Should I bring US dollars or UAE dirhams to Dubai, and where is the best place to exchange cash?

According to one report, an RSHB UnionPay card works well for payments in the UAE; with a yuan-denominated account, it was described as considerably cheaper than buying US dollars and then exchanging them for dirhams. Another traveler also found the RSHB card rate acceptable, though slightly less favorable than holding cash dirhams.

On September 8, one traveler described arriving with dirhams primarily as convenient and suggested a small saving for a very large amount. They provided no rates or calculation, so this opinion does not establish that buying dirhams before travel is always cheaper.

An August 11 message described dollars as convenient for some tour-agency payments, while noting that it depends on the seller; dirhams were also an option.

On August 6, a traveler mentioned airport exchange, Al Ansari branches in malls and exchange counters at LuLu supermarkets, describing hotel exchange as more expensive. No rates were provided, so the cost of these options cannot be compared from this message.

A separate August 1 opinion favored exchanging dollars outside airports and hotels. It also described paying in dollars and receiving dirham change, without naming businesses. Views on airport exchange differ; these messages do not identify a reliably cheapest exchange counter.