Credit cards in Pakistan compared: fees, markup and travel features

There is no single best credit card in Pakistan: it depends on whether you pay in full, travel or want lounges. On cost, the cheapest main card we found is Allied Bank Gold at Rs 3,500 a year. The lowest markup on unpaid balances is 34% a year, also at Allied Bank, against 42% to 49.99% at most other banks. Bank AL Habib shows 25% on an undated page. All figures come from each bank’s own fee document, as of October 2026.

How do Pakistani credit cards compare on fees and markup?

All figures are for the main (basic) card from the bank’s July–December 2026 schedule of charges, summary box or key fact statement, unless noted. Fees exclude FED (federal excise duty), which banks add on top. Markup is the yearly rate on any balance you don’t pay in full by the due date.

*Bank AL Habib’s Platinum fee page shows no effective date. We list it as shown on 8 Oct 2026. Its main fee document for 2026 wasn’t available to us.

HBL also sells a FuelSaver card with a monthly fee instead of an annual one: Rs 350 a month for Green and Rs 700 for Gold.

Bank Alfalah’s website blocked us and Faysal Bank’s showed a bot check on 8 Oct 2026, so their cards are not in the table. Askari Bank’s card pages opened but its schedule of charges did not, so Askari appears only in the lounge table below.

Which credit card has no annual fee?

None of the 16 cards above is free outright. Four banks cut or reverse the fee if you spend enough:

Standard Chartered also reverses the first-year fee on any card applied for digitally, until 31 December 2026.

Which credit card is best for international travel?

Check three things: the bank’s foreign transaction charge, the tax, and the spending limit.

Bank charge. HBL charges 4%, MCB 4% (minimum Rs 100) and Allied Bank up to 4% over the exchange rate. UBL and Bank AL Habib charge 4.5% and JS Bank 5% (minimum Rs 450). Standard Chartered adds Re 1 per US dollar plus up to 6%.

Tax. Under section 236Y, FBR collects advance income tax on card payments abroad: 0.5% if you are on the Active Taxpayer List (ATL, a filer) and 1% if not, as of FBR’s rate card for the Finance Act 2026. See filer vs non-filer.

Limit. The State Bank caps card spending abroad at USD 30,000 a year per person, across all your debit and credit cards together (FE Circular 7 of 2022). The year runs from 1 November, and cards in your own name are for personal payments only.

Which credit cards give airport lounge access?

Is there a credit card for students in Pakistan?

We found no student card at the banks we checked. Primary cards need you to be 21 or older with an income. HBL lets anyone 18 or older hold a supplementary card on another cardholder’s account, such as a parent’s. Supplementary fees are lower: Rs 900 a year for Allied Bank Gold and Rs 3,250 for HBL Green.

Which card suits whom?

• You always pay in full: markup doesn’t matter to you, so compare annual fees and fee reversals. Allied Bank Gold has the lowest fee (Rs 3,500).
• You sometimes carry a balance: the APR is the cost. Allied Bank’s 34% is the lowest dated rate in the table; JS Bank’s 49.99% is the highest.
• You spend abroad: HBL, MCB and Allied Bank have the lowest foreign charges at 4%.
• You want Shariah-based finance: Standard Chartered Saadiq Platinum uses Commodity Murabaha, at Rs 20,000 a year and up to 45% profit, with a Re 1 per dollar spread plus up to 5% abroad. Meezan Bank’s July–December 2026 schedule lists no credit card.

To apply, see how to apply for a credit card in Pakistan.

More guides: Cards & Insurance, how to become a filer, Money.