CountrySAAsia · Western AsiaSAR Filter the Database

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has moved quickly from cash to electronic payments. The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) reports that e-payments made up 85% of retail payments in 2025, up from 79% in 2024, with growth driven by the national mada debit network at the point of sale and in e-commerce. Online, mada debit cards are the core method, used directly with 3-D Secure or through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and mada Pay; Visa and Mastercard credit cards, buy now, pay later from providers such as Tabby and Tamara, and SADAD bill payments complete the mix. Cash on delivery is fading: an industry survey published in 2025 found its use had dropped 64% since 2020. Merchants should price in Saudi riyal (SAR) and must accept mada to reach most shoppers.

Online

the national scheme · Apple Pay and other phone wallets holding mada cards · Visa and Mastercard credit cards · buy now, pay later instalments from Tabby and Tamara · SADAD bill payments for invoices and government or utility bills · cash on delivery

In store

Contactless mada debit cards · Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay and mada Pay on phones and watches · cards issued abroad · cash for a shrinking share of purchases

14

providers in Saudi Arabia

AirwallexAntomBokuCheckout.comdLocalHiPayJetonMiFinityMuchBetterNetellerOrcaPayPalPaysafeSkrill
1

methods used in Saudi Arabia

MAmada
54

accepted here, and everywhere

Card schemes and wallets that are not particular to Saudi Arabia
1VoucherAmerican ExpressApple PayAstroPayBank TransferBitPayBokuBuy Now Pay LaterCardsCashCash PaymentCashLibCashtoCodeCredit CardCryptoDebit Card
1

currencies

SAR
16

nearby markets

ArmeniaAMAzerbaijanAZBahrainBHCyprusCYGeorgiaGEIraqIQIsraelILJordanJOKuwaitKWLebanonLBOmanOMQatarQASyriaSYTurkeyTRUnited Arab EmiratesAEYemenYE

In-store payments in Saudi Arabia

In-store payments are overwhelmingly electronic and mostly made with mada debit cards, which SAMA owns and which support contactless payments through the mada Atheer NFC service. Phones are widely used to pay, with mada cards working in Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay and the Android-only mada Pay wallet. Visa and Mastercard credit cards are accepted alongside mada. In 2024, 61% of adults used a card or phone to pay in a store, according to the World Bank Global Findex. Cash is still accepted, but by SAMA’s measure 85% of retail payments were electronic in 2025.

E-commerce in Saudi Arabia

SAMA data show e-commerce spending on mada cards alone, excluding credit cards, reached a record SAR 30.7 billion in October 2025, up 68% on October 2024. According to an industry survey published in 2025, 24% of Saudi consumers shopped online daily, up from 6% in 2020. The World Bank Global Findex found that in 2024, 45% of adults paid digitally for an online purchase and 11% paid cash on delivery. Major platforms include noon, Amazon.sa, food and grocery apps such as HungerStation and Jahez, and store-builder platforms such as Salla and Zid. Checkouts need Arabic-language support, riyal pricing and mada acceptance.

Payment regulation in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) regulates payments under the Law of Payments and Payment Services (Royal Decree M/26 of 2021), which states that no one may operate a payment system or provide payment services in the Kingdom without a SAMA licence; SAMA also decides when a provider based abroad counts as operating in the Kingdom. The law requires providers to segregate client funds and protect client data. SAMA owns the national payment systems: mada for card payments, sarie for instant transfers (launched in 2021, available 24/7, with transfers of up to SAR 20,000 using proxies such as mobile numbers) and SADAD for bill payments, launched in 2004.

Banking and financial inclusion

According to the World Bank Global Findex, 79% of adults in Saudi Arabia had an account in 2024, up from 74% in 2021. In 2024, 76% of adults owned a debit card and 30% a credit card, 37% had a mobile money account, and 64% made a digital payment to a merchant.

What are the most popular payment methods in Saudi Arabia?

The methods most widely supported by providers in Saudi Arabia are mada. Local and regional methods include Neteller, Skrill, PaySafe Cash, Paysafecard, Boku and MiFinity.

Which payment providers operate in Saudi Arabia?

14 payment providers in PaymentsDatabase serve merchants in Saudi Arabia, including Orca, PayPal, HiPay, MuchBetter, MiFinity, Airwallex, dLocal, Boku and 6 more.

Which currencies can merchants accept in Saudi Arabia?

Providers operating in Saudi Arabia settle in Saudi Riyal (SAR).

Sources · 8

  1. SAMA: E-Payments Account for 85% of Total Retail Payments in 2025
  2. SAMA: mada payment system
  3. SAMA: sarie instant payment system
  4. SAMA: SADAD payment system
  5. SAMA Rulebook: Law of Payments and Payment Services
  6. Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi e-commerce hits record monthly sales over SAR30.7 billion in October (24 Dec 2025)
  7. Consultancy-me: Online shopping now a mainstream channel for a third of UAE and KSA consumers (3 Jun 2025)
  8. World Bank Global Findex Database (account ownership, Saudi Arabia)

Guide researched September 2026. Payment markets change quickly — check with providers before relying on it. Compiled from public sources. How we compile this