Crypto.com Payment Integration Now Live for Emirates Airline Customers in UAE
Only UAE residents meeting eligibility requirements can access the service, with all flight reservations priced and completed in local dirham currency.
The flagship carrier based in Dubai, Emirates, has integrated Crypto.com Pay into both its website platform and mobile application, allowing qualified residents of the United Arab Emirates to purchase flight tickets using digital currencies, according to an announcement made by the airline on Tuesday.
Users accessing the service through mobile devices are redirected to the Crypto.com application where they can approve transactions directly from their digital wallet, whereas those booking via desktop computers utilize a QR code scanning system during the checkout process, as detailed in the joint statement from both organizations. The airline receives payment in UAE dirhams instead of retaining cryptocurrency holdings, with the conversion process managed entirely by Crypto.com.
The initiative "reflects the rapidly evolving preferences of a younger, digitally fluent generation who manage their money and plan their journeys primarily from their phones," stated Adnan Kazim, Emirates' deputy president and chief commercial officer. Neither organization has provided information regarding potential plans to extend the Emirates payment option beyond those UAE residents who meet eligibility criteria.
This implementation brings to fruition a collaborative agreement that was initially revealed in July 2025. A report from Cointelegraph in May documented that Crypto.com had successfully obtained a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) license from the UAE central bank, with the company indicating at that time the license could facilitate partnerships with Emirates and Dubai Duty Free.
A Stored Value Facilities license grants authorization to non-banking entities to maintain custody of customers' funds or cryptocurrency within digital wallet systems and execute payment transactions while operating under the supervision of the central bank. The license framework enables users to initiate payments using cryptocurrencies while allowing businesses to receive compensation in dirhams or officially approved stablecoins backed by the dirham.
Data from CoinGecko indicates that Crypto.com processed approximately $686 million in trading volume during the 24-hour period leading up to the time of writing.
Within the region, Emirates is not the pioneering airline to introduce cryptocurrency as a payment method for flight purchases. Air Arabia implemented acceptance of the AE Coin stablecoin, which is pegged to the dirham, for booking flights beginning in May 2025.