It costs AED 10.50 to see the number a bank will use to judge you. Most people apply first and find out later.
That number is your credit score from the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB). It is useful because it compresses your credit profile into one number.
But it is only the headline. The real story is in the credit report behind it.
What the number says
The AECB score runs from 300 to 900. A higher score generally signals lower credit risk.
A commonly used guide is:
Score | Usually read as |
|---|---|
746 to 900 | Excellent |
711 to 745 | Very good |
651 to 710 | Good |
541 to 650 | Fair |
Below 541 | Poor |
These are reference bands, not universal bank approval cut-offs. Each lender can have its own risk criteria, so the same score can produce different outcomes at different banks.
And don’t believe anyone who tells you exactly how many points a particular late payment will cost. The bureau’s model uses more than 2,000 variables, and their weighting is not published.
The report is where the decision gets interesting
The current AECB credit report includes:
In your report | What it shows |
|---|---|
Credit score | Your overall credit-risk indicator |
Income utilization ratio | How your payments compare with your last reported income |
Payment history | Your loan and bill payments for the last 36 months |
Credit contracts | Your loans and credit cards |
Court obligations | Court-ordered financial obligations |
The report also includes bounced cheques.
That is why a lender does not simply ask, “What’s your score?” It can also look at what you owe, how you have paid it, how much credit you already have and whether your income can support another facility.
Central Bank rules require financial institutions to examine a customer’s credit record and ability to meet credit obligations before extending credit.
It isn’t only your bank that reports
The bureau’s data comes from much more than banks. Finance companies, telecom and utility providers, courts and government entities report too.
Since July 2026, it also includes buy now, pay later (BNPL) data from providers including Tabby and Tamara.
So your credit profile is no longer just your mortgage, car finance and credit cards. A missed payment on a phone bill or BNPL account can also become part of the picture.
Check it before a lender does
You can get your score from the bureau’s website or app, logging in with UAE PASS. The current prices are AED 10.50 for the score and AED 84 for the full report, which includes the score and your three-year payment history.
Checking your own report does not affect your score.
The smart order is:
Check your report.
Look for errors or unexpected accounts.
Fix anything inaccurate.
Compare financing options.
Then apply.
If something is wrong, fix it first
Your report is built from information supplied by banks, finance companies and other providers. The bureau does not alter that information itself. It routes correction requests to the provider that reported it.
If you find something wrong, for example a facility that should have been closed but still shows as active, submit a correction request with supporting evidence. Under Central Bank regulations, providers are required to respond within 7 to 10 working days.
Don’t wait until after a loan rejection.
What is changing in 2026
In September 2026, the bureau’s Director General said it was preparing a revised scoring system for customers who had previously defaulted but had returned to regular payments.
Under the proposed approach, the recovery period would be cut from up to two years to up to six months after a customer returns to regular repayments.
But this is not a guaranteed six-month reset. The bureau said the score will still depend on the person’s overall obligations, payment behavior and the information in the report.
The planned new report format is also expected to explain the main reasons behind changes in a score. So the number should become easier to understand, not just easier to see.
Ninja’s Takeaways
Your score is the headline, and the report decides: three years of payments, every contract and any court obligation.
Phone bills, utilities and buy now, pay later count too, not just loans and cards.
Check your report before a lender does, and fix any errors first. Seeing your score costs AED 10.50 and doesn’t affect it.
Fees, reporting practices and scoring rules can change. Check the current information directly with Etihad Credit Bureau before relying on a specific fee, timeframe or scoring rule.
