Credit cards

Credit cards in the UAE

How credit cards work in the UAE, from eligibility and fees to closing a card cleanly. Start with the salary you need and what a card costs, or go straight to cancelling a card.

A credit card in the UAE lets you borrow up to a set limit and repay each month. Under Central Bank rules, a bank may issue a card to someone with an annual income of at least AED 60,000, or against a pledged deposit of at least AED 60,000, and may not charge interest on a statement balance you pay in full by the due date.

How credit cards work in the UAE

Each month you receive a statement with the balance and the minimum payment due. Pay the full statement balance by the due date and the bank may not charge interest on it. Cash advances are excluded from that rule. If you pay only part of the balance, interest is charged on what you still owe: see credit card interest and fees.

Every statement must show how long it would take to clear the balance if you paid only the minimum, with a warning that minimum-only payments cost more and take longer.

Who can get a card

Minimum income for a credit card

AED 60,000 a year

Credit cards may be issued to people with an annual income of AED 60,000 or more; others can get a card only against a pledged deposit of at least AED 60,000.

Applies to
Banks and finance companies licensed by the CBUAE (conventional and Islamic), lending to individuals; credit cards
Checked

The income floor is the regulatory minimum. Each bank also sets its own salary requirements and card limits under its own policy: see minimum salary for a credit card and cards without salary transfer. Card repayments must also fit within the 50% debt burden ratio together with all your other loan instalments.

Fees the Central Bank caps

Fee Maximum, before VAT
Late payment fee AED 230
Card replacement AED 75
Liability or no-liability letter AED 50

UAE VAT is charged on top of each capped amount.

Your rights as a cardholder

  • No automatic limit increases. A higher limit needs a new credit bureau check and your express consent.
  • Closing a card. Once you ask, the bank should freeze the card and must close the account within 45 calendar days and confirm it in writing, unless a balance is still outstanding. See how to cancel a card and get a clearance letter.

To move a card balance to another bank, see balance transfers. If you are weighing other ways to spread a cost, compare Islamic credit cards and buy now, pay later, which follow different rules.

Guides on credit cards

  1. Minimum salary for a credit card in the UAE

    The Central Bank sets an AED 60,000 annual income floor for credit cards, with a deposit route below it. What banks check on top and options on a lower salary.

    Updated

  2. Credit card interest and fees in the UAE explained

    How UAE credit card interest works, when you pay none, how cash advances are charged and which card fees the Central Bank caps, with a worked AED example.

    Updated

  3. How to cancel a credit card in the UAE and get a clearance letter

    Close a UAE credit card without loose ends: clear the balance, ask for closure in writing, recover any security cheque and get a clearance or liability letter.

    Updated

  4. Credit card balance transfers in the UAE: how they work and what they cost

    How a UAE credit card balance transfer works, what it costs in fees and interest, how it affects your debt burden ratio and credit report, and when it pays.

    Updated

  5. Credit cards without salary transfer: how they work in the UAE

    Can you get a UAE credit card without moving your salary? What Central Bank rules require, what banks ask for instead and the trade-offs to compare first.

    Updated

Coming next in this topic

On our content plan. Each title gets a link here when the guide is published.

  • Credit card minimum payment: how it works and what it costs
  • Secured credit cards in the UAE: cards backed by a deposit
  • Credit card instalment plans explained

Calculators for this topic

Credit card payoff calculator

How long a card balance takes to clear and the interest it costs, paying the minimum or a fixed amount.

Open calculator

Debt burden ratio calculator

How much of your monthly income already goes to debt repayments.

Open calculator

Loan payment calculator

Monthly instalment and total cost of a loan, at a flat or a reducing rate.

Open calculator

Frequently asked questions

How do credit cards work in the UAE?

You spend up to a limit and receive a monthly statement. If you pay the full statement balance by the due date, the bank may not charge interest on it, except on cash advances.

What is the minimum income for a credit card in the UAE?

AED 60,000 a year under the Central Bank rule, unless the card is backed by a pledged deposit of at least AED 60,000.

What is the maximum late payment fee on a credit card?

AED 230, before VAT.

Can my bank raise my card limit without asking?

No. A limit increase needs a new credit bureau check and your express consent.

Sources

Official and primary sources we used for this page, with the date we last opened each one.

  1. CBUAE Regulation No. 29/2011 Regarding Bank Loans & Other Services Offered to Individual Customers, Article (5) Credit Cards Central Bank of the UAE. Accessed .
  2. CBUAE Regulation No. 29/2011 Regarding Bank Loans & Other Services Offered to Individual Customers, Article (7) Repayment Installments Central Bank of the UAE. Accessed .
  3. CBUAE Consumer Protection Standards (Notice 1158/2021), Article 7: Responsible Financing Practice Central Bank of the UAE. Accessed .
  4. CBUAE Consumer Protection Standards (Notice 1158/2021), Article 2: Disclosure and Transparency Central Bank of the UAE. Accessed .
  5. CBUAE Regulation No. 29/2011 Regarding Bank Loans & Other Services Offered to Individual Customers, Appendix No. (2): Maximum Limits for Fees and Commissions Central Bank of the UAE. Accessed .
  6. CBUAE Consumer Protection Standards (Notice 1158/2021), Article 5: Business Conduct Central Bank of the UAE. Accessed .