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Money in the UAE, sorted.
A calm, current plan for the money side of your trip: the dirham is locked to the US dollar so the exchange rate stays steady, cards run almost everything, and the only real traps are the exchange counter and one sneaky terminal prompt.
The three things people ask
Will my card work? Do I need cash? Are ATMs easy?
The quick read for a first trip.
Your card
Works almost everywhere
Visa, Mastercard and Amex are accepted across hotels, malls, restaurants, taxis and the metro, and Apple Pay and Google Pay are everywhere. The one habit to keep: if a terminal asks whether to charge you in dollars or dirhams, always choose dirhams to avoid a padded conversion rate.
Check yours →Cash
A little goes a long way
You can go most of a trip on cards, but keep some dirhams for the souks (where you'll want to bargain in cash), small local eateries, an older taxi, and tips. Around 200 to 500 dirhams for a few days is plenty. Notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000.
How much to bring →ATMs
Everywhere, mind the double fee
ATMs are in every mall and metro station and give close to the pegged rate. Expect a small machine fee (often around 20 to 30 dirhams) on top of your own bank's charge, so withdraw a sensible amount at once, choose dirhams, and decline the "convert to USD" offer.
See ATMs in United Arab Emirates →(opens in a new tab)Cash or card
Barely any cash changes hands here, cards and phones do almost everything.
A rough feel for everyday spending. Dubai has a public goal of being 90% cashless, and terminals are already in every taxi, mall, restaurant and metro gate. The exception is the traditional souks, some small local eateries and cafeterias, the odd older taxi, and tipping, where a small amount of cash is still handy.
See what the trip really costs →Your money plan
Four steps and you're set.
Before you go
- Bring a no-foreign-fee card and add it to Apple Pay or Google Pay, which are accepted almost everywhere.
- Don't buy dirhams at home. The AED is a thinly traded currency abroad, so rates are typically 4 to 8% worse than exchanging on arrival.
- If you want a little arrival cash, plan to use an in-mall exchange house or ATM, not the airport counter.
At the airport
- Skip the airport exchange counters and hotel desks, they carry the worst rates (a 5 to 6% gap is common).
- If you need cash right away, use an ATM, choose dirhams, and decline "convert to USD."
- Tap your contactless card or phone straight onto the Dubai Metro and most taxis, no need to load up on cash first.
Day to day
- Card or phone for nearly everything: taxis, malls, the metro, restaurants and attractions.
- Keep small dirham notes for the souks, small cafeterias, valet and housekeeping tips.
- In the souks, bargain and pay in cash; it's expected and gets you a better price.
- Always choose dirhams, never dollars, on any card terminal or ATM that asks.
The easy part
- The dirham is pinned to the dollar at about 3.67 to 1, so $100 is almost exactly 367 dirhams, and the conversion holds steady through your stay.
- The only markup risk is self-inflicted: choosing dollars at a terminal (dynamic currency conversion), which quietly adds 3 to 8%. Pick dirhams every time.
Staying connected
Will my phone work here? And what will it cost?
Yes, essentially everywhere you'll go, and it's excellent. The UAE has some of the fastest, most widespread mobile coverage in the world, with strong 5G blanketing Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the highways between them and out to the other emirates. The two carriers are Etisalat (e&) and du; a tourist SIM or an eSIM is easy to arrange with your passport, and many travelers just use an eSIM bought before arrival. Only remote desert stretches see weaker signal. One note: some calling apps like WhatsApp voice and video calling can be restricted on local networks, though this eases over time and hotel or paid VPN-friendly plans are common workarounds. The cost is where people get caught out, and on most US plans it lands in one of two buckets.
Your plan may already include it
Often, do nothing
Some US plans include slow data abroad at no extra cost. If that is you, the honest move is to leave it alone.
we earn nothing
Or it charges quietly, after the fact
The bill lands later
On pay-per-use plans the cost runs in the background while you travel, and the charge can show up weeks after you are home. Forgetting to switch off data roaming is the classic one. For a week or more, an eSIM is usually cheaper and keeps you in control.
Check what your own carrier charges before the trip, not after.
If an eSIM is the cheaper call, Nomad covers United Arab Emirates.
Get your Nomad eSIM for United Arab Emirates→(opens in a new tab)we may earn a commissionMedical cover
The one cost with no price tag.
Every other number on this page has a price you can look up. This one does not, and it can be the largest of them all. Most US health plans cover little or nothing once you leave the country, and Medicare covers essentially none of it abroad. A serious illness or injury is paid up front, and a medical evacuation runs from tens of thousands of dollars to past $100,000 if you are remote or an ocean from home.
First, you may not need to buy anything.
A cheap, refundable trip close to home does not need this. And if you are healthy, headed somewhere with good care, and one of the premium cards on the shortlist above already includes emergency medical and evacuation, you may be covered already. Check your card's benefits guide before you buy. Saying that costs us the commission, and it is still the right call.
How much cover matters here
Here, good hospitals are easy to reach and the care is high quality, so for a healthy traveler this leans more toward your call than a must.
If you do want cover, this is what it is for: the evacuation and the up-front hospital bill, the part no card limit is meant to absorb.
Enough for most trips
Faye, or a comparable whole-trip policy
Bundles trip protection with emergency medical, which is enough cover for most travelers on a typical trip.
The deeper end
A dedicated travel-medical plan built for serious care and evacuation abroad
Stronger on medical care and evacuation, for a remote or higher-risk trip where that is the real exposure.
If it happens
Call it first, then call your insurer's 24/7 assistance line, which is what confirms payment and arranges an evacuation. 998 is the ambulance line and 999 is the police. The 112 and 911 numbers are not used here.
TrueTripCosts explains the gap and points to options. It does not set your coverage amounts or act as your insurance advisor, and every policy carries its own exclusions, so read them before you buy. Emergency number checked Jul 2026. Confirm the current number before you travel, as local lines can change.
Currency basics
The dirham, in plain terms.
Quick conversion
The dirham is fixed to the US dollar at about 3.67 to 1, so it barely moves against you. Divide dirhams by roughly 3.7 for dollars: 100 dirhams is about 27 dollars, 500 dirhams about 136. $100 is almost exactly 367 dirhams.
Notes and coins
Notes run 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 dirhams, each a different color. Coins are 1 dirham, 50 fils and 25 fils, and in practice cash totals round to the nearest 25 fils, so you rarely handle small change.
One of the most cashless places on earth
Dubai is aiming for 90% cashless, and cards and phone wallets work in taxis, the metro, malls and restaurants alike. The souks and some small local spots are the main places you'll still reach for cash.
Only dirhams, really
A few hotels quote or accept US dollars, but at a poor rate. Everywhere else it's dirhams only, and neighboring Gulf currencies (Saudi riyal, Omani rial, and so on) are not accepted, so change them or use a card.
Real exchange rate
What your money is really worth here.
This is the mid-market rate, the one the banks trade at and the yardstick every other rate is measured against. Your card lands a little below it, and if a screen ever offers to bill you in dollars, that is worse again. So this is the number to expect, and how you spot a bad one.
1 US dollar is about 3.67 AED
Taxes and the VAT refund
A low 5% VAT you can partly reclaim, plus small hotel fees.
The UAE keeps taxes light. VAT is just 5% on most goods and services, and non-resident tourists can reclaim it on shopping (not on hotels, restaurants or anything consumed in the country) through the Planet tax-free system: spend at least 250 dirhams at a participating store, ask for a tax-free tag, and validate at a kiosk when you leave. You get back roughly 85 to 87% of the VAT after a small per-tag fee. On hotel bills, expect the 5% VAT plus a service charge (around 10%) and a municipality fee (around 7% in Dubai) already folded into the rate, along with a small per-night tourism fee (see the calculator above). Together these can add roughly 20 to 30% over a bare room rate, so read your quoted total carefully. There is no personal income tax and no departure tax to pay separately at the airport.
Before you book: passports, the six-month rule and whether you need a visa. Not a US citizen, or connecting through Europe? The rules can differ, and even a layover can need its own visa. See our passports and visas guide →
Watch out for
The small traps that catch first-timers.
Tipping
Appreciated, modest, and cash is best.
Tipping in the UAE is customary but not heavy, and staff often rely on it since base wages can be low. Restaurants frequently add a 10% service charge, but it doesn't always reach your server, so rounding up or leaving an extra 10 to 15% in cash for good service is normal. For everyday help, a few dirhams goes a long way: 5 to 10 dirhams for a valet, 10 to 15 dirhams a day for hotel housekeeping, a few dirhams per bag for a porter, and rounding up the fare for taxis. Cash tips (in dirhams) are preferred over adding to a card, since they go straight to the person. Nobody will chase you for a tip, and a small one is always well received.
Common questions
Quick answers.
Do I need cash in the UAE?
Not much. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are close to fully cashless, so cards and Apple Pay or Google Pay cover taxis, the metro, malls and restaurants. Keep around 200 to 500 dirhams for the souks (where cash helps you bargain), small local eateries and tips.
Is the UAE dirham tied to the US dollar?
Yes. The dirham has been pegged to the dollar at about 3.6725 to 1 since 1997, so the rate effectively never changes. A price in dirhams stays constant against your dollars for your whole trip, which makes budgeting easy: divide dirhams by roughly 3.7 for the dollar figure.
Should I pay in dollars or dirhams on my card in the UAE?
Always choose dirhams. If a terminal or ATM offers to charge you in US dollars (dynamic currency conversion), it adds a padded rate of 3 to 8%. Since the dirham is pegged to the dollar anyway, paying in dirhams and letting your own bank convert is always cheaper.
Where should I exchange money in the UAE?
Use the in-mall or in-metro exchange houses like Al Ansari, LuLu Exchange or UAE Exchange, which have tight rates. Avoid airport counters and hotel desks, which can be 4 to 6% worse. Don't buy dirhams before your trip either, as rates abroad are poor. If you're mostly on cards, you may not need to exchange at all.
Can tourists get the VAT back in the UAE?
Yes, on shopping. Non-residents can reclaim the 5% VAT on eligible goods bought from participating stores: spend at least 250 dirhams, ask for a tax-free tag, and validate at a Planet kiosk when you leave, getting back roughly 85 to 87% after a small fee. VAT on hotels, restaurants and anything you use in the country isn't refundable.
How much is Dubai's tourist tax?
Dubai charges a flat "Tourism Dirham" per room per night by hotel star rating: about 20 dirhams for 5-star, 15 for 4-star, 10 for 3-star and 7 for budget hotels or hotel apartments, capped at 30 nights. Abu Dhabi instead adds a 4% tourism fee on the room bill. These sit on top of the 5% VAT, service charge and municipality fee hotels include in the rate.
What it really costs
What you'll really spend in United Arab Emirates.
Your flights if you want them counted, your room, your on-the-ground spending, the two fees most US cards add without telling you, and United Arab Emirates's tourist tax. One number, nothing waiting on the statement. No bank to pick, no sign-up, nothing saved.
Optional. Enter your round trip fare per traveler to fold flights into the total.
In United Arab Emirates, plan for about $0.
Realistically somewhere between $0 and $0.
Whether at an ATM or a card terminal in a shop or restaurant, always choose to be charged in the local currency, not dollars. Paying in dollars (called dynamic currency conversion) lets the machine set its own, worse, exchange rate on top of any fee.
Rough guide, not a quote. The percentage here is a blended stand-in for a typical US card's foreign fee, not your exact rate. The real number moves with the card you carry: one no-foreign-fee card can cover both sides, while a plain rewards credit card only removes the fee on what you buy, and cash still costs a little unless that card also waives ATM and foreign-cash fees. A debit card, or accepting the "pay in dollars" (dynamic currency conversion) offer at a till or ATM, can push it higher. Rates checked Jun 2026 and rounded.
How this estimate is built
These are the assumptions behind the number. Change the room price, nights, travelers, or travel style above, and every line here moves with them.
- Hotel
- Daily spending
- Flights
- Cash vs card
- ATM withdrawals
- Foreign fee
- The range
- Tourist tax
Not sure which card to bring? See my pick for United Arab Emirates.
Already carry a card with no foreign transaction fee? Then you are set for United Arab Emirates, and can skip this. There is nothing to buy.
If you are getting a card for United Arab Emirates, this is the pairing I would pick: a no-foreign-fee credit card for spending, and a fee-free ATM debit card for cash. We earn nothing on these today. Always confirm the current fee with the issuer before you apply. Checked Jun 2026.
Capital One charges no foreign transaction fee on any of its cards.
No foreign transaction fee
Fee-free ATM cash worldwide
Want one account that holds and spends in the local currency? A different job from the three above, and the one I reach for abroad. It is free to open; you can create a virtual card in the app and add it to your phone wallet in minutes, without waiting for the physical card; and you can convert US dollars into the local currency inside the account before you travel, then spend from that balance. Wise uses the mid-market rate plus a small conversion fee (around 0.4% and up), with no flat foreign fee.
The three picks above pay us nothing, and their tags say so. Wise is the only option here that can earn us a commission, and its tag says that too. Paid or not, the pick is still the pick.
Travelers, not touristsA few words of Arabic go a long way
A few words of Arabic go a long way
Arabic is the language, written in a flowing script, and a warm Marhaba and a story or two mark you as a guest rather than a tourist. Hospitality runs deep in the Emirates.
Say a few words
Tip: A guest here is always welcomed with gahwa, lightly spiced Arabic coffee, and fresh dates, and it is polite to accept. Behind the modern towers lies a proud Bedouin heritage of the desert and the sea. A little Arabic, starting with Shukran for thank you, is always appreciated.
Know a story
Riches from the sea
Long before oil, the Gulf lived by the pearl. Every summer, divers sailed out on wooden dhows and plunged again and again to the seabed, holding their breath with a nose clip and a basket, to gather oysters by hand. It was hard and dangerous work, and for centuries pearls were the region's great treasure.
Good to know: pearling was the economy before oil
The sport of the desert
For thousands of years, the Bedouin of Arabia trained falcons to hunt across the desert, a partnership of great skill and trust between bird and handler. Once it helped put food on the table, and today it is a treasured national sport and a symbol of the country. A prized falcon is cherished like family.
Good to know: falconry is a national symbol of the Emirates
Life among the dunes
The Bedouin crossed the vast deserts of Arabia with their camels, the ships of the desert, moving between wells and grazing and gathering at night around the fire outside black goat-hair tents. Their code of courage, poetry and above all hospitality to any traveler still shapes the country today.
Say it: the ship of the desert is the camelEmiratis are proud of a nation that rose from the desert and the pearl beds to a global crossroads in a single lifetime, without ever letting go of its roots. They honor the camel, the falcon and the poem, and above all the age-old duty to welcome a guest. Accept the coffee and the dates, and you honor them back.
No links here, nothing to buy. This part is just to help you travel well.
Sources, and how this guide was checked
Last checkedJul 2026
Changed since last checkRe-checked July 2026, all confirmed current. VAT is 5%, and visitors can reclaim it on shopping through the Planet scheme, about 85% of the VAT back on a minimum spend of 250 dirhams. Dubai adds a Tourism Dirham per room per night by hotel star rating, and Abu Dhabi adds a 4% accommodation fee instead.
- Federal Tax Authoritythe 5% VAT and the tourist refund scheme operated with Planet
- UAE tourist-tax guideDubai's Tourism Dirham per room per night by star rating, and Abu Dhabi's 4% accommodation fee
Our own judgmentThe Tourism Dirham is set per room per night by star rating and capped at 30 nights, so the figure here is a typical nightly amount rather than one fixed rate. The dirham's peg to the US dollar is long standing. The daily cash share, tipping norms and likely ATM behavior are our own estimate from experience, not an official figure.
More money guides in the Middle East
If you are also weighing up nearby destinations, each guide covers cards, cash, ATMs and the fees to expect.
This is how United Arab Emirates stands today.
Money rules move. We can let you know for free if that changes.