Can I be stopped at a UAE airport over an old unpaid credit card?

An ordinary unpaid credit card does not by itself put you on a watchlist — what stops people at UAE airports is a measure issued through the system: a criminal case (often an old security cheque presented by the bank), an arrest warrant, or a travel ban granted to a creditor through court or execution proceedings. A debt the bank never litigated produces anxiety, not an immigration flag. The trouble is that you do not know which category you are in, and the collectors going quiet tells you nothing — banks sometimes park debts for years and act later, or sell them on to agencies that revive them. Since you pass through Dubai regularly, replace the anxiety with information. Check the Dubai Police online service for financial cases against your name, and have a UAE-licensed lawyer run a proper search of court and police records across the relevant emirates, including Abu Dhabi where the card was issued. If something does exist, settlement is almost always available: banks settle aged card debts at significant discounts, and you should insist on a closure letter and withdrawal of any case or ban as part of the deal. A lawyer can negotiate that quietly before your next transit.