Emirates Islamic Bank, the Islamic banking arm of Emirates NBD Group, and Roads and Transports Authority (RTA) announced today the launch of a new Sharia-compliant Visa credit card that is packed with special city transport features, and targeted at car drivers as well as metro commuters.

The new Emirates Islamic Bank RTA Credit card combines the features and benefits of a credit card and the proprietary Nol transit application, used for making payments on the RTA transit network and at parking meters. The unique product, which is fully Sharia-compliant, is the result of technical integration and careful planning in choosing meaningful benefits that provide customers with added value.

Customers signing up for the new card will be able to use it both as a credit card and a Nol card for making payments on the RTA transit network and at parking meters.

An Auto Top Up feature enables cardholders to automatically top up their Nol and Salik accounts from the linked credit card account, ensuring ease of travel through all RTA-related transit points.
Other benefits include the opportunity to earn rewards points on all purchase transactions on the card, with five times the value of rewards being offered on Auto Top Up. Customers can redeem the rewards points against Nol and Salik top up, in addition to being eligible for the Bon Appétit programme, which provides discounts at over 100 restaurants. As a special launch offer, card holders will also get free parking and free metro rides every Sunday till the end of the year.

“At Emirates Islamic Bank, we continually review our product range to ensure there are enough variants and options of cards available to customers, so that we can offer them the widest possible range of financial solutions,” said Faisal Aqil, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Consumer and Wealth Management, Emirates Islamic Bank. “This multi-functional co-branded credit card has been specially designed to make travelling more rewarding for regular users of Dubai’s public transport systems as well as Nol card and Salik users, while offering the standard benefits of a Sharia-compliant credit card.”

Commenting on the launch of the new card, Mohammed Al Mudharreb, Director of the Unified Automated Fare Collection Department, RTA, said: “We are pleased to partner with Emirates Islamic Bank, to develop an innovative product that will increase the range and breadth of customers we serve. We are confident that the innovative product, which comes with a considerable level of security, and is fully Sharia- compliant, will appeal to a wide section of Dubai’s population, who are regular commuters on the RTA Transport network.”

The new Emirates Islamic Bank credit card is expected to make a significant difference to residents as well as people who commute to Dubai for work, as it will offer increased convenience and rewards through one card to meet their daily commuting and spending needs.

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Nov 20, 2012