Credit Cards

To get a credit card in where I am from, it is a matter of choosing which banks' gifts or promotions you want the most. The banks practically set up booths on the roadside and grab pedestrians to sign up for their credit card services, giving away free digital camera, microwave oven, mobile phone or magazine subscription like pancakes. Annual subscription fee is always waived, as long as we spend a decent amount on the card. If we call to cancel, the bank officers will bend their ways backward to retain us, the valuable customers.

Sadly it is not the case in Dubai.

Not only banks here charge a monthly 75 AED for having a basic saving account with them, but they also force me to pay a 250 AED annual subscription fee for each credit card I own, despite the fact that I spend an obscene amount on each one every month. When I called to cancel in mid August, stating the unwillingness to pay the above mentioned fee as the prime reason for cancellation, the customer officer didn't offer to waive it for me. This was fair enough although I was a bit upset. The cheapskate in me was secretly hoping I could keep the card without paying the fee.

But the ridiculous thing is, I have to call the bank 5 times to have the card cancelled. And right until today, I am still receiving the bank statement for the already cancelled card. And I thought the monthly/yearly charges were meant for better and more efficient services.