Eligible UAE residents can now use cryptocurrency to make purchases at Dubai Duty Free stores at Dubai International Airport (DXB), Al Maktoum International Airport, and through the retailer’s website, following the launch of Crypto.com Pay as a new payment option.
Gold 101.3FM, UAE’s No.1 radio station, brings you this update. Dubai Duty Free has become the first airport retailer in the Middle East to introduce this regulated digital payment service, offering customers another convenient way to complete transactions both in-store and online.
Payments are processed through the customer’s Crypto.com account, while Dubai Duty Free receives the transaction value in UAE dirhams through Crypto.com’s regulated payment infrastructure. At checkout, customers selecting Crypto.com Pay receive a QR code linked to the purchase amount in dirhams. They can scan the code using the Crypto.com App and approve the payment directly from their digital wallet, with the transaction then confirmed through Dubai Duty Free’s existing point-of-sale system.
For online purchases made through mobile devices, customers are redirected to the Crypto.com App to review and approve the payment before returning to the Dubai Duty Free platform to complete the order. Desktop users can select Crypto.com Pay, scan the generated QR code through the app and confirm the transaction from their wallet.
The service is currently available only to eligible UAE residents through Crypto.com’s regulated payment platform. The launch follows a memorandum of understanding signed between Dubai Duty Free and Crypto.com in July 2025 to explore blockchain-based payments and other digital initiatives across the retailer’s operations.
Crypto.com processes transactions 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 licence conditions.
Crypto.com Pay joins Dubai Duty Free’s existing range of payment options, including Apple Pay, Alipay and TerraPay, further expanding the ways customers can pay while shopping at the UAE’s airports and online.
