Dubai Duty Free has become the first airport retailer in the Middle East to accept cryptocurrency. Eligible UAE residents can now pay with Crypto.com Pay at its stores in Dubai International (DXB) and Al Maktoum International, and online at dubaidutyfree.com.
Customers pay from their Crypto.com wallet; Dubai Duty Free receives the money in dirhams, settled immediately through Crypto.com’s regulated payment infrastructure.
How it works
In-store, choosing Crypto.com Pay at the till generates a QR code for the purchase amount in AED. Scan it with the Crypto.com app, approve the payment from your wallet, and the existing point-of-sale system confirms the sale. Online is the same idea in a different order: mobile shoppers are redirected into the app to approve, desktop shoppers scan a QR code at checkout.
Who can use it
Eligible UAE residents only. Travellers passing through — the people airport retail is usually aimed at — must carry on with cards.
The launch is the roll-out of the memorandum of understanding Dubai Duty Free signed with Crypto.com in July 2025. Crypto.com is the first Virtual Asset Service Provider in the UAE to hold a Stored Value Facilities licence from the Central Bank of the UAE.
Ramesh Cidambi, managing director of Dubai Duty Free:
“Following the strategic partnership established through last year’s MoU, we are pleased to move into the roll-out phase with the introduction of Crypto.com Pay.”
The MoU has reached the tills.
Eric Anziani, president and chief operating officer of Crypto.com:
“Customers benefit from a secure and seamless payment experience through Crypto.com Pay, while merchants receive immediate settlement in UAE Dirhams.”
The bigger picture
Crypto.com Pay joins Apple Pay, Alipay and TerraPay on Dubai Duty Free’s checkout list, and it lines up with the Dubai Cashless Strategy, which wants 90% of transactions citywide cashless by the end of 2026. Crypto counts.
The airport retailer follows Emirates, which added the same checkout option for flight bookings in July — Crypto In, Dirhams Out. It is the pattern tbreak has tracked before: crypto creeping into everyday UAE apps (Your phone app might soon have a crypto button – here’s the catch).
To use it you need a Crypto.com account and eligible UAE resident status. The retailer never holds the coins: payment is authorised from your wallet and the dirhams land with Dubai Duty Free. What the market does to your crypto after that is between you and the app.
Who can pay with crypto at Dubai Duty Free?
Only eligible UAE residents with a Crypto.com account. The option is not available to tourists or other travellers, and it works at DXB, Al Maktoum International and dubaidutyfree.com.
Does Dubai Duty Free receive cryptocurrency?
No. Customers authorise payment from their Crypto.com wallet and Dubai Duty Free receives immediate settlement in UAE dirhams through Crypto.com’s regulated payment infrastructure.
Which cryptocurrencies can I use?
The companies have not published a list of supported coins. Payments are authorised through the customer’s Crypto.com account at checkout.
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