Starting July 28th, Emirates now accepts cryptocurrency payments from eligible customers in the UAE. Residents can use Crypto.com Pay to book flights directly on the emirates.com website and through the Emirates App.
Summary
- Emirates now offers Crypto.com Pay for eligible UAE residents booking flights priced in dirhams online.
- Mobile customers approve payments inside Crypto.com, while desktop users scan a checkout QR code securely.
- Crypto.com’s UAE entity operates under a Central Bank Stored Value Facilities licence for regulated payments.
This feature is only available for bookings paid and completed in UAE dirhams and requires you to have a Crypto.com account that is currently active.
This launch finalizes the agreement between Emirates and Crypto.com, originally announced in July 2025. The two companies initially signed a deal to investigate integrating Crypto.com’s payment services, with the actual implementation contingent on technical feasibility and receiving necessary regulatory permissions.
Emirates crypto payments are limited to UAE bookings
As a crypto investor, I’m excited to see that Emirates is now accepting Crypto.com Pay! It’ll show up as a payment option at checkout if my trip meets certain requirements – specifically relating to where I live and what currency I’m using. Right now though, it looks like this is only available for people in the UAE who are booking flights with local currency. Hopefully they expand access soon!
Crypto.com is teaming up with Emirates airline so customers can use Crypto.com Pay™ to book flights. This new payment option is currently available for approved users in the UAE and supports Dubai’s plan to become a cashless city as part of the D33 Agenda.
— Crypto.com (@cryptocom) July 28, 2026
The announcement didn’t list all accepted digital currencies, detail any transaction fees, or clarify how currency conversions and refunds would work. This means Emirates is enabling payments through crypto-funded channels, but isn’t directly accepting cryptocurrencies as payment. All bookings will be finalized in UAE Dirham (AED).
The way this works varies depending on your device. If you’re using a mobile phone and choose Crypto.com Pay within the Emirates App, you’ll be taken to the Crypto.com app to confirm the payment from your digital wallet. After that, you’ll go back to the Emirates App to get your booking confirmation and e-ticket.
When booking on Emirates’ website, customers can pay with cryptocurrency by selecting a specific checkout option, scanning a QR code, and confirming the payment through the Crypto.com app. Once approved, Emirates sends the booking confirmation and ticket. Currently, Emirates and Crypto.com haven’t shared information about how long these transactions take or what happens if a payment fails, is delayed, or is reversed.
According to Emirates’ Adnan Kazim, the new launch is designed to appeal to a younger audience comfortable with digital technology. The airline believes this is what customers want, though they haven’t shared specific data on demand or expected sales.
UAE licensing supports the flight payment rollout
Crypto.com is partnering with Foris DAX Middle East FZE, its Dubai-based company licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, to facilitate this integration. Crypto.com was the first virtual asset provider in the UAE to receive this type of license, which it obtained in May.
Currently, the Central Bank regulates virtual asset payment services, stored value facilities, and digital money services as licensed financial businesses. Companies providing stored value facilities are required to verify customer identities, maintain records, protect data, and prevent money laundering.
As I previously covered at crypto.news back in May, Crypto.com’s license also enabled them to make arrangements for paying Dubai government fees – they can settle those payments using either dirhams or stablecoins pegged to the dirham. It’s important to note that this fee payment program is entirely separate from their work integrating commercial bookings with Emirates.
Wider availability and payment details remain unknown
This initiative helps Dubai achieve its goal of becoming a nearly cashless city, aiming for 90% of all payments – in both public and private businesses – to be digital by the end of 2026. In October 2025, Emirates and flydubai partnered with Dubai Finance to encourage the use of digital payments within the tourism industry.
Emirates and Crypto.com first started discussing a potential partnership back in July 2025. Now, they’ve moved beyond that initial discussion to offer customers a way to pay with cryptocurrency at checkout – proving the idea actually works for business. However, neither company has shared details about how many transactions have taken place, who they’re targeting as customers, or how much revenue this is generating.
Eric Anziani, President and COO of Crypto.com, described the launch as a significant achievement for Crypto.com Pay. The company believes this is an important step forward, though they haven’t shared data on how many customers are using it compared to other payment options like cards or bank transfers within Emirates.
Future updates will probably focus on which digital assets are accepted, how refunds are handled, and if Emirates will offer Crypto.com Pay to more people in different countries or with different currencies. There’s no set date for when these changes will happen. Right now, the service is only available to eligible customers in the UAE who book flights on the Emirates website or app and pay in AED.
2026-07-29 10:35