Switch Cashback Card

What makes this card Islamic

Emirates Islamic builds this card on a Murabahah contract. The bank buys the thing you want, then sells it to you at a stated cost plus a stated profit, payable later.

Bank states: 'All our Credit Cards are based on a Shariah compliant structure of Murabaha. Murabaha is a form of contract of sale whereby the Bank sells Wakala Certificates which are being purchased and in the possession of the Bank against a price which is equal to cost of acquisition and a defined profit.' The Shariah Certificate for the 'Covered Card (Based on Murabaha)' details the mechanism: the Bank buys EIFL Certificates (USD 10 each, a common share in a pool of Shariah-compliant assets - sukuk, shares, private equity and ijarah assets), sells them to the customer on Murabaha via an emailed Murabaha Offer Letter (no objection within a set period = implied consent), and the customer may sell them on Nasdaq Dubai; the cash proceeds credited to an account with the Bank represent the unutilised card limit. This is an organised-Murabaha (tawarruq-like) structure, NOT the fixed-monthly-ujrah model used by most UAE Islamic card issuers. Profit is charged monthly on unpaid balances and is not charged at all if the statement balance is settled in full by the due date, at the Bank's discretion.

Approved by Internal Shariah Supervision Committee (ISSC), under the supervision of Central Bank of the UAE.

What it costs

Every figure below comes from Emirates Islamic’s own published documents. Where the bank does not publish a number we say so rather than estimate it.

Annual fee

AED 313.95Automatically waived if retail spends in the last 12 months exceed AED 30,000. Balance transfers, Easy Payment Plans, cash advances, credit card cheques, finance charges, all bank fees and merchant-reversed transactions are excluded from the waiver calculation.source

Supplementary card

AED 0Free – up to 4 supplementary cards.source

Profit rate

3.69% a month on the outstanding balance44.28% a year as stated by the banksource

Cash withdrawal

3.15% of the cash advance amount or AED 103.95, whichever is higher, per transaction. Maximum cash advance per transaction AED 10,000 or 50% of the card limit, whichever is lower.

Late payment

AED 131.25

Over limit

AED 261.45

Foreign currency spend

2.54% on top of the exchange rate

Replacement card

AED 78.75

Takaful cover

Optional Credit Shield takaful at 1.04% of the outstanding amount per month. Complimentary multi-trip travel takaful (trips up to 90 days) is bundled on several cards.

What you get back

• LIFESTYLE set: Supermarket (domestic) 4% (cap AED 200/month); Dining 4% (cap AED 200/month); Fuel (domestic) 8% (cap AED 100/month); Education 4% (cap AED 200/month); Telecom, Utilities, Real Estate & Government spends 0.5% (no cap); Other spends 1% (no cap)
• TRAVEL set: Airlines 4% (cap AED 200/month); Hotels 4% (cap AED 200/month); Dining 4% (cap AED 200/month); Telecom, Utilities, Real Estate & Government spends 0.5% (no cap); Other spends 1% (no cap)
• The category set is switched in the EI+ Mobile Banking app or the EI Rewards portal and applies for the whole calendar month; the last-selected set carries forward
• Welcome bonus AED 500 cashback points on AED 15,000 of spend within 60 days of card approval, awarded in the 3rd statement cycle. Offer valid till 30 September 2026.
• Cashback is credited to a Cashback wallet within 3 working days of the following calendar month

Other benefits

• Unlimited complimentary access to 1,200+ airport lounges via the Visa Airport Companion app
• 2 complimentary golf rounds per month (minimum AED 5,000 monthly retail spend)
• Up to 2 'Buy 1 Get 1' VOX or Reel Cinemas tickets per month (minimum AED 5,000 monthly retail spend)
• 1 complimentary valet parking per month (minimum AED 3,000; AED 5,000 effective 01 March 2026)
• Up to 2 Marhaba Meet & Greet Bronze services per year (minimum AED 3,000 monthly retail spend)
• Unlimited access to Sharjah Ladies Club
• Complimentary multi-trip travel takaful for trips up to 90 days
• Cash-on-Call up to 80% of the available credit limit; 0% Easy Payment Plans over 3/6/9/12 months at partners including Carrefour and Sharaf DG
• 20% off tickets and F&B at Roxy Cinemas until 30 April 2027

Before you apply

• No cashback at all is earned in any calendar month with posted spend below AED 2,500.
• The 8% headline applies to domestic fuel only and is capped at AED 100 a month, so only about AED 1,250 of fuel spend earns the top rate.
• Telecom, utilities, real estate and government spend earn 0.5% — demoted rather than excluded.
• Only one category set (Lifestyle OR Travel) earns accelerated rates in any given month.
• Cashback expires 24 months after credit and is forfeited entirely if the card is cancelled before redemption; a minimum AED 300 must sit in the wallet before any redemption.
• The first lounge visit each calendar year is free; every later visit requires a USD 1 foreign-currency spend on the card at least 15 days beforehand, otherwise USD 32 per visit. Each accompanying guest costs USD 32 per visit.
• Profit is waived on a fully-settled statement balance only 'at the sole discretion' of the Bank (KFS wording) - it is not an unconditional contractual waiver.
• The late charge is a 'Commitment to Donate Amount' of AED 131.25 per month, charged whenever the Minimum Payment Due is not received by the due date; the Bank pays it to a charity approved by its Internal Shariah Supervision Committee after deducting actual expenses. It is a purification charge rather than bank income, but it is still a real AED 131.25 monthly cost to the cardholder.
• The bank's own two primary documents conflict on the FX fee: the Schedule of Charges states 2.54% (2.34% Amazon, 2.30% Emarati/Skywards Black) while the Key Fact Statement (CCB/CCD/0526/V7.5) states 2.34% for all other cards and 1.84% for Emarati/Skywards Black.
• A Visa/Mastercard network processing fee of approximately 1.15% applies ON TOP of the bank's FX fee. A separate 1.99% fee applies to transactions settled in AED at an overseas point of sale (dynamic currency conversion).
• Over-limit fee AED 261.45 per month; Direct Debit return fee AED 105; maximum cash advance AED 10,000 or 50% of the card limit per transaction.
• Optional Credit Shield takaful is charged at 1.04% of the OUTSTANDING amount every month, not a flat fee.

Can you get it?

Age

21 and over

Other conditions

Minimum age 21 ('you must be at least 21 years old'). Employed applicants must meet the card's minimum income requirement; self-employed applicants qualify on computed income. Applicants who are unemployed or below the income threshold may still obtain a card against a Fixed Deposit Account holding the minimum deposit for that card. Salary transfer to Emirates Islamic is NOT stated as a requirement on any published eligibility page. Cards are issued to non-account-holders. 5 business day cooling-off period applies.

What to have ready

• Original Emirates ID or passport
• Latest salary certificate (for employed customers)
• Trade license (for self-employed customers)
• Bank statement for the last three months
• Security cheque (if applicable)

Where these figures come from

Last checked against Emirates Islamic’s published documents on 2026-08-17. Banks change fees without notice, so treat the bank’s own document as the final word, not this page.

• “Switch Cashback | 3.69% | AED 313.95 - waived if spends in last 12 months exceeds AED 30,000 — Schedule of Charges, Profit based Cards”
• “An annual fee of 299 (excluding VAT) is chargeable on the Card from year 2. The charge will be automatically waived if retail spends on the card in the last 12 months exceed 30,000. — Switch Cashback Card FAQ”
• “Supermarket (Domestic) 4% 200 | Dining 4% 200 | Fuel (Domestic) 8% 100 | Education 4% 200 | Telecom, Utilities, Real Estate & Govt. Spends 0.5% No Cap | Other spends 1% No Cap — Switch Cashback Card, Lifestyle grid (Merchant Category / Cashback % / Monthly Cap in AED)”
• “Airlines 4% 200 | Hotels 4% 200 | Dining 4% 200 | Telecom, Utilities, Real Estate & Govt. Spends 0.5% No Cap | Other spends 1% No Cap — Switch Cashback Card, Travel grid”
• “This means the Cashback earned will only be accrued for transactions billed within the calendar month subject to a minimum spend of 2,500. — Switch Cashback Card product page”
• “Emirates Islamic Switch Cashback Credit Card is a Visa Signature Credit Card that allows the cardholder to earn cashback on all Qualifying Transactions based on the category type selected by the customer — Travel or Lifestyle. — Switch Cashback Card FAQ”
• “Cashback available in the wallet will have an expiry of 24 months from the date of credit. — Switch Cashback Card FAQ”
• “Shariah based Murabaha — All our Credit Cards are based on a Shariah compliant structure of Murabaha. Murabaha is a form of contract of sale whereby the Bank sells Wakala Certificates which are being purchased and in the possession of the Bank against a price which is equal to cost of acquisition and a defined profit. — Key Fact Statement (KFS) – Credit Cards”
• “If we receive payment of the statement balance in full on or before the payment due date, you do not have to pay any Billed Profit on the statement balance. This is at the sole discretion of Emirates Islamic Bank (P.J.S.C) (the “Bank”). — Key Fact Statement (KFS) – Credit Cards, CCB/CCD/0526/V7.5”
• “Commitment to Donate Amount — AED 131.25 per month will be charged to the Card Account if the Minimum Payment Due is not received by the Payment Due Date (the Bank shall pay any such amounts on behalf of the Customer to a charity approved by the Bank’s Internal Shariah Supervision Committee, after deducting the actual expenses). — Key Fact Statement (KFS) – Credit Cards”
• “Profit-free period — Up to 55 days for Retail Purchases together with any related fees and charges, and any profit or fees that are not related to a specific balance type. For example, profit free period does not apply for Cash Advances, Balance Transfers, special promotions, and any profit or fees related to these balance types. — Key Fact Statement (KFS) – Credit Cards”
• “Cash advance charges | 3.15% of cash advance amount or AED 103.95 whichever is higher | Per transaction ... Over limit Fee | AED 261.45 | Per month ... Supplementary Card Fee | Free (One-time joining fee of AED 525 will be charged for Skywards Black Metal Supplementary cards only) ... Credit Shield | 1.04% of outstanding amount | Per month — Schedule of Charges, Other Fees and Charges for Credit Cards”
• “The Covered Card product offered by Emirates Islamic Bank (“the Bank”) is based on the Murabaha of investment certificates according to the following mechanism: On the transaction date, or before it, the Bank shall purchase (“EIFL Certificates”) which represent a common share in a pool of Shariah compliant assets, i.e. Sukuk, shares, private equity and Ijarah assets. Value of each certificate is USD 10. — Shariah Certificate, Covered Card (Based on Murabaha), Internal Shariah Supervision Committee”

• Product page
• Schedule of charges