Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
Part of Emirates NBD Plus Points hub · Mashreq Rewards hub · Emirates Skywards hub
GUIDE
UAE credit card points programs compared
UAE credit card points programs are the reward currencies issued with cards from banks in the United Arab Emirates — TouchPoints from Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Rewards from Mashreq, and Plus Points from Emirates NBD — and comparing them means reading three separate sets of published terms card by card, because earn rates, redemption options and conversion rights are written for each card and each campaign rather than as one national rule. Where a card's terms point to an airline currency, that airline's own rules then decide what the miles can do: Emirates Skywards, the loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, states that its Miles are valid for three years. [8]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- ADCB TouchPoints, Mashreq Rewards and Emirates NBD Plus Points are three separate bank reward currencies, so the comparison runs card by card on earning, redemption and published conversion options.
- Thresholds and caps decide what a headline rate is really worth: the Status Lift benefit on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, a Canadian cobrand card, gives 200 CAD of tier qualifying spend for every $5,000 in eligible purchases, up to 50 times in a calendar year. [4]
- A status or tier credit is not a spendable balance — WestJet states that tier qualifying spend has no monetary or exchange value and cannot be redeemed. [4]
- Lounge-style benefits usually arrive as a separate membership with its own tiers; Priority Pass lists annual fees of US$99, US$329 and US$469 as of 18 October 2026. [10]
How do you compare three bank currencies fairly?
Build one line per card, not one line per bank. A bank can publish different earn structures, different redemption lists and different conversion partners for different cards, so a comparison that pools them describes no card you can actually apply for.
- Earning. Record the rate for each spend category, then record any monthly or annual cap sitting behind it, and which transactions are excluded. Exclusions are often buried in the definition of an eligible purchase rather than in the headline rate. [4]
- Redemption. Note what the points buy directly and whether the value is fixed or moves with the price of the thing being bought.
- Conversion. Note which partners are named, at what published ratio, and whether the option is open on the card you hold or only on selected cards. [8]
- Validity. Note how long a balance lasts once it moves out of the bank currency, because the receiving programme's rule then applies — Emirates Skywards, for instance, gives its Miles three years. [8]
- Who is credited. Check whether supplementary card spending feeds the primary cardholder's balance, a joint balance, or nobody. [4]
What should you check in the earning rules?
Before weighing two headline rates against each other, check whether either rate sits behind a spend threshold, a cap or a card-eligibility test. Published cobrand terms show all three patterns.
Thresholds and caps. The Status Lift benefit on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard awards 200 CAD in tier qualifying spend each time $5,000 in eligible purchases is reached on the account, and a member can receive the benefit up to 50 times per qualifying year, which the terms describe as the equivalent of 10,000 CAD in tier qualifying spend. [4] Eligible purchases are net purchase transactions on the monthly statements, minus returns, credits, fees, interest charges and cash advances such as balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorised merchant charges. [4]
Who generates the spend, and who receives the reward. Purchases by any cardholder on the WestJet account count towards reaching the $5,000 in eligible purchases, but the 200 CAD in tier qualifying spend is credited only to the primary cardholder's WestJet Rewards account. [4] The same page notes that a purchase dated after the December statement date can fall into the next qualifying year. [4]
Restrictions by card. Earning routes are sometimes open on some cards and not others: Emirates Skywards says the Tier Miles offer from cobrand cards is currently available for select Emirates Skywards cobranded cards in the USA. [8] Emirates Skywards also lists banking among the partner categories through which members can earn Miles. [8]
How do you read redemption and conversion options?
A conversion is only as useful as the list of things the receiving currency can be spent on, and the receiving programme publishes that list itself. Emirates Skywards sets out reward flights and upgrades on Emirates, spending with flydubai and with partner airlines, hotel stays, and tickets to sporting and cultural events. [8] Members can also add to a balance by buying, gifting or multiplying Miles, which is a purchase rather than a redemption and is priced separately from the award chart. [8]
For each of the three bank currencies, the practical test is the same shape. Does the card convert to a partner at a published ratio, and is that ratio written into the card terms or into a campaign document with its own end date? If the answer is a campaign, note the date range, because a conversion that is attractive this quarter may not exist next quarter.
If the plan is to move bank points into an airline currency, read the airline's validity rule before you commit a balance, since the bank's own expiry rule stops applying to miles once they sit in the airline account. Emirates Skywards states that its Miles are valid for three years. [8]
What sits outside the points balance?
Cards often bundle a benefit that is not points at all — lounge entry being the common one — and that benefit is usually delivered through a separate membership scheme with its own tiers. Priority Pass describes a network of 1,900+ airport lounges and experiences in over 600 cities and 143 countries, as of 18 October 2026. [10]
| Plan | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| Standard | US$99 |
| Standard Plus | US$329 |
| Prestige | US$469 |
When a bank card advertises lounge access, the comparison questions are which tier of membership the card maps to and whether entry is guaranteed. Priority Pass states that access to lounges is subject to space availability, and that pre-booking is available at select locations for a small fee. [10]
Limits, caps and conditions
- Annual ceiling. The WestJet Status Lift benefit can be awarded up to 50 times per qualifying year, equivalent to 10,000 CAD in tier qualifying spend, and Status Lifts and eligible purchases reset to zero at the start of each qualifying year. [4]
- Account standing. The WestJet account must be open and in good standing when a Status Lift is awarded; if the account is closed before the end of a qualifying year, WestJet reserves the right to remove lifts and tier upgrades already received through the benefit. [4]
- Eligibility by card. The Emirates Skywards Tier Miles offer linked to cobrand cards is currently available for select Emirates Skywards cobranded cards in the USA, so the offer does not travel with the programme name alone. [8]
- Availability. Lounge access bought through a membership scheme is subject to space availability rather than guaranteed by the membership itself. [10]
- Market. These conditions attach to a Canadian cobrand card and to a global lounge membership scheme, so they show the categories to check in the ADCB, Mashreq and Emirates NBD terms rather than acting as UAE rules.
Frequently asked questions
Who receives the status credit when a supplementary cardholder spends?
Purchases from all cards on the WestJet account count towards the $5,000 in eligible purchases, but the 200 CAD in tier qualifying spend is credited only to the primary cardholder's WestJet Rewards account. [4]
Can tier qualifying spend be redeemed for flights?
No. WestJet states that tier qualifying spend has no monetary or other exchange value and cannot be used to redeem on anything. [4]
How long are Emirates Skywards Miles valid?
Emirates Skywards states that its Miles are valid for three years. [8]
What does a standalone lounge membership cost?
Priority Pass lists annual fees of US$99 for Standard, US$329 for Standard Plus and US$469 for Prestige, as of 18 October 2026. [10]
Is lounge entry guaranteed with a membership?
Access is subject to space availability, and pre-booking is offered at select locations for a small fee. [10]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Programmes not covered here include airline and hotel schemes in their own right, and any UAE issuer other than ADCB, Mashreq and Emirates NBD.
- WestJet World Elite Status Lift benefit terms, checked 18 October 2026
- Emirates Skywards programme overview, checked 18 October 2026
- Priority Pass membership plans and lounge network, checked 18 October 2026