How to Check Your AECB Credit Score in UAE — Free and Paid Options

The honest answer: there is no truly free official Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB) score today. The reliable way to see your number is the official Etihad Credit Bureau website or app, where the score costs a small fee — around AED 10.50 at the time of writing — and lands in your inbox as a PDF within minutes. Some banks surface a score for their customers as a perk, so it is worth checking your bank app first. This guide walks through every route, how to read the result, and what to do if something on your file is wrong.

What is AECB?

The Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB) is the UAE's official credit bureau, operating under the Central Bank of the UAE. It gathers data from banks, finance companies and telecom providers about how you handle credit. Almost every lender in the country checks your AECB file before approving a loan or card. Your report includes:

• All your credit accounts (loans, cards, mortgages, finance plans)
• Payment history, on-time versus late
• Outstanding balances and limits
• Credit inquiries, meaning when lenders checked your file
• Public records such as court cases or returned cheques

The truth about "free"

You will see plenty of articles promising a free AECB score. Be a little careful with that. There is no dependable, universally free official credit score in the UAE right now. What does exist:

• Bank perks. A few banks display a score inside their own app for customers. These offers change, so check what yours currently provides rather than assuming.
• A small official fee. For an accurate, current number direct from the source, you pay a modest amount to AECB. It is cheap enough that it is rarely worth chasing a workaround.

If free access matters to you, log into your main bank's app and look for a credit score section before paying anything.

How to check your score with AECB

Both official routes use UAE Pass to log in and issue the result as a PDF almost immediately.

Option 1: The AECB website

1. Go to etihadbureau.ae
2. Log in with UAE Pass
3. Choose the credit score or the full credit report
4. Pay online by card
5. Download your PDF

Option 2: The official app

1. Download "Etihad Credit Bureau" from the App Store or Google Play
2. Log in with UAE Pass
3. Select the score or report
4. Pay by card and download instantly

That is the whole process. No branch visit, no waiting days for a result.

What it costs

| What you want | Rough cost | |---------------|-----------| | Credit score (the 300–900 number) | Around AED 10.50 | | Full credit report | More than the score |

The score is the cheaper product; the full report costs more. Prices are set by AECB and do change, so confirm the current fee on etihadbureau.ae before you pay rather than trusting any figure in an article, including this one.

Understanding your AECB score

AECB scores run from 300 to 900. There is no single official grade table, and every bank sets its own thresholds, but the broad reading is consistent:

| Score band | How lenders tend to read it | |------------|-----------------------------| | 750 and above | Excellent. Best position for approval and pricing | | 700 to 749 | Good. Most applications go through | | 650 to 699 | Fair. Possible, sometimes with extra documents | | Below 650 | Weak. Approval gets harder |

A higher score does two things: it improves your odds of approval and it earns you a better interest rate. What one bank waves through at 660, another may want 700 for. Use the bands as a compass, not a rulebook.

What is inside your report

Account information

For each account you will see the lender, the type (loan, card, mortgage), the limit or original amount, when it opened, the current balance, and its payment status.

Payment history

Each account shows whether payments were on time or ran 30, 60 or 90-plus days late, and flags any default. This section carries the most weight in your score, so it is the first place to look if your number is lower than you expected.

Inquiries

Every time a lender checks your file for an application, it is logged with the lender's name and the date. A cluster of inquiries in a short window can drag your score, because it looks like you are chasing credit.

Public records

Court judgments and returned cheques can appear here. Worth knowing: since 2 January 2022, a cheque that bounces on insufficient funds is a civil matter in the UAE, not a criminal one. It becomes an executory instrument enforced through the Execution Court, and criminal exposure is reserved for fraud such as a closed account or forgery. So a bounced cheque on your file is a debt to resolve, not a crime on your record.

How to fix an error on your report

Mistakes happen, and they can cost you a loan. If you spot one, act.

Step 1: Pin down the error

Common ones include a payment marked late when you paid on time, an account you do not recognise, a wrong balance, a duplicate entry, or a closed account still showing as open.

Step 2: Gather your evidence

Pull together bank statements showing the correct dates, closure letters, and any correspondence about the item in dispute.

Step 3: Raise a dispute with AECB

Log into the AECB website or app, open the dispute option, flag the item, attach your documents, and submit. AECB investigates with the lender that reported the data.

Step 4: Follow it through

Check your report again once the dispute closes. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, take it up with the lender directly and, if needed, escalate to the Central Bank's consumer protection channel.

How long negative information stays

Adverse records — late payments, defaults, court cases, returned cheques — stay on your file for several years and keep affecting your score until they age off. The exact retention period depends on the type of record. The good news is that impact fades with time: a slip from years ago weighs far less than one from last quarter. Accurate negative information cannot be deleted early, so be wary of anyone who offers to "clean" your file for a fee. That is a scam.

Simple ways to lift your score

Quick wins

• Pay every bill on time; set up autopay so a hectic month never turns into a missed payment
• Bring card utilisation under 30 percent of your limit
• Avoid applying for several cards or loans at once

Over a few months

• Keep older accounts open, since account age helps
• Hold a sensible mix of credit rather than only cards
• Build a clean run of on-time payments

What does not work

• Closing accounts, which can shorten history and raise utilisation
• Paying anyone to remove accurate negatives
• Opening new accounts just to dilute utilisation, which usually backfires

Frequently asked questions

Is there any way to see my score without paying?

Sometimes, through your bank's app if it offers a score to customers. Otherwise the reliable route is the small official AECB fee. Do not count on a guaranteed free score.

How often does AECB update my information?

Lenders typically report monthly, so a change like clearing a loan can take a few weeks to show.

What score do I need for a personal loan in UAE?

Most banks look for something in the higher bands, and a stronger score earns a better rate. Thresholds vary by bank and product, so there is no single magic number.

How do I remove a settled debt from my record?

You cannot remove accurate information early. A settled account shows as settled for its retention period, and its drag on your score eases over time. Focus on adding positive history.

Why is my score lower than I expected?

The usual suspects: high card utilisation, a recent late payment, several recent applications, a short history, or an error on your file. Pull the report and check each in turn.

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