Emirates has introduced crypto payments for UAE customers, allowing eligible travellers to pay for flights through Crypto.com Pay when booking on the airline's website or app.

Emirates has launched crypto payments for flight bookings, one year after announcing plans to integrate Crypto.com Pay into its digital payment systems.

Since the end of July 2026, eligible UAE residents with a Crypto.com account have been able to use Crypto.com Pay when booking through the Emirates website or app. The option is available for bookings priced and settled in Emirati Dirham (AED).

The launch follows a memorandum of understanding signed by Emirates and Crypto.com in July 2025. The two companies agreed to explore adding the payment system to the airline's digital platforms.

Customers booking through the Emirates App can select Crypto.com Pay at checkout. They are then directed to the Crypto.com app, where payment is completed using their wallet. Once approved, they return to the Emirates App to receive their booking confirmation and e-ticket.

The process is slightly different on desktop. Customers booking through the Emirates website select Crypto.com Pay and scan a QR code displayed on the payment page. They then approve the transaction in the Crypto.com app before receiving their booking confirmation and e-ticket.

Adnan Kazim, deputy president and chief commercial officer at Emirates, says: “Bringing this initiative to life delivers on our commitment to expanding customer choice in how they pay for travel. 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.”

He adds: “Moving from signature to launch with Crypto.com in a year is a credit to both teams, and to a regulatory environment that makes this kind of innovation possible, reflecting the UAE’s and Dubai's ambition to lead in fintech and the digital economy.”

The integration is being provided through Crypto.com's Dubai entity. According to the companies, it is the first Virtual Asset Service Provider, known as a VASP, to receive a Stored Value Facilities licence from the Central Bank of the UAE. It operates under the country's Stored Value Facilities regulatory framework.

Eric Anziani, president and chief operating officer at Crypto.com, says: “Partnering with Emirates is a milestone for Crypto.com and our Pay feature, which is renowned for its ease of use and seamless integration.”

He adds: “This collaboration is a testament to the UAE’s forward thinking approach to innovation and we’re proud to support Emirates as it embraces the digital payments space.”

The introduction of crypto payments also connects with Dubai's wider push towards digital transactions. The Dubai Cashless Strategy, part of the emirate's D33 Economic Agenda, has set a target for 90% of financial transactions across the government and private sectors to be digital by the end of 2026.

Emirates previously signed a partnership with Dubai Finance to support the development of digital payments. Crypto.com has also partnered with Dubai Finance to enable digital payments for government services.

The airline's adoption of Crypto.com Pay adds another payment method to the flight booking process at a time when Dubai is seeking to expand the use of digital financial services. For now, however, access is restricted to eligible UAE residents and transactions denominated and settled in AED.

The move also brings cryptocurrency-linked payment technology into a mainstream airline booking journey. Rather than requiring customers to manage a separate payment process outside the booking platform, Crypto.com Pay has been incorporated directly into the checkout process on Emirates' website and app.