A published minimum salary is one condition, not an approval decision. It does not by itself settle an employer-specific route, account relationship, salary-transfer requirement or the credit limit a bank might offer you.
Source review, 7 November 2026: the previous issuer-wide salary table has been withdrawn. Some current products describe alternative salary or credit-limit routes; other product and key-facts documents disagree. Those differences cannot be represented honestly by one universal number for each bank.
Separate the questions
| Question | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Income route | The exact product’s published minimum and any applicant-specific conditions |
| Alternative qualification | Whether the source offers another route, and how the issuer assesses it |
| Salary transfer | Whether your specific application requires it, rather than inferring it from a tier |
| Residency and employment | The conditions the issuer applies to your circumstances |
| Account or invitation | Whether a relationship or an invitation is required and currently available |
| Approval and limit | The bank’s decision after considering your actual application |
An invitation-only description is not proof that new invitations are currently available. If an application route is unconfirmed, the profile remains available for reference but is not listed as open to new applicants.
Compare product-specific records
Mashreq Cashback and ADCB 365
| Measure | Mashreq Cashback Credit Card |  Card image: adcb.com |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | ||
| Annual fee (year 2+) Annual fee year 2+ | Free ↗ | AED 383.25 (incl. VAT) |
| Eligibility | ||
| Minimum salary Min salary | AED 5,000/mo | Pending |
| Earn | ||
| Top earn rate Top earn rate | — | Dining 6% |
| Benefits | ||
| Welcome bonus Welcome bonus | AED 500 welcome bonus for new credit-card customers (AED 100 for existing customers) on AED 5,000 of spend within the first 2 months. | AED 365 welcome bonus — AED 5,000 spend within 45 days of issuance. |
| Lounge access Lounge access | Pending | Pending |
HSBC Live+ and Citi Cash Back
| Measure | HSBC Live+ Credit Card  Card image: hsbc.ae |  Card image: citibank.ae |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | ||
| Annual fee (year 2+) Annual fee year 2+ | AED 313.95 (incl. VAT) ↗ | AED 315 (incl. VAT) |
| Eligibility | ||
| Minimum salary Min salary | Pending | AED 8,000/mo |
| Earn | ||
| Top earn rate Top earn rate | — | — |
| Benefits | ||
| Welcome bonus Welcome bonus | — | Citi’s product page advertises an AED 300 joining-bonus statement credit for eligible direct applicants on AED 6,000 of qualifying spend within 60 days. Check the terms shown for your application route. |
| Lounge access Lounge access | Visa Airport Companion — 12 visits/yr ↗ | Mastercard Travel Pass — 8 visits/yr |
The table is not an eligibility certificate. A pending salary is not zero; an alternative credit-limit route is not a promise that the bank will grant that limit.
Do not infer the salary-transfer rule
A card’s name, fee tier or income threshold does not establish a transfer requirement. Nor does a product page’s silence prove that no transfer condition applies.
Where the current evidence is incomplete, we withhold the affected qualification claim rather than presenting an assumption as a confirmed rule. The source notes explain what still needs confirmation. This is different from changing a previously recorded “required” to a newly asserted “not required”.
Ask the issuer which rule applies to your specific product, application channel and customer category. If you are relying on a waiver or welcome offer, check whether its transfer condition differs from the basic application condition.
Prepare questions, not assumptions
Ask what documents the issuer requires, what income or account relationship it will assess, and whether any employer, employment or residency condition applies to you. Confirm that the product is currently accepting your type of application.
If credit history or an assessment outcome matters to the application, obtain an explanation from the bank rather than treating a comparison website’s salary filter as its credit decision. We do not promise that meeting a published threshold guarantees approval.
Qualification comes before reward estimates
An attractive fee waiver, welcome award or reward rate is not useful if you do not qualify for the relevant offer. Confirm the exact customer category and channel before planning spending around a promotion.
Also check costs, repayment terms and whether the product fits your circumstances. An application decision and a rewards calculation are separate tasks.
Use the Finder with the right expectation
The Card Finder withholds salary-qualified recommendations where material qualification is unresolved. Leaving the salary filter blank lets you explore those source profiles; it does not make their eligibility known.
Read the linked issuer sources, confirm your route directly and then compare the cards you can genuinely consider. For a first-card decision, continue to the starter-card guide. Source-record dates and partial-review notes remain visible rather than being replaced with a blanket “all verified” claim.
