Emirates enables UAE residents to pay flights via Crypto.com
Emirates enables UAE residents to pay for flights through Crypto.com Pay on its website and app. The service is limited to eligible UAE residents, with bookings priced and settled in dirhams while Crypto.com converts crypto at checkout. Mobile users authorize in the Crypto.com app; desktop customers scan a QR code.
Key Takeaways
- Emirates has launched Crypto.com Pay for eligible UAE residents on its website and app.
- Bookings are priced and settled in UAE dirhams; Crypto.com handles crypto conversion.
- Mobile checkout uses the Crypto.com app; desktop customers scan a QR code.
- The launch fulfills a July 2025 partnership after Crypto.com secured a UAE SVF license.
- Emirates has not said whether the option will expand beyond eligible UAE residents.
Dubai-based Emirates said Tuesday it has rolled out Crypto.com Pay so eligible United Arab Emirates residents can book flights with cryptocurrencies. The carrier settles in dirhams rather than holding crypto on its own books.
That settlement model is central to why the deal matters for travelers and merchants alike. Customers can fund a booking from a crypto wallet, while Emirates receives local currency through Crypto.com’s conversion layer.
How does Crypto.com Pay work on Emirates bookings?
On mobile, shoppers are redirected to the Crypto.com app to authorize payment from their wallet. On desktop, they scan a QR code at checkout, according to the companies’ announcement.
Emirates prices and settles the ticket in UAE dirhams. Crypto.com manages the crypto-to-dirham conversion so the airline does not need to custody digital assets.
Why did Emirates add crypto checkout now?
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ deputy president and chief commercial officer, said the move “reflects the rapidly evolving preferences of a younger, digitally fluent generation who manage their money and plan their journeys primarily from their phones.”
The rollout implements a partnership announced in July 2025. Cointelegraph reported in May that Crypto.com received a UAE central bank Stored Value Facilities (SVF) license, which the firm said could support integrations with Emirates and Dubai Duty Free.
An SVF license lets non-bank firms hold customers’ money or crypto in a digital wallet and process payments under central bank oversight. Merchants can receive dirhams or approved dirham-backed stablecoins while customers pay with cryptocurrencies.
Is Emirates the first airline in the region to accept crypto?
No. Air Arabia began accepting the dirham-backed AE Coin stablecoin for flight bookings in May 2025. Emirates is therefore not the region’s first airline to offer a crypto checkout path, but it is a major flagship carrier adopting Crypto.com Pay for eligible UAE residents.
Neither Emirates nor Crypto.com indicated whether the service would expand beyond that eligible resident group. For more fintech and crypto alerts, follow ongoing payment and licensing coverage.
According to CoinGecko data cited in reporting, Crypto.com handled around $686 million in trading volume in the 24 hours up to the time of the report—context for the platform powering the airline checkout rail.