Liv Cashback+ vs Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus: which is better in the UAE? (2026)

Liv Cashback+ and Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus 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 9,000 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 9,000-a-month profile Liv Cashback+ comes out ahead by AED 774 a year — AED 1,288 net against AED 514 for Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus. 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 1 of the spend categories above and Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus takes 4, 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.

Both charge an annual fee — AED 735 on Liv Cashback+ and AED 314 on Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus — so both need to earn their keep. The net figures above already account for that.

There is a condition attached. Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus pays nothing at all in a month where total card spend falls below AED 3,000 — not a reduced rate, zero. The comparison above assumes AED 9,000 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: Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus opens at AED 12,000 a month against AED 15,000 for Liv Cashback+. If you sit between the two thresholds the comparison is settled for you regardless of which earns more.