Online payment methods by GCC country

Gulf shoppers who want to pay online can use an international card (Visa or Mastercard), a card or wallet on their country's own network, or Apple Pay. The local options are Jaywan in the UAE, mada in Saudi Arabia, KNET in Kuwait, NAPS cards in Qatar, BenefitPay in Bahrain and OmanNet cards in Oman. Apple lists all six countries for Apple Pay. None of this reaches your checkout automatically: your payment provider has to support each method.

What is a local card network?

A local (domestic) card network connects a country's banks, so a card issued there works at local shops, ATMs and websites. Many Gulf debit cards run on these networks. A checkout that takes only international credit cards can turn away a shopper whose everyday card is a local debit card, and that shopper may pick COD instead.

Which payment methods can shoppers use in each GCC country?

Checked 26 October 2026.

What should you know about each country?

United Arab Emirates

Jaywan is the UAE's domestic card scheme, run by Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE. In a February 2025 press release published by the central bank, Al Etihad Payments said Jaywan cards would come as debit, prepaid and credit cards and would work in all payment channels, including e-commerce. The National reported in July 2026 that banks had started issuing Jaywan cards in stages. It is new, so ask your provider whether it accepts Jaywan yet.

Shopify Payments is available for UAE businesses. More on that in Shopify Payments in the GCC.

Saudi Arabia

mada is Saudi Arabia's national payment network. In a 2018 circular, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) allowed all banks to switch on mada cards for online payments from 1 April 2018. When you choose a payment provider for Saudi shoppers, check that it takes mada. See cash on delivery in Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait

KNET's payment gateway site says it "accepts all debit cards issued by its member banks in the State of Kuwait." The site is run by The Shared Electronic Banking Services Company. If you sell to Kuwait, choose a provider that supports KNET. See cash on delivery in Kuwait.

Qatar

NAPS is Qatar's national network for ATMs and point of sale, and QPay is its e-commerce payment gateway for card payments. Qatar News Agency described both that way in April 2025, when Qatar Central Bank connected the first fintech company to them. QNA also reported in March 2024 that Qatar Central Bank's Himyan debit card runs on NAPS and can be used on local online shopping sites through QPay. Ask your provider whether your checkout can take NAPS debit cards through QPay.

Bahrain

BenefitPay is Bahrain's national electronic wallet, run by The BENEFIT Company. BENEFIT says merchants can take BenefitPay on their own website or app through its web and in-app checkout, and that merchants register through an acquiring bank. Whether it can appear at a Shopify checkout depends on your payment provider.

Oman

OmanNet is Oman's national switch for card payments. The Central Bank of Oman says it set up a payment gateway in 2016 for online payments with debit cards issued in Oman, and that OmanNet handles transactions from that gateway. Ask your provider whether your checkout takes these cards. See cash on delivery in Oman for more on Omani cards.

Where does Apple Pay fit?

Apple's list of countries that support Apple Pay includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (checked 26 October 2026). That list says shoppers there can use Apple Pay. It doesn't mean your store shows it.

On Shopify, Apple Pay needs "a credit card payment provider that supports Apple Pay". Shopify Payments supports it. If you use another provider, Shopify's help page tells you to search for Apple Pay in the list of third-party payment providers under Settings > Payments.

What about buy now, pay later?

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) providers decide for themselves which countries, currencies and order amounts they accept. Check with each provider before you add it. For how BNPL works at a Shopify checkout and what it means for COD, read buy now, pay later in the Gulf.

Shopify Payments or a third-party provider?

Shopify's list of countries where Shopify Payments is available includes the UAE and no other GCC country (checked 26 October 2026). Stores based in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain or Oman use a third-party payment provider, and that provider decides which local networks your shoppers can use.

How do you check what your checkout takes?

1. List the countries you ship to.
2. For each one, ask your payment provider which of the methods in the table above it supports for your store.
3. In Settings > Payments, turn on what's available, including Apple Pay if your provider supports it.
4. Place a test order with an address in each country and look at the payment step, on a phone as well as a computer.

Do this before you hide COD for any group of shoppers. A rule that hides COD only helps when the shopper still sees an online method they can use. Khaleeji COD only changes the Cash on Delivery method, so the cards, wallets and local networks you set up stay as they are. To set a limit, see how to hide COD above a cart total.