Emirates Launches Crypto Funded Flight Payments in UAE

Emirates now lets eligible UAE residents fund flight bookings through Crypto.com Pay. The option launched on July 28 for purchases priced and settled in UAE dirhams through emirates.com or the Emirates App.

Good to Know

• Customers need an active Crypto.com account.
• Only qualifying AED bookings are covered.
• Emirates has not announced access outside the UAE.

Crypto.com Pay Reaches Emirates Checkout

Mobile users who choose Crypto.com Pay are sent to the Crypto.com app to approve payment from their wallet. Emirates then returns them to the airline app for the booking confirmation and electronic ticket.

Desktop users scan a QR code shown on emirates.com and approve the payment through Crypto.com. Emirates issues the ticket after approval.

The airline has not published a complete asset list, payment fee schedule or detailed rules for exchange rates, refunds and failed transactions. Emirates only confirmed that qualifying bookings settle in AED, so the launch does not mean the airline directly accepts one named token.

“Bringing this initiative to life delivers on our commitment to expanding customer choice in how they pay for travel,” Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said. “It also reflects the rapidly evolving preferences of a younger, digitally fluent generation who manage their money and plan their journeys primarily from their phones and they expect the airlines they fly with to keep pace.”

UAE Licence Supports Payment Service

Foris DAX Middle East FZE, the Dubai entity of Crypto.com, powers the integration. The company operates under a Stored Value Facilities licence from the Central Bank of the UAE.

Central Bank rules define stored value facilities as services that hold money or equivalent value, including crypto assets, for later transactions. Providers need Central Bank authorisation to conduct regulated payment activity in the UAE.

Emirates and Crypto.com first announced the planned integration through a memorandum of understanding in July 2025. The companies completed the rollout about one year later.

The payment option also supports the Dubai Cashless Strategy, which targets 90% digital transactions across government and private sectors by the end of 2026.