credit cards

[shirt]

any idea what a typical point requirement is for a freebie return DXB-UK?

EIB are offering a credit card with 1AED spend = 1 skyward mile. i need a credit card as my UAE debit card isn't readily accepted abroad, but its only worth the hassle of going outside my usual bank if the skywards are worthwhile.

FWIW barclays [my UK and UAE bank] are offering me a fee free card but the airmiles are lousy.

any other good deals?

[S1MMA]

Have you seen the charges for that card:

http://www.emiratesislamicbank.ae/eib/assets/pdf/S...

Am I reading that right, that it has an annual AND monthly fee?

Seems a lot...

[shirt]

no, you're reading it right, but as i understand it:

annual free is waived if you join this month
monthly fee is only charged if you don't clear your balance each month. it's a sharia card, so this how they make the money.

the barclays one i'm offered is zero annual/monthly fees and would be perfectly adequate, but the skywards miles could be worth the slight extra effort.

[James72911]

Hi,

To answer your first question - for return to London you would need 45,000 skywards miles.

Have a look at this link http://www.skywards.com/Mileage_Calculator.aspx

hours of fund to be had working out the best options for spending miles!!

UK is generally expensive, other directions are better value.

As to the card, seems a good offer - Citibank only offer 1 skywards mile for each US dollar spent, but card is free.

[Gentleman Geoff]

James72911 said:

Citibank only offer 1 skywards mile for each US dollar spent, but card is free.

Citibank do a range of cards, each with different benefits and differing amounts of Skywards points per dollar. But the 'better' the card, the higher the annual fee.

All these cards are a complete nightmare to compare unless you like Excel spreadsheets and have far too much time on your hands.

[shirt]

as you say geoff, i gave up. i also only seem to need a credit card for car hire or when abroad [uae visa is useless]. was simpler just to rung barclasy and let them give me one.

i say simple. i rang on thursday, saturday, monday and last night - each time promised someone would be with me within 24hrs. they turned up at work today, made me sign about a million forms, took references and salary certs, then said they'd give me TWO cards - visa and mastercard.

at least i can now tell barclays sales staff i have everything on their thrice weekly calls!

[Psychobert]

Slight thread hijack, but am having a bugger of a job trying to open an account over in Dubai. Basically, HSBC in the UK don't seem to know if I can get the opening pack, (e.g debit card, pin etc) sent to a branch to pick up, or to work, (who only have a PO box number - gather that's pretty standard).

Probably not helped by my asking questions in Pemzance last week - frankly I think they struggled to understand why I was opening an account out of Cornwall.. but they had been sent all my information ready for me to merely turn up with my proof of ID so I had thought it would just be a formality to sign things..

I presume banks are ok with PO box numbers? They seemed over here to think not..

[shirt]

i'm with barclays in both countries and they are two entirely seperate entities, i am surprised hsbc can sort things out in advance.

to open an account you need a letter from your company stating your base salary and allowances, visa and passport copy, plus a dozen or so signatures. they are fine with a PO box [use your company address for everything so post will actually reach you] but will not do a thing without the correct letters etc.

easiest way to open an account is to walk into a branch with all the right bits of paper. mine took 2 weeks to open but that's because i don't earn enough for premier banking but the manager insisted i should be allowed.

[Harris_I]

shirt said:

was simpler just to rung barclasy and let them give me one.

i say simple. i rang on thursday, saturday, monday and last night - each time promised someone would be with me within 24hrs.

You're lucky. I waited several months to get a Barclaycard despite completing all the forms and repeated follow ups. Never arrived and I've given up asking. Barclays also randomly deduct TT fees from my account and then claim it's the other bank's fault. I had to go the newspapers to get it sorted (The National a couple of months back).

Utter bunch of feckwits.

[Psychobert]

I did wonder if their keenness to get me signed up was a little too soon as I don't have some of those documents yet. I think the ineptness here was probably a one off though. See what I can sort in London tomorrow..

[dxbtiger]

Forget anything HSBC in the UK tell you, it is a franchise here, branding only, that is where the similarity ends.

I opened an account with HSBC here before I had a residence visa, just a salary letter, although it was akin to a Mothercare account, cash card only, that has since been changed to visa debit.

Credit card arrived after I took a car loan, I didn't ask for one, it just got delivered to my work. This was in the halcyon days however, not sure what the process is these days.

I would go for Lloyds if I had the choice now, best of a bad bunch as far as I can see.

[Psychobert]

They seemed better than that.. In theory its all being sorted in the UK, but not knowing what the processes are over in UAE given the number of expats in the country isn't inspiring me with confidence..

[shirt]

don't worry, none of the banks know the process either!

banking here really does seem to be 'pick a style of uselessness', but i'll be surprised if they can sort it without your physical presence in the emirate and the requisite letters from your HR dept.

[thb]

Psychobert said:

They seemed better than that.. In theory its all being sorted in the UK, but not knowing what the processes are over in UAE given the number of expats in the country isn't inspiring me with confidence..

If you're eligible for the all singing and dancing premier international account wotsit then AFAIK they can sort it out through the UK etc.

If not, you'll find the first few weeks of being in the country a delight of passport copies, no objection letters and loads of form filling

[IanUAE]

I bank with NBAD (same branch as the office account), 1 form, 1 passport photo and away I went all very easy. No problems so......

[Gentleman Geoff]

dxbtiger said:

I would go for Lloyds if I had the choice now, best of a bad bunch as far as I can see.

I'm with Lloyds and have no complaints at all.

I was with Barclays for many years and saw no reason to switch until I moved to Dubai. I called them up from the UK and asked to open an account in Dubai. They told me they couldn't do it . . . and that was that.

So, I started shopping around and Lloyds were much more helpful. They opened up the offshore accounts straight away and explained that I wouldn't be able to open an account in Dubai until I had moved there and had all the relevant paperwork. But they did arrange for someone in Dubai to call me and explain exactly what paperwork I would need and set up an appointment for when I arrived.

I hear there are some advantages to having a local bank, especially the same one that your employers use.

Good luck!

[K50 DEL]

Gentleman Geoff said:

I hear there are some advantages to having a local bank, especially the same one that your employers use.

Definately, I bank with NBD, same as my employers, I get my salary same day and automatic priority banking... my colleagues who bank with other institutions are regularly waiting 4 or 5 days for the salary deposit and have had other hassles.