Best UAE Credit Card for Emirates Airlines
Emirates is Dubai's flag carrier and one of the world's largest airlines. UAE residents book Emirates flights regularly for international travel and earn Skywards miles.
Cards ranked by effective return at Emirates Airlines
Sorted by effective Travel rate (highest first). MCC code 3006.
| Card | Rate at Emirates Airlines | Monthly Cap | Annual Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
First Abu Dhabi Bank
FAB World Elite Mastercard
|
6% miles equiv. | AED 15,000 /mo | AED 2500 | 6% AED-equivalent miles on all travel |
|
2
Emirates NBD
Emirates NBD Skywards Infinite
|
5% miles equiv. | AED 10,000 /mo | AED 1800 | ~1.5 Skywards miles/AED on Emirates & partners |
|
3
First Abu Dhabi Bank
FAB Cashback Platinum
|
4.5% miles equiv. | AED 8,000 /mo | AED 300 | ~4.5% AED-equivalent miles (1 mile ≈ AED 0.03) |
|
4
Mashreq
Mashreq Traveller Credit Card
|
4% miles equiv. | AED 8,000 /mo | AED 700 | 4% AED-equivalent miles on flights and hotels |
|
5
Commercial Bank of Dubai
CBD Visa Infinite
|
3% cashback | AED 5,000 /mo | AED 1500 | 3% cashback on travel and hotels |
|
6
National Bank of Fujairah
NBF Visa Infinite
|
3% pts equiv. | AED 5,000 /mo | AED 700 | 3% AED-equivalent on travel bookings |
|
7
|
2% pts equiv. | AED 8,000 /mo | No fee | 2 TouchPoints/AED on airlines & hotels |
What you could earn
Based on a typical AED 3,000 monthly spend at Emirates Airlines, using the top-ranked card:
Calculated using FAB World Elite Mastercard at 6.0% miles. Monthly cap: AED 15,000. Verify current rates with your bank.
Why card choice matters at Emirates Airlines
UAE residents can earn significantly different reward rates at Emirates Airlines depending on their credit card. The spread between the best and worst card at this merchant is up to 6% versus the generic 0.75% fallback rate — a difference of AED 158 per month on a typical AED 3,000 monthly spend.
Emirates and Etihad miles have among the best long-haul redemption values in the world when redeemed correctly.
Head-to-head comparison
Compare the top two cards for Travel spend side by side.