Stopover programs
Emirates Stopover Program: Rules, Cost and How to Book
Emirates does not give a free Dubai stopover. It sells one as a paid hotel and experience booking, called Dubai Experience, which you can add when you book your flights, outbound or return. Emirates offers up to 10% off new flight bookings if you add at least two qualifying products first, but not on one-way tickets or on bookings made through a travel agent. Its free hotel service, Dubai Connect, is for long connections only.
Rules checked . Sources: Emirates, Book a Dubai Stopover, Dubai Experience terms, Dubai Connect. Rules change, so submit your trip via TripPlanner and we will check if your route qualifies before you book.
Updated
Page history (2)
Fact-check
Rules read on Emirates' own pages.
Dubai Experience terms: up to 10% off new flights, the exclusions, passengers only, booker 21 or older. (source)
Adding a stopover outbound or return. (source)
Dubai Connect: the page says 12 hours in the body and 24 hours in a footnote. (source)
Emirates' pages do not state a maximum stay.
Update
Page published.
Covers Dubai Experience packages and the separate free Dubai Connect service.
How the program works
You fly Emirates to Dubai and choose to stay. On Emirates' Dubai Experience planner you pick hotels, tours and activities, and add your flight, either a new booking or one you already have. Emirates says the hotels include breakfast, 24-hour check-in and check-out, and flexible cancellation, though the exact terms depend on the product. Emirates also says your boarding pass works as a discount card at hundreds of Dubai venues.
Dubai Experience is sold only to Emirates passengers. The person who books and pays must be at least 21.
Current rules and cost
| Item | What Emirates says |
|---|---|
| Free or paid | Paid hotel and experience products. Prices are per person and depend on the products you choose. |
| Longest stay | Emirates' stopover pages and terms do not state a maximum. Its sample packages run 2, 3 and 4 nights. |
| Flight discount | Up to 10% on new flight bookings, at Emirates' sole discretion. Taxes and surcharges are not discounted. |
| How to earn the discount | Add at least two qualifying Dubai Experience products to your cart before you select flights. |
| No discount if | The tour or attraction is marked Pay at the Venue or Free; the flight is booked through an Emirates contact centre or a travel agent; the flight is a one-way journey; the flights were already booked. |
| Adding a stopover | When you book your flights, outbound or return. Already booked? You can add your flights to your Dubai Experience itinerary. |
| Not included | Visas, meals, insurance and taxes, unless specified. |
Free or paid
- What Emirates says
- Paid hotel and experience products. Prices are per person and depend on the products you choose.
Longest stay
- What Emirates says
- Emirates' stopover pages and terms do not state a maximum. Its sample packages run 2, 3 and 4 nights.
Flight discount
- What Emirates says
- Up to 10% on new flight bookings, at Emirates' sole discretion. Taxes and surcharges are not discounted.
How to earn the discount
- What Emirates says
- Add at least two qualifying Dubai Experience products to your cart before you select flights.
No discount if
- What Emirates says
- The tour or attraction is marked Pay at the Venue or Free; the flight is booked through an Emirates contact centre or a travel agent; the flight is a one-way journey; the flights were already booked.
Adding a stopover
- What Emirates says
- When you book your flights, outbound or return. Already booked? You can add your flights to your Dubai Experience itinerary.
Not included
- What Emirates says
- Visas, meals, insurance and taxes, unless specified.
Dubai Connect is a different thing. If you have a long wait in Dubai because no better connection exists on your itinerary, Emirates may give you a complimentary hotel, transfers, applicable meals and a free 48-hour UAE visa where one is needed. You add it through Manage on emirates.com. Emirates' page says to add it at least 12 hours before your flight to Dubai, and a footnote on the same page says 24 hours before the inbound flight departs, so plan on the longer one. It is not a way to choose a holiday stopover.
How to book it with AirTreks
Emirates is not a member of Star Alliance or oneworld, so it is not part of an alliance round-the-world pass. Custom AirTreks routes can include Emirates flights.
- Dubai as one stop of several. We build the stop into your route and ticket it as one itinerary. The stop is on your ticket. The hotel is a separate purchase.
- The Emirates hotel and experiences. Emirates' flight discount excludes bookings made through travel agents, so a ticket we issue does not earn the up-to-10% discount. Emirates says you can add flights you have already booked to a Dubai Experience itinerary. It does not say outright whether that includes agent-issued tickets, so search your route in TripPlanner and we confirm it for your ticket.
- Multi-city and round-the-world tickets. Emirates' pages do not mention them either way.
When you are better off on your own: a simple Emirates return with Dubai as the one stop. Book on emirates.com and take the discount.
Past one stop, the picture changes. Emirates' planner builds a trip around Dubai. If Dubai is one of five stops across three airlines, you want one person pricing the whole ticket.
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming it is free. The hotel and experiences are paid products.
- Booking the flight first and expecting the discount. Emirates says the products go in the cart before you select flights, and the discount cannot be applied afterwards.
- Expecting the discount on a one-way or an agent booking. Both are excluded.
- Confusing Dubai Connect with a stopover. Dubai Connect is for long connections where no better option exists.
- Skipping the visa. The Dubai Experience price does not include visas. Check the rule for your passport with the official source.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Does Emirates offer a free stopover in Dubai?
Not as a holiday stopover. Emirates sells its Dubai stopover as a paid hotel and experience booking. Its free hotel service, Dubai Connect, covers long connections when no better connection exists. Checked October 21, 2026.
How do I book an Emirates stopover?
Add Dubai Experience products when you book your Emirates flights, on the outbound or the return. If you have already booked, add your flights to your Dubai Experience itinerary. Booking through a travel agent means no flight discount.
How much does an Emirates stopover cost?
Emirates does not publish one price. Prices are per person and depend on the hotel and activities you choose. You can get up to 10% off new flight bookings by adding at least two qualifying products before you pick flights.
How long can I stay on an Emirates stopover?
Emirates' stopover pages do not state a maximum. Its sample packages run 2, 3 and 4 nights. Ask when you price your route.
Can I get a free hotel with Emirates?
Through Dubai Connect, when you have a long connection and no better connection exists. It includes a hotel, transfers, applicable meals and a free 48-hour visa where needed. You add it through Manage ahead of your flight to Dubai.
Next step
Want Dubai as one stop of several?
Start in TripPlanner: put in your cities and dates to see what is available now and what it costs. See all the stopover programs, or read how to add a stopover to your ticket. Not sure Dubai is worth the days? BootsnAll, our sister brand, covers that side: The Stopover Secret.