SIB Smiles World Mastercard
Earn 50,000 bonus Smiles
at Sharjah Islamic Bank's secure site
Spend 20,000 within 90 days of card issuance. Terms apply. See rates & fees.
Rewards rate
"Unlimited lounges with no delay condition, travel insurance in the fee and a 50,000-Smile bonus you can actually reach — the Smiles World earns its 525 on benefits alone. What you can't do is value the points, because SIB has never published what a Smile is worth."
Earning and redeeming Smiles
SIB runs Smiles as its own loyalty programme at sibsmiles.com — it is not the etisalat Smiles app that ADIB and CBD co-brand with. On the World card you earn 3 Smiles for every 2 spent internationally and 1.5 Smiles per 2 at home, which makes it a card for people whose spending travels. Two carve-outs matter: education, utility, government and supermarket transactions are halved to 0.75 Smiles per 2, and spending in the European Economic Area collapses to 0.3 Smiles per 2 — a fifth of the headline international rate. Sign up and spend 20,000 within 90 days for 50,000 bonus Smiles.
Redemption is broad: flights on 300+ airlines with no blackout dates and no cash top-up for taxes, free stays at 300,000+ hotels, gift vouchers, cashback and the SIB Online Shop. What is missing is a price list. SIB does not publish what a Smile is worth in any of its documents, so you cannot work out your return per before applying — you have to log into sibsmiles.com and compare each redemption against its cash cost. Smiles expire 36 months after the transaction, stop accruing if you miss a minimum payment, and are forfeited entirely if you close the card.
Rates and fees
- Annual fee
- 525 a year, VAT included. No first-year waiver is advertised.
- Welcome bonus
- 50,000 Smiles for spending 20,000 within 90 days of card issuance
- Earn rate
- 3 Smiles per 2 international, 1.5 domestic, 0.75 on education/utility/government/supermarket, 0.3 in the European Economic Area
- Monthly profit rate
- 2.49% a month — the Murabaha and Wakala profit rates are equal, and the difference is rebated as a bonus when you settle the statement in full by the due date
- Grace period
- Up to 17 days from the statement date
- Minimum payment
- 5% of the utilised amount
- Foreign currency
- 2.5% administration fee on non- transactions, excluding Mastercard's own fees — so the effective markup is higher
- Cash withdrawal
- Up to 80% of the card limit; fee of 3.15% of the amount (minimum 78.75)
- Late payment
- 236.25, treated as a commitment to donate to charity
- Minimum salary
- Not published by SIB for the Smiles cards
- Supplementary cards
- Free — SIB does not state a limit
- Card replacement
- 78.75; additional statement 47.25; copy of a purchase slip 68.25
- Card network
- Mastercard World (covered card)
Rates verified against SIB's published Smiles Covered Card Key Facts Statement (English and Arabic) and sib.ae on 21 August 2026. All charges are stated by SIB as VAT inclusive. SIB's cards hub labels the 2.49% profit rate 'p.a.' while the Key Facts Statement states it is monthly. Always confirm on SIB's site before applying.
Card benefits
Unlimited airport lounges
Free unlimited lounge access through the Mastercard Travel Pass app — over 1,300 lounges per SIB's card page, over 850 airports per the Key Facts Statement. Download and register to see your list.
50,000 bonus Smiles
Spend 20,000 within 90 days of card issuance and 50,000 Smiles land in your account — redeemable for flights, hotels, vouchers or cashback.
300+ airlines, no blackout dates
Redeem Smiles for flights across more than 300 airlines with no blackout dates and no cash payment for taxes or surcharges.
Hotels and Booking.com
Free stays at over 300,000 hotels using Smiles, up to 10% back on Booking.com, and up to 30% off through Mastercard's hotel booking portal.
Travel insurance included
Travel medical cover plus travel inconvenience and cancellation insurance come with the card. SIB does not publish limits, the underwriter or the maximum trip length.
Travel partner discounts
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards five-star membership, 10% off Cleartrip travel, MyUS premium shipping discounts, a discounted fast-track visa service and luxury serviced apartment rates.
Pros and cons
- A 50,000-Smiles welcome bonus for 20,000 of spending in 90 days — an achievable target
- Genuinely unlimited airport lounge access through Mastercard Travel Pass, with no delay condition attached
- The international earn rate is double the domestic one, which suits people who spend abroad
- Travel medical, inconvenience and cancellation insurance are included in the fee
- Sharia-compliant covered card: settle in full and the Murabaha profit is rebated as a bonus, so you pay nothing
- SIB does not publish what a Smile is worth, so there is no way to calculate the card's real return before you apply
- Only about 17 days of grace from the statement date, where most UAE cards give 45–55
- European Economic Area spending earns 0.3 Smiles per 2 — a fifth of the normal international rate
- Education, utility, government and supermarket spending is halved to 0.75 Smiles per 2
- A 2.5% foreign-currency admin fee sits on top of Mastercard's own charge, which eats into the double international earn rate
- SIB's own sources disagree on the lounge network — 1,300 lounges on the card page, 850 airports in the Key Facts Statement
- No minimum salary is published for the Smiles cards, so you cannot check eligibility before applying
Is it right for you?
Get this card if
- A meaningful share of your spending happens outside the UAE, where the rate doubles.
- You fly often enough that unlimited Mastercard Travel Pass lounge access alone beats 525.
- You can put 20,000 through the card in the first 90 days to bank the 50,000-Smile bonus.
Consider skipping it if
- You want to know what your rewards are worth before you pay — SIB never publishes a Smile's value.
- Most of your travel is in Europe, where the rate collapses to 0.3 Smiles per 2.
- You sometimes carry a balance — 17 days of grace and 2.49% a month is a punishing combination.
Alternatives to consider
The Smiles Titanium is free for life and earns into the same Smiles account at two-thirds the rate — but its lounge access only opens up when your flight is delayed an hour.
Best no-annual-fee cards →
Confusingly, ADIB's Smiles card is a different programme entirely — etisalat's Smiles app, with a 70,000-point bonus and unlimited lounges for 1,199 a year.
Best Islamic cards →
SIB's Cashback card pays in you can actually value — 10% online up to 300 a month — and costs nothing in year one.
Best cashback cards →Not sure which way to go? Put them side by side in our card comparison tool or browse the full ranked list.
Frequently asked questions
How do I earn the 50,000 bonus Smiles?+
Spend AED 20,000 on the card within 90 days of it being issued. SIB advertises this on the card page and in the Smiles Covered Card Key Facts Statement.
How many Smiles do I earn on everyday spending?+
3 Smiles for every AED 2 spent internationally, 1.5 Smiles for every AED 2 spent in the UAE, and 0.75 Smiles for every AED 2 spent on education, utility, government and supermarket transactions. Spending in European Economic Area countries earns just 0.3 Smiles per AED 2.
What can I redeem Smiles for?+
Flights on over 300 airlines with no blackout dates and no cash top-up for taxes or surcharges, free stays at over 300,000 hotels, gift vouchers, cashback and purchases in the SIB Online Shop. Redemption is done at www.sibsmiles.com.
What is a Smile worth?+
SIB does not publish a value. Neither the card page, the Key Facts Statement nor the Smiles Covered Card terms state a conversion rate for flights, hotels, vouchers or cashback, so the only way to price a redemption is to check sibsmiles.com against the cash cost.
Does the card include airport lounge access?+
Yes — free unlimited access through the Mastercard Travel Pass app, which you download and register with. SIB's card page describes over 1,300 lounges worldwide while the Key Facts Statement says over 850 airports; the two figures are not reconciled.
When do Smiles expire?+
36 months from the transaction date, after which they are cancelled. Smiles also stop accruing if you miss a minimum payment, redemption is blocked for a statement cycle if the minimum due is unpaid, and cancelling the card forfeits everything you have accrued.
Is the card Sharia-compliant?+
Yes. It is a covered card built on a Bonds Murabaha contract paired with a Wakala investment account that holds your spending cover. The Murabaha and Wakala profit rates are both 2.49% a month, and if you pay the full statement balance by the due date SIB credits the difference back as a bonus so no profit is payable. The card cannot be used for non-Sharia-compliant purchases such as alcohol, pork, gambling or tobacco.
What does it cost to use abroad?+
SIB charges a 2.5% administration fee on non-AED transactions, and states this excludes Mastercard's own fees — so the effective markup is above 2.5%. The total is not published.
What happens if I pay late?+
A late payment fee of AED 236.25, which SIB treats as a commitment to donate to charity rather than bank income. Profit is then calculated daily on your utilised cover and the delay is reported to Al Etihad Credit Bureau.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank or card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.