I currently have two accounts with two different banks in the UAE. I opened the first savings account in 2016. There is no credit card associated with the account, although it does have a debit card.
In 2019, I opened a second savings account and have been using this for my daily banking needs. My salary is also transferred into this account.
I haven’t used the first savings account since 2019.
However, I recently checked the bank statement for this account and discovered that I have been charged a Dh100 ($27.22) “relationship fee” every month since 2019, even though I no longer use it.
I have also checked the original terms and conditions of the account: when I opened it in 2016, there was no relationship fee or minimum balance required.
I do recall, however, receiving an email from the bank in 2019 saying that a relationship fee would be charged.
The bank has never informed me that I owe this money and I have not heard from its collections department either.
I now want to close the account, as I have no use for it. Can the bank legally force me to pay the relationship fees, which currently add up to Dh4,200 ($1,143.63)?
I feel it is a waste of money, particularly when I wasn't using the account at all.
Is it possible to discuss the waiver of the fees with the bank and close the account without paying the accumulated fees? Alternatively, will I have an issue with the bank regarding this? HB, Dubai
Debt panellist 1: Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
You don’t have a particularly strong case to avoid paying the charges, as the bank notified you that a relationship fee would be charged.
Banks are entitled to change product fees and terms and conditions, as long as they notify you.
You should check the bank's email and the original terms and conditions to see if there are any specific procedures that the bank must follow to make changes, such as notifying you in writing.
The first thing to do is to try to close the account and see if they charge you.
If they close it, you should request a no liability letter (assuming you have no other liabilities with the bank) or at least a clearance letter related to that specific account.
If they do try to charge you, that is when you enter into negotiation mode. Either phone them or visit one of the bank's branches or its headquarters.
Try to talk to a manager, who is more likely to be able to make decisions. Bring your banking relationship history with you. Also, emphasise that you have not used this account since 2019 but have, otherwise, been a good customer.
If they insist on you paying the fees, say you will move your salary and banking activities to another bank.
It may work or it may not. If they hold firm or even threaten to charge you for non-payment, you have to decide whether it is worth the effort of fighting it. You may want to open an account with another bank anyway, so you have an alternative if the situation deteriorates.
It is a waste of money, indeed, but you started to waste it back in 2019 by not closing the account then. It is a useful lesson to keep an eye on bank charges, as well as changing terms and conditions.
Debt panellist 2: Ayesha Abbas, managing director and head of affluent priority and premium banking, and branch network at Standard Chartered
It may be useful if you contact your bank and clarify exactly what these charges pertain to.
There are instances in which banks offer services that attract certain benefits subject to meeting their terms and conditions.
It appears that your first account attracted a relationship fee, which you have also highlighted in your message.
My advice would be to contact your bank to discuss the issue.
Going forward, it is also important to check your bank statements on a regular basis to help identify transactions that need clarification.
Debt panellist 3: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The bank is legally entitled to charge these fees as they notified you through email of the change in the terms and conditions.
However, you can try to negotiate a lower amount with the bank so you can close the account. You can request the bank to reduce the balance due or waive interest and penalties charged.
I would advise calling the relationship manager to explain the circumstances — that you were not using the account and didn’t realise the fees were accumulating.
Also, tell the relationship manager that you want to close the account and request that they revisit the fees.
They will be able to see in their system that the account is inactive and may offer a compromise.
Banks will often make a counter-offer in return for keeping the account open. If you are not receiving sufficient assistance on the phone, visit a branch with all your documents and close the account that way.
It is very likely that you will have to pay some of the total amount owing as the bank, in this case, was charging fees under the updated terms and conditions of the account.
Hopefully, they will be compassionate to the circumstances and at least offer a discount on the total amount due.
It is best to close any unused accounts or at least check on them monthly to ensure there are no surprises or balances accumulating.
The Debt Panel is a weekly column to help readers tackle their debts more effectively. If you have a question for the panel, write to pf@thenational.ae
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULT
Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen: Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
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The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
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A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
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- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THREE
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Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
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Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
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england euro squad
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Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
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Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Squad: Majed Naser, Abdulaziz Sanqour, Walid Abbas, Khamis Esmail, Habib Fardan, Mohammed Marzouq (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalid Essa, Muhanad Salem, Mohammed Ahmed, Ismail Ahmed, Ahmed Barman, Amer Abdulrahman, Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif, Fares Juma, Mohammed Fawzi, Khalfan Mubarak, Mohammed Jamal, Ahmed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Ahmed Rashid, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Wahda), Tariq Ahmed, Mahmoud Khamis, Khalifa Mubarak, Jassim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Yousef Saeed (Sharjah), Suhail Al Nubi (Baniyas)
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
UAE SQUAD
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THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
