The UAE Credit Card Fee Index

Across the 169 UAE consumer credit cards Kredit tracks, the average annual fee is AED 714 and the median is AED 368. The median is the better guide to what a typical card costs, because a small number of premium cards pull the average up.

Yes — 31% of the cards in the index are free for life, meaning no annual fee and no spend condition attached to it.

115 cards in the index charge an annual fee, averaging AED 1,036.

The ADCB Private World Elite Credit Card from Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), at AED 7,875 a year.

The ENBD Webshopper Credit Card from Emirates NBD, at AED 52.5 a year. Free-for-life cards cost less still.

Often, on an annual spend threshold. Where a card waives its fee that way, the condition is shown against the Annual Fee on the card's own page — the fees in this index are the standard published amounts, before any waiver.