A discount card offering savings on everything from health services and school fees to flights and theme park visits has been made available to golden visa holders in Dubai.
Dubai's government announced on Monday it would provide the Esaad privilege card to recipients of the five- and 10-year visa free of charge, in line with a wider effort to attract top talent to the country.
The green and gold card can be used to enjoy discounts offered by 7,237 brands and businesses in the UAE and 92 countries worldwide.
“The stability and incentives will encourage holders of the golden visa to continue contributing to Dubai’s wider economy,” said Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai.
“They will also help the city attract fresh and exceptional talent from across the world.”
First approved in 2020, golden visas are awarded to people who have made outstanding contributions to the UAE, have highly-prized abilities, or who work in industries regarded as vital to the economic growth of the country.
What is the Esaad card?
The card was launched in 2017 by Dubai Police to deliver a wide range of discounts for the force's employees.
It has expanded over the years to include government employees and is now also available to citizens in receipt of social benefits, military and civilian retirees from public and private sectors jobs, as well as disabled and senior citizens in the emirate.
Mona Al Ameri, director of the Esaad Card Centre at Dubai Police, said golden visa holders would receive a text message with instructions on how to secure a digital version of the card.
Holders of the card and “first-degree” relatives can enjoy savings at restaurants, hotels, retail outlets, hospitals and pharmacies, clothing brands, salons, schools and more.
Golden visa holders back initiative
Dr Ali Adil, a 45-year-old Iraqi doctor who holds a golden visa, said the card will help him make key savings.
“The most important part in the card is the shopping and restaurant discounts. I can’t wait to get the card and enjoy a wide variety of discounts across the country,” he said.
For Najla Ahmed, an Emirati government employee, the card has already proved useful.
“I take the card wherever I go. As the card has a variety of discounts, I tend to ask the shops and restaurants if there is special discount for Esaad card holders. It saves money with discounts of between 10 and 20 per cent in many places.”
How to Register
Those eligible can register through the Esaad website or by downloading the app on Google Play or the App Store.
They will be asked to enter personal details including contact information and their Emirates ID.
Companies wishing to offer membership to employees can register through the companies' form on the Esaad website.
What benefits can I get?
Discounts of 15-30 per cent for cardholders are available at various fast food chains, cinemas, IMG Worlds of Adventure, Kempinski Palm Jumeirah, the At the Top tour at Burj Khalifa, flydubai flights, Al Ghani auto services, Sharaf DG and Al Zahra Hospital.
Savings can be made at more than 50 schools, including 40 per cent off tuition fees at the American School of Creative Science and 20 per cent at Victoria English School in Sharjah.
Discounts are also available at 41 universities — including Canadian University of Dubai and British University in Dubai — as well as at more than 50 training centres and 100 kindergartens.
For a full list of discounts visit the Esaad website or download the app.
Customers can present their Esaad Card at participating outlets or use it to shop online.
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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