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Emirates has launched Crypto.com Pay for eligible UAE residents booking flights through its website and mobile app. Customers can pay from a crypto wallet, while every ticket settles in Emirati dirham. The service went live in late July 2026 and currently excludes other currency markets.
The mobile process starts when customers choose Crypto.com Pay during checkout. The Emirates app then redirects them to the Crypto.com app, where they approve the payment from their available wallet balance.
After approval, customers return to the Emirates app and receive their booking confirmation and electronic ticket. The process requires an existing Crypto.com account, but it removes the need for cards or bank transfers.
Desktop users follow a similar route through emirates.com. They scan a QR code at checkout, approve the transaction inside the Crypto.com app, and receive confirmation on the Emirates website. The airline has not identified the cryptocurrencies customers can use. Still, payments come directly from balances held inside eligible Crypto.com wallets.
Emirates said the service targets younger customers who manage payments and other financial activities through smartphones. Access remains limited to eligible UAE residents during the first stage.
Crypto.com processes the payments through Foris DAX Middle East FZE, its Dubai entity. The company holds a Stored Value Facilities license from the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The central bank granted the authorization in May 2026. Crypto.com then became the first Virtual Asset Service Provider in the UAE to secure this type of license.
The framework covers stored balances that customers deposit before using them for payments. Therefore, Crypto.com manages the payment service, while Emirates avoids operating as a crypto service provider.
Emirates still prices and settles each ticket in dirhams. Crypto.com converts the customer’s crypto balance before funds reach the airline, so Emirates needs no internal crypto payment infrastructure.
Crypto.com uses a similar system for payments to Dubai government bodies. Under that arrangement, the provider converts digital assets into dirhams before transferring funds to government accounts.
Emirates and Crypto.com first outlined the integration through a memorandum of understanding in July 2025. The companies completed the regulated payment launch roughly one year later. The service also supports Dubai’s Cashless Strategy, which targets about 90% digital transactions across government and private-sector payments by the end of 2026. The program forms part of the D33 Economic Agenda.
What makes this launch different from earlier airline crypto payment options? Emirates embeds the service directly into its platforms, while a central-bank-regulated provider manages payment processing and dirham settlement. airBaltic first accepted Bitcoin in 2014 and later added other digital assets through BitPay. Travala.com also accepts more than 90 cryptocurrencies across over 600 connected airlines.
However, Travala.com acts as an intermediary between customers and airlines. Emirates instead keeps the booking contract directly between the passenger and the carrier. For now, eligible UAE residents can use Crypto.com Pay for dirham bookings. Emirates has announced no expansion into other markets or currencies.
Emirates now offers Crypto.com Pay to eligible UAE residents through its website and app. Crypto.com handles conversion and dirham settlement under its central bank license. The service expands regulated crypto payments into direct airline bookings while access remains limited to the UAE market.
