If you’re headed to the United Arab Emirates this summer and you’re flying with Emirates, be sure to hang on to your boarding pass. It could save you some serious cash.
Your boarding pass makes you eligible for Emirates’ My Emirates Pass promotion, which allows travelers visiting the region to unlock hundreds of discounts (totaling up to 50%) by presenting their boarding pass upon entry.
You can peruse a full list of the current offers on Emirates’ website.
Here’s a sample of some of the offers currently available.
Dubai Opera
Add a little of the arts to your stay by visiting Dubai Opera, where varied performances ranging from the ballet “Sleeping Beauty” to shows by modern artists like singer-songwriter Tom Odell take place.
If you plan to see a show while you’re in Dubai and would like to get the most out of the venue, you can save 20% on backstage tours, bringing the usual ticket prices down to a mere 137 dirham (about $37.31).
Motiongate Dubai
An innovative Dubai theme park that focuses on storytelling and high-octane thrills, Motiongate Dubai is a joint venture from three of Hollywood’s largest motion picture studios: DreamWorks Animation, Columbia Pictures and Lionsgate.
Operating across five different zones, the park features rides and attractions inspired by hit movies such as “Shrek,” “John Wick,” “The Flintstones” and the “Now You See Me” franchises, among others.
Using My Emirates Pass will get you a 30% discount on single-park admission prices, bringing the cost down to $62.30.
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Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo
If crystalline waters and up-close encounters with wildlife are more your bag, the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo should keep you very happy. Its huge 2.6 million-gallon main tank is one of the world’s largest suspended aquariums and allows visitors to walk through to see more than 140 species. The more adventurous can even dive with the world’s largest collection of sand tiger sharks.
Present your boarding pass at the Dubai Aquarium for a 25% discount on any package.
Legoland Dubai and Legoland Water Park
If you’re bringing the kids along for your UAE adventure — or if you’re just a Lego buff — Legoland Dubai and Legoland Water Park are must-see attractions.
Must-dos include the Factory, where you can see how Lego blocks are made, plus Lego City and Kingdoms, where you can ride The Dragon roller coaster. Legoland Water Park is entirely themed around everyone’s favorite colorful little bricks. Both are perfect for kids ages 2 to 12.
With your Emirates boarding pass, you can expect to save 30% off single-day passes to either of the two parks.
The fine print
Using your My Emirates Pass is pretty easy, but there are some things to keep in mind.
- The discount will only work for the person named on the boarding pass and will not apply to anyone else in the group. Thankfully, if you traveled to the UAE with a group, everyone should in theory have a boarding pass.
- You can use your boarding pass for discounts as often as you want while in the UAE. For example, if you want to visit Motiongate or Legoland more than once, you can take advantage of the discounts each time you visit.
- The program runs from May 1 through Sept. 30, 2023. You can use any Emirates boarding pass issued for a flight during that period to unlock your discounts throughout the summer.
- To use the discount, you must present your paper or electronic boarding pass along with a photo ID that matches the name on the boarding pass, meaning you’ll need to bring some identification with you.
- Sifting through the many discounts on offer is relatively straightforward. You can easily filter your searches by the type of attractions you wish to visit or the area, be it Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah.
Additional reporting by J. Scott Clark.
