What we do
We publish guides that explain how borrowing works for people who live in the UAE and borrow in dirhams, whether they are expatriates or UAE nationals. The guides are grouped into ten topics:
- Credit score: your AECB report and score: how to check it, read it, fix errors and improve it.
- Credit cards: eligibility, fees and interest, minimum payments, balance transfers and closing a card.
- Personal loans: salary transfer or not, flat and reducing rates, limits, fees, settlement and buyouts.
- Mortgages: loan-to-value limits, EIBOR, fixed or variable rates, upfront costs and pre-approval.
- Car loans: down payments, loan terms, used cars and paying a car loan off early.
- Buy now, pay later: how instalment apps work in the UAE, the rules they follow and the effect on your credit.
- Debt help: consolidation, settlement, collections, travel bans and leaving the UAE with debt.
- Borrower rights: consumer protection rules, the Key Facts Statement, complaints and Sanadak.
- Islamic finance: murabaha, tawarruq and ijara, and how Islamic cards and home finance differ.
- Business credit: SME loans, business credit reports and what lenders ask of a trade licence.
Alongside the guides we publish calculators that show their working, so you can check a quote yourself, and a glossary of the terms lenders use. You can also browse all guides in one list, or start from the topics on our home page.
What we do not do
- We do not sell, recommend or rank financial products or lenders.
- We have no lead forms, bank partnerships, affiliate links, advertising or paid placements. Our page on how we make money explains how any future income would be disclosed.
- We do not give personal financial advice. Our guides are general information; read the disclaimer.
- We do not handle applications, complaints or disputes with banks for you.
How we work
Every UAE rule and figure we quote comes from an official source, such as the Central Bank of the UAE Rulebook, the Etihad Credit Bureau, government portals, the Dubai Land Department and UAE law. We keep these figures in one facts register, each with its source and the date we checked it, so a rule shows the same number on every page.
Each guide is written from a brief, checked separately against its sources before it is published, and shows the dates it was published, last updated and last reviewed. Our editorial policy sets out the standards, and our methodology explains how we choose sources and build the calculators.
Who runs the site
Every guide is researched, written and checked by The Credit Zone Editorial Team.
Get in touch
Questions, feedback and ideas for topics are welcome on our contact page. If you think something on the site is wrong, our corrections page explains how to tell us and what happens next.