The campaign, which lasts for the entire month of Ramadan, offers “Emarat” customers opportunities to win valuable prizes every day by just spending Dh25 in any of Emarat’s service stations.

The offer, available on nonfeul products, excluding Salik and Tyre Express, will have Dh5,000 in cash and dinner vouchers up for grabs daily. The Grand Prize is a getaway to Thailand for 10 families, the draw for which will be carried out on the third day of Eid.

Hussain Kazim, Manager, Corporate Communications at Emarat said: “Through the launch of attractive and beneficial promotional campaigns for our customers, we align ourselves with the spirit of the holy month.” Emarat will also be offering dates and water for free to its customers this Ramadan.

Getting money from ATMs or cashpoints

Your best source of cash in Dubai is an automated teller machine (ATM) or cashpoint. You’ll find ATMs on banks, post offices and shopping mall all over Dubai, and most of them have step-by-step instructions in your choice of English and Arabic languages.

Here’s our advice on using ATMs:

• Before leaving home, tell your bank that you’ll be visiting Dubai. (In the U.S. especially, some banks–even large ones–disallow foreign transactions for security reasons unless they’ve been notified ahead of time.)
• Be prepared to use a four-digit numberic PIN. If your bank uses a six-digit PIN or a combination of letters and numbers, ask the bank to change your PIN or to provide instructions for using your ATM card overseas.
• You’ll nearly always pay a small transaction fee on cash withdrawals outside your bank’s ATM network. What you may not know is that many banks have foreign-exchange surcharges of up to 5 percent on overseas cash withdrawals. If your bank has such a policy, you may want to change banks.
• We advise carrying ATM cards for more than two different banks, just in case one of your cards doesn’t work. Also, look for an ATM before you run out of cash, because it can be frustrating to encounter a “network link down” error message when you’re wallet is empty.

Currency exchange

ATMs nearly always have better rates than currency-exchange offices and hotel reception desks. You will find currency exchange offices almost every shopping mall and shopping bazar. If you have US$ or £GBP or Euro these currencies are very easy to exchange in Dubai.

If you insist on exchanging cash or traveler’s checks, try to limit the amount, because changing money back into your own currency at the end of your will mean yet another exchange commission.

Using credit cards in Dubai

Visa and MasterCard are accepted by most shops and restaurants, though smaller merchants, some neighborhood restaurants or bars, and street vendors may not take credit cards. (Also, restaurant tips are normally given in cash.) American Express is accepted at higher-end shopping mall and restaurants that cater to tourists.

Warnings:

• Many credit-card companies now impose surcharges on foreign transactions, and these surcharges can range from 2 to 4 percent or more. If you have several credit cards, learn which one has the lowest surcharge, and use that card for your trip.

• Some credit-card issuers decline foreign transactions unless you’ve notified the company of your travel plans ahead of time. It’s a good idea to call the toll-free number on the back of your card before leaving home, just to make sure that your card will be honored while you’re abroad.

• Many Dubai card-operated gasoline pumps, and other vending devices require modern “smart cards” with embedded microchips. If you have an old-fashioned card with only a magnetic stripe (the kind used by most American credit-card companies), don’t be surprised if machines refuse your card. The good news is that you’ll still be able to use your card in hotels, restaurants, and shops.

Dubai is safe place to use your credit card because Governement of Dubai is very strict on any Credit Card fraud or Cyber crime.

Passengers travelling to or via Dubai between July 1 and August 31 can take advantage of the offer.

First Class Passengers receive two nights at The Palace — The Old Town or The Harbour Hotel and Residence. Business Class passengers receive one night’s stay at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel or The Harbour Hotel and Residence.

In addition, $100 credit per person at the hotel to be used towards food and beverage and/or spa facilities and a 96-hour visa. I think this is very good offer who like to visit Dubai very often for business visit or passing by Dubai and take a small relaxing break for the weekends.