Liv Cashback vs ADCB 365 Cashback: which is better in the UAE? (2026)

Liv Cashback and ADCB 365 Cashback both compete for everyday UAE spend, and searchers usually land here trying to work out which one keeps more of it. The figures below are computed from each card's live reward rules at AED 8,000 a month, net of annual fees — not from headline rates, which rarely survive contact with real category caps. Perks like lounge access and cinema tickets are valued separately in the calculator's total rather than folded into these figures, since what they are worth depends entirely on whether you use them.

On an AED 8,000-a-month profile ADCB 365 Cashback comes out ahead by AED 152 a year — AED 1,315 net against AED 1,163 for Liv Cashback. That gap is after each card's annual fee, so it is the number to judge them on rather than the advertised rate.

Neither card sweeps. Liv Cashback takes 7 of the spend categories above and ADCB 365 Cashback takes 7, which means the right answer depends on where your money actually goes — a profile weighted toward the categories the runner-up wins can flip the total. Enter your own spend in the calculator above rather than trusting the default split.

The fee asymmetry matters. Liv Cashback carries no annual fee, so everything it earns is kept, while ADCB 365 Cashback has to return AED 383 a year before it breaks even — roughly AED 32 of rewards a month just to draw level.

There is a condition attached. ADCB 365 Cashback pays nothing at all in a month where total card spend falls below AED 5,000 — not a reduced rate, zero. The comparison above assumes AED 8,000 a month, comfortably clear of that gate; if your spend is uneven month to month, the annual figure will not hold.

Eligibility separates them too: Liv Cashback opens at AED 5,000 a month against AED 8,000 for ADCB 365 Cashback. If you sit between the two thresholds the comparison is settled for you regardless of which earns more.