa Platinum:

This is the third highest tier of credit card benefits offered by Visa and are available in the following credit cards:

  • Dubai Islamic Emirates Platinum credit card

 All relevant features of this credit card, along with side-by-side comparisons can be seen at: www.soulwallet.com

Unique benefits available through various Emirates Skywards credit cards:

Complimentary Airport Transfers

  • RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card
    • Enjoy chauffeured airport pick-up or drop off service complimentary 6 times each year in the UAE or avail of this service a maximum of 3 times in India (Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Delhi – within city limits).
  • ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card & ADIB Emirates Skywards World Credit Card
    • 4 complimentary per year anywhere in the UAE. Value of rides capped at AED 150 in Dubai and Sharjah and AED 350 in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and other Emirates
  • Emirates Islamic Skywards Black credit card
    • Take advantage of up to 4 complimentary airport transfers per calendar year to or from Dubai airport. 
  • Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite Credit Card
    • Up to 4 complimentary airport transfers per calendar year in UAE. Only transfers within city limits, i.e. no intra-city transfers. 

Cinema Discounts & Offers

  • Citibank Emirate Ultima credit card, Citibank Emirates Ultimate credit card & Citibank Emirates World credit card
    • Enjoy up to 4 “Buy-1-Get-1” complimentary movie tickets with VOX Cinemas each month on any day of the week.
    • Up to 2 “Buy-1-Get-1” complimentary movie tickets plus 20% off food & beverage with REEL cinemas each month on any day of the week.
    • (Please note both the above benefits are available only for bookings made on the Primary credit card)
  • RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card
    • 50% off at VOX cinemas at all times, up to 4 times each month
  • Emirates Islamic Skywards Infinite credit card, Emirates Islamic Skywards Signature credit card
    • Enjoy up to 3 “Buy-1-Get-1” complimentary movie tickets at REEL Cinemas each month on any day of the week.
    • (Please note both the above benefits require a minimum spend of AED 3,000 per month)

Complimentary Emirates home check-in:

  • ADIB Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card – 4 times per year for passengers traveling from Dubai.
  • ADIB Emirates Skywards World Credit Card – 2 times per year for passengers traveling from Dubai.

Health & Fitness Benefits:

  • Dubai Islamic Skywards Infinite Credit Card
    • complimentary access to the Emirates Towers health club (and swimming pool) at any time, any day of the week.

Discounts on Emirates Skywards Miles

  • RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card
    • 15% discount on buying Skywards miles for self or as a gift (minimum purchase of 2,000 miles required)

Earn Emirates Skywards Tier Miles

  • Emirates Islamic Skywards Black credit card, Emirates Islamic Skywards Infinite credit card & Emirates Islamic Skywards Signature credit card
    • Earn 1 Skywards Tier Mile for every 4 Emirates Skywards
  • RAKBANK Emirates Skywards World Elite Credit Card
    • 15% discount on buying Skywards miles for self or as a gift (minimum purchase of 2,000 miles required)

We hope this article has been useful in giving you a better understanding of the various Emirates Skywards miles credit card options available in the UAE. While we have highlighted the best options for specific benefits offered by these credit cards we highly recommend that you review all the features in detail before deciding which is the best credit card for you. After all, the process of identifying the best option and applying for a credit card is not something undertaken regularly and therefore getting it right will not only help you maximise potential saves but will also help you enjoy the unique benefits most relevant to your individual preferences.

Detailed features and benefits along with side-by-side comparisons of all these credit cards and more can be found at www.soulwallet.com.

redit Cards for Small Business in 2021 - Soulwallet

Credit Cards for Small Business in 2021

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Small business owners have to manage a lot of responsibility especially in the first few years of operation. Owners of small business operations have to closely monitor their finances and manage their cash flow as finances are a huge consideration. Hence, a steady cash flow of money is essential, and people depend on credit cards to fund or finance their business.

For a business owner to use their own personal credit card for the purpose of business transactions can carry increased risk for the owner. Due to this, the dependency of business owners on small business credit cards to finance a small-scale business has increased through the years. Opening a small business credit card is a great way to streamline day-to-day business expenses as well as purchasing the essential goods and services required for the business without delaying critical payments to the vendors while enjoying some of the added perks, such as rewards and purchase protection offered.

How can a Credit Card be used for Small Businesses?

For a business owner, it is not advisable to start his business using a personal credit card as for the initial few years, debt keeps accumulating and it gets difficult for one person to pay back the bills amounting in full. Also mixing personal and business credit purchases makes it difficult to organize the business expenses while doing taxes, Hence a business credit card is more appropriate for setting up a small business.

Business credit cards come with a higher credit limit as compared to private credit cards which will help the business owner in purchasing goods and services required to start and run the business. Since these costs are usually high and continuous, a business credit card is more feasible. Since the business credit cards are offered by banks, it helps the business owner in managing all the business expenses. Having a business credit card also helps in keeping track of the purchases and the quarterly and annual statements provided by your credit card company, help you break down your expenses into categories and that can be very helpful for creating budgets and tracking expenses.

Benefits of having a Small Business Credit Card:

A small business credit card can be a great tool when used strategically and with restraint. Some of the advantages of having a small business credit card are:

  • Increase the cash flow of your business
  • Helps you build your credit history and credit score.
  • Access a large credit limit
  • Business credit cards offer short-term spending flexibility
  • Keep your business and personal expenses separate
  • Enjoy loyalty points, rewards, cash-back and other perks
  • Stay organised with business expenses
  • Keep tabs on employee spending
  • Enabled with a chip which makes all transactions secure
  • Business cards are not subject to personal card limits
  • Easy application procedure

Check out our Best Small Business Credit Cards

ADIB Business Gold Covered Card – by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB)

ADIB offers the first Islamic Visa Card in the UAE to help business owners better manage their day-to-day business.

Features:

  • Minimum Salary – AED 8,000
  • Rate – 3.00%
  • Annual Fee – AED 400
  • Non-AED Transaction Fee – 3.10%
  • Cash Advance Fee – 3.00 % / Min 99

Reward Features:

  • Covered Card limit up to AED 150,000
  • Advanced Chip & Pin​ Technology
  • Free Road-Side Assistance
  • Free for the first year
  • 4 Free Supplementary Cards
  • No fee for replacement of damaged cards when cardholder delivers damaged card to the branch
  • Includes the fee of ADIB as an agent of the Cardholder.
  • 8% discount on hotel bookings made at Hotels.com
  • 12% discount over 985,000 hotels & vacation rentals worldwide with Agoda

ADIB Business Platinum Covered Card – by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB)

ADIB offers the first Islamic Visa Card in the UAE that provides extra flexibility and secure alternative to cash payments.

Features:

  • Minimum Salary – AED 8,000
  • Annual Fee – AED 800
  • Rate – 3.00%
  • Cash Advance – 3% / Min 99
  • Non-AED Transaction Fee – 3.1%

Reward Features:

  • Covered Card limit up to AED 250,000
  • Golf offers
  • Cinema Tickets
  • Purchase Protection
  • Extended Warranty
  • Free Road-Side Assistance
  • Free for the first year
  • 4 Free Supplementary Cards
  • No fee for replacement of damaged cards when cardholder delivers damaged card to the branch
  • Includes the fee of ADIB as an agent of the Cardholder
  • Discount of up to 30% off retail rates at over 450 destinations globally
  • 8% discount on hotel bookings made at Hotels.com
  • 12% discount over 985,000 hotels & vacation rentals worldwide with Agoda
  • Access to over 200 airport restaurant offers globally

Emirates Islamic Business Card – by Emirates Islamic Bank (EIB)

Emirates Islamic Business Credit Card offers a wide range of exclusive rewards and benefits to grow your business. It combines high levels of security, value, convenience, and flexibility, to ensure your business expenses are controlled and your card spends are rewarded.

Features:

  • Minimum Salary – AED 10,000
  • Annual Fee – AED 0
  • Rate – 3.25%
  • Cash Advance – 3% / Min 199
  • Non-AED Transaction Fee – 3.49%

Reward Features:

  • Free for life
  • Earn EI Smart-Miles on all your purchases
  • Multiple cards for partners & employees
  • Unlimited complimentary airport lounge access
  • Multiple cards for your partners and your employees
  • Better control on business expenses such as business travel, dining, utility bill payments
  • Wide range of redemption options – flights, hotels, and other retail transactions
  • Cash-On-Call facility through 24/7 phone banking service
  • Easy payment plans for better cash flow management
  • Balance transfer facility on existing business credit cards from other banks
  • Provides a comprehensive suite of privileges that help reduce business expenses on hotels, rentals, courier services, restaurants, gifts
  • Golf offers
  • Cinema Tickets
  • Up to 30% at restaurants across the UAE
  • 8% discount on hotel bookings made at Hotels.com
  • 12% discount over 985,000 hotels & vacation rentals worldwide with Agoda

RAKBANK Titanium Business Credit Card – by RAKBANK

The RAKBANK Titanium Business Credit Card is ideal for all your business transactions worldwide. You can use it to pay for purchase of goods such as new stock, raw materials, or equipment as well as for services rendered by your local or overseas suppliers.

 Features:

  • Minimum Salary – AED 10,000
  • Annual Fee – AED 0
  • Rate – 3.45%
  • Cash Advance – 3.45% / 2%
  • Non-AEE Transaction Fee – 2.2%

Reward Features:

  • Exclusive card for business owners and no annual fee ever
  • High Cash advance Limits with 1% cashback on Cash Advance
  • Easy Credit Card Cheque (CCC) facility
  • No minimum spend criteria for earning cashback
  • Additional Business Credit Cards for your key employees
  • Enjoy 1% Cashback on all domestic and international retail, internet, cash transactions
  • Up to 50% discounts, Buy 1 Get 1 free offers and fantastic bargains
  • Exclusive office & business insurance offers
  • Complimentary Insurance Benefits like Purchase Protection and Travel Accident Insurance benefits
  • Unlimited airport lounge access at Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Kuwait, and Jordan airports
  • Personal Accident Insurance up to USD 150,000
  • Enjoy great dinning offers from RAKfeast
  • Up to a 10% discount off the price of your booking for selected properties on Hotels.com
  • AVIS Car Rental Offers

United Arab Bank Business Credit Card – by United Arab Bank (UAB)

The UAB Business MasterCard caters to the self-employed segment in the UAE providing them with a host of privileges and benefits unmatched by any other Business Card.

Features:

  • Minimum Salary – AED 6,000
  • Annual Fee – AED 0
  • Rate – 2.99%
  • Cash Advance – 3% / Min 200
  • Non-AED Transaction Fee – 3%

Reward Features:

  • Earn UAB rewards on all spends
  • 1 points for every 1 USD spent domestically
  • 2 points for every 1 USD spent internationally
  • Redeem points for flight tickets & hotels, car rentals, electronic and lifestyle products
  • Brand the credit card with your company name
  • Complimentary Airport Lounge Access at over 10 lounges across MENA
  • Exclusive benefits with Avis
  • Mastercard Priceless Cities Offers
  • Up to a 10% discount off the price of your booking for selected properties on Hotels.com
  • Discounts of up to 15% at prime luxury serviced apartments
  • Buy 1 Get 1 Free Offers on downloaded Mastercard with 900+ offers across 90+ destinations and 600+ merchants
  • Careem Chauffeur Offers with 20% off three rides every month

Business credit cards aren’t just for people with storefronts or offices, but also freelancers and people who have side hustles or for people who do gig work. Having a dedicated card for your money-making enterprise helps you keep business and personal finances separate and you can benefit from the many offer rewards and perks that are offered by various banks.

SoulWallet helps you compare and find the best credit card suited for your needs to have an easy and hassle-free experience. The well-researched, solidly structured, unbiased content along with unique tools at SoulWallet help you make well informed financial decisions for your personal and business transactions. In the process, SoulWallet helps you identify the options that will let you save money and enjoy the best perks.

SoulWallet grants their users services that would help them make the most of a wide range of personal finance solutions, from credit card reward cards in the UAE, to personal loans, to Islamic credit cards, to air miles credit card application and a lot more.

How to Effectively Manage Credit Card Transactions during COVID-19

How to Effectively Manage Credit Card Transactions during COVID-19

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating, and it has made keeping up with monthly bills and payments a huge challenge. To ease the tension, banks and credit card companies have come up with offers & policies to provide financial relief to their customers.

If you have credit card debt and are finding it difficult to manage the payments during the coronavirus pandemic, this article will guide you on how you can manage your credit card bill payments. These Credit card companies in UAE are offering the following relief measures:

Most banks, financial institutions, and credit card companies are offering help during these uncertain times, but it can vary depending on the credit card issuer.

Here are some offers by UAE banks, you can check with your card issuer for offers other than these:

HSBC Bank: Customers who are stressed about making their credit card payments during COVID-19 pandemic can have a payment holiday for up to 3 months. HSBC credit card holders can delay their bill payments including the minimum payment for up to 3 months, but during this time interest will be incurred as usual on the outstanding balance and to all the new transactions made during the payment holiday period. However, the credit card limit will be reduced to AED 5,000. Once the payment holiday is over, the card holders will be expected to resume the payments.

Contact information to get help:

  • Write an email at contactus.me@hsbc.com
  • Call their help centre at 800 5233/ 800 4320/ 800 4420

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank: ADIB has increased the temporary limit o ADIB cards and, they have also introduced 5% cashback on utility & grocery bills for 3 months. ADIB has been active & responsive to the needs of their customers. They have also come up with no cost instalments schemes for card expenditures for a period of 6 months.

Contact information to get help:

  • Contact their help centre at 600503033

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB): FAB is one of the largest banks in the UAE and has declared some COVID relief measures for its customers. FAB has decided to cover the interest charges of all the customers along with relief on fees as well as repayments since April 2021. The bank has also waived off FX fees on cancel hotels and airline bookings along with temporary 50 percent reduction on late payment fees for 3 months.

Contact information to get help:

  • Use the registered email id to seek help by writing to here2help@bankfab.com
  • Request help using their Mobile App

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB): ADCB has deferred payments up to 6 months for their customers along with other relief measures for people who fall under COVID- 19 Targeted Economic Support Scheme category.

Contact information to get help:
  • Write an email seeking help at contactus@adcb.com
  • Call the contact centre at 600 50 2030 or 600 56 2626 (Islamic Banking)

Standard Chartered Bank (SCB): SCB has reduced cash advance fee by 50% with zero percent interest rates on EMI and zero processing fee. If you have made travel bookings with your Standard Chartered Bank, you can get a refund. Card holders have to submit the below documents to avail the benefits of the bank:

  1. A letter from your employer stating that COVID-19 is the reason behind your termination.
  2. A document showing COVID-19 restrictions have affected repayments of your credit card bills.
  3. An attested letter from the Ministry of Health saying you were infected by COVID-19.
  4. Bank statement showing a loss of up to 20% monthly revenue of those who are self-employed.

Contact information to get help:

  • Write at covid.19relief@sc.com for help

Here are some tips to help you manage your credit card bills and help you survive in the uncertain times.

  • Set up a budget and stick to it to avoid late and excess payments.
  • Lower your non-essential expenses to reduce the burden of debt, managing a credit card is easy if you maintain your expenses.
  • If you have more than one credit card and are in a financial situation, try clearing the card by paying minimum dues on each card starting from the one with higher interest rates.
  • Avoid withdrawing cash from credit card to prevent high interest rates and high fees.
  • If you are shopping on monthly instalments try to opt for 0% EMI plan.
  • If you have higher interest rates on a bank you can transfer the balance to a card with lower interest rates to avoid hassle later.
  • To avoid credit card debt, decrease your expenses instead of increasing your credit limit.
To Conclude

If you have credit card from banks other than the ones we have mentioned then, please reach out to your banks and understand the benefits they are offering to provide you with a financial relief during COVID-19 pandemic. Follow and stay updated with the COVID-19 relief measures given by banks. We also strongly recommend that you check out our article on how credit cards can come in handy in such situations. Click here to find out more.

balance transfer

5 Things You Must Know About Balance Transfers on Credit Cards

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Balance transfer helps the credit card holder to pay off the balance amount on an existing card by transferring it to another card. A customer is usually drawn towards credit card balance transfers to avail lower promotional rates of interest and additional benefits like rewards programs, points, etc .. Most credit card companies aim to entice cardholders by waiving the balance transfer fee. They might even offer an introductory period of 6-18 months, during which no interest would be charged on the sum transferred.

Scrutiny of these offers is imperative to benefit. By being attentive you can gain a significant advantage while avoiding high interest rates during debt payment.

1. Zero interest card vs. balance transfer fee

When you are executing a balance transfer, you’re required to pay an interest of 3 to 5% of the total transferred amount, called the balance transfer fee. Although this can add up to a hefty amount on top of your balance, it might still be less than a card with high interest rate. It is important to calculate how much you are saving with a zero-interest credit card, compared to your current monthly interest rate. Choose what’s best for you- a card with 0% interest for an introductory period with an applicable balance transfer fee, or one without the zero-interest feature but no balance transfer fee.

2. Your credit score might get hit

If you’re planning to apply for a new credit card, be ready to brace your credit score from taking a hard hit. Whether your application is approved for the card or not, your credit score could decline after the enquiry. Canceling your original credit card upon making the balance transfer could result in your average account age to drop, as well as cause your total available credit to dwindle. So, beware of these factors impacting your credit score negatively. A simple way out of this mess is not to close the original card but to continue it with zero balance. Nonetheless, if you’re easily tempted to use the original card, then it’s best to close it.

3. The offer is temporary

It is important to remember that the zero-interest offer is only temporary for 6-18 months, and the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) will escalate once the introductory period gets over. Don’t let the low APRs tempt you, try to pay off your balance within this period itself. Make sure that you don’t miss the opportunity to pay off your debt while it is still low, and not start to accumulate high interests on your balance again.

4. Scrutinize the terms of your card

Your application has to be approved to avail a 0% promotional rate of interest. Also if the credit limit on your 0% balance transfer credit card is so low that it doesn’t even cover the amount you require, there’s no way the card can help you (even after you’re approved for one). You’ll simply have to pay two amounts instead of one, every month. Hence, remember to scrutinize the terms of what you’re getting yourself into. As promotional APR offers can exclude balance transfers, check whether the 0% interest is applicable on balance transfers and/or purchases, as a lot of companies offer it for either one.

5. Avoid making new purchases

If you’re an impulsive shopper, it is advisable to steer clear of getting a new credit card. If you keep adding debt to the original balance transferred via another credit card, it’s bound to put you in a worse position than where you started. More often than not, the 0% interest isn’t valid for new purchases, which means you’ll end up accumulating new interest immediately upon making that new purchase. Therefore, it’s best if you don’t start making new payments with your balance transfer credit card.

Your focus should be on strategically decreasing your debt through your balance transfer credit card. Make sure to enquire about each & every term singularly: starting from the expiration date of the 0% APR, to the interest rate after the introductory period, applicable balance transfer fee, and least monthly payment.

 

Online Credit Card-Related Fraud – What to watch out for?

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One of the best things about the Internet today is that you can purchase literally anything from the comfort of your own home. Whether you are browsing Souq or your favorite online clothing retailer based in the UAE, your next item can be at your door with just one click of the button.

That being said, there are some downsides to online shopping. One of the most notable is online credit card-related fraud. There are plenty of bad actors out there who are looking to steal your credit card number. With your credit card in hand, they can do a significant amount of damage before they are caught.

Yes, popular credit cards do offer some fraud protection. However, you cannot rest on your laurels, as there is no guarantee that your credit card company will reimburse you. Because of this, we want to take this time to share some key things to look out for related to online credit card fraud. Whether you think that you may a victim or you are simply trying to be proactive, these tips can keep some of your hard-earned cash in your pocket.

Things to Monitor to Avoid Credit Card Fraud

One of the first and most effective ways to prevent credit card fraud is to familiarize yourself with popular credit card scams. While it’s impossible to know every online credit card scam out there, understanding what some of the most popular look like can help you avoid them. While it is a never-ending task, it is a great habit to build in your personal finance life.

You can find some of these popular credit card scams by clicking here. For example, there is a scam where criminals call your phone and pretend they are from your credit card company’s fraud department. They ask you to verify some personal information—including the security code on the back of your credit card. Another scam involves credit card skimming, where fraudsters will steal your credit card number through a skimming device and use it to make later purchases. And you cannot forget about common phishing scams, where scammers impersonate your bank and try to have you click on a malicious link and enter your login information. These are just some scams that you’ll need to evade in your day-to-day shopping life.

From being knowledgeable about credit card scams, you’ll next want to be cautious when actually using your credit card online. Many Internet retailers have done a great job making their websites more secure. Nonetheless, you should only enter your credit card information on a website that is legitimate. Some scammers create websites that appear to be real, but were set up solely to steal credit card information. Be especially careful when making purchases on websites that do not have an “https://” in the address bar or a lock in the lower right corner of your browser.

Next, be careful when shopping on websites that are too good to be true. This is another common-sense rule in the world of personal finance. While there are plenty of great deals on the Internet today, you should be wary of those that seem truly unique or out of this world. It may be that a scammer or bad actor is simply trying to entice you to provide your credit card information without sending you your purchase.

Finally, make sure to monitor your accounts. For as much as we may want to monitor all of our purchases, we may fall short. Life gets in the way. A seemingly benign purchase on a new website may lead to stolen credit card information. Yet even though we may not be able to monitor every threat, we can view our statements every month. By getting into a monthly habit of reviewing your credit card purchases, you can quickly discover (and correct) any fraudulent activity.

Stay Vigilant

 For as many benefits that Internet shopping brings to our lives, we must protect ourselves from the downsides. Credit card fraud certainly exists in the UAE and throughout the world. Whether you are a holder of several popular credit cards or just obtained a new credit card, we urge you to stay vigilant. By doing so, you will save yourself from tremendous headaches down the road.

Soulwallet is a personal finance comparison portal in the UAE. With a team of “out of the box” thinkers and a deep understanding of the UAE consumer banking industry, we help customers make the best choices while shopping for financial products such as credit cards and loans.

How to Cope With Your Personal Finances and Debt Amidst COVID-19

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COVID-19 has been one of the most disruptive public health and economic stories in recent memory. The UAE has 42294 total confirmed cases (source https://doh.gov.ae/covid-19 as of 15th June 2020) and there will undoubtedly be more. Moreover, shelter-in-place orders and nightly curfews throughout major cities across the world (including in the UAE) have caused massive ripple effects throughout the global economy.

Even though the UAE has a relatively low case count compared to other nations throughout the world, it isn’t immune to the economic stress. In fact, you may be experiencing some of these financial pressures right now. It can be scary—especially because it’s unclear when normal life will return.

Having said this, there are reasons to be optimistic. While the situation is constantly changing, we wanted to share several personal finance suggestions and resources that you can leverage in these uncertain times. These resources will help you obtain some financial relief (and even unlock exciting financial opportunities) as we continue to battle COVID-19.

Take Stock of Your Current Finances

Generally speaking, one of the first things that you should do amidst this economic uncertainty is to take stock of your current finances. Take a look at your cash in hand (if any) and note any upcoming bills or payments, whether it is your rent or mortgage, credit card bills, or something else. If there is a significant chance that you cannot meet any (or all) of these upcoming liabilities, you’ll want to take action now.

We will shortly describe some of these opportunities provided by the UAE government and financial institutions. Putting that aside, you may want to contact your credit card companies and lenders if you feel like you cannot pay your bills on time. While there are no hard and fast rules here, your lenders may be able to defer some of your payments if you explain your current financial situation.

Whether or not you are facing imminent financial pressures, you will want to adopt more stringent spending habits. Think long and hard about your discretionary purchases. While you may have been eyeing that new car or purse for some time, it’s probably better to be conservative here. It’s unclear when the economic pain from COVID-19 will end, so cash is king. Cash gives you optionality and will eliminate some stress if this crisis lasts longer than expected.

On a more optimistic note, COVID-19 can be a great investment opportunity if you have savings or significant discretionary income. Asset prices have fallen in the UAE and throughout the world. Because of this, you may want to think about purchasing index funds or other equities. As we’ll describe below, the government is also offering incentives for first-time homeowners. You will clearly want to do your own due diligence, but the bottom line is that this may be a great time to enter the markets. However, if you foresee any near-term financial pressures, you will likely want to stay liquid and keep cash on hand rather than make any long-term investments.

The bottom line? As with all personal finance advice, you need to closely monitor your income and spending habits. Stay conservative and make sure that you’re not spending more than you are making. And if you foresee any potential issues paying your current or upcoming bills? We encourage you to speak with your lenders and take advantage of the financial relief described below.

Financial Relief and New Incentives

Because of the sudden disruption that COVID-19 has caused, the UAE government has ordered banks and other financial institutions to provide relief to individuals and families. These are some compelling opportunities, so we encourage you to pay close attention.

For instance, if you have a mortgage, car loan, or personal loan, you can apply for a one month repayment holiday with no extra fees. Borrowers who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 outbreak may also be able to obtain loan repayment deferrals for up to three months and interest-free installment plans of up to six months on things like grocery purchases, utility bill payments, and school fee payments.

To take advantage of these payment plans and deferrals, you’ll want to follow up with your bank. UAE banks (like First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank) have moved quickly to support their retail and SME customers. If you bank with a non-UAE financial institution, you will also want to read the fine print to understand all of the incentives that may be at your disposal. As just one example, if you bank with Standard Chartered, you will receive refunds for foreign currency translation fees on canceled travel bookings. Along with this, cash advance fees on credit cards are cut in half. Again, make sure you complete your due diligence so that you can take advantage of your bank’s available incentives.

Getting some more time to pay your upcoming bills can go a long way in providing financial relief. But along with this, you may be thinking that this is a good time to make some investments. First-time home buyers, for example, can obtain a reduced down payment of up to 5% on their home purchases. You can also obtain interest-free installment plans for school tuition. This includes the waiver of service of charges or a 0% interest loan until 30 June 2020. Ultimately, the UAE government has moved swiftly to relieve financial pressure on residents and to spur continued investment in the country. Therefore, don’t hesitate to take advantage of these opportunities (the sooner, the better).

Finally, if you are a small business owner in the UAE, there are additional financial opportunities available to you. For example, you can reduce their interest charges on new borrowings based on new prevailing interest rates for eligible customers. Along with this, you can reduce bank charges by half on the early settlement of existing borrowing for eligible customers until 30 June 2020. For some more financial relief opportunities available for small businesses, feel free to click here.

Riding Out the Storm

Unfortunately, we are likely nowhere close to the end of COVID-19. A potential vaccine is still far away and there is likely more economic pain ahead. We are truly living in uncertain times, so you must be proactive to minimize financial damage from this global pandemic.

The good news, however, is that there are plenty of resources to help you ride out this economic storm. The government has been proactive in helping you defer some of your upcoming payments. Also, there are new incentives to make a long-term investment in the UAE. Ultimately, we encourage you to take advantage of as many of these opportunities as necessary.

Soulwallet is a personal finance comparison portal in the UAE. With a team of “out of the box” thinkers and a deep understanding of the UAE consumer banking industry, we help customers make the best choices while shopping for financial products such as credit cards and loans.

When and How to dispute a Credit Card transaction ?

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Credit Card transactions may be disputed due to reasons such as inaccurate or excessive charge, billing error, fraudulent transaction or even a quality complaint on goods purchased. Banks allow customers to dispute credit card transactions either by a click of a button online or by filling up a form post speaking with a customer service officer.

It is important to note that the process of dispute normally involves a detailed investigation from the bank. One must make sure there is a valid reason before a transaction is disputed.

There are quite a few parties involved in a credit card transaction. Customer, Card Issuer ( Bank which issues the card), Merchant ( Establishment where the goods or service was purchased), Merchant bank ( the bank which the merchant uses to process these transactions), Association ( Mastercard, Visa etc., who are payment networks) and finally the Law.

In general credit card disputes fall under one of the below categories:

  1. Fraudulent transaction
  2. Inaccurate transaction amount
  3. Customer Complaint pertaining to the goods or service.

The later two categories may require a dispute to be raised within 60 days of the transaction.

Let us look at what you need to do in case of any of the above scenarios.

Fraudulent Transaction

Credit card fraud is unfortunately a reality. Banks spend millions of dollars in strengthening anti-fraud mechanisms and systems, however fraud still happens. There are several types of credit card fraud and these can be disputed by directly contacting the banks. Few things to do when you realize that there are credit card transactions on your statement or your alerts which you are unable to verify:

  1. Do not panic.
  2. Check with your family members or your supplementary credit card holders if anyone made these transactions.
  3. Try calling the merchant to check if the transaction is genuine. Do discuss with the merchant and ensure that the transaction does not pertain to you before you move further.
  4. Once you are sure that these transactions are not made by you, contact your card issuer / bank’s customer service team and report the issue and block the card. Note- most of the banks have a direct channel on the IVR (Interactive Voice Recognition) to report your card lost. You will be directed to a customer service officer instantly.
  5. Banks generally block the suspected compromised cards to ensure that there are no fraudulent transactions.
  6. You might be transferred to a specific trained Anti-Fraud management unit who will gather specifics from you and advice on the course of action.

 

Billing Error or Inaccurate Transaction

Charges which are inaccurate (excessive or incorrect) can be disputed by directly calling your credit card issuer. There are dispute forms which are required to be filled in on such scenarios. Banks are liable to keep the customer posted periodically on the status of the dispute investigation till closure.

Based on the type of transaction banks may offer temporary credit back to your credit card and once the dispute is resolved, the credit would be adjusted accordingly. In most of the scenarios, the card issuer is liable to resolve the issue within two billing cycles. However, note that the banks may take up to 180 days for a resolution.

Irrespective of the dispute being active or closed, one should continue making payment dues on your credit card during this period in order to avoid any negative credit bureau reporting. If the dispute is in your favour, banks will credit back the disputed amount.

Dissatisfied service or a related customer complaint

There are instances when a specific service or product that you purchased is not as per the sale commitment causing dissatisfaction to the consumer. These transactions can be disputed with the issuer. Below are the steps to follow on such instances:

  1. Always ensure that the first step is to reach out to the merchant and ask for a refund based on the dissonance caused. In quite a few situations, merchants do provide a refund or would be able to clarify the purchase clauses etc., You may want to document an email or a letter to the merchant on the dissatisfaction documenting the actual concern.
  2. If step one is failed and you failed to receive assistance from the merchant, contact your card issuer and request for a dispute to be raised for the transaction. Please ensure you have the following documentation handy: Original Invoice copies; Charge slips and the complaint letter.
  3. You may be required to fill in dispute forms as per the banks policies. Most of the banks have the forms available online which you can download and send to them.
  4. Do not delay any payments on your credit card while the dispute is in process. This will ensure that your credit bureau history is not affected adversely.

 

Soulwallet is a personal finance aggregator in the UAE. Soulwallet has analysed various credit card features and rated them based on an apple to apple comparison. For more details visit us on www.Soulwallet.com.

 

1 Simple Way to Relax in Luxury and Style Before You Board Your Next Flight

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UAE airports are always buzzing with traffic. The very make of the country’s population mix drives travel and in many cases frequent travel. So, let it be travel to home country, leisure tours or even business travel, there is a significant amount of travel residents undertake.

Gone are the days where one must wait near the crowded gates with limited access to essentials such as internet access or even a seat. Lounges are a boon to travelers, a place where they can relax with their families and have a nice meal or even work without any hassles.

Access to most of these lounges is free through business class tickets or memberships. Having said that there are options available for folks who travel in lesser space as well. After spending hours on saving money on the best possible rates for your flights and bookings, it does not really make sense to spend the saves on lounge. But wait! What if it is free? All the luxury and bliss at no cost.

Most of us carry credit cards and these cards in UAE offer airport lounge access free of cost. This is seen as a favourite and useful feature which gives absolute value to customers. It does not matter which airline one flies or even which class, the free lounge access feature is available on most of the credit cards.

This article elaborates on the Airport lounge feature and the different bands and respective benefits UAE credit cards offer.

What exactly do I get free with my credit card when it comes to Airport lounge access?

Free Access to Airport Lounge

Depending on the specific credit type that one may have, free access can be availed at Airport lounges. Airport lounge offers complimentary snacks, drinks, wi-fi and glossy magazines along with a peaceful place to relax before you board.

 Supplementary Card holders

If your family has supplementary cards, they can also avail the facility free of cost. It is important to note that not all card types allow supplementary cards holders. Do refer to the table below to identify which card allows supplementary card holders

 Guests

In addition to supplementary card holders, some of the credit cards allow guests accompanying primary card holders as well.

Number of visits

Some of these card types have a limitation on number of visits in a calendar year, post which the bank will apply a charge in case of any usage.

It is always wise to find out which airport lounge allows free access to the credit card you hold prior to your trip. This can save a lot of unnecessary walking within the terminals and most importantly disappointment at the lounge check in counters which sometimes can have a lengthy wait line.

 

Note: While the above is a standard offering from the associations (Visa and Mastercard), some banks might have customized the lounge offer on their respective cards. Hence it is advisable to refer to their product features section for more details click here.

 

Takeaway

Travel can be more enjoyable if planned well. While complimentary Airport lounge access offered by a credit card is a no-brainer one must be aware of all the other travel related benefits credit card offers. After all, why would one say no to a free feature which could be worth thousands of dirhams otherwise.

As a personal finance aggregator Soulwallet has analysed various credit card features and rated them based on an apple to apple comparison. Let it be Golf, Airport Transfers, Valet or even Cinema offers, one can easily refer to the ratings. For more details visit us on www.soulwallet.com.

Leave your worry behind and enjoy every bit of your travel. Bon voyage!

 

5 Smart ways to make your credit card work for you

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UAE certainly has the highest credit card, internet and e-commerce penetration in the MENA region. However, a significant percentage of transactions are still made through cash. Visa and Mastercards are popular and are widely accepted by merchants in the region.

There have been several changes in recent years, which are moving the needle on credit card usage in the market. Some customers would have witnessed their credit cards being reissued by the issuers with a chip around 2016/17. This was due to a mandate from the Central bank of UAE for the issuers to comply with EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa global standard for chip-secured credit cards) standards a few years ago.

Credit cards are extremely convenient, secure and what’s more also reward cardholders on usage as well. There are more than 200 credit cards issued by banks and financial institutions in the UAE. While the number of banks is shrinking with the recent M&A announcements, there are several new credit cards which keep popping up with innovative and irresistible offers to the customer.

Many of us would have had a difficult experience with our first credit card. Not understanding differences between a credit or debit card, we would likely have dashed to the nearest ATM to withdraw some cash and spend on stuff which we really did not have any plans of buying. A scenario which would most likely have ended finally with some sort of settlement with the bank after weeks and perhaps months of painful collections calls and negotiations.

As we got a little more aware of how credit cards work, we generally end up with one or two cards (ideally issued to us by the banks where our salary gets credited) and have built some sort of loyalty to these cards over the years.

This article gives a credit card user 5 useful tips on how to use a credit card and maximize savings. These are simple and proven steps which can help one save thousands of dirhams:

  1. No one Credit Card is best suited for everyone

Credit cards are diverse in their offerings. One must understand that 200+ credit cards in the market come with several differences. Some of them being:

Fees and Charges: Annual Fees, Interest rates, International transaction charges, cash advance charges and so on.

Reward Features: Cashback, Airmiles, Reward Points, No Rewards no fee, Reward earn rates, Redemption or burn rate etc., Note- The value of the rewards might vary based on spend amounts, type, location etc.,

Features: Airport Lounge, Free Cinema, Complimentary Golf, Valet Offers etc.,

 

Apart from the above there are also credit limits, co brands (Skywards, Etihad and so on) etc., which differentiate cards.

With so many differences among them it is important to spend a few minutes to compare the features and identify the most suitable credit card for your specific needs.

Soulwallet’s  “Best Fit”  comparison tool uses smart algorithms that can match one’s individual spend pattern and feature preferences with the most suitable credit cards among all options available.

One will also get a good indication of annual saves in dirhams earned through credit card rewards. Do check how your current credit cards stack up against the ones which are best for you. Click here to find out.

Also, do look at the feature wise rankings to find out which is the best card for your favourite credit card feature (Cinema, Golf etc.,)

 

  1. No one Credit Card can give you the best value

Why do banks have multiple credit cards under their offering? These are typically to cater to different segments of customers who are keen on a specific feature or a reward program. Cashback and Airmiles are couple of popular reward categories.

After evaluating credit cards in the UAE and the reward offering across their products, it is quite evident that there is no one card which may fit in the best for you. In order to optimize your savings (reward value for the transactions you make on the credit card), you probably might have to keep 2 or 3 credit cards in your wallet which satisfy all your requirements with a high rating.

For example, John travels frequently. He spends his weekends generally watching movies with his wife and two school going children. The best option for John is to look at the below combinations:

Credit cards that:

  • Reward him with maximum reward rates for a) School Fees b) Grocery expenses c) Travel spends
  • Includes complimentary features such as a) Cinema Offer b) Airport Lounge c) Airport Transfer
  • Has low international (foreign currency) transaction charges.

The answer might be more than 1 card and if the saves are significant, why not?

 

  1. Pay on time and if possible, in full

Making payments on time is probably the most important criteria which helps build one’s credit score. Having a healthy credit score means keeping your credit options available. There is always going to be a need for some sort of credit requirement, for example a home loan, salary transfer loan and so on. Find out more on Credit scores in the UAE.

Making your credit card payments on time is extremely critical and if possible, try to make them in full. This means one would save money on interest which can be in thousands of dirhams.

Most banks have options such as Standing Instructions (from your bank account to your credit card if both are with the same bank), Direct Debit (a standard transfer instruction on your bank account), exchange house payments etc. One has an option of setting this up for a minimum payment or full and sometimes a fixed recurring amount as well. Enquire with your bank and set up a payment instruction which will ensure you don’t miss a payment date.

Regular payments build one’s credit history well and allows banks to re-underwrite your credit lines periodically and automatically.

 

  1. Balance Transfer – If you are incurring interest by not paying your credit card dues in full each month

Balance transfer in simple terms is moving debt from one credit card to another. If you are not paying the total outstanding and incurring interest on your statement balance, a balance transfer is a smart and easy method to save money on interest.

Balance transfers normally come with an interest free offer period. This is a no brainer – it can help you save interest that you would otherwise end up paying on your current card for 3 to 12 months (and more in most cases), depending on the balance transfer offer period.

Example: If a cardholder has an AED 5,000 balance on a credit card with a 20% interest rate. Such a balance would incur an interest of approximately AED 1,000 in a year. By transferring his credit card balance the card holder can save on the AED1,000 of interest with only a small balance transfer fee instead.

Note:

  • Balance transfer does not earn you rewards on transferred debt.
  • Once you have transferred your balance to a low interest card, do review the need of continuing to keep the high interest credit card active. Any unnecessary spend on this open credit card can delay your payoff on the new card.
  • Defaulting on the new credit card might trigger standard or higher interest rate as per banks policies.
  • Before you make the balance transfer move, do the math to ensure that you end up saving. Points to consider are Annual fees, Interest rates etc.,

 

  1. Change with the industry- Adapt to smarter payment methods

In recent years, banks have evolved and are continuously evolving in the digital space to stay updated and relevant to the future customers. Smart payment methods have gained a lot of momentum and acceptance among UAE consumers.  Apple pay, Samsung pay are already common names and are quite popular.

These smart payments make the process seamless and are focused primarily on convenience and security.  While Apple and Samsung are already building the culture of adapting and shifting to newer technologies in the mobile space, one must be more adaptive and embrace future technologies to leverage upon the benefits available.

 

Takeaway

Credit cards are convenient and a popular payment method for purchasing products or services. While it is quite a privilege to flash a prestigious credit card from your wallet for a purchase, it is important to make sure that the credit card works best for you..

As a personal finance aggregator Soulwallet has analysed various credit card features and rated them to identify the best credit cards for each feature.. Be it golf offers, complimentary airport transfers, valet services or even cinema offers, one can easily find the best credit cards with the ratings provided. For more details visit us www.Soulwallet.com.

 

How to get the best dining deals out of cashback credit cards?

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The more you spend, the more you save! Unbelievable yet holds true and here is how you do that if you are smart enough. Enter Cashback.

Cashback is an offering from Credit Card companies that rewards you instantly for making purchases.

How does it work?

Cashback credit cards benefit the user by paying a percentage of the purchase you make. Not just purchases, using them in your favorite hotels, restaurants or any other experience centers in UAE can also save you some dirhams. So, the next time, you are swiping your card in a restaurant or purchasing the latest mobile phone, look out for the exciting cashback offers and maximize it.

Lookout before you Swipe!

Though it is exciting and absolutely fantastic to get some hard earned money back do note a few pointers that needs a closer look before you swipe.

Like any credit card, these credit cards are entitled with pre-determined limits which many people fail to notice. It is for the simple fact that these are in fine print and easy to ignore or miss out.

If you are a frequent visitor to restaurants, here are some credit cards that offer the best dining deals which could save you from spending more.

Citi Cashback Card:

With a minimum salary of AED 8000, you can avail this card which can provide a lot of cashback benefits while dining at your favorite restaurants. You can enjoy up to 20% discount at over 400+ dining outlets in the UAE. The redemption is automatic as well. No calls, no emails!

Dunia Finance Platinum Credit Card:

The minimum salary requirement is the same as that of the Citi Cashback Card. But Dunia finance offers free Zomato Gold Annual Membership when you opt for this credit card. It also offers hundreds of Buy 1 Get 1 (BOGO) offers from MasterCard throughout the Middle East and Africa.

Najm One Cashback Card:

This cash back credit card from Majid Al Futtaim Finance offers a lot of discounts on dining and entertainment. With this card, you can avail up to 30% discount at selected restaurants. They also make payments easy by providing card-less solutions i.e., Samsung pay.

CBD Visa Infinity Card:

The Commercial Bank of Dubai offers great deals on dining with this visa card. It has great dining privileges which include Dragon Pass, the World’s 1st all-in-one Digital Airport platform which lets people enjoy food at restaurants within the Airport. In addition to this, dining discounts in Premium Hotels in UAE can also be availed with this card.

Standard Chartered Platinum Credit Card:

The Platinum credit card from Standard Chartered lets people enjoy a wide variety of offers that includes offers up to 50% in popular cafes and restaurants. To be even more specific, it offers a Buy 1 Get 1 offer (BOGO) at all outlets of Costa Coffee.