Shopify Payments in the GCC: where it works and what to use elsewhere

Shopify Payments is Shopify's own card processing. On 26 October 2026, Shopify's list of supported countries had 41 entries, and the United Arab Emirates was the only GCC country on it. If your business is in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain or Oman, you take online payments through a third-party payment provider instead. Cash on delivery works the same way with either, because it is a manual payment method.

Which GCC countries does Shopify Payments support?

For every other country, Shopify's page says that if your country isn't listed, you "need to use a third-party payment provider." Check the list again before you plan around it.

What does a UAE store need to use Shopify Payments?

Eligibility depends on where your business is set up. Shopify's UAE requirements include:

• an official physical address in the UAE where the business mainly operates
• a company registration number, with the business set up as an LLC, Free Zone LLC, Sole Establishment or Free Zone Sole Establishment (non-profit organisations aren't eligible)
• a checking account with a UAE bank, in AED, with an IBAN that starts with "AE"
• a trade licence (or a freelancer permit for sole establishments), and for LLCs a memorandum of association and proof of the bank account
• identity documents for the account representative and listed owners or executives

Shipping to UAE customers doesn't make a store based elsewhere eligible.

Once it's active, Shopify Payments in the UAE takes Visa, Mastercard and Maestro cards, and turns on Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay automatically. Shopify says your card processing rates depend on your Shopify plan.

What do stores in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman use?

A third-party payment provider: a payment company that Shopify connects to your checkout in place of Shopify Payments. Shopify says you can choose from over 100. To add one:

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
2. If Shopify Payments isn't available in your country, click Choose a provider in the Payment providers section.
3. Select your provider, enter your account details from that provider, and activate it.

Shopify filters the provider list by your store address in Settings > General. If a provider you expect isn't there, check that address first.

Before you sign with a provider, ask it about the payment methods your shoppers use:

• Which local cards it takes: mada for Saudi Arabia, KNET for Kuwait, NAPS cards for Qatar, BenefitPay for Bahrain, debit cards issued in Oman. See online payment methods by GCC country.
• Whether it supports Apple Pay. Apple Pay only appears at checkout if your provider supports it.
• Whether it covers every country you ship to, as well as your home market.
• Whether you can refund from the Shopify order page.
• When the money reaches your bank, and in which currency.

Buy now, pay later and some regional methods are added separately, in the Additional payment methods section of the same page. See buy now, pay later in the Gulf.

What does Shopify charge on top?

Shopify says third-party transaction fees "apply to all transactions processed through third-party and alternate payment gateways." You pay this to Shopify, on top of what your provider charges. For the rate in your location, Shopify points you to its pricing page or Shopify Support.

Cash on delivery doesn't carry this fee. Shopify's manual payments page says: "You aren't charged third-party transaction fees for manual payments."

Can a non-UAE store charge GCC shoppers in their own currency?

Usually not at checkout. Shopify's international pricing page says selling in local currencies "is only supported by Adyen or Shopify Payments", and that orders placed through other third-party providers "are processed in your store's default currency."

Currency also affects COD rules based on amounts, such as a cart limit. For different rules per market, read one Shopify store, six GCC countries.

What does this mean for cash on delivery?

COD is a manual payment method, so it works the same with Shopify Payments or a third-party provider. You turn it on in Settings > Payments; see how to add Cash on Delivery to a Shopify store.

Shopify Payments does make one thing easier for UAE stores: cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay are ready as soon as it's active. In other GCC countries, how well online payment can stand in for cash depends on the provider you choose. Sort that out first. Then, if you limit COD for risky orders with an app such as Khaleeji COD, the shoppers who lose COD still have a way to pay.