is what the best FAB card returns a year on our AED 8,000-a-month spend profile, after its annual fee — against AED 3,538 from Mashreq's best card. That is a AED 914 a year gap on cards alone, before any account or finance rate enters the picture.
Pick FAB for the widest UAE network, the largest balance sheet and a broad lending range including mortgages; pick Mashreq if app-first banking and its published savings conditions suit you better than branch access. The trade-off is scale and breadth against digital convenience.
What this means for you
- FAB has one of the UAE’s widest branch and ATM networks; Mashreq’s physical footprint is smaller and deliberately so, offset by Neo’s in-app onboarding.
- For large borrowing — a mortgage in particular — FAB’s published home-finance range is the one to compare; check the table below for where each bank publishes a figure at all.
- Mashreq’s headline savings rate carries conditions (salary transfer and a minimum balance are typical), so compare the condition, not just the percentage.
- Islamic option: FAB Islamic versus Mashreq Al Islami — both are arms of conventional groups rather than standalone Islamic banks.
FAB vs Mashreq — the numbers
Fees, rates and salary floors for both banks, read straight from our committed UAE datasets. Each figure links to the issuer's own page and carries the date we last verified it. Where we hold no published figure for a bank, the cell says so — we never show an unknown as a zero.
| What we measured | FAB | Mashreq |
|---|---|---|
| Credit cards we track | 21 Open to new applicants in our UAE card knowledge bank Our card knowledge bank · verified 2026-08-11 | 8 Open to new applicants in our UAE card knowledge bank Our card knowledge bank · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Lowest ongoing annual fee | AED 0 FAB Rewards Indulge Credit Card — free for life Source · verified 2026-08-11 | AED 0 Mashreq Cashback Credit Card — free for life Source · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Highest published cashback rate | 12% on flights FAB Travel Credit Card · On flight bookings; requires AED 5,000 min previous-month spend · Needs AED 5,000 monthly card spend · Capped at AED 1,800 of reward a month Source · verified 2026-08-11 | 5% on dining Mashreq Cashback Credit Card · Local + international dining MCCs (5811/5812/5813/5814/7011) including online food delivery. No per-category AED cap published; spend cap is the assigned credit limit. Excludes bill payments via Mashreq Mobile App / Online Banking, balance transfers / cash advances / fees. Source · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Cashback on everyday spend | 1% on everything else FAB Cashback Credit Card · All other AED spend; non-AED international = 3% (covered by travel_flights entry). Excludes select MCCs listed separately. · Needs AED 3,000 monthly card spend · Capped at AED 1,000 of reward a month Source · verified 2026-08-11 | 1% on everything else Mashreq Cashback Credit Card · International non-dining spends earn 1%. Other local spends "up to 1%". Cashback excludes bill payments via Mashreq Mobile / Online Banking, ATM, branch, call centre. Cashback redemption: on-request statement credit, min AED 100, via app; valid 36 months from earning. Source · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Lowest card entry salary | AED 5,000/month Lowest published card entry salary — FAB Cashback Credit Card Source · verified 2026-08-11 | AED 5,000/month Lowest published card entry salary — Mashreq Platinum Plus Credit Card Source · verified 2026-08-11 |
| Best published savings rate | Not in our deposit dataset — check the bank's published schedule. | 6.25% NEO Plus Saver Account · interest · Minimum balance AED 50,000 · Requires salary transfer of AED 10,000 or more · Interest paid only on balances up to AED 500,000. Source · verified 12 August 2026 |
| Personal finance rate | 4.7%–13.99% FAB Personal Loan · Minimum salary AED 7,000 Source · verified 2026-08 | 6.25%–32.25% Personal Loan (New Customers) · Minimum salary AED 5,000 Source · verified 2026-08 |
| Car finance rate | 3.79%–6.51% FAB Car Loan · Minimum salary AED 7,000 Source · verified 2026-08 | 6.25%–10.25% CashIn Car Loan · Minimum salary AED 7,000 Source · verified 2026-08 |
| Home finance rate | 3.99%–4.44% FAB Mortgage Loan (Home Finance) · Minimum salary AED 15,000 Source · verified 2026-08 | Not in our loan dataset — check the bank's published schedule. |
| Sharia-compliant option | Yes — via FAB Islamic Conventional bank with a Sharia-compliant arm inside the same group | Yes — via Mashreq Al Islami Conventional bank with a Sharia-compliant arm inside the same group |
Every figure in this table is read from our committed UAE datasets, not typed by hand: card fees, rates and salary floors from the credit-card knowledge bank (verified 2026-08-11), savings rates from each bank's own published rate sheet, and finance rates from each lender's website or Key Facts Statement. Where we hold no published figure the cell says so — it is never shown as zero.
Real-world value: AED 8,000 a month, in dirhams
A rate table only gets you so far — what matters is what a card returns on your spending. So we ran one stated household profile through the same optimizer that powers our Card Stack Builder, across every card each bank has open to new applicants, and took the best result on each side. Reward caps, minimum-spend gates and annual-fee waivers are all applied exactly as the optimizer applies them. Cards limited to one emirate or to UAE nationals are left out, because most readers can't get them.
One household, AED 8,000 a month on the card (AED 96,000 a year), on a salary of AED 20,000 a month. Both banks are scored on exactly this basket, so the comparison is like-for-like.
- GroceriesAED 2,000
- DiningAED 1,200
- Online shoppingAED 1,200
- Utilities & billsAED 800
- FuelAED 700
- FlightsAED 500
- HotelsAED 300
- CinemaAED 200
- Everything elseAED 1,100
- Rewards earnedAED 2,952
- Perks you'd actually useAED 1,800
- Annual fee (year 2 onwards)−AED 300
- Rewards earnedAED 1,452
- Perks you'd actually useAED 2,400
- Annual fee (year 2 onwards)−AED 314
Change the split — more groceries, less travel, a different total — and the winner can change with it. That is the point: there is no bank that is better for everyone, only a card that is better for a given basket. Run your own numbers in the Card Stack Builder.
FAB vs Mashreq — side by side
Beyond the figures, a neutral comparison of what can be verified publicly about how each bank operates — scale, account types, card line-ups, digital experience and network reach. Rates and fees move, so confirm any number above on each bank's published schedule of charges before you commit.
| Dimension | First Abu Dhabi Bank | Mashreq |
|---|---|---|
| Scale & home emirate | The UAE's largest bank by assets, headquartered in Abu Dhabi (formed from the 2017 NBAD–FGB merger). | One of the UAE’s oldest privately owned banks (established 1967), headquartered in Dubai. |
| Conventional vs Islamic | Conventional; Sharia-compliant accounts and cards are offered through FAB Islamic. | Conventional; Sharia-compliant products are offered through Mashreq Al Islami. |
| Everyday accounts | Current, savings, salary-transfer and multi-currency accounts, plus premium/elite tiers for higher balances. | Current, savings and salary accounts, plus the fully digital Mashreq Neo onboarding for app-first customers. |
| Credit-card line-up | A broad range spanning cashback, air-miles/travel and premium cards, with Etihad Guest tie-ins on some products. | Cashback, travel and premium cards, with several products geared to digital sign-up. |
| Digital & app experience | A full-featured mobile app for payments, cards and transfers; widely used, if less singled-out than ENBD’s app. | A digital-first leader — Mashreq Neo lets customers open accounts and manage cards largely in-app. |
| Branch & ATM footprint | One of the widest branch and ATM networks in the UAE, densest in Abu Dhabi. | A smaller physical branch network than the big Abu Dhabi/Dubai banks, offset by strong digital and ATM access. |
| Notable fees | Follow FAB’s published schedule of charges; card annual fees are commonly spend- or salary-waived — confirm current terms. | Follow Mashreq’s published schedule; several cards and the Neo account waive fees on qualifying conditions — confirm current terms. |
FAB vs Mashreq — FAQ
Is FAB or Mashreq better for a salary transfer?
FAB’s wider network and larger product range suit someone who wants everything in one place, including future borrowing. Mashreq suits someone who wants to open and run the account in an app. Compare the salary-transfer benefits and any fee waivers each is offering when you apply, as those terms change.
Is Mashreq smaller than FAB?
Yes. FAB is the UAE’s largest bank by assets. Mashreq is one of the UAE’s oldest privately owned banks, established in 1967, and is considerably smaller — its differentiation is digital rather than scale.
Which is better for a mortgage?
FAB publishes a home-finance range in our loan dataset; where we hold no published home-finance figure for a bank, the table below says so rather than implying it offers nothing. Run your own numbers first with our mortgage affordability calculator, then compare offers directly.
Do both offer Sharia-compliant banking?
Yes — FAB through FAB Islamic and Mashreq through Mashreq Al Islami. Both are Islamic arms of conventional groups, not standalone Islamic banks.
Where do I confirm the current fees and rates?
On each bank’s published schedule of charges. Every figure on this page is dated with the day we last verified it, and rates move between verifications.
FAB or Mashreq — which card actually earns more?
On a stated AED 8,000 a month of card spend, the best FAB card (FAB Cashback Islamic Credit Card) returns AED 4,452 a year after its annual fee, against AED 3,538 from Mashreq's best (Mashreq Platinum Plus Credit Card) — a gap of AED 914. Both figures come from the same optimizer the Card Stack Builder runs, so change the spend split and the answer can flip.
Which pays more on savings, FAB or Mashreq?
On the rates in our UAE deposit dataset, we hold no published savings rate for FAB; Mashreq publishes 6.25% (NEO Plus Saver Account · interest · Minimum balance AED 50,000 · Requires salary transfer of AED 10,000 or more · Interest paid only on balances up to AED 500,000.). Rates are the bank's own published figures and move — compare the full market on our UAE savings account finder.
Is a personal loan cheaper at FAB or Mashreq?
FAB's published personal-finance rate is 4.7%–13.99% (FAB Personal Loan · Minimum salary AED 7,000); Mashreq's is 6.25%–32.25% (Personal Loan (New Customers) · Minimum salary AED 5,000). Both are taken from the lender's own page or Key Facts Statement — the rate you are offered depends on the bank's credit assessment. Compare every UAE lender on our UAE loan finder.
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Neutral comparison for information only — not financial advice or a recommendation of either bank. Every figure above is the bank's own published number as recorded in our datasets on the verification date shown beside it; bank details, fees and card terms change, so always confirm the current figure on each bank's official website before deciding.