The news desk.
Salary-transfer changes, card launches, programme shifts and regulatory updates that affect UAE residents — with original denominations retained and the available source basis linked.
Qatar's November Privilege Deals: 25% off Avios to Colombo, Kathmandu, Manila and more — book by 14 November
Qatar Airways' November Privilege Deals cut 25% off Avios award prices on Business Class to Colombo, Kathmandu, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, among others. Book by 14 November 2026, travel by 31 December.
More recent reporting
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Cash or Miles? Compare three Emirates prices, not two
Cash+Miles and Classic Rewards are different ways to use Skywards Miles. A clearly hypothetical example shows how to compare both with a cash fare.
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UAE Card Change Log: correcting our Liv salary and fee figures
We corrected our Liv salary eligibility and Cashback+ fee figures against the issuer's key facts. This is a DubaiPoints correction, not a new bank change.
Card image: Liv
More recent stories
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UAE Salary Switch Scorecard: when does the reward become spendable?
A salary-switch campaign deadline is not a payment date. Compare the qualifying and payout clocks, then build a record before moving payroll.
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Cash or Miles? Abu Dhabi to Muscat on Etihad
Same Economy flight and checked bag, two ways to pay. We priced both and checked where the fare rules differ.
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Cash or Miles? Two UAE flights, two break-even examples
Compare an all-in fare with miles plus fees. Two hypothetical Emirates and Etihad examples show how to calculate your break-even cash fare.
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UAE Card Change Log: Citi Cash Back has two separate spend tests
Citi Cash Back has one spend test for the direct welcome credit and another for the annual fee waiver. Here is what Citi's UAE terms say.
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UAE Salary Switch Scorecard: three offers on an AED 20,000 salary
Compare Emirates Islamic, FAB and DIB on the same UAE salary: what qualifies, when cashback arrives, and which costs the headline leaves out.
Earlier reporting
58 storiesThe reporting continues beyond this edition. These stories were published from to ; dates are original publication dates.
flydubai brings back Dubai–Skopje from 1 April 2027, three flights a week
ALL Accor doubles points at 46 UAE hotels, and on dining, for bookings made by 13 December
Emirates puts the A350, and Premium Economy, on every Dubai–Vietnam flight by 1 December, and on Durban from March
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Skywards pays double Miles on IHG, Booking.com and car hire, and 25% extra on ALL Accor transfers, to 30 November
Emirates Skywards members earn double Miles on hotel stays booked through Booking.com and IHG and on car rentals with five firms, 50% extra on Emirates Skywards Hotels and Emirates Holidays, and a 25% bonus on ALL Accor conversions. Book between 29 October and 30 November 2026 (26 November for holidays); stays and rentals must be completed by 31 January 2027.
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Emirates brings back Mile-a-Minute: up to 7,200 Skywards Miles for visitors to Dubai, but UAE residents are excluded
Skywards members who register and book a return Emirates or flydubai ticket by 5 November 2026 earn one bonus mile per minute in Dubai, capped at 7,200, for stays completed by 13 December. Residents of the UAE and tickets starting in the UAE do not qualify.
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Hilton Honors sells points with a 120% bonus to 21 November. At about 1.7 fils a point, it is only for a specific stay
Hilton is adding 120% to points purchases of 5,000 or more until 21 November 2026, which works out at roughly 0.45 US cents (about 1.7 fils) a point. That is above our 1.5-fils Hilton valuation, so it pays only when you have a particular award in mind.
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Marriott Bonvoy pays up to 4,500 bonus points a stay worldwide. Register by 13 November, stay by 22 November
Marriott's global promotion pays 1,500 bonus points on paid stays of two nights or more, plus 3,000 at resorts, for stays completed by 22 November 2026. UAE hotels are not excluded, but BVLGARI and Marriott Executive Apartments are, and members earning airline miles do not qualify.
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Qatar Airways' A321LR will carry doored business suites from January; Qsuite Next Gen moves to the A350 for mid-2027
Qatar Airways' chief executive told Executive Traveller the first of ten A321LRs arrives in December, with 16 doored flat-bed suites and a hoped-for first flight on 1 January 2027. Qsuite Next Gen will debut on the A350-1000 in the northern summer of 2027.
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Air Arabia adds Sharjah to Amman City Airport, four flights a week from 15 November
Air Arabia will fly Sharjah to Amman City Airport (ADJ) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 15 November 2026. It is the airline's second Amman airport from Sharjah, alongside Queen Alia International.
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ALL Accor triples points at 96 UAE hotels, for bookings made by 25 October
Register, then book two nights or more at a participating Accor hotel in the UAE or eleven other markets by 25 October 2026, and stays to 31 January 2027 earn 3X Reward points. Each stay is also an entry in a ten-prize draw.
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Hilton Honors pays 3,000 bonus points a stay at 16 UAE hotels, 1,000 at the rest, to 31 December
Register for Hilton's More Points to Play promotion before you check out, and every stay completed between 15 October and 31 December 2026 earns 1,000 bonus points. Stays at 16 UAE hotels on Hilton's luxury, lifestyle and resort list earn 3,000.
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Marriott Bonvoy's app will show your place in the upgrade queue — in the US and Canada first, not the UAE
Marriott is testing a Complimentary Upgrade List in the Bonvoy app that shows elite members their position in line and how many upgrades a hotel expects to have. The Points Guy says it reaches 250+ US and Canadian hotels by November; no UAE date is reported.
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DIB cuts the grocery and school-fee cashback caps on its Consumer Cashback cards
Since 10 October 2026, DIB's Consumer Cashback Reward card pays at most AED 200 a month on supermarkets and on school fees, down from AED 300. The Platinum card's caps fall from AED 400 to AED 300. The AED 1,000 monthly total is unchanged.
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Etihad now flies Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, twice weekly from 25 October
Etihad's new route to Red Sea International Airport in Tabuk Province started on 4 October with one Sunday flight. A Thursday flight joins from 25 October, which makes a long weekend possible from Abu Dhabi.
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flydubai's Dubai–Budapest goes daily from 25 October
flydubai brought back its Dubai–Budapest route on 31 July with three flights a week. From 25 October 2026 it flies every day from DXB Terminal 3, sold with Emirates as a codeshare and earning Skywards Miles.
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Mashreq launches three Aura cards with Alshaya: up to 5% on groceries, paid in Aura Points
Mashreq and Alshaya Group have launched three Aura Mastercards in the UAE: a free-for-life card, the AED 525 World and the AED 1,575 World Elite. Every reward is paid in Aura Points, which spend only at Alshaya brands such as Starbucks, H&M and Shake Shack.
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World of Hyatt swaps its new-hotel bonus for double points, capped at 25,000 a stay — award nights no longer count
Since 1 October 2026, Hyatt's new-hotel offer pays double base points on one specific rate, up to 25,000 bonus points a stay, instead of 500 points a night. Grand Hyatt The Red Sea and Hyatt Regency London Olympia are on the current list; no UAE hotel is.
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Air Arabia brings back daily Ras Al Khaimah–Kozhikode flights from 16 October
Air Arabia is resuming its daily nonstop service between Ras Al Khaimah and Kozhikode in Kerala from 16 October 2026, per its own press release of 6 October. It joins Cairo, Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar on the airline's nonstop list from RAK.
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Etihad Guest pays up to 40% bonus Miles on transfers from UAE banks and Accor until 31 October
Etihad Guest's October points-exchange offer adds 10%, 20% or 40% bonus Miles to partner transfers made by 31 October 2026, tiered by the size of the transfer. Emirates NBD, FAB, DIB, Emirates Islamic, Mashreq, RAKBANK and Ajman Bank are on the list; ADCB and Marriott Bonvoy are not.
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My Emirates Pass is back for winter: an Emirates boarding pass into Dubai unlocks UAE discounts until 31 March 2027
Emirates' winter 2026 edition of My Emirates Pass runs from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Any Emirates boarding pass to Dubai in that window, in your own name, gets discounts at UAE restaurants, attractions, spas and shops. UAE public holidays are excluded.
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Qatar's October Privilege Deals put Sharjah on the list — book by 14 October
Qatar Airways has opened a new round of discounted Avios award prices, with Sharjah shown in Economy from 5,250 Avios from Doha. Booking closes 14 October 2026; travel by 30 November.
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Emirates NBD: open an account in the app, deposit AED 50,000, get an Air Arabia return ticket — to 31 December
New Emirates NBD customers who open an account in the ENBD X app between 1 October and 31 December 2026 and fund it with AED 50,000 within seven days get a guaranteed Air Arabia return ticket, per ENBD's offer page. An average balance from AED 10,000 or a salary from AED 5,000 enters a draw for 90 tickets. ENBD can claw the reward back.
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IHG brings Garner Hotels to the UAE: Dubai Al Jaddaf and Ras Al Khaimah, expected in 2026
IHG has signed its first two Garner Hotels in the Middle East: an 81-room hotel at Al Jaddaf in Dubai and a 204-room hotel in Ras Al Khaimah, both with Nooa Holdings and both expected to open in 2026.
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Emirates launches daily Dubai–Helsinki on the A350 — the UAE's only year-round direct link to Finland
EK167 left Dubai for Helsinki for the first time on 2 October 2026. The daily A350 service runs Business, Premium Economy and Economy, departing DXB at 08:15 and landing back at 00:20 the following day.
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Qatar Privilege Club pays up to 35% bonus Avios on transfers from Emirates NBD, DIB, HSBC and Mashreq until 31 October
Qatar Airways' Global Points Exchange offer gives 15%, 25% or 35% bonus Avios on partner conversions by 31 October 2026, tiered by the size of a single transaction. Four UAE banks and the Accor, IHG, Hyatt and Shangri-La hotel programmes are on the partner list.
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Emirates NBD's new salary-transfer offer: AED 1,500 to AED 6,000 cashback, to 24 December
ENBD's new offer pays cashback, not the bonus interest of its February–June cycle. New customers earning AED 15,000+ get AED 1,500 or AED 2,000 for a salary transfer, a credit card and AED 5,000 of spend. A loan or wealth product lifts it to AED 2,000 or AED 6,000. Fewer than twelve consecutive salaries and ENBD can claw it back.
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World of Hyatt: 3,000 bonus points for every three nights to 15 December — register first
Hyatt's autumn promotion pays 3,000 bonus points for every three eligible nights between 29 September and 15 December 2026, up to 36,000. Stays at participating UAE hotels count. Only nights after you register count.
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Abu Dhabi hotels to adopt Emirati hospitality standards from early 2027, Gulf News reports
Per Gulf News, DCT Abu Dhabi has launched the Emirati Hospitality Standards, 65 measurable requirements. Hotels must meet at least 20, including national dress at reception and staff trained to explain at least three Emirati dishes.
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Minor Hotels stays earn double Avios to 31 October, Head for Points reports — but not at UAE Anantaras
NH, nhow, Tivoli and Anantara stays earn Avios through Iberia Club, doubled until 31 October 2026 per Head for Points. Iberia's own page names only Europe and the Americas.
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Booking Qatar Avios awards for someone else: the My List rules
Qatar Privilege Club now lets you name up to four other members you can redeem Avios for, with a six-month lock-in. Gold and Platinum can book for anyone. What Qatar's own terms say.
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flydubai now flies Dubai–Pokhara daily, from AED 1,950 return
A daily non-stop from DXB Terminal 3 to Pokhara, Nepal's gateway to the Annapurnas, since 23 September. Economy from AED 1,950 return, Business from AED 5,400.
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flydubai adds Air India and Uzbekistan Airways interline tickets
One ticket and checked-through bags from Dubai to more than 80 extra destinations, including Sydney, Tokyo and Tashkent onward to Europe. The release says nothing about Skywards.
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Citi's welcome ladder runs to 31 January 2027 — AED 300 to AED 1,500, and only the two entry cards come out ahead in year one
September 2026 snapshot of Citi UAE's five-card joining-bonus table, spend targets and first-year fees. Confirm the terms on the application page you use.
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Emirates Islamic's Emarati card pays AED 1,000 cashback, now extended to 31 December
UAE nationals new to Emirates Islamic get AED 1,000 cashback on the no-fee Emarati Covered Card for AED 15,000 of spend in 60 days. The offer first ran to 31 October 2026; the terms now cover cards sourced 1 September to 31 December 2026 and disbursed by 10 January 2027.
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Al Hilal deactivated its Etihad Guest cards on 30 November 2025 — the Infinite page still offers 60,000 Miles to apply
Al Hilal Bank's own migration notice says every Etihad Guest Visa credit card was deactivated on 30 November 2025 and earns TouchPoints from 1 December. Ten months later the Etihad Guest Infinite product page is still live, still advertises a 60,000-Mile welcome bonus and Gold tier, and still tells you to SMS to apply.
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FAB's free-holiday offer closes 30 September — first 300 get Paris
Apply for a FAB Cashback Credit Card by 30 September and spend AED 20,000 in 30 days for a Holiday Factory voucher. Only the first 300 to redeem get Disneyland Paris.
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ADCB cuts the Essential Cashback welcome bonus from AED 350 to AED 300
ADCB's own product page dropped the Essential Cashback Credit Card's welcome cashback from up to AED 350 to up to AED 300 on 30 August 2026. The AED 1,000 monthly spend gate and the AED 70/month cinema cashback are unchanged.
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ADIB launches Marriott Bonvoy cards — 200,000 points, AED 2,500 fee
ADIB becomes the second UAE issuer of Marriott Bonvoy co-brands, and the first Sharia-compliant one. The Infinite runs AED 2,500 a year with a 200,000-point welcome offer to 30 November; the Signature is AED 499.
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Emirates puts an electric privacy screen in A350 Premium Economy
Emirates' new Premium Economy seat adds a full-height powered privacy divider, wireless charging and a Safran U-Dream headrest. 28 seats, 2-3-2, A350 only.
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Qatar's Privilege Deals cut Avios prices — book by 14 September
Qatar Airways is discounting award pricing on selected routes, with Abu Dhabi Business from 21,000 Avios. Booking closes 14 September 2026; travel by 31 October.
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Emirates drops the birthday-month rule on Skywards Miles expiry
From 1 June 2027, newly earned Skywards Miles expire three years after earning, rounded to month end. The birthday-month bonus — worth up to a year — goes.
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Al Hilal's 'up to AED 15,000' salary campaign ended 4 August — the page still ranks #1 and reads as live
Al Hilal Bank's headline-grabbing salary-transfer and card-spend campaign closed on 4 August 2026, but the campaign page still tops search results and nothing on it says 'expired'. Anyone transferring a salary today on the strength of that page earns nothing.
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Emirates Islamic pays banded salary-transfer cashback to 30 September — unless you've banked with ENBD lately
Emirates Islamic's salary-transfer cashback runs to 30 September 2026: AED 50–3,000 in account cashback by salary band for expats plus up to AED 1,000 in Covered Card spend rewards. The new-to-Group rule, the enrolment form and the lowest-month banding are the fine print that decides who actually gets paid.
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IHG's pick-your-points promotion ends 31 August — nine days to register, and which option you pick is night-count arithmetic
IHG One Rewards' Choice Promotion — register for either 2,000 points every 2 nights or 8,000 points every 4 nights, both uncapped — covers stays through 31 August 2026. Registration must come before the stay, and the right pick depends entirely on how many IHG nights you have left this month.
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RAKBANK's AED 4,000 salary-transfer cash reward closes 31 August — the first salary has to land by then
RAKBANK's no-credit-card-required salary-transfer cash reward — up to AED 4,000 — ends 31 August 2026, and the qualifying first salary must arrive inside the window. Both prior RAKBANK cycles vanished from the site after close, so there is no promised successor to wait for.
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Skywards' Season of Rewards ends 31 August — and you must fly by then, not just book
Nine days remain in Emirates Skywards' summer campaign. The deadline that bites is the travel window: tickets must be booked, issued and flown (outbound) by 31 August 2026. Partner bonuses stay capped at 10,000 Miles per partner, and new members must enrol by 11.59pm Dubai time on the 31st.
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Citi doubles the Cash Back card's joining bonus to AED 300 — same AED 6,000 spend condition
Our August 2026 report on Citi’s Cash Back welcome credit rising from AED 150 to AED 300, with the qualifying spend unchanged. Check the offer shown on your application page.
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Etihad's Miles-as-cash rate is a constant, not a promotion: 2.94 fils across two consecutive sales
Etihad's new 'Last chance for summer' sale prices six European and North African routes in cash and Miles side by side. Every one divides to 2.94 fils per Mile — the identical rate its July sale returned on a completely different route list. That makes it a standing setting, not a per-sale decision, and it stays a poor use of Miles.
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ADCB rebalances the 365 Cashback earn table: groceries cut to 3%, fuel up to 5%, subscriptions added
ADCB's flagship cashback Visa now pays 6% on dining, 5% on fuel & Salik and digital/AI subscriptions, and 3% on groceries — a mid-2026 rebalance verified against the product page and Schedule of Fees Ver.46. The AED 5,000 monthly floor and AED 1,000 cap are unchanged.
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Emirates Islamic extends the Switch Cashback welcome offer to 30 September
The AED 500 welcome cashback on Emirates Islamic's Switch Cashback Card — AED 15,000 of retail spend within 60 days of approval — now runs to 30 September 2026. Confirmed against the bank's card page in our July verification pass.
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Etihad fare sale closes 31 July 2026 — and its Miles prices value an Etihad Guest Mile at a flat 2.94 fils
Etihad's UAE offers page carries round-trip Economy fares ex-Abu Dhabi with a book-by-31-July deadline for travel to November 2026. Each fare shows a cash price and an Etihad Guest Miles price; divide one by the other and every route returns 2.94 fils per Mile.
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Marriott Bonvoy is paying 5,000 points for one stay under the Skywards partnership — register before you check in
Link your Marriott Bonvoy and Emirates Skywards accounts, register, and complete one eligible paid stay between 15 July and 30 September 2026 to collect 5,000 bonus Bonvoy points — AED 125 at our cost-basis baseline. Registration must come before the stay.
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Skywards' summer redemption push runs to 30 September — and its DSS raffle offers 5 million Miles to 30 August
Emirates Skywards has enhanced its non-flight redemption rates until 30 September, with Skywards Everyday converting 350 Miles into AED 10 back. A parallel Dubai Summer Surprises raffle gives 500 members 10,000 Miles each on AED 200+ spend through 30 August.
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ENBD's bonus-interest salary transfer: 5% to 6% on AED 25,000 for six months, explained in AED
Emirates NBD's 1 February – 30 June 2026 cycle pays bonus interest on a salary-transfer balance instead of a fixed cash sum. Here's what it actually pays in AED, who clears the gates, and how it compares to a cash-bonus cycle.
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Mashreq Cashback rate cut: fuel, utilities, government and telecom fall to 0.15% on 13 June 2026
Mashreq's published notice confirms a category-rate cut effective 13 June 2026 on the Cashback Credit Card — government, utilities, education, charity, fuel, rental and telecom drop from 0.33% to 0.15%. The 5% on dining, 1% on other UAE/international spend, and the AED 5 monthly free bill payment all stay.
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May 2026 welcome cycles end at FAB, RAKBANK, HSBC and Emirates Islamic — what changed, what to watch for
Four UAE issuers closed their May 2026 welcome cycles on 31 May. We've reframed every affected review on the site. Here's the cycle-end summary — what each cycle paid, what readers who already applied are owed, and what the next cycle is likely to look like.
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Emirates Skywards opens 'Season of Rewards': Cash+Miles doubles, bonus tier miles through August
Emirates Skywards' summer campaign (21 May–31 August 2026) bundles four member offers. For UAE residents the doubled Cash+Miles rate is the broadly useful one; the rest are situational and come with a registration step and a hard travel-completion deadline.
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The DubaiPoints news desk is open
DubaiPoints starts filing UAE-resident points-and-miles news, regulation changes, card launches and salary-transfer offer movements — AED-first, with sources cited inline.
