Cryptocurrency payments are now being accepted by Emirates, marking a first for a major Gulf carrier. Crypto.com Pay was launched across the airline’s website and app on 28 July. As a result, Emirates crypto payments in Dubai have moved from pilot agreement to live product in under a year.
Furthermore, this rollout is being viewed as a signal of where airline payments are headed next. Because Emirates crypto payments in Dubai are now live, eligible UAE residents can complete bookings in dirham using their Crypto.com wallets. However, the feature is currently limited to transactions priced and settled in AED.
How the Payment Option Is Being Used
Customers booking through emirates.com or the Emirates App can now select Crypto.com Pay at checkout. On mobile, users are redirected to the Crypto.com app, where payment is approved directly from their wallet. On desktop, meanwhile, a QR code is displayed and scanned to complete the transaction.
Once the payment has been approved, travellers are returned to Emirates’ platform, where an e-ticket is issued. All transactions are processed in accordance with UAE regulatory standards. Nevertheless, the specific cryptocurrencies supported have not yet been disclosed publicly.
A Partnership That Was a Year in the Making
An agreement between Emirates and Crypto.com was first signed in July 2025. Since then, the rollout has been completed in under twelve months, a pace that is being credited to both regulatory support and technical readiness. Crypto.com’s Dubai entity, meanwhile, is licensed as a Virtual Asset Service Provider under UAE Central Bank rules.
What Leadership Has Said
According to Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, greater payment flexibility is being offered specifically to meet evolving customer expectations. Younger, digitally connected travellers, he noted, are increasingly managing their bookings through smartphones.
Similarly, Eric Anziani, President and COO at Crypto.com, described the partnership as a milestone for the company’s Pay product. The collaboration, he added, is being seen as evidence of the UAE’s broader commitment to fintech innovation.
Part of a Larger Digital Strategy
This launch is being positioned within Dubai’s wider Cashless Strategy under the D33 Economic Agenda. Through that plan, 90% of financial transactions across government and private sectors are targeted to be digital by the end of 2026. In addition, EMI payment options have already been rolled out by Emirates for Indian travellers through local banking partnerships.
Crypto at checkout is still treated as futuristic by most flyers elsewhere. In Dubai, however, it’s already just being treated as Tuesday.
For more information, visit emirates.com
