Paid ads and SEO can bring shoppers to your online store, but some of them leave at the payment step if they cannot pay the way they usually do. Payment habits in the Middle East differ from those in Europe and the US, and they also differ between countries in the region. This guide explains the payment methods in the Middle East that e-commerce brands should offer, market by market, and how to present them at checkout.
How Shoppers in the Middle East Pay Online
Digital payments are growing fast. The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) reported that electronic payments made up 79% of retail payments in Saudi Arabia in 2024, up from 70% in 2023. Cards, digital wallets and buy now, pay later services are widely used in the Gulf. Cash on delivery is still used for a real share of orders, especially in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Payment Methods by Market
| Market | Payment methods to offer |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | mada debit cards, Visa and Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, buy now, pay later (BNPL) such as Tabby and Tamara, and cash on delivery |
| UAE | Visa and Mastercard, Apple Pay, BNPL such as Tabby and Tamara, and cash on delivery |
| Kuwait | KNET debit cards, Visa and Mastercard |
| Bahrain | Benefit debit cards and the BenefitPay wallet, Visa and Mastercard |
| Egypt | Bank cards including Meeza, mobile wallets, Fawry payment codes and cash on delivery |
The options available change often, so confirm each method with your payment provider for every country you sell in.
Local Debit Networks: mada, KNET and Benefit
Many shoppers in the Gulf pay with debit cards on national networks: mada in Saudi Arabia, KNET in Kuwait and Benefit in Bahrain. Check that your payment provider accepts these cards online. Show their logos on product and checkout pages, so shoppers can see before checkout that their card will work.
Digital Wallets: Apple Pay and Google Pay
Apple Pay is available in the UAE and works with mada cards in Saudi Arabia. Google Pay launched in Saudi Arabia in September 2025 through the mada network. Wallet buttons save shoppers from typing card details on a phone, so place them near the top of the payment step.
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)
BNPL services such as Tabby and Tamara let shoppers split a purchase into instalments, and many online stores in Saudi Arabia and the UAE offer them. Show the instalment amount on the product page as well as at checkout, so shoppers see the smaller payment before they decide to buy. This matters most for high-value items, as our guides to consumer electronics marketing and home and furniture marketing explain.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
Cash on delivery helps shoppers who do not have a card or do not yet trust a new store. It also brings costs: orders refused at the door, cash handling and slower payment. Stores can reduce these costs by:
- confirming orders by phone or WhatsApp before shipping, as our guide to WhatsApp marketing explains
- adding a small COD fee, or offering a discount for paying online
- limiting COD to orders under a set value
Prices, Currency and VAT
- Show prices in the local currency, such as Saudi riyals (SAR), UAE dirhams (AED) or Egyptian pounds (EGP).
- Show the final price including VAT where it applies. VAT is 15% in Saudi Arabia and 5% in the UAE.
- The Kuwaiti dinar, the Bahraini dinar and the Omani rial use three decimal places, so check that your platform shows these prices correctly.
- Show delivery fees and any COD fee before the payment step, because unexpected costs at checkout make shoppers abandon their carts.
An Arabic Checkout That Converts
- Mirror the checkout for right-to-left, with fields, labels and buttons in the right order, as our guide to Arabic UX and RTL web design explains.
- Make street name and building number optional where people often describe addresses by landmarks, and add a free text field for directions. Saudi Arabia has a national address system, so you can also offer a field for it.
- Ask for a mobile number, and explain that the courier will call it.
- Remove postcode rules written for other countries, because they can reject real addresses.
- Show your return policy and Arabic customer service contact details on the checkout page.
Our guide to conversion rate optimization for Arabic websites explains how to test these changes, and our guide to Arabic product descriptions covers the product page before the checkout.
Measure Payments and Feed the Data to Your Ads
Track which payment methods shoppers choose and where they leave the checkout, by country. Send purchases and their value to Google Ads, so Smart Bidding optimises for sales. For COD orders, record the conversion when the order is delivered, or adjust it in Google Ads when an order is refused, so refused orders do not inflate your results. Our guides to Google Shopping in the Middle East and marketing analytics and attribution explain the setup.
Conclusion
Payment methods affect how much of your ad traffic turns into orders. Local debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, BNPL and well-managed cash on delivery all help shoppers in the Middle East complete their purchase. GOTOMENA runs Arabic Google Ads and Shopping campaigns that bring ready-to-buy shoppers to stores in the region through our Arabic Google Ads and PPC services. To grow your online sales, contact our team.