Originally Posted by
Thinksamuel
You have two options:
1)Sign up for an ABIC credit card which gets you silver or gold right away. However, I do not understand if it is for UAE residents only or also for people outside the UAE.
2) Fly Europe- Australia return in Y (gets approx 20000 miles) and then a shorter flight. Once you hit 25000 miles you are Silver. A flight BRU-MEL can be as cheap as 920 euro (I paid that last year). And you can fly Europe-Bangkok as well, one of the cheapest routes available.
The ADCB credit cards offer Silver / Gold dependent on which card fee you wish to pay & that you meet the income requirements. This is aimed at UAE residents & is an excellent way of achieving your goals. Non-residents might be able to get a card BUT you would have to pay "deposit" equal to your credit limit in order to "guarantee" your credit line.