Like other countries in the world, United Arab Emirates is one of the leading country with high usage of credit card although the country is not completely cashless and cash is still the primary payment method and then the credit card. This is the reason many of the banks (local and international) offer range of credit cards in UAE for various purpose such as:

• Shopping
• Dining
• Travel
• Entertainment and others

However getting a credit card is not easy as lenders have a risk of default. This is the reason, every bank has different eligibility criteria before approving a card and most important being the income based on which repayment capacity of the applicant is judged. Typically banks do not consider salary which includes variable income e.g. bonus, commissions, rental income, overtime etc. Here’s the table showing minimum income required by leading banks in UAE:

Sr. No	Credit Card Name	Card Issuing Bank	Minimum Monthly Income
1	Citi Simplicity Credit Card	Citibank N.A.	AED 5,000
2	HSBC Visa Platinum Cashback Credit Card	HSBC Bank Middle East Limited	AED 5,000
3	HSBC Visa Platinum Select Credit Card	HSBC Bank Middle East Limited	AED 5,000
4	Platinum Credit Card	Standard Chartered Bank	AED 5,000
5	Manhattan Platinum	Standard Chartered Bank	AED 5,000
6	Saadiq Platinum	Standard Chartered Bank	AED 5,000
7	Cashback Visa Platinum Card	Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank	AED 5,000
8	Titanium Card for UAE Nationals	First Gulf Bank	AED 5,000
9	Classic credit card	National Bank of Fujairah	AED 5,000
10	Citi Cashback Credit Card	Citibank N.A.	AED 8,000
11	Citi Rewards Credit Card	Citibank N.A.	AED 8,000
12	Emirates-Citibank Gold	Citibank N.A.	AED 8,000
13	Citi PremierMiles Titanium	Citibank N.A.	AED 8,000
14	Citi Life Mastercard Platinum	Citibank N.A.	AED 8,000
15	Citi Life Visa Platinum	Citibank N.A.	AED 8,000
16	Citi PremierMiles Signature	Citibank N.A.	AED 10,000
17	Emirates-Citibank World Credit Card	Citibank N.A.	AED 12,000
18	Citi Premier Credit Card	Citibank N.A.	AED 15,000
19	Emirates-Citibank Ultimate Credit Card	Citibank N.A.	AED 18,000
20	Citi Life Infinite Visa	Citibank N.A.	AED 18,000
21	Platinum	Citibank N.A.	AED 30,000
22	Citi Prestige® Credit Card	Citibank N.A.	AED 30,000
23	Citi PremierMiles Elite	Citibank N.A.	AED 30,000
24	Visa Infinite Credit Card	Standard Chartered Bank	AED 30,000
25	Emirates-Citibank Ultima Credit Card	Citibank N.A.	AED 36,750

There are many other banks offering credit cards to low income earners in UAE but their minimum income criteria could not be found. And the same shall be updated in the table above. Most of these banks have offices in the capital city of Abu Dhabi and also in Dubai. Note that, apart from minimum monthly income, credit card issuing banks also check the credit score of each applicant which is nothing but the score assigned to each and every borrower in UAE. So whenever any application is made, banks approach Al Etihad Credit Bureau to get credit report of the applicant. This report includes financial transaction history of the applicant which mainly consists of:

• All the past and present credit applied and granted
• Repayment history for all the credits taken
• Payment defaults

How to Apply for Credit Card in UAE

You can apply for credit by applying online or personally visiting the bank. You will have to fill application form requiring following details:

• Full name as per passport
• Address
• E-mail address
• Mobile number
• Date of birth
• Basic monthly salary
• Personal information
• Employment details: Company name, address, ID, employment duration, etc.

Documents required from applicants having low income

In addition to the details as mentioned above, applicant also needs to submit following documents along with the application form:

• Salary certificate from current employer​: This is the only valid proof accepted by the banks. Salary should be credited to the applicant’s account monthly and must be mentioned in the salary slip or letter. This document should not be more than 30 days old.
• Original and photo copy of valid passport
• Original and photo copy of valid Emirates ID
• Bank account statement (last 3 months)

Features/Benefits of Credit Cards

Few of the key features/benefits offered by the issuers are:

• There is no mandatory minimum spend required to avail benefits especially cash back and reward points.
• Supplementary or add-on card based on satisfactory usage and repayment by the primary owner. This card can be taken for friends and family.
• Cashbacks are auto-credited. Users get cash back by spending card at fuel stations, shopping at hypermarkets/retail, online purchase, foreign transactions, etc.
• Most of the banks do not charge any annual fee.
• There is no need to have bank account or transfer salary.

Author Bio:

Hi, I am Nikesh Mehta owner and writer of this site.

I’m an analytics professional and also love writing on finance and related industry. I’ve done online course in Financial Markets and Investment Strategy from Indian School of Business.

I can be reached at nikeshmehta@allonmoney.com. You may also visit my LinkedIn profile.