How to book and pay for taxis in Dubai if your foreign card may not work?

From messages by 3 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 23 days ago

TL;DR

You can book a taxi in Dubai through Careem and select cash payment. Drivers usually have card terminals, but foreign cards may fail, so carry some UAE dirhams as backup.

What the community said

Besides Careem, Yandex Taxi and Bolt are mentioned as options for booking taxis in Dubai. Bolt may offer a discount on the first 3–5 rides for new users.

30 days ago Yandex Taxi and Bolt — discount on 3–5 rides

In Careem, select Cash as the payment method and pay the driver in UAE dirhams if you cannot add a card in the app.

Careem — Cash payment

Even when you select cash, drivers usually carry a physical payment terminal, so you can try paying by contactless card at the end of the ride.

Driver card terminal

Do not rely on a single foreign card: it may randomly fail in a taxi even if it worked elsewhere before. Keep cash in UAE dirhams as a backup for every ride.

Cash AED