The United Arab Emirates is a country of contrasts in both its culture and landscape. The sprawling sand dunes give way to the colossal metropolises of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where you’ll discover a wealth of things to spend your dirhams on!
Soft drink in a restaurant
2 AED 
10km taxi ride to see the sharks at Dubai Mall
18.5 AED
Paintballing at Zayed City
180 AED
Entrance to Burj Khalifa in the afternoon
200 AED
Buggy ride for two across the sand dunes
695 AED
The United Arab Emirates dirham began circulation in 1973 and gets its name from the word ‘Drachmae’, which translates from Greek to English as ‘handful’.
Expect to pay premium prices for most things in the United Arab Emirates, especially in restaurants and hotel bars. Tipping between 10-15% is the norm, but only if the service is good!
In the many souks around the UAE (especially Dubai), the expectation is that you will haggle with the sellers. A typical achievable discount is 50%!
Dirham notes come in seven different denominations; 5 (brown), 10 (green), 20 (light blue), 50 (purple), 100 (pink), 200 (green and brown), 500 (dark blue) and 1,000 (turquoise) as well as a number of coins. Try to keep plenty of smaller denomination notes as well as coins, as it can be tricky to get change from 500 and 1,000 dirham notes.
Find out more about the Dirham and its performance against the British pound here.
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Another great option for your holiday is our Travelex Money Card. A pre-paid card that works exactly like your debit or credit card, take the stress out of carrying cash by loading all of your travel money onto your card before you leave. And if you underestimate how much you need, it’s super easy to top up your card online.
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