Cards

Start by identifying your priorities: do you want cashback on everyday spending, travel miles, or airport lounge access? Compare annual fees against expected rewards based on your monthly spend. Cashback cards suit domestic spending, while miles cards are better for frequent travelers.

Annual fees range from free-for-life to over SAR 5,000 for premium cards. Some banks waive fees based on your account tier (e.g., Platinum or Private banking), or when you meet a minimum annual spend threshold. All fees shown include 15% VAT.

Credit cards give you a credit limit to pay later with an interest-free grace period. Prepaid cards use only your loaded balance with no credit line. Prepaid cards don't require a SIMAH check or minimum salary, making them accessible if you don't meet credit card requirements.

The grace period is the time you can repay purchases without incurring any profit (interest), typically ranging from 50 to 57 days at Saudi banks. The key condition is paying the full outstanding balance before the due date. Cash withdrawals usually don't benefit from the grace period.

SIMAH is the Saudi Credit Bureau. When you apply for a credit card, the bank checks your SIMAH report to review your existing obligations and payment history. A clean SIMAH report with no late payments increases your approval chances and qualifies you for higher credit limits.

Cashback is a percentage of your purchases returned to you as credit or bank transfer. Rates in Saudi Arabia range from 0.5% to 10% depending on spending category. To maximize returns, use your card in high-reward categories (like dining or groceries) and pay the full balance monthly to avoid profit charges.

Most Saudi banks (15 of 17) offer Sharia-compliant products, using structures like Tawarruq and Murabaha instead of conventional interest. Non-Islamic banks like AmEx KSA and Emirates NBD offer conventional cards. On Bankkie, we clearly indicate whether each card is Sharia-compliant.

The bank charges a late payment fee (typically SAR 100 or a percentage of the balance) and profit accrues on the remaining balance. Late payments are recorded on your SIMAH credit report and negatively impact your credit score. Repeated delays may result in reduced credit limits or card cancellation.

Yes, most banks offer credit cards to residents with salary transfer and a valid Iqama. Some banks set higher minimum salary requirements for expats. Prepaid cards are available to all residents without income requirements.

Some banks offer credit cards without salary transfer, but usually with lower credit limits or higher fees. Prepaid cards never require salary transfer. Use the filter options on Bankkie to find cards available without salary transfer requirements.

We use publicly available data from official bank websites and published fee schedules. Annual fees include 15% VAT. We calculate rewards by applying all earning rates across spending categories plus welcome bonuses. For HIGH complexity cards with multiple capped earning categories, we assume efficient spending distributed across all bonus categories. We estimate SAR value per loyalty point or mile based on each bank's published redemption rates. You can adjust the monthly spend amount to see personalized estimates.