Skip to content
Islamic Credit Cards
Countries:United Arab Emirates101Malaysia88Saudi Arabia111Pakistan8Indonesia10Qatar38All countries

Gulf

Islamic credit cards in Kuwait

Every Shariah-compliant credit card we can verify from 5 issuers, with the contract behind each one and the fee schedule it came from.

Cards indexed

35

Issuers

5

With no annual fee

1

Currency

KWD

How the Kuwaiti market works

The market

Four Islamic banks are on CBK's register: Kuwait International Bank, Kuwait Finance House, Boubyan Bank and Warba Bank. A fifth, Ahli United Bank - Kuwait, ceased to be a separate issuer after amalgamation into KFH; KFH announced completion of the integration and migration of over 280,000 AUBK customers in September 2024. The defining feature of the Kuwaiti Islamic card market is that NO PROFIT RATE IS CHARGED ON THE BALANCE. Boubyan's card terms state "No profits shall be charged to the due balance"; Warba's card FAQ states each product is "a Sharia compliant credit card with no profit added"; KFH's product pages state "No interests" and "No extra percentage added to the total due amount". The entire cost of an Islamic card in Kuwait is therefore the fixed annual subscription/issuance fee (KD 25 to KD 500 depending on tier), plus per-transaction fees - a flat cash-withdrawal fee (KD 6 at Boubyan, Warba and KIB) and a 2.5% foreign-currency commission, which is 2.5% at all four banks. Every bank sells the same plastic in two forms: a Charge card settled in full each month, and a Credit/Revolving card repaid in instalments. That distinction is regulatory, not marketing - see key_rules. Consequence for consumers: comparison in Kuwait turns almost entirely on annual fee, salary threshold and benefits, not on rate.

Who decides what is compliant

Two-tier. At bank level, CBK Circular No. (2/IBS/369/2016) on "Shariah Supervisory Governance in Kuwaiti Islamic Banks" (issued December 2016, superseding the June 2003 instructions on the rules and terms of reference of Shariah Supervisory Boards) sets the professional framework for each bank's Shariah Supervisory Board and for internal and external Shariah audit, covering supervision, responsibility and accountability across the Board of Directors, executive management and the SSB. At national level CBK formed a Higher Committee of Shari'ah Supervision (announced October 2020) and runs a Certified Shari'a Auditor programme. UNVERIFIED: whether Kuwait mandates AAOIFI Shariah Standards as binding on Islamic banks - CBK's Islamic-bank instructions read in full for this research (the November 2018 personal-finance and credit-card instructions, and the credit-card instructions of 2003 with their amending circulars) contain no reference to AAOIFI, and the 2016 governance circular text itself was not reachable in English.

Rules that limit you

  • CHARGE CARDS ARE OUTSIDE THE CREDIT-CARD RULES. CBK defines a charge card as one that "result[s] in a temporary debt to be paid in full on the maturity date, provided that the term of credit does not exceed one month", and states that "All the following literature addressing the maximum limit and the repayment period is exclusively related to 'Credit Cards'". This is why every Kuwaiti Islamic bank sells a Charge and a Revolving version of each card, and why Warba's Charge limits run to KD 50,000 while its Revolve limits stop at KD 10,000.
  • Credit-card limit cap: "The credit limit extended to the credit card and the amount allowed to be repaid in installments, which results from the use of the credit card, shall not exceed ten times the net monthly salary of the customer, subject to a maximum of KD 10,000." Excluded are customers with lines of credit at the bank whose card balances are deducted from those credit accounts. (CBK Instructions to Islamic Banks, Investment Companies and Financing Companies, November 2018, Part Two, Second: Maximum Limit.)
  • Repayment period: "The repayment period of debit balances resulting from the use of credit cards shall not exceed one year, non-renewable", counted from the maturity date of the monthly invoices.
  • Debt-burden ratio: the credit-card monthly instalment counts toward the total instalments-to-net-salary ratio, which may not exceed 40% for employed customers and 30% for retirees. The card's monthly instalment is computed on the card's LIMIT, not on the balance drawn.
  • Consumer finance cap (Nov 2018 instructions): "The total amount of the consumer finance transactions to a single customer shall not exceed 25 times the net monthly salary of the customer up to KD 25,000 maximum to be repaid on equal monthly instalments for a period not exceeding 5 years." Housing finance is capped separately at KD 70,000 over up to 15 years.

The contracts Kuwaiti banks use

The contract is the whole difference between an Islamic card and a conventional one. These are the structures in use here.

Qard Hasan9

Where to start

Lowest published rate

Boubyan Bank

“Oasis Club” Mastercard World

Kuwait Airways Oasis Club miles on everyday spend

Annual fee
Not published
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Air miles

Full breakdown

No annual fee

Kuwait Finance House

Visa Infinite Metal Veneer

Up to 6% cashback on eligible purchases per month

Annual fee
No annual fee
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Cashback

Full breakdown

Narrow it down

Each list applies one rule to every card on sale here and shows what passes. A filter, not a ranking.

Cashback5 cardsLowest minimum income10 cards
How these lists are built

Every issuer in Kuwait

Ahli United Bank - Kuwait

0 cards · fully Islamic bank

Boubyan Bank

9 cards · fully Islamic bank

From KD 80 a year · 0% profit rate

Kuwait Finance House

12 cards · fully Islamic bank

From No annual fee a year

Kuwait International Bank

6 cards · fully Islamic bank

From KD 45 a year

Warba Bank

8 cards · fully Islamic bank

From KD 100 a year · 0% profit rate

All 35 Islamic credit cards in Kuwait

Boubyan Bank

“Oasis Club” Mastercard World

Kuwait Airways Oasis Club miles on everyday spend

Annual fee
Not published
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Air miles

Full breakdown

Boubyan Bank

“Oasis Club” Visa Infinite

Kuwait Airways Oasis Club miles on everyday spend

Annual fee
Not published
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Air miles

Full breakdown

Boubyan Bank

Mastercard Platinum

Boubyan Rewards points, redeemable for flights, hotels, car rentals and gift cards

Annual fee
KD 80
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Reward points

Full breakdown

Boubyan Bank

Mastercard World Elite

Boubyan Rewards points, redeemable for flights, hotels, car rentals and gift cards

Annual fee
KD 250
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Reward points

Full breakdown

Boubyan Bank

Premium Mastercard World Elite

Boubyan Rewards points, redeemable for flights, hotels, car rentals and gift cards

Annual fee
Not published
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Reward points

Full breakdown

Boubyan Bank

Visa Infinite

Boubyan Rewards points, redeemable for flights, hotels, car rentals and gift cards

Annual fee
KD 250
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Reward points

Full breakdown

Boubyan Bank

Visa Platinum

Boubyan Rewards points, redeemable for flights, hotels, car rentals and gift cards

Annual fee
KD 80
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Reward points

Full breakdown

Boubyan Bank

Visa Signature

Boubyan Rewards points, redeemable for flights, hotels, car rentals and gift cards

Annual fee
KD 150
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Reward points

Full breakdown

Boubyan Bank

World Mastercard

Boubyan Rewards points, redeemable for flights, hotels, car rentals and gift cards

Annual fee
KD 150
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Qard Hasan
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

“Al-Tayseer” Classic Package

KFH Rewards points with 2-year validity

Annual fee
KD 50
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

“Al-Tayseer” Diamond Package

KFH Rewards points with 2-year validity

Annual fee
KD 400
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

“Al-Tayseer” Gold Package

KFH Rewards points with 2-year validity

Annual fee
KD 80
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

“Al-Tayseer” Platinum Premium

KFH Rewards points with 2-year validity

Annual fee
KD 200
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

“Al-Tayseer” Platinum Standard

KFH Rewards points with 2-year validity

Annual fee
KD 120
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

“Oasis Club” Mastercard World

3 Oasis Club miles per KD spent locally, 4 miles per KD spent internationally

Annual fee
KD 150
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
KD 1,000 a month
Structure
Not stated
Air miles

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

“Oasis Club” Mastercard World Elite

4 Oasis Club miles per KD spent locally, 5 miles per KD spent internationally

Annual fee
KD 250
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Air miles

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

VISA / Master Platinum Card

KFH Rewards points

Annual fee
KD 100
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

Visa / MasterCard Diamond Card

KFH Rewards points with 2-year validity

Annual fee
KD 200
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

Visa Infinite Metal Veneer

Up to 6% cashback on eligible purchases per month

Annual fee
No annual fee
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Cashback

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

Visa Platinum Select

KFH Rewards points, 2-year validity, redeemable for e-vouchers

Annual fee
KD 25
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait Finance House

Visa Signature Credit Card

Up to 6% cashback per month via KFH Rewards (Baitak points)

Annual fee
KD 150
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Cashback

Full breakdown

Kuwait International Bank

Visa Classic Card

KIB Rewards Points on card spend

Annual fee
KD 45
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
KD 400 a month
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait International Bank

Visa Gold Card

KIB Rewards Points on card spend

Annual fee
KD 55
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
KD 400 a month
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait International Bank

VISA Infinite Biometric Card

Annual fee
Not published
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated

Full breakdown

Kuwait International Bank

Visa Infinite Card

KIB Rewards Points on card spend

Annual fee
KD 250
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
KD 3,000 a month
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait International Bank

Visa Platinum Card

KIB Rewards Points on card spend

Annual fee
KD 100
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
KD 400 a month
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Kuwait International Bank

Visa Signature Card

KIB Rewards Points on card spend

Annual fee
KD 120
Profit rate
Not published
Minimum income
KD 1,100 a month
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Warba Bank

Mastercard Platinum

Annual fee
KD 150
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
KD 250 a month
Structure
Not stated

Full breakdown

Warba Bank

Mastercard World

Up to 10% monthly cashback via the Warba Cashback Programme

Annual fee
KD 100
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
KD 1,000 a month
Structure
Not stated
Cashback

Full breakdown

Warba Bank

Mastercard World Elite

Up to 10% monthly cashback via the Warba Cashback Programme

Annual fee
KD 240
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Cashback

Full breakdown

Warba Bank

Mastercard World Elite Dual Chip

Up to 10% monthly cashback via the Warba Cashback Programme

Annual fee
KD 240
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Cashback

Full breakdown

Warba Bank

Visa Infinite

Warba Travel Points: 3 per KD local, 8 per KD international, convertible to miles or hotel points

Annual fee
Not published
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Warba Bank

Visa Infinite Privilege

Warba Travel Points: 3 per KD local, 10 per KD international

Annual fee
Not published
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
Not published
Structure
Not stated
Reward points

Full breakdown

Warba Bank

VISA Platinum

Annual fee
KD 150
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
KD 990 a month
Structure
Not stated

Full breakdown

Warba Bank

VISA Signature

Annual fee
KD 150
Profit rate
0% /mo
Minimum income
KD 1,000 a month
Structure
Not stated

Full breakdown