Soon, even wallets would be obsolete — with nearly everything now accessible via smartphones in the UAE. Why keep a collection of plastic cards in your back pocket when you can have a digital wallet for all the IDs and passes you might need?
Imagine being asked for your Emirates ID, and not having to look for your card holder that somehow got lost inside your bag. Save it on your phone — and you can pull it up just by pressing a button.
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Depending on the phone you use and the cards you need every day, it is certainly possible to go wallet-free in the UAE.
Some passes and IDs are available only to iPhone users, while others can be saved only on Samsung and other Android phones.
Here’s a guide to seven things UAE residents can save in their smartphone’s wallets:
Emirates ID
Whether you’re sending money home or going to the hospital for a check-up, you need to provide a copy of your Emirates ID. It is required in many — if not all — government transactions, too.
Emirates ID is certainly on every resident’s never-forget list, and to have it in your phone, just a couple of clicks and swipes away, would be a convenient hack.
If you’re using an iPhone, here’s how to add your Emirates ID in your Apple wallet:
- Download the UAE ICP app.
- Log in with your UAE Pass.
- On the app’s main dashboard, you’ll find “Emirates ID” under the Favourites. Alternatively, tap on the “Cards” button at the bottom of the dashboard.
- You will be able to view a digital version of your Emirates ID. Click on the ID and you’ll find two buttons: “View QR Code” and “Add to Apple Wallet”.
- Tap on “Add to Apple Wallet”.
This feature is yet to be available on Samsung and other Android phones. For these smartphones, only “View QR Code” appears on top of the Emirates ID’s digital version.
Driver’s licence
If you’re driving in Dubai, your licence is something you shouldn’t leave home without.
Motorists who have been involved in traffic accidents would know that once a police officer arrives at the scene, the first thing he would ask for are drivers’ licences. Having a digital version of it could help.
Those using an iPhone or a Samsung unit could save their licence in their wallets — however, the RTA app has to be downloaded first.
- Open the RTA app.
- Tap on the ‘My docs’ button.
- Select ‘Licence’ from the tabs on top.
- Your driver’s licence would then appear. Under the card, you’d find a button that says “Add to wallet”.
For those who hold licences issued in other emirates, the process of adding the ID into a phone wallet is yet to be introduced.
Vehicle licence
Car owners in Dubai could also save their vehicle licence in their digital wallets by following the same process on the RTA app. Users just have to choose licence under the ‘Vehicles’ tab and tap on the ‘Add to wallet’ option.
The e-wallet version of the vehicle licence shows all necessary details: the expiry date, traffic file number, chassis number, and car model.
Nol card
For those who commute around Dubai via Metro and buses, it would be the dream to get a digital version of the Nol card and keep it in phone wallets. While this feature is available, only a limited number of phones support it at the moment.
Huawei users are lucky, but there are certain conditions that must be met, according to its official website:
- The Huawei phone should have been purchased from an official channel.
- The Wallet app should be in version 9.0.11.324 or later.
- The phone model should supports virtual nol cards.
- The user should have logged into the Wallet app using a UAE-registered Huawei ID.
- The location in the settings of the AppGallery app should be set to UAE.
There are two ways to save the digital card in the wallet:
- Open the wallet and tap the ‘plus’ button next to transportation cards.
- Select the transportation card you want to add.
- Choose ‘add a new digital card’.
- Select a top-up amount and pay the fee.
Here’s another way:
- Open the wallet and tap the ‘plus’ button next to transportation cards.
- Select the transportation card you want to add.
- Choose ‘Digitalise an existing physical card’ and follow the instructions to sync the data from the physical card.
- Tap ‘Continue’ and wait for a few minutes for the card to be digitised.
Samsung users can also get a digital Nol card but only by downloading the Nol Pay app. (Click here for a guide.)
Movie tickets
Gone are the days when you have to run to the cinema counter 10 minutes before showtime and pray that there’s no queue. In the UAE, you can easily book movie tickets online.
What’s more? Depending on the movie house you’re going to, you could easily save the ticket in your phone wallet so that upon entry, you won’t have to scour through your e-mail to get the pass.
Vox Cinemas, for example, supports this feature. If you’re the sentimental kind, your wallet could also serve as a memory bank of all the movies you’ve watched on the big screen — with all the e-tickets showing up in one place.
Boarding passes
Since online check-in is recommended to skip airport queues, keeping digital boarding passes are also the way to go. And what better way to save it than downloading it in your phone wallet?
The UAE’s top carriers, Emirates and Etihad, allow passengers to add their boarding passes in their e-wallets — but one will have to check if their device supports it.
Etihad confirms on its website that those using Apple and Google wallets can easily download and save the pass.
Emirates says that those using iPhones on iOS6 or later versions could check in through its mobile app and store the pass in Apple wallet. Just choose ‘Save to device’ on the app.
Credit and debit cards
Phone wallets were created mainly for bank cards so if you have a debit or credit card in the UAE, you can easily save it in your phone — and access it even without an Internet connection.
Open your digital wallet app (Apple, Samsung or Google) and tap the ‘plus’ or ‘add’ button to save your card. You have to keep the physical card handy as you’ll have to input all the details.