Emirates enables UAE residents to pay for flights through Crypto.comThe service is limited to eligible UAE residents and bookings are priced and settled in dirhams.

Emirates, the flagship airline of Dubai, has introduced the ability for eligible residents of the United Arab Emirates to pay for flight bookings using cryptocurrencies via Crypto.com Pay on its website and mobile app. The payment process differs slightly based on the device: mobile users authorize payments directly through the Crypto.com app, while desktop users scan a QR code at checkout. Although customers can pay with crypto, Emirates settles transactions in UAE dirhams, with Crypto.com managing the currency conversion.

This new payment option aligns with Emirates' effort to cater to a digitally fluent, younger generation that prefers managing money and travel plans via their smartphones, according to Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ deputy president and chief commercial officer. The service is currently limited to eligible UAE residents, and neither Emirates nor Crypto.com has announced plans to extend the offering beyond this group. The launch follows a partnership between Emirates and Crypto.com announced in July 2025.

Crypto.com's capability to support this integration stems partly from its acquisition of a UAE central bank Stored Value Facilities (SVF) license earlier in 2025. This license allows Crypto.com to hold customers’ funds in digital wallets under regulatory oversight, enabling payments funded with cryptocurrencies to be converted into dirhams or dirham-backed stablecoins for merchants. At the time of this report, Crypto.com handled roughly $686 million in trading volume over 24 hours.

Emirates is not the first airline in the UAE to accept crypto payments; Air Arabia began accepting the dirham-backed AE Coin stablecoin for flight bookings in May 2025. The launch of crypto payment options by major regional airlines reflects growing adoption of digital currencies within the travel sector in the UAE.