ADIB Cashback Visa Covered Card review (August 2026)

The ADIB Cashback Visa is a Sharia-compliant covered card that pays 4% on five everyday categories — and nothing outside them.

Annual fee

AED 103.95 + 5% VAT

Min salary

AED 5,000/mo

Top earn rate

4% Dining

Earn rates

Cashback is 4% on the listed categories only, each with a monthly cap. The table shows the categories our comparison engine can map; the full list is in the note:

Dining

4%

Groceries

4%

Fuel

4%

Everything else

0%

Fee summary

ADIB quotes fees excluding VAT: the AED 99 annual fee is AED 103.95 with 5% VAT, and cash withdrawal is 3% of the amount (minimum AED 99). As a Sharia-compliant covered card it carries a monthly profit rate of 3.75% (45.63% APR) under a Murabaha structure. Foreign-currency transactions carry a 2.3% Non-AED Transaction Service Fee plus the card scheme’s own charge (~1%), per ADIB’s Covered Cards Schedule of Charges — the bank cut this from 3.1% in June 2023, and the headline rate now sits below the typical UAE 2.99–3.5% band.

What you get — per-benefit value

4% cashback on the five categories

Worked at a spread household: AED 2,500 supermarkets (4% = AED 100), AED 750 fuel (AED 30) and AED 1,000 dining (AED 40) a month — all inside the AED 300/300/200 caps — is AED 170/month. Value to me: ~AED 2,040/year on that profile. The absolute ceiling is the AED 1,000 total monthly cap — AED 12,000/year — but reaching it takes roughly AED 25,000 of monthly spend spread across all five capped categories; treat it as theoretical.

Roadside assistance and supplementary cards

Once-a-year roadside assistance and four free supplementary cards. Value to me: AED 0 most years — the assistance pays only in the year you call it out, and free supplementary cards are a saving only against a card that would otherwise charge for them.

Total package: ~AED 2,040/year of cashback on the spread-household profile against the AED 103.95 fee (AED 99 + VAT) — the fee is recovered inside the first month of capped-category spend. The card adds nothing on general or international spend, so that figure is also the whole story.

Key conditions to know

Caps

AED 300 each on grocery, fuel and education; AED 200 dining; AED 100 utilities; AED 1,000 total per month. The 4% rate suits spread spend, not one large category.

No minimum-spend gate

Unlike some rivals, there is no minimum monthly spend to begin earning cashback.

Excluded spend

General retail, dining outside coded restaurants, and international spend earn nothing on this card.

Supplementary cards

Four free supplementary cards; the fifth and beyond carry the AED 99 fee. Roadside assistance once a year.

Eligibility

Minimum monthly income AED 5,000 (per the Key Facts Statement); UAE residency required.

Watch out for

• Five categories only. Like DIB’s card, this earns nothing on general or international spend — pair it with a flat-rate card.
• Caps come quickly. The AED 1,000 total cap and the per-category limits mean the 4% headline suits moderate, spread spend.
• Ex-VAT pricing. Fees are quoted before VAT — budget the AED 99 fee as AED 103.95.
• FX fee is 2.3% plus the scheme charge. Competitive for the UAE market — but remember international spend earns no cashback on this card, so the fee buys you nothing back.

Is it worth it?

For a UAE household spending across groceries, fuel, school fees, dining and utilities, the ADIB Cashback Visa returns a strong 4% on exactly those lines — with no minimum-spend gate, a low AED 5,000 salary bar, and a modest AED 99 fee. As a Sharia-compliant pick it sits alongside DIB’s household card, edging it on rate (4% vs 3%) and on the absence of a spend gate.

As a general or travel card it is the wrong choice: zero cashback on non-listed and international spend, even with the competitive 2.3% FX fee. Hold it for its five categories and spend elsewhere on a flat-rate earner.

Bottom line

A strong household-categories Islamic cashback card — 4%, no spend gate — that earns nothing beyond its five categories. Apply if your spend fits and you’ll pair it with a general card. Skip if you want rewards on everyday or international spend.