How much credit card limit can I get in Saudi Arabia?
Updated
How much cash can I withdraw from a credit card?
You may withdraw cash up to 30% of your card's credit limit, and the fee for a cash withdrawal is at most 3% of the amount, capped at SAR 75. On a SAR 10,000 limit that is at most SAR 3,000 in cash; withdrawing it all costs at most SAR 75 in fees, plus the card's term cost (its profit charge) on any amount left unpaid after the grace period.
| Card limit | Most cash you may withdraw | Most fee for that withdrawal |
|---|---|---|
| SAR 10,000 | SAR 3,000 | SAR 75 |
| SAR 20,000 | SAR 6,000 | SAR 75 |
| SAR 50,000 | SAR 15,000 | SAR 75 |
| any | SAR 1,000 withdrawn | SAR 30 |
Official rule: Cash withdrawals may not exceed 30% of the card limit. (source, checked 2026-10-09)
SAMA sets no maximum credit card limit in Saudi Arabia: no multiple of your salary and no riyal cap — the credit limit is the amount the card issuer sets after assessing your creditworthiness. What caps it is the Deductible Ratio rules: every card counts as its minimum payment (at least 5% of the amount due) on its full credit limit, and that must fit, with your other finance, within 45% of your total monthly income (incomes below SAR 25,000). Card minimums also count in the one-third rule — 33.33% of your gross salary (25% of a pension) — which may limit you further. Example: on a SAR 12,000 gross salary with SAR 1,500 a month of personal finance and SAR 10,000 of existing card limits, the rules leave room for about SAR 39,992 of new card limits (SAR 68,000 under the 45% limit alone).
| One-third rule | |
| Your monthly gross salary | SAR 12,000 |
| 33.33% of it: the most these obligations may take | SAR 3,999.60 |
| Your personal / car finance instalments now | − SAR 1,500.00 |
| Your existing card limits (SAR 10,000) at 5% | − SAR 500.00 |
| Room left | SAR 1,999.60 |
| Highest new card limit under it (room ÷ 5%) | SAR 39,992 |
| 45% limit: all credit except home finance | |
| Your total monthly income counted | SAR 12,000 |
| 45% of it: the most these obligations may take | SAR 5,400.00 |
| Your personal / car finance instalments now | − SAR 1,500.00 |
| Your existing card limits (SAR 10,000) at 5% | − SAR 500.00 |
| Room left | SAR 3,400.00 |
| Highest new card limit under it (room ÷ 5%) | SAR 68,000 |
Not a valid document. Estimate for information only — not financial advice, not an offer of credit and not a bank document. Errors are possible. Only your bank's or finance company's official offer letter, contract and statements are binding.
How the credit limit is worked out in Saudi Arabia
SAMA leaves the credit limit to the card issuer, so two issuers can offer you different limits on the same salary. What SAMA does fix is how a card counts against your income: its monthly credit obligation is the minimum payment on its full credit limit — at least 5% of it — whether you use the card or not. The calculator takes the room left under each limit and divides it by that minimum %: at 5%, every SAR 100 a month of room fits SAR 2,000 of credit limit. A card with a higher minimum % fits a smaller limit.
Two limits, and what is not stated plainly
The 45% limit — all your monthly credit obligations except home finance, at most 45% of your total monthly income — clearly covers credit cards. The one-third rule — instalments deducted from your salary at most 33.33% of your gross salary, 25% of a pension — counts the minimum payment of all your credit cards in its sum. SAMA's texts do not say plainly whether that rule also limits a card by itself: the definition of consumer finance it belongs to does not name cards, though the same Regulations deal with credit cards elsewhere (Articles 10 and 21) — so this page applies it to the card too, the prudent reading. The calculator shows both: the headline is the lower figure, and "without the one-third rule" is the figure under the 45% limit alone. Either way, a card takes room under the one-third rule that personal or car finance can then no longer use.
What the rules say
- No limit cap: no multiple of salary and no riyal ceiling. The credit limit is "the maximum amount set by the card issuer" after it assesses your creditworthiness.
- A card counts at its minimum on the full limit: the minimum payment may not be set below 5% of the amount due, and each card counts as that minimum on its full credit limit in every limit below.
- 45% of total monthly income for all credit except home finance, for incomes below SAR 25,000. With home finance, all credit together at most 55% up to SAR 15,000 (65% with Ministry of Housing / REDF support) and 65% below SAR 25,000. From SAR 25,000 a month SAMA sets no percentage: that is the lender's own policy, and the one-third rule still applies.
- One third of your gross salary: 33.33% (25% of a pension), card minimums included.
- Other income counts half: only half of rent, investment income, or periodic allowances and bonuses not in your gross salary counts toward your total monthly income.
- Who may get a card: no minimum salary, nationality or salary-transfer condition in SAMA's card rules — only age 18 (Hijri), your explicit request and the issuer's creditworthiness assessment; an issuer may add its own conditions. A supplementary card is issued under your account, and you are responsible for it.
- Higher limit only at your request: the issuer may raise your credit limit only at your explicit request and after re-assessing your creditworthiness. It may not let you go over the limit, and if it cuts the limit it must tell you in advance and explain why.
- Cash: cash withdrawals, e-wallet top-ups included, may not exceed 30% of the credit limit.
A limit you don't use still counts
Your credit limit is recorded in your credit record, and every card counts as its minimum payment on the full limit, so a card you hardly use still takes room under the 45% limit and the one-third rule. Closing a card you don't need, or asking for a lower limit, frees room for finance — see how much can I borrow?. If you carry a balance, see what paying only the minimum costs on the credit card minimum payment calculator.
Questions people ask
How is a credit card limit calculated in Saudi Arabia?
The card issuer sets it after assessing your creditworthiness: SAMA sets no maximum. What SAMA does fix is that each card counts as its minimum payment (at least 5% of the amount due) on its full credit limit, and that must fit, with your other finance, within 45% of your total monthly income; card minimums also count in the one-third salary rule.
What is the minimum salary for a credit card in Saudi Arabia?
We found no minimum salary in SAMA's card rules — and no nationality or salary-transfer condition. You must be at least 18 in Hijri years, ask for the card yourself, and pass the issuer's creditworthiness assessment; an issuer may have its own salary threshold.
How much credit card limit can I get on a SAR 10,000 salary?
In Saudi Arabia, there is no fixed answer: the card issuer decides. With no other finance or cards and a 5% minimum, the one-third rule leaves room for up to SAR 66,660 of credit limit and the 45% income limit for up to SAR 90,000. That is only the ceiling the rules allow, not an offer.
Does an unused credit card limit count?
Yes — in Saudi Arabia, your credit limit is recorded in your credit record, and each card counts as its minimum payment on the full limit, used or not — so it reduces the finance you can get.
Can my card issuer increase my credit limit without asking?
No — in Saudi Arabia, the card issuer may raise the limit only at your explicit request and after re-assessing your creditworthiness. If it cuts the limit, it must tell you in advance and explain why.