United Arab Emirates Currency and Money Guide

The short version

The currency is the UAE dirham, and it is pegged to the US dollar at a fixed rate. There is nothing to time and no advantage in waiting for a better day. Cards are accepted almost everywhere a visitor goes and contactless is normal.

Cash, and how little you need

Very little. Keep a modest amount of dirhams for a souq stall, a small café, a taxi that prefers it, or a tip. Everything else takes a card, including most taxis and all the metro.

Prices are not one thing

This is the part that surprises people. The gap between a hotel brunch in Dubai Marina and lunch in a working neighbourhood of Sharjah or Ajman is enormous, and both are the UAE. Alcohol in particular is expensive where it is served at all, and in Sharjah it is not served: drinking or possessing it there is illegal. Budgeting from a Dubai average will mislead you in both directions.

Tipping

Welcomed, not obligatory, and often already added as a service charge. A round-up for a taxi and something for a driver or guide who has looked after you well is the normal pattern.

Haggling

Expected in the souqs, unwelcome in shops and malls. In the gold and spice markets it is done pleasantly and slowly and is part of the transaction rather than a confrontation.

Verify Before You Travel

The entry and customs rules are on the FCDO entry requirements page. Next: visa and entry requirements and the food guide.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UAE entry requirements: the visitor visa issued free of charge on arrival, six months of passport validity, the medication approval rules and the penalties for working on a visit visa. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: United Arab Emirates travel advice: the FCDO issues no advisory against travel to any part of the UAE. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UAE safety and security: the Sharjah alcohol ban, the zero-tolerance drugs position, dress codes and the law on same-sex relations. Accessed 15 September 2026.