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Getting paid in the GCC

Gulf shoppers are ready to pay you by card, Apple Pay and local debit. Start with how they pay, then set up the right methods, gateway and checkout for each country.

26 guides
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Payments · Getting started

Payment Methods in the GCC: How Gulf Shoppers Pay

Gulf shoppers pay mostly by card and Apple Pay, often on a national debit card like mada or KNET. Offer Apple Pay, local debit, Visa/Mastercard, Tabby or Tamara and controlled cash on delivery, through a gateway that fits where your company is registered.

13 min read
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Payments · BNPL

Buy now, pay later

Gulf shoppers love splitting a purchase into instalments, and BNPL can lift your order values. Compare Tabby and Tamara, then set up the one that fits.

5 guides

Payments by country

See how shoppers pay in each Gulf market, and which local network you need there.

Payments · Saudi Arabia

Payment Methods & Gateways in Saudi Arabia: What to Offer at Checkout

Saudi shoppers pay mostly with mada debit cards, usually through Apple Pay. Offer mada, Apple Pay, Visa/Mastercard, one BNPL option and controlled COD, through a SAMA-licensed gateway that processes mada locally.

14 min read
Payments · UAE

Payments in the UAE: How Emirati Shoppers Pay Online

UAE shoppers pay mostly with Apple Pay and cards. Offer Apple Pay, Visa/Mastercard, one BNPL option and cash on delivery as a fallback, through a gateway that onboards your UAE licence, and budget about 3–5% per order all-in.

11 min read
Payments · Kuwait

Payment Methods in Kuwait: KNET, WAMD, Apple Pay & Gateways

Kuwaiti shoppers pay mostly with KNET debit cards, which carry about 75–80% of online payments. Put KNET first, then Apple Pay, Visa/Mastercard, Tabby or Tamara and confirmed COD, through a Kuwaiti gateway, with prices in KWD to three decimals.

11 min read
Payments · Qatar

Payment Methods in Qatar: NAPS, QPAY, Himyan & Gateways

Shoppers in Qatar pay online with Visa and Mastercard, Apple Pay and local NAPS debit cards, including the new Himyan card. Offer all three through a gateway that connects to QPAY, price in QAR and keep COD for new customers.

12 min read
Payments · Bahrain

Payment Methods in Bahrain: BenefitPay, Benefit Debit & Gateways

Bahraini shoppers pay with Benefit debit cards, the BenefitPay app, Visa and Mastercard, and Apple Pay. Offer all four through a gateway connected to BENEFIT, add Tamara for instalments, keep confirmed COD for new customers and price in BHD with three decimals and 10% VAT included.

12 min read
Payments · Oman

Payment Methods in Oman: OmanNet, Maal, Wallets & Gateways

Shoppers in Oman pay online with OmanNet debit cards (including the new Maal card), Visa and Mastercard, and Apple Pay, and many still choose cash on delivery. Offer all four through a gateway that connects to OmanNet, and price in OMR to three decimals.

12 min read
Payments · Kuwait

How to Accept KNET Payments Online: Gateways, Fees & Setup

To accept KNET online, you open a merchant account with a CBK-licensed gateway such as MyFatoorah, Tap, UPayments or Hesabe, using a Kuwaiti commercial licence and a Kuwaiti bank account. The gateway connects KNET to your store, and payouts land in your account in Kuwaiti dinars.

8 min read

Payment methods

Switch on mada, Apple Pay and STC Pay, even if your company isn't Saudi.

Payments · Saudi Arabia

Apple Pay in Saudi Arabia: How Stores Accept It and What It Costs

Apple Pay has been live in Saudi Arabia since 19 February 2019, and most shoppers use it with a mada card inside. Apple charges stores nothing; your gateway bills each payment, usually at the rate of the card inside. Turn it on through your gateway, verify your domain and test on a real iPhone.

11 min read
Payments · Saudi Arabia

How to Accept mada on Shopify in Saudi Arabia

Shopify has no built-in mada, because Shopify Payments isn't available in Saudi Arabia. You add mada through a Saudi gateway with a Shopify app, such as Tap, HyperPay, Amazon Payment Services, Geidea or ClickPay, using a Saudi CR or freelance licence and a Saudi bank account.

9 min read
Payments · Saudi Arabia

How to Accept STC Pay on Shopify (and on Salla or Zid)

Shopify has no built-in STC Pay. You add it through a Saudi gateway that supports it, such as Amazon Payment Services (0.9% + SAR 500 setup), Telr (0.9%) or the PayTabs plugin. On Salla and Zid, STC Pay is already built into the platform's own payments.

9 min read
Payments · Saudi Arabia

Can a Foreign Company Accept mada Payments in Saudi Arabia?

Not domestically. SAMA requires mada to run through the Saudi system only for stores based in the Kingdom, so domestic mada needs a Saudi company, a Saudi bank account and a local gateway. A foreign company can still charge most mada cards as Visa or Mastercard, or sell through a marketplace, merchant of record or Saudi partner that collects mada for it.

7 min read

Cash on delivery

Keep COD for the buyers who want it, without the refused parcels.

Payments · Cash on delivery

Cash on Delivery in the GCC: Costs, Refusals and How to Cut Them

Cash on delivery is shrinking in the Gulf, but new online brands still need it to win first-time buyers. It costs more than the courier fee suggests, because refused parcels burn shipping and ad spend. Confirm every COD order before dispatch, then nudge buyers to cards, wallets and BNPL.

10 min read
Payments · Cash on delivery

How to Reduce Fake COD Orders: OTP, WhatsApp Confirmation and Deposits

Verify the phone number with an OTP at checkout, confirm every COD order on WhatsApp before it ships, require a valid address, and ask risky carts for a deposit. Gulf stores that do this cut refusals from around 15% to 6–8%, for about one US cent per message.

10 min read
Payments · Cash on delivery

COD Refusals and Returns in the GCC: Costs and How to Cut Them

A refused COD parcel costs a typical Saudi store about SAR 78: shipping both ways, handling and the ad spend that won the order. UAE merchants see 20–35% of COD orders come back before fixes. WhatsApp confirmation, phone checks, deposits and good addresses bring that down to 8–15%.

9 min read
Tools · Payments

COD Cost Calculator: True Cost of Cash on Delivery

Cash on delivery costs far more than the courier's COD fee. Every refused parcel burns two shipping legs, handling and the ad spend that won the order. This calculator adds it all up in SAR or AED and shows what moving buyers to prepaid is worth.

3 min read

Fees and gateways

Know what every payment costs you, and pick a gateway that will take your company.

Payments · Fees

Payment Gateway Fees in Saudi Arabia & the UAE (2026)

Saudi gateways charge about 1% for mada and 2.25–3% plus SAR 1 for credit cards, often with a monthly fee. UAE card rates run from 2.25% to 2.9% plus up to AED 1, with extra for foreign cards. Add VAT on the fee and, on Shopify, a 0.2–2% platform fee.

9 min read
Payments · Saudi Arabia

mada Fees for Online Stores: What You Really Pay in 2026

Online mada payments cost about 1% at Saudi gateways that publish rates, such as Amazon Payment Services, PayTabs Paymes and Telr. SAMA caps the online mada fee at 1.75%, with no riyal ceiling. Watch the extras: SAR 1 fixed fees, Apple Pay billing, VAT on the fee and Shopify's 0.2–2%.

7 min read
Tools · Payments

Payment Gateway Fee Calculator (Saudi & UAE)

Enter your monthly card sales, order count and payment mix. The calculator ranks the gateways that publish their rates in Saudi Arabia or the UAE, with VAT and Shopify's transaction fee included.

4 min read
Payments · UAE

Stripe in the UAE: Fees, Requirements and GCC Limits

Stripe is open to UAE businesses with a trade licence or freelancer permit. It charges 2.9% + AED 1 per card or Apple Pay payment, plus 1% for foreign cards, and pays out free. In the GCC it takes cards and wallets only, so it can't replace mada, KNET or Tabby.

7 min read
Platforms · Shopify

Is Shopify Payments Available in Saudi Arabia? (2026 Answer)

No. As of October 2026, Shopify Payments isn't available in Saudi Arabia, and the UAE is the only Gulf country it supports. Saudi stores connect a local gateway such as Tap, HyperPay or Amazon Payment Services, and pay Shopify a 0.2–2% fee on top.

7 min read

Checkout conversion

Turn more carts into paid orders with local prices, currencies and a smoother checkout.

Payments · Checkout optimisation

Why Gulf Shoppers Abandon Checkout (and How to Fix It)

About three in four Gulf shoppers who add to cart don't finish buying. The biggest local causes are missing mada or Apple Pay, declined cards on foreign gateways, surprise shipping or VAT, failed SMS codes and an untranslated Arabic checkout. Fix those first, then win back the rest on WhatsApp.

9 min read
Payments · Currencies

Multi-Currency Checkout for GCC Stores: SAR, AED, KWD & More

A multi-currency checkout shows and charges each Gulf shopper in their own currency. Five of the six GCC currencies are pegged to the US dollar, so your price lists barely move. The real work is picking a gateway that charges in local currency, rounding prices properly and showing VAT the local way.

10 min read
Payments · Currencies

Pricing in 3-Decimal Currencies: KWD, BHD and OMR Without Errors

The Kuwaiti dinar, Bahraini dinar and Omani rial split into 1,000 fils or baisa, so prices carry three decimals, like KD 15.490. Price in 10-fils steps, send gateways the amount ×1000, and test discounts and refunds before launch.

7 min read