Emirates accepts bitcoin, crypto as new payment methods

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Emirates airline accepts bitcoin, crypto as new payment methods

July 29, 2026

DUBAI,— Dubai’s Emirates airline said in a statement Tuesday that customers can now pay for flight bookings using Bitcoin through a new digital payment tool

The carrier has added Crypto.com Pay as a checkout option on its website and mobile application, giving travelers another way to settle their bookings, the statement said.

Customers who hold a Crypto.com account can select this payment method when booking through emirates.com or the Emirates App.

Transactions are processed under UAE financial regulations. The option is limited to eligible residents of the UAE making bookings priced and paid in Emirati dirhams.

This step follows an agreement reached between Emirates and Crypto.com in July 2025, when both companies signed a memorandum of understanding to look into linking Crypto.com Pay with the airline’s payment network.

Adnan Kazim, deputy president and chief commercial officer at Emirates, said the addition reflects the airline’s effort to widen payment choices for travelers.

He noted that younger customers increasingly handle finances and plan trips from their smartphones and expect airlines to match that pace.

Kazim said completing the shift from initial agreement to full launch in just one year reflects strong cooperation between both firms and a supportive regulatory setting in the UAE, which he linked to Dubai’s broader goal of leading in financial technology and digital commerce.

Eric Anziani, president and chief operating officer at Crypto.com, described the tie-up as an important achievement for the firm’s Pay platform, which he said is known for being simple to use and easy to integrate.

He said the partnership highlights the UAE’s willingness to embrace new technology and that his company is pleased to help Emirates expand into digital payments.

The payment system operates through Crypto.com’s Dubai unit, the first virtual asset service provider to obtain a Stored Value Facilities license from the UAE Central Bank. The unit functions within the boundaries set by that license.

The payment steps differ slightly by device. Mobile users booking through the Emirates App are routed to the Crypto.com app to finish payment from their wallet, then brought back to the Emirates App for their confirmation and ticket.

Desktop users pick Crypto.com Pay during checkout on emirates.com, scan a QR code on the booking screen, and approve payment through their Crypto.com app, after which the confirmation and ticket appear.

This launch is part of Dubai’s Cashless Strategy, a piece of the city’s D33 Economic Agenda that seeks to make 90 percent of transactions across public and private sectors digital by the end of 2026.

It also extends an earlier partnership between Emirates and Dubai Finance focused on digital payments, and follows Crypto.com’s separate agreement to accept digital payments for government services in Dubai.

(With files from emirates.com)