My brother has been in India since November and does not have a job. He is hoping to return to the UAE and is actively looking for employment here, but without any luck at the moment.
He is facing an issue with his UAE credit card. He owed Dh15,000 on it but this has now grown to Dh22,000 because of interest and late fee charges.
The bank’s collection department has been calling him continuously and asking for him to settle it through a lump sum of Dh15,000 or monthly instalments of Dh2,000.
Before the collection department started calling my brother, he also received an email from the bank that offered to convert the overdue amount into a 48-month loan. He replied to that email and I have also tried to contact the bank on his behalf to accept the offer. However, we have been unable to reach anybody.
Is there any option to convert the amount into equal monthly instalments so I can at least help him settle the debt? Or would it be better to request a payment holiday under the Targeted Economic Support Scheme to give us some breathing space and more time to sort out this issue? RR, Dubai
Debt panellist 1: Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
Your brother’s situation shows how credit card debt can grow rapidly if payments are not made. He is lucky you are in Dubai to help him.
First, you and your brother should keep a record of all the information, emails and calls you have both had with the bank, including the date of each one. Banks tend to be more responsive by phone than via email, so try to call them using the numbers on their website.
Try to speak to the collection or loan departments. If this does not work, visit a branch or the bank’s headquarters and insist on speaking to someone who can point you in the right direction.
It is a very kind action, but it can lead to long-term relationship issues if he is unable or unwilling to repay you
If the bank has previously offered to convert the amount into a loan, you should push them to honour this. It will take the pressure off your finances until you both have more money because the interest rate should be a lot lower. However, if you can pay the loan off sooner, it might be worth doing this to reduce total interest payments.
Banks have different policies on when they will allow the outstanding amount on a credit card to be converted into a loan, especially if debtors have defaulted after 90 days. In theory, you should still be able to receive a payment holiday of three months if you can demonstrate that your brother has lost his job. It might help to have power-of-attorney status, so you can manage the paperwork directly.
You could also try to apply for a personal loan of Dh15,000 and use it to pay off your brother’s card debt.
If anyone else in your family is able to contribute, then the loan may not even have to be that big.
If you cannot obtain a loan yourself and the bank is still not co-operating after 30 days, then you can contact the Consumer Protection Department of the UAE Central Bank with all your paperwork and log of all the dates you messaged the bank without response.
Debt panellist 2: R Sivaram, executive vice president and head of retail banking products at Emirates NBD
I am glad your brother is being conscientious and intends to clear his debt. As a first step, I would suggest you continue to try to contact the concerned department in the bank through email and phone and provide them with a copy of your brother’s agreement to the loan restructure.
Explain his current employment situation and try to mutually agree on a monthly instalment plan that is cheaper and can be serviced by your brother to clear the outstanding amount.
Given that the loan amount is relatively small, the bank may take a more lenient view and agree on a revised payment plan that would fit your brother’s budget.
Alternatively, assuming you are in the country and employed, you could also explore either becoming a guarantor or to take over the restructured loan. This would further strengthen your request and possibly allow for a longer 48-month repayment tenor, reducing the monthly instalment considerably.
I wish your brother luck with finding suitable employment and achieving financial stability soon.
Debt panellist 3: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
It is very kind of you to want to help your brother and I hope he finds employment soon. Has he also looked for employment in India? Any income he can earn would help his situation, no matter how small. Showing a willingness to repay by making instalments will help his case with the bank.
Usually, a bank requires a customer to be employed, preferably in the UAE, before they approve a consolidation loan. This could explain why the bank is no longer offering this option to him.
Options under the Tess initiative may also be limited. It is unclear if he lost his job specifically due to Covid-19. Even under Tess, banks tend to be more willing to provide options if the customer is employed.
Your brother should continue to communicate and negotiate with the bank collection team and keep detailed records of all communications, including times, dates, names and agreements made. This is so he can demonstrate a willingness to find a solution if the matter escalates.
His best options are to either pay Dh2,000 a month or find a way to pay the lump sum of Dh15,000 as this is his cheapest option, which means he only pays what he originally owed, without the fines and interest.
Do you have stable employment? If you trust your brother will honour the debt, you can take out a loan to pay it on his behalf. He can then repay the loan amount to you.
However, I would caution against taking out a loan for another person. It is important that you are very careful and have clear communication with your brother to document the repayment terms, amount he will pay each month and total due before agreeing to take out the loan.
It is a very kind action but it can lead to long-term relationship issues if he is unable or unwilling to repay you. How will you feel if he does not repay you? How would that affect your own financial situation and your relationship – not only with your brother but also your wider family? Money, especially debt, is always a difficult and emotive topic in any relationship.
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
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Malin Cilic (CRO) v Benoit Paire (FRA) [8]
Not before 4pm:
Dan Evans (GBR) v Fabio Fogini (ITA) [4]
Not before 7pm:
Pablo Carreno Busta (SPA) v Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) [2]
Roberto Bautista Agut (SPA) [5] v Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
Court One
Starting at 2pm
Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) v Dennis Novak (AUT)
Joao Sousa (POR) v Filip Krajinovic (SRB)
Not before 5pm:
Rajeev Ram (USA) and Joe Salisbury (GBR) [1] v Marin Cilic v Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Nikoloz Basilashvili v Ricardas Berankis (LTU)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'
Rating: 3/5
Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro
Writers: Walter Mosley
Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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