Crypto Exchanges

Story: Emirates Crypto Payments Go Live for UAE Residents Buying Flights

By Sydney TheCMO

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How the Checkout Actually Works. The flow is different depending on whether you're on your phone or a desktop.

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Dubai's Cashless Push Is the Bigger Picture. The Emirates-Crypto.com tie-up fits neatly into something much larger.

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What Crypto.com Gets Out of This. For Crypto.com, landing Emirates is a notable win in the travel sector.

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Emirates just flipped the switch. The airline now accepts Crypto.com Pay on its website and mobile app, letting eligible UAE residents book flights using cryptocurrency — all…

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The partnership between Emirates and Crypto.com was signed in July 2025. It took less than a year to go from handshake to live checkout.

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The flow is different depending on whether you're on your phone or a desktop. Emirates App users get redirected to the Crypto.

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Desktop users get a QR code at checkout. Scan it, approve in the Crypto.com app, done. Booking confirmed, ticket issued. The whole thing basically relies on Crypto.

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Crypto.com's Dubai entity holds a Stored Value Facilities license from the Central Bank of the UAE — the first virtual asset service provider to get that recognition.

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The Emirates-Crypto.com tie-up fits neatly into something much larger. Dubai's Cashless Strategy, part of the D33 Economic Agenda, wants 90% of transactions in the city to be…

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Related: Checkout.com Wins UAE Central Bank Nod for 62% MENA Growth Push

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Emirates has been flying since 1985 and now covers more than 140 destinations. It's a big operation, and adding a crypto payment layer is a meaningful signal — not just for…

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Worth being clear: crypto pay doesn't replace credit cards or other existing methods. It sits alongside them. Travelers who want to use digital assets can.

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Unclear yet whether the service will expand to international customers. Kazim didn't put a timeline on it.

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For Crypto.com, landing Emirates is a notable win in the travel sector. The airline is one of the world's most recognizable brands.

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And the Stored Value Facilities license gives Crypto.com a regulatory foundation that not many virtual asset providers can claim in the region.

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