A local bank raises the international use fees for “direct deduction” cards

A local Islamic bank decided to raise the international use fees for the direct debit card (AED), to become 3.14% of the amount of each transaction, as of next September 22.

According to messages that the bank sent to its dealers, the Emirates Today obtained a copy of it, the bank said that the current fee for the international use of the direct debit card (UAE) is 2.09% of the amount of the transaction.

According to the upcoming lifting, the new fee, the highest at the level of banks operating in the country, becomes the fees of the rest of the banks between 10.5 dirhams and 21 dirhams per process or 2% of the total amount, with a minimum of 20 dirhams and a maximum of 100 dirhams, according to the comparison of the same fee for the largest 10 banks in which 85% of bank customers are concentrated.

For its part, the banking expert, Sheikha Al -Ali, told «Emirates Today»: “The banks are retracted, from time to time, services fees in a manner that does not contradict the regulations of the central bank, but dealers must review the conditions of debit cards, and other cards before traveling, and ensuring that they can be used outside the country and the value of the fees imposed.”

She added that there are good alternatives to the direct debit cards for banks, the lowest cost, such as the cards issued by exchange or pre -payment companies, and these are usually fixed and predetermined fees.

Al -Ali continued: “It is also important for the traveler customer to avoid pushing the direct debit card outside the country, as this is accompanied by a transfer fee for the currency of the country in it, and this is very high and often exaggerated.”