Money in Dubai: Dirham, Cards, Cash, ATMs and Exchange

Five ways to pay in Dubai

#1

Hotels, malls, restaurants, taxis and attractions Most of your spending

Debit and credit cards

Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere, and American Express in many hotels, malls and restaurants. Tell your bank you are travelling, check its foreign-transaction fee and, when a terminal asks, choose to pay in dirhams rather than in your home currency, which usually costs more.

#2

Most shops, cafés, malls and taxis Quick payments, with no card to hand over

Phone wallets and contactless

Contactless is normal in Dubai, and Apple Pay and Google Pay work on most terminals, so a phone with your card loaded is often enough for a day out. Keep the phone charged, carry one physical card as a back-up and know your card's contactless limit.

#3

Malls, bank branches and hotels Topping up cash without carrying much

ATMs

Machines in malls and bank branches pay out dirhams and are the safest choice. Your own bank may charge a foreign-withdrawal fee, and the machine's operator can add its own, which the screen should show before you confirm. Take out larger amounts less often and decline any currency conversion.

#4

Deira, Bur Dubai and inside many malls Changing banknotes at a fair rate

Exchange houses

Exchange houses usually offer better rates than airport kiosks and hotel desks. Compare the rate with a currency app, ask about commission, bring your passport and keep the receipt. The dollar is the easy one to change, because the dirham is tied to it, while other currencies move with the market each day.

#5

Gold, Spice and Textile Souks, street food, taxi tips Small purchases, haggling and gratuities

Cash for souks, tips and small stalls

Souk traders and stalls often prefer cash, a discount can be easier to agree with notes in your hand, and tips are simplest in small bills. A few hundred dirhams in AED 5, 10 and 20 notes is plenty for most days; change larger notes at a mall, not at a market stall.

Money in Dubai: the short answer

The currency is the UAE dirham (AED), pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725. So $1 is AED 3.67 and AED 100 is about $27. A dirham is divided into 100 fils; notes run from AED 5 to AED 1,000 and the coins are 25 and 50 fils and AED 1. Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere, including taxis, malls, restaurants and hotels, and contactless and phone wallets are common.

You still want some cash: for souks and small stalls, tips, the occasional cash-only place, and as a back-up if a card is blocked. A few hundred dirhams in small notes is plenty for most days. Everything else can go on a card, as long as you pay in dirhams.

Dollars to dirhams at a glance

Because the peg is fixed, the conversion never changes, and this table works on any day of your trip.

Exchange rate fixed at 3.6725 dirhams to the dollar. The pound, the euro and other currencies float against the dollar, so check a currency app for those.

A quick rule: divide a dirham price by 3.67 to get dollars. For scale, a Metro trip costs about AED 3-7.5, a Silver Nol card about AED 25 and a taxi from the airport to Downtown about AED 40-60, so a taxi ride is roughly $11-16. The Dubai Metro guide and taxis and Careem have the current fares, and how much a Dubai trip costs turns prices into daily budgets.

Cards, contactless and phone wallets

Visa and Mastercard are the safe choices. American Express is taken in many hotels, malls and restaurants but not in every small place, so do not make it your only card. Taxis and ride-hailing apps take cards, and contactless payment is normal at tills.

A few habits save money and trouble:

• Tell your bank you are travelling and ask what it charges for foreign transactions.
• When a terminal asks whether to pay in AED or in your home currency, choose AED; the terminal's own conversion usually costs more.
• Carry a second card in a different place from the first, in case one is lost or blocked.
• Expect hotels to place a hold on your card at check-in; it is released after you leave.
• Keep the PIN private and the phone locked; standard precautions apply in Dubai as anywhere.

Where cash still helps

Cards win in most places, and cash wins in a few. The table shows which is easier where.

Nothing here is a rule, only the usual pattern.

For tipping amounts, tipping in Dubai covers restaurants, taxis, hotels and guides, and the Nol card guide covers the transport card. Souk haggling has its own page, haggling in Dubai souks.

ATMs and exchange houses

ATMs are in malls, bank branches and hotels, and they pay out dirhams. Use machines inside a mall, a hotel or a bank, not on a quiet street. Two fees can apply: your own bank's charge for foreign withdrawals, and sometimes a fee from the ATM's operator, which should appear on screen before you confirm. If the machine offers to convert the amount into your home currency, decline. Daily limits are set by your own bank, so ask it before you travel.

For banknotes, exchange houses in malls and in Deira and Bur Dubai usually give better rates than the kiosks at the airport and the desk at your hotel. Change only a small amount on arrival for the first taxi and the Metro, then compare rates in town. Bring your passport, ask about commission and keep the receipt.

One legal point: travellers who carry AED 60,000 or more in cash, or the equivalent in other currency, into or out of the UAE must declare it to customs. Check the current rule on the official UAE customs and ICP pages before you travel; this guide is general information.

VAT, service charges and the tourist fee

VAT in the UAE is 5%. Shop prices usually include it, while some restaurant menus show prices before VAT and add it at the end. Restaurants and hotels often add a service charge and other fees to the bill, so read the line items before deciding on a tip. Hotels also add a tourism dirham fee per room per night; the tourism dirham guide explains it. Visitors can reclaim VAT on some purchases when they leave: see the VAT refund guide.

None of this changes the main message. Pay by card where you can, in dirhams, and keep a little cash for the places that prefer it. The best apps for Dubai list shows which taxi and food apps take cards.

Six money mistakes to avoid

Most problems come from a short list, and all of them are easy to avoid:

• Changing a large sum at the airport kiosk. Change a small amount and compare rates in town.
• Agreeing to pay in your home currency. Choose AED on the terminal.
• Carrying only large notes. A taxi driver or a stall may not be able to break an AED 500 or AED 1,000 note, so keep smaller notes for the street.
• Forgetting the hotel hold. A hold at check-in ties up part of your card limit until you leave.
• Reading the menu price as the final price. VAT and a service charge may be added at the end.
• Relying on one card. A blocked card on the first night is easy to fix with a second one and awkward without.

What you pay, and when, for our tours

Our prices are quoted in US dollars, so at the fixed rate our desert safari from $45 is about AED 165. We agree the date and time with you on WhatsApp, and how you pay depends on the tour:

The safari and the Abu Dhabi day are the easiest to fit around a trip that is still taking shape, because you pay on the day: read about the full-day desert safari, the sunrise balloon and the shared yacht tour and ask us on WhatsApp for your dates.

FAQ

Recommended Dubai tours for this guide

Recommended tour

Full-Day Desert Safari in Dubai

It is the slow-travel version of the classic safari: more time on the dunes, sunset without the crowds and a full evening programme at a premium camp with air-conditioned tents, unlimited drinks and a large BBQ buffet with vegetarian and gluten-free options. Everything is arranged from the hotel door — a licensed English-speaking driver, the 4x4, the camp and the shows.

Duration

7 hours

Area

Lahbab Desert, Dubai

Format

Full-day desert safari

Best for

families, couples and first-time desert visitors who want the full evening programme

From $45 per person No prepayment

View tour

Recommended tour

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon in Dubai

It is the desert from above at first light: gazelles, oryx and camels in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, the Hajar Mountains on the horizon and the dunes turning gold. After landing a vintage Land Rover or SUV takes you to a private Bedouin camp for a gourmet breakfast (veg and non-veg options), a short camel ride and a falcon photo, and every guest gets an electronic flight certificate signed by the pilot.

Duration

4-5 hours

Area

Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve

Format

Shared sunrise balloon flight with breakfast

Best for

couples, photographers and anyone who wants the desert at sunrise from above

From $275 per person 30% deposit

View tour

Recommended tour

Dubai Marina Shared Yacht Tour

It is the most stylish way to see the skyline without paying for a private charter: a premium yacht with spacious decks and 5-star hospitality, a red carpet at the pier and the crew helping with photos against JBR and Ain Dubai. Full pre-payment secures your slot — the hourly departures sell out — and the yacht leaves strictly on time.

Duration

1 hour

Area

Dubai Marina

Format

Shared 1-hour sightseeing cruise

Best for

families, couples and anyone who wants the Marina skyline from the water without a private charter

From $32 per person Full prepayment

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