For visitors from countries whose cards do not work abroad, the main difficulty of renting a car in Dubai is not the licence or the traffic rules but payment. Cards issued by Russian banks have not worked internationally since 2022, and rental companies are used to card deposits, often refusing to hand over a car without one. Here are the working options for 2026, from cards to transfers.
Which cards work
Do not work: Visa and Mastercard issued by Russian banks, and Mir cards are not accepted anywhere in the UAE, neither in terminals nor at ATMs.
Work sometimes: UnionPay cards from Russian banks. They usually go through in large malls, chain stores and hotels, but only intermittently at small businesses, petrol stations and parking machines. Issuing banks change conditions without notice, so a card that worked on your last trip may fail now. UnionPay cannot be relied on as your only payment method.
Work reliably: cards from banks in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the UAE and any country outside Russia. If you hold one, payment is a solved problem including parking and fuel.
Cash
The simplest and most reliable option. Any amount may be brought into the UAE, with a declaration required from AED 60,000 or equivalent. Russia limits undeclared cash export to the equivalent of USD 10,000 per person, with a declaration needed above that.
Bring dollars or euros in new, large-denomination notes: exchange houses give worse rates for dollars printed before 2009 or refuse them, and the same goes for worn or torn notes. Roubles can be exchanged in Dubai but at a poor rate, losing 5 to 8 percent.
Where to exchange: Al Ansari Exchange, Al Fardan Exchange and UAE Exchange branches in malls beat airport rates by about 2 to 3 percent. Change only a small amount at the airport for the taxi and the first day. Rates across city exchange houses are broadly identical, so haggling is pointless.
Bank transfer
We accept payment by transfer in roubles to a Russian account at the day's rate, and by transfer in dirhams to a UAE account. This suits advance booking: you lock in the car and the price without a working card and simply collect the keys on arrival. Crypto exchange houses, of which Dubai has many operating legally, also work for dirham transfers, but that is at your own discretion and risk.
The rate for rouble payments is the central bank rate on the payment date plus 2 percent. It is transparent and stated on the invoice.
The deposit: the critical question
Most companies block a deposit of AED 1,000 to 5,000 on a credit card. Without a foreign card they simply will not release the car, or they ask for a cash deposit refunded by transfer two to four weeks after return. For a visitor without a card this is either an insurmountable obstacle or money frozen for the whole holiday and beyond.
We take no deposit at all, in any form: no card block and no cash security. For visitors from countries with payment restrictions this removes the central problem: you pay for the rental by whatever method works and nothing is blocked. This is our standing policy, not a promotion.
The dirham exchange rate
The dirham is firmly pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 AED and has not moved in over twenty-five years. That is convenient: convert through the dollar and the rate stays predictable for your whole trip. Our website prices are in dirhams because that is the local currency and all your on-the-ground costs are in it too.
What else you need money for
- Fuel: card or cash at the station. An attendant comes to the car; you state an amount or say full tank. A full tank in an economy car is about AED 150.
- Salik: charged automatically to the car; you settle with us at return as incurred.
- Parking: through the Parkin app, which needs a working card, or by SMS from a local SIM, where the amount is deducted from your phone balance. The second option solves the problem entirely without a card.
- Fines: we pay them and you reimburse in cash at return or by transfer.
- Food, taxis, entry tickets: cash is accepted everywhere except some online services.
A local SIM card
Bought at the airport immediately on arrival with cash; you need your passport. A du or Etisalat tourist package with data and a local number costs AED 50 to 100 for a week or a month. It solves three problems: data for navigation, SMS parking payments without a card, and a local number for contacting us and hotels. We strongly recommend getting one in your first hour.
The optimal approach
- Book and pay for the rental by transfer before departure.
- Bring cash dollars and exchange them in the city rather than the airport.
- Buy a local SIM at the airport with cash.
- Pay for parking by SMS from the local number.
- Pay for fuel in cash at the station.
This way you do not depend on whether a card works in a particular terminal, and you never risk losing the car over a deposit.
Exchange houses in Dubai: where and how
Currency exchange in the UAE is entirely legal and happens at specialist chains rather than banks, where rates are worse. The main networks are Al Ansari Exchange, Al Fardan Exchange, UAE Exchange, Lulu Exchange and Sharaf Exchange, with branches in every mall and on every major street.
Rates: vary between chains by 0.5 to 1 percent. Haggling is not possible, though on large amounts from USD 5,000 they sometimes offer a slightly better rate, so ask.
What you need: a passport for amounts over AED 2,000, and sometimes for less.
Commission: usually none, with the exchange house's margin built into the rate.
Where not to exchange: the airport is 3 to 5 percent worse and hotels worse still. Change USD 200 to 300 at the airport for immediate costs and the rest in the city.
What to bring: US dollars get the best rate, euros slightly less, and pounds and Swiss francs are accepted. Not every exchange house takes roubles, and rates for them are poor.
Cryptocurrency in the UAE
The UAE is one of few countries with fully regulated cryptocurrency. Dubai has the VARA regulator, licensed exchanges and physical exchange offices where crypto can be converted to cash dirhams.
For a visitor this sometimes solves the transfer problem: offices in Business Bay and DIFC operate officially with contracts and receipts. Rates are usually 1 to 2 percent below market. A passport and proof of source of funds are required for larger sums.
We accept payment by dirham transfer to a UAE account, and how you obtained those dirhams is not our concern. To be clear: we do not advise on cryptocurrency and do not accept payment in it directly.
A step-by-step payment plan
- A week before travelling: contact us, choose the car and dates, receive an invoice.
- Pay by transfer in your home currency where we support it, or in dirhams. The car is reserved and the price locked.
- Prepare cash: dollars in new notes, budgeting AED 150 to 250 a day for running costs plus a reserve.
- At the airport: buy a du or Etisalat SIM with cash and change USD 200 to 300 for immediate expenses.
- Collect the car at the terminal exit, with no deposit required.
- In the city: exchange the main amount at Al Ansari or Al Fardan in a mall.
- Parking: by SMS from the local number, deducted from your phone balance.
- Fuel: cash at the station.
- On return: settle Salik and any fines in cash as incurred.
This approach removes any dependence on whether a card works and on deposit requirements entirely.
