In the UAE, should international travelers carry cash dirhams or can they usually pay by foreign bank card, and which currency is best to bring?

One traveler suggests flying with cash dirhams already exchanged, calling it the simplest and most convenient option, and notes that dollars get exchanged locally at around 3.64–3.66.

According to one traveler, the Rosselkhozbank UnionPay (up) card works in about 90% of cases, and some travelers pay with it exclusively without touching cash, though the poster still recommends keeping some cash as a backup.

Before paying, it’s best to check specifically whether a Rosselkhozbank card will be accepted, since travelers flag this as uncertain and keep cash AED as a backup.

It helps to locate a nearby currency exchange and ATM in advance, so you can quickly get cash or convert money into dirhams if needed.

From traveler experience, people commonly bring euros, US dollars, or UAE dirhams to the UAE, and all three are treated as usable options for local spending.

If your foreign bank card still works internationally, travelers also use it in the UAE; the discussion mentioned Rosselkhozbank as one example alongside other functioning banks.