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Best UAE Credit Card for Etihad Airways

Etihad is Abu Dhabi's flag carrier and a top airline for UAE residents flying from Abu Dhabi International Airport. Earns Etihad Guest miles.

Top rate: 6% Travel MCC 3006 7 cards ranked

Cards ranked by effective return at Etihad Airways

Sorted by effective Travel rate (highest first). MCC code 3006.

Card Rate at Etihad Airways 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
ADCB ADCB TouchPoints Platinum
2% pts equiv. AED 8,000 /mo No fee 2 TouchPoints/AED on airlines & hotels
Disclaimer: Reward rates are based on published card terms and may have changed. Always verify the current rate with your bank before making financial decisions. Sikka is a read-only advisory service — we recommend, you execute.

What you could earn

Based on a typical AED 2,500 monthly spend at Etihad Airways, using the top-ranked card:

AED 150
per month
AED 1800
per year
6%
effective return

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 Etihad Airways

UAE residents can earn significantly different reward rates at Etihad Airways 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 131 per month on a typical AED 2,500 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.

Other Travel merchants

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