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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Deal UpdateMinor 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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Programme ChangeBooking 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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Newsflydubai 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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Newsflydubai 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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Deal UpdateCiti'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
Citibank UAE's joining-bonus table now covers five cards, from AED 300 on the Cash Back and Rewards cards to AED 1,500 on the Ultima, each against a 60-day spend target. The terms date it to 31 January 2027. Set the bonus against the annual fee and only the fee-free cards net a gain.
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Deal UpdateEmirates Islamic's Emarati card pays AED 1,000 cashback to 31 October — the page also says AED 1,500, and the terms settle it
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, on cards sourced 1 September to 31 October 2026. The campaign page still carries an older 'up to AED 1,500 in SmartMiles' tile; the terms and the card page say AED 1,000 cash.
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NewsAl 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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Deal UpdateFAB'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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Deal UpdateADCB 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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Card LaunchADIB launches Marriott Bonvoy cards — 200,000 points, AED 2,500 fee
The UAE gets its first Marriott Bonvoy co-brand. 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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NewsEmirates 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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Deal UpdateQatar'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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Programme ChangeEmirates 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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Salary TransferAl 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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Salary TransferEmirates 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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Deal UpdateIHG'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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Salary TransferRAKBANK'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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Deal UpdateSkywards' 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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Deal UpdateCiti doubles the Cash Back card's joining bonus to AED 300 — same AED 6,000 spend condition
Citibank UAE has raised the welcome credit on its Cash Back Credit Card from AED 150 to AED 300, with the qualifying spend unchanged at AED 6,000 in 60 days. The direct-application restriction still applies, and it is the restriction most people trip over.
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Deal UpdateEtihad'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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Programme ChangeADCB 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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Deal UpdateEmirates 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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Deal UpdateEtihad 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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Deal UpdateMarriott 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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Deal UpdateSkywards' 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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Salary TransferENBD'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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Programme ChangeMashreq 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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Programme ChangeMay 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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Programme ChangeEmirates 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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NewsThe 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.