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Fatwa CenterTransferring Salary to a Riba-Bank to Access Airport Lounges
Question
Assalamoalaikum,
I have a question related to the facility given by Banks:
1. I am working for a Qatar Airways and CBQ bank has an offer for the employees of My company that if we open our salary account with CBQ, they would offer us a card known as Diners club card free of annual charges. Otherwise for other account holders they charge an annual fee of few hundred riyals.
With the use of this card, one can enter to the airport lounges free of cost or for a nominal fee of few riyals only. Without this card , fee to enter lounges is more and expensive.
Airport lounges are the designated places at airport where passengers can go and take rest if they have time left for the departure. Free food is also served in lounges once you entered.
I wanted to know if using this card to enter airport lounges is correct or not?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, 
is His slave and Messenger.
It is impermissible to open an account in an interest-based bank and have the salary transferred to it without a Sharee‘ah-acceptable need. This is evidenced by the decision of the Islamic Fiqh Council that reads: “It is prohibited for any Muslim, who is able to deal with an Islamic bank, to deal instead with interest-based banks, whether inside the country or abroad. This is because he has no excuse for dealing with them when there is an Islamic alternative available. Rather, it is incumbent on a Muslim to replace what is evil with what is good, and to be content with what is lawful and dispense with what is unlawful.” [End of quote]
The purpose you mentioned, namely obtaining the card that gives the holder access to airport lounges, does not make it allowable to deal with an interest-based bank.
As for entering such airport lounges with that card for those who obtained it in a legitimate way; there is nothing wrong with that.
Allah Knows best.
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