Emirates Launches Crypto Payment with Crypto.com

A QR code, a validation, and a plane ticket. One year after promising it, Emirates now allows eligible residents of the United Arab Emirates to pay for their bookings using Crypto.com Pay through its website and mobile app. This option is only available for tickets priced in dirhams and requires an active Crypto.com account. This launch fulfills the memorandum of understanding signed in July 2025 between the airline and the crypto platform. At that time, both companies were still exploring the integration of the service, subject to compliance with local regulatory requirements.

Key Points

• Emirates has activated Crypto.com Pay on its website and app for eligible residents in the UAE, for bookings priced in dirhams.
• Payment is validated via QR code or by redirecting to the Crypto.com app, with immediate issuance of the electronic ticket.
• The airline does not hold any cryptocurrency: conversion at the current rate and final settlement in dirhams.
• The Stored Value Facilities license obtained in May from the UAE central bank enabled the integration.

The process remains similar to a traditional mobile payment. When paying for their ticket, the customer selects Crypto.com Pay and then confirms the transaction from their Crypto.com account. On a computer, the operation can go through a scannable QR code; on mobile, the user is redirected to the platform's app before returning to the booking flow.

The traveler can thus utilize digital assets compatible with Crypto.com Pay. The transaction is then converted so that Emirates receives its payment in dirhams. The airline does not directly hold the cryptocurrencies used and is not exposed to fluctuations in their value.

The scope remains limited for this launch, according to what can be read in the press: one must reside in the UAE, have an eligible Crypto.com account, and book a flight priced in AED. The integration is available directly in Emirates' sales channels, unlike specialized agencies like Travala or Alternative Airlines that serve as intermediaries for purchasing tickets with cryptocurrencies.

The deployment has been made possible by the Emirati regulatory framework. Crypto.com holds a virtual asset service provider license issued by VARA, Dubai's crypto regulatory authority. In May, its local entity Foris DAX Middle East FZE also became the first crypto platform to obtain a Stored Value Facilities license from the Central Bank of the UAE.

This approval allows Crypto.com to offer payment services based on digital assets, with final settlement in dirhams or in certain stablecoins pegged to the AED and approved by the central bank. It initially enabled the payment of public services in Dubai, while paving the way for integrations with Emirates and Dubai Duty Free, subject to additional authorizations.

For Emirates, the goal is less about accumulating bitcoin than adding a new payment method to its offering. Still limited to the Emirati market, this launch nonetheless places cryptocurrencies in the booking tunnel of one of the largest international airlines.