Dubai Duty Free lets UAE residents pay with crypto at DXB and online

Eligible UAE residents can scan, pay and complete purchases through Crypto.com Pay

Last updated: August 05, 2026 | 12:52

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

2 MIN READ

Dubai Duty Free lets UAE residents pay with crypto at DXB and online

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Dubai: Eligible UAE residents can now use Crypto.com Pay when shopping at Dubai Duty Free stores at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, as well as through its website.

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Dubai Duty Free has become the first airport retailer in the Middle East to introduce the regulated digital payment option, giving eligible customers another way to complete purchases in stores and online.

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Payments are authorised through the customer’s Crypto.com account, while Dubai Duty Free receives the transaction amount in UAE dirhams through Crypto.com’s regulated payment infrastructure.

How customers can pay in stores

Customers selecting Crypto.com Pay at a Dubai Duty Free checkout will receive a unique QR code linked to the purchase amount in dirhams.

The customer can scan the code using the Crypto.com App and approve the payment directly from their wallet. Once authorised, the transaction is confirmed through Dubai Duty Free’s existing point-of-sale system.

Customers using a mobile device for online purchases will be redirected to the Crypto.com App to review and approve the transaction before returning to Dubai Duty Free to complete the order.

Desktop shoppers can select Crypto.com Pay during checkout, scan the generated QR code through the app and confirm the payment from their wallet.

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Payment option limited to eligible UAE residents

The service is available exclusively to eligible UAE residents through Crypto.com’s regulated payment platform.

The launch follows a memorandum of understanding signed by Dubai Duty Free and Crypto.com in July 2025 to explore blockchain-enabled payments and other digital initiatives across the retailer’s operations.

Crypto.com processes each transaction through its regulated payment system, with Dubai Duty Free receiving immediate settlement in UAE dirhams.

Crypto.com is the first Virtual Asset Service Provider in the UAE to receive a Stored Value Facilities licence from the Central Bank of the UAE, allowing it to provide regulated payment services under the conditions of the licence.

Crypto.com Pay joins payment options already available through Dubai Duty Free, including Apple Pay, Alipay and TerraPay.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series. Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question. When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.

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