Smiles Signature Credit Card

A CBD card co-branded with Smiles by e&, free in the first year and AED 525 a year after (waived in a year with AED 24,000 of retail spending), earning 10 Smiles points per AED 1 on e& channels, the Smiles app and elGrocer up to 25,000 points a month, up to 3 on international spending and up to 2 on other UAE spending.

No annual fee in the first year; AED 525 a year from the second year (AED 500 plus VAT), waived in any year your retail spending reaches AED 24,000. No joining fee. Supplementary cards are free for life. Interest is 3.85% a month.

Spending abroad costs about 4.83% all in: CBD's 3.675% on international transactions in AED and non-AED (its 3.5% fee plus 5% VAT), plus about 1.15% for Visa, which is Perkly's standard estimate because CBD says its fee is in addition to Visa's processing fee without giving a figure. International spending earns up to 3 Smiles points per AED 1.

The 10 points per AED 1 is only on e& channels, the Smiles app and elGrocer, and stops at 25,000 points a month. Every percentage here rests on Perkly's estimate of AED 0.01 a Smiles point; CBD publishes no value. The AED 525 fee from the second year is waived only in a year with AED 24,000 of retail spending.