Online travel booking in the UAE is booming, and MakeMyTrip stands out as a favorite for flight deals, hotel stays, and holiday packages. With the right hacks, UAE travelers can save big and enjoy premium services without overspending. From seasonal promotions to smart payment tricks, here’s your ultimate MakeMyTrip savings guide for 2025.

Time Your Booking Around UAE Festivals

UAE festival seasons are prime time for securing incredible travel deals on MakeMyTrip. During events like the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), Eid holidays, and Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), airlines and hotels roll out promotions specifically targeting UAE travelers. These discounts can be far deeper than off-season offers, especially when combined with coupon codes. By planning your trip dates to coincide with these festivals, you can enjoy high-end experiences without paying premium prices. It’s not just about flights — hotel packages, city tours, and even activities at your destination often come with significant markdowns during these times.

• Book during DSF & Eid sales to unlock exclusive discounts that are not available in regular seasons, giving you a chance to secure premium hotels or flight upgrades at much lower prices.
  
  
• Monitor MakeMyTrip’s seasonal promotions page to find deals that match UAE’s cultural calendar, ensuring you never miss a holiday-specific travel offer tailored for the region.
  
  
• Combine festival deals with bank card discounts so you’re saving in two ways — upfront on the base price and again through cashback or points.

Pro Tip: Compare prices at least 1–2 weeks before a festival begins. You’ll notice a clear drop as promotions kick in, helping you book at the lowest possible rate.

Use UAE Bank Credit Card & Cashback Offers

UAE banks frequently collaborate with MakeMyTrip to reward their cardholders with exclusive travel benefits. Whether you hold an Emirates NBD, ADCB, FAB, or Mashreq card, you can often get instant discounts or generous cashback on flights and hotels. These bank offers are usually tiered, meaning the bigger your booking amount, the larger your savings. Many cards also allow you to redeem loyalty points for bookings, making it even easier to cut costs. Some banks even run limited-time promotions tied to public holidays or peak booking seasons, which can stack with MakeMyTrip promo codes for maximum value.

• Emirates NBD credit cards can give up to 10% off instantly on your MakeMyTrip bookings, helping you save more without any extra steps or conditions.
  
  
• ADCB and FAB cards allow loyalty points redemption, letting you use accumulated rewards for significant discounts on both flights and hotels.
  
  
• Mashreq cardholders enjoy seasonal cashback promotions, returning a portion of your spend to your account, which you can use for future travel.

Pro Tip: Always check the "Bank Offers UAE" section on MakeMyTrip before payment, as these deals refresh monthly and can vary significantly in value.

Compare Prices with Flexible Date Searches

Public holidays in the UAE, such as Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha, and National Day, often lead to a surge in travel demand. As a result, airfares and hotel prices spike during these times. MakeMyTrip’s flexible date search tool allows you to view fare changes across days and months, helping you identify the most cost-effective dates. Even shifting your travel by a single day can result in noticeable savings. Flying midweek or avoiding the return rush after holidays can also make a big difference. The tool also highlights the cheapest times to travel to your chosen destination from UAE airports, allowing you to plan strategically.

• Shifting your departure by 1–2 days can save up to 25% because you’re avoiding peak-day surcharges that airlines typically charge UAE travelers.
  
  
• Flying midweek is often cheaper than weekends, as fewer leisure travelers depart on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, driving prices down.
  
  
• Avoid Sunday evening return flights from popular destinations, as these are heavily booked by UAE residents returning from short trips, which drives up prices.

Pro Tip: Start tracking fares at least 6–8 weeks before your planned trip to lock in the best combination of price and convenience.

Stack Coupons, Loyalty Points & Cashbacks

One of the most powerful savings strategies for UAE travelers is combining multiple discount sources in one MakeMyTrip booking. The platform allows you to use a coupon code, redeem loyalty points, and pay with a cashback-enabled credit card all in a single transaction. This “triple stack” approach can drastically reduce your total cost, especially for premium bookings. UAE travelers also benefit from SavePlus UAE’s exclusive codes, which are often higher in value than publicly available ones. When paired with MakeMyTrip’s own MyCash rewards and bank offers, you’re optimizing every possible angle of savings.

• Apply SavePlus UAE exclusive promo codes for instant savings, ensuring you’re already getting a lower base rate before adding other discounts.
  
  
• Redeem your MyCash balance on eligible bookings, which directly reduces the payable amount without affecting other discounts.
  
  
• Pay with a cashback credit card from a UAE bank to earn additional rewards that can be used for future purchases or bill payments.

Pro Tip: Use high-value coupon codes on expensive bookings, like international flights or luxury hotels, to maximize the dirham value of your savings.

Grab Early-Bird Hotel Deals in the UAE

Booking your hotel well in advance is one of the simplest ways to save on MakeMyTrip UAE, especially for high-demand locations like Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, and Yas Island. Many premium hotels open early booking windows 2–4 months before peak season, offering lower rates and additional perks to secure reservations. These can include free breakfast, spa discounts, or complimentary upgrades. UAE travelers who book early also avoid the stress of last-minute price hikes during popular events and holidays. By locking in your accommodation early, you guarantee both availability and value.

• Book 2–3 months ahead of peak tourist season to secure lower rates, particularly for premium hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
  
  
• Look for flexible booking policies that allow free cancellation, giving you the option to adjust if you find a better deal later.
  
  
• Enjoy early-bird perks like free meals or room upgrades, which are often included in advance booking promotions.

Pro Tip: Use early booking for hotels hosting major events like Expo City exhibitions or Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as rates soar closer to the date.

Watch for Midnight Flash Sales

Midnight in the UAE isn’t just for night owls — it’s also the time MakeMyTrip launches some of its most aggressive flash sales. These limited-time offers can slash hotel prices, flight fares, and package rates by 30–60%, but they usually disappear within hours. The best part? These sales often align with UAE holidays, meaning you can grab prime travel dates at a fraction of the normal cost. Preparing your payment details and knowing exactly what you want to book can give you the edge when these deals drop.

• Check MakeMyTrip at 12:00 AM GST during key UAE sale periods to grab flash deals before they’re gone.
  
  
• Look for “Midnight Sale” banners on the homepage to quickly spot active promotions without wasting time searching.
  
  
• Sign up for push notifications from the MakeMyTrip UAE app so you know exactly when a flash sale goes live.

Pro Tip: Create a wishlist of hotels and flights in advance so you can check their prices instantly when a flash sale starts.

Take Advantage of Group & Family Packages

Traveling as a group or family from the UAE can be significantly cheaper when booked as a package through MakeMyTrip. Many hotels and airlines offer special rates for bulk bookings, reducing the per-person cost. These packages often include perks like free airport transfers, kids-stay-free policies, and discounted sightseeing tours. By consolidating multiple reservations into one, you can negotiate better prices and secure add-ons that aren’t available for individual bookings. This is particularly useful for large UAE family trips to destinations like Turkey, Georgia, or Sri Lanka.

• Enjoy bulk booking discounts that reduce the per-person cost of flights and hotels, especially for groups of four or more.
  
  
• Benefit from free or discounted airport transfers, which are often included in family travel packages from the UAE.
  
  
• Get “Kids Stay Free” offers at family-friendly hotels, allowing parents to save on extra room charges.

Pro Tip: Call MakeMyTrip UAE’s customer service to request a custom group rate — they can often beat the listed online price.

Check Seasonal Hotel & Resort Deals

The UAE travel market is seasonal, with certain destinations becoming cheaper at different times of the year. MakeMyTrip frequently runs resort promotions in the summer for places like the Maldives or Seychelles, when demand dips. Conversely, during cooler months, you might find better deals for nearby city breaks in the GCC. Booking during a destination’s off-season often means quieter hotels, more attentive service, and lower rates. UAE travelers who align their trips with these seasonal offers can enjoy luxury stays for much less.

• Watch for “Summer Specials” in tropical destinations, offering up to 50% off luxury resorts when UAE travel demand is lower.
  
  
• Travel in shoulder seasons to enjoy the perfect mix of good weather, fewer crowds, and discounted rates.
  
  
• Book bundled hotel + flight packages for destinations like Georgia or Azerbaijan to get lower combined prices.

Pro Tip: Subscribe to MakeMyTrip UAE’s seasonal deals newsletter so you’re the first to know about regional resort promotions.

Use Local Currency Payment to Avoid Fees

Paying in AED when booking on MakeMyTrip UAE is more than just convenient — it’s a cost-saving strategy. When you pay in a foreign currency, your bank may apply conversion fees and unfavorable exchange rates, increasing your total spend. MakeMyTrip’s UAE platform allows you to settle transactions in dirhams, avoiding these extra charges. Using a UAE-based credit card also means you can take advantage of local travel rewards programs without paying extra for the privilege.

• Select AED as your payment currency at checkout to avoid costly currency conversion fees from your bank.
  
  
• Use UAE-issued cards to get favorable local exchange rates and earn bank-specific rewards.
  
  
• Check if your card offers “No FX Fee” benefits to further minimize unnecessary charges.

Pro Tip: Always compare the AED price to the foreign currency equivalent on MakeMyTrip — sometimes exchange rate fluctuations can make a big difference.

Track Price Drops with Alerts

MakeMyTrip’s price alert feature is an underrated gem for UAE travelers. By setting up alerts for specific routes or hotels, you can monitor fare changes in real-time. This is particularly useful for popular UAE outbound routes like Dubai–Bangkok, Abu Dhabi–Istanbul, or Sharjah–Baku. Alerts let you act quickly when a deal appears, preventing you from overpaying or missing a sudden discount. The best part is that these alerts can be tailored to both flights and accommodation, giving you a full picture of your travel costs.

• Set alerts for your preferred destinations so you get notified the moment fares drop.
  
  
• Enable both email and app notifications to ensure you don’t miss a price change while you’re offline.
  
  
• Book quickly when you see a price drop, as these discounts often last only a few hours.

Pro Tip: Set alerts for multiple nearby airports in the UAE, as fares can vary greatly between Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

Redeem Rewards & Partner Loyalty Programs

Many UAE residents accumulate points or miles through bank cards, airlines, and hotel programs without realizing they can redeem them directly on MakeMyTrip. This can significantly cut down your out-of-pocket expenses for travel. Popular UAE-based programs like Emirates Skywards and ADCB TouchPoints can be linked to MakeMyTrip for partial or full payment. By combining these points with other MakeMyTrip discounts, you can unlock high-value bookings for little to no cash spend.

• Use Emirates Skywards Miles for partial payment on flights booked via MakeMyTrip UAE, reducing your cash cost.
  
  
• Redeem hotel loyalty points from chains like Marriott or Hilton to lower your accommodation bill.
  
  
• Leverage bank rewards programs like ADCB TouchPoints to pay for travel without dipping into your savings.

Pro Tip: Always calculate the cash value of your points before redeeming — sometimes saving them for future high-value bookings offers better returns.

Conclusion

Saving on MakeMyTrip in the UAE is all about timing, planning, and using the right offers. Whether it’s festival season discounts, loyalty rewards, or smart payment methods, every booking can be a budget-friendly win. By applying these strategies, UAE travelers can enjoy premium experiences without paying premium prices, making every journey more affordable and memorable.

For more money-saving hacks and the latest discount codes, visit our MakeMyTrip UAE coupons & special offers page. Start saving and shopping smarter today!

FAQ

Does MakeMyTrip offer UAE-specific discounts?
Yes, MakeMyTrip provides UAE-focused offers, especially during events like Dubai Shopping Festival and Eid promotions.

Can I pay in AED on MakeMyTrip?
Yes, you can choose AED as the payment currency, and use UAE-based credit or debit cards for convenience.

Does MakeMyTrip have a loyalty program?
Yes, MakeMyTrip has a rewards program where you earn points on bookings, redeemable for discounts on future travel.

Are there student discounts available on MakeMyTrip UAE?
While student-specific discounts are rare, promotional codes during sales can still help students save.

Can I cancel or reschedule bookings on MakeMyTrip?
Yes, depending on the fare and hotel policy, you can cancel or modify bookings, sometimes with zero fees during promotions.