United Arab Emirates / Money rules

UAE money rules

Eight things worth remembering while you are there, each linking to the fuller explanation.

Open it, then press and hold to keep it in your photos. Works with no signal.

1. 1The dirham does not move against the dollarThe peg has held for decades and will not shift while you are there. That also means a terminal offering to bill you in dollars is offering you nothing, and accepting it costs 3 to 8 percent for a conversion you never needed.Paying by card in the UAE
2. 2Never change money at the airport or your hotelThose two desks run the worst rates on offer anywhere in the country. The exchange houses inside the malls are where locals go, and if you are paying by card for most things you may never need one at all.Where to change money
3. 3Tap for everything, keep a little cash for the soukCabs, the metro, malls and restaurants all take a card or a phone without a second thought. What still wants notes is the souk, the small local place, and anything you hand to a person as thanks.How much cash to carry
4. 4The room rate is not the room billTax is genuinely light here, but a municipality fee, a service charge and a nightly city charge all stack on top, commonly a fifth to a third above the figure you were quoted. Ask what the all-in nightly total is before you book.What a hotel bill adds
5. 5No visa to arrange, but read what gets stamped inIt is issued free on arrival at any UAE airport and covers all seven emirates, so anyone selling you one in advance is selling you nothing. The length written into the stamp is the part that varies, so look at it rather than trusting a figure you read online.What the stamp gives you
6. 6The service charge may never reach your serverRestaurants add one routinely and it is not the same thing as a tip here. If the service was good, a little cash into a hand is the part you can actually be sure about.Service charges, and tipping
7. 7A few dirhams goes a long way, and cash is the formValet, porter, housekeeping: small notes given directly are the norm rather than a percentage of anything. Keep some back for the purpose, because a tip added to a card disappears into the till.What to tip, and to whom
8. 8Dubai cabs run one formula, so there is nothing to haggle overEvery licensed taxi is metered to the same regulated rate, a minimum fare means a very short hop costs the same as a slightly longer one, and road tolls land on the meter as you pass a gate. Cards work in the car, and the apps cost more than a street hail.Taxis, apps and tolls

These are the rules that do not really change, which is why they are worth carrying. Exact fees, rates and prices do move, so check the United Arab Emirates guide for anything current before you rely on a number.

truetripcosts.com/uae/rules