Payment gateways in the UAE: how to take payments on your online store

To accept card payments online in the UAE, you need a payment gateway. This is the service that takes the shopper's card details, checks them with their bank and sends the money to your bank account.

How the gateway connects to your store depends on how the store is built. On a custom store, built from scratch for your business, a developer connects the provider you choose directly. You pay that provider's fees, with no platform fee on top. On a ready-made platform such as Shopify, you choose from providers that offer a connection to it. At the time of writing (October 2026), most small Shopify stores also pay Shopify an extra fee on each sale.

UAE options include Checkout.com, Tap Payments, Telr and Amazon Payment Services. Gateways usually ask for a trade license and a UAE bank account in your business's name. Each one charges a fee on every sale.

What is a payment gateway, and how does it work?

A payment gateway connects your checkout to the card networks, such as Visa and Mastercard, and to the shopper's bank. In this guide, "gateway" and "payment provider" mean the same thing.

Here is what happens when a shopper pays.

1. The shopper enters their card details, or uses Apple Pay or Google Pay.
2. The gateway sends the payment request through the card network to the shopper's bank.
3. The bank may ask the shopper to confirm, for example with a one-time code or in their banking app. This check is called 3-D Secure.
4. If the bank approves the payment, your store marks the order as paid.
5. Later, the gateway pays the money into your bank account, minus its fee. This payout is called settlement, and its timing depends on your provider.

How UAE shoppers like to pay online

A good UAE checkout offers more than one way to pay. Here are the main methods and what each one needs from you.

A 2024 report by Checkout.com looked at online shopping in the Middle East and North Africa. It found that the share of shoppers who prefer cash on delivery halved over four years, from 41% to 20%. So cash on delivery has fallen sharply, but it is still widely offered.

For our clients' stores, we set up five ways to pay: card, Apple Pay, Tabby, Tamara and cash on delivery. Start with cards and Apple Pay, then add the others. Our guides to Tabby and Tamara for online stores and offering cash on delivery without losing money explain how each one works.

How a payment gateway connects to your store

Once a provider approves you, it has to be linked to your store's checkout. How that works depends on how your store is built.

On a custom store

Your developer connects the provider you choose directly, through its API. An API is a link that lets two systems pass orders and payments to each other. When a shopper pays, your store sends the order total to the provider, and the provider tells your store whether the payment went through.

This means you are not limited to a list of providers that work with one platform. You can pick the provider whose fees, payouts and ways to pay suit you best. There is no platform fee on each sale, so you pay only the provider's fees. The rest of the checkout, such as your delivery choices, is also built around how you sell.

On a platform such as Shopify

On a ready-made platform, you usually connect a provider through an app or plugin made for that platform. On Shopify, you can only choose providers that offer a Shopify connection. At the time of writing:

• Shopify Payments, Shopify's own payment service, is in early access in the UAE and open only to the Advanced and Plus plans.
• With any other provider, Shopify adds its own fee to every sale, on top of the provider's fees: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus.
• Stripe serves UAE businesses, but it cannot be connected directly to a UAE Shopify store.

Our comparison of Shopify, WooCommerce and a custom store looks at the platforms in more depth.

The main payment gateways in the UAE

Here are the main providers for UAE online stores, at the time of writing. Each one checks your business before it approves you.

"Ask" means we could not confirm it, so check before you sign.

What you need to apply for a payment gateway in the UAE

Providers check your business first. They usually ask for these.

• A trade license that covers selling online. If you do not have one yet, see which e-commerce license you need.
• Emirates ID or passport for the owners.
• A UAE bank account in the business's name. This is where your payouts go.
• A live website with real products and prices, a refund policy, delivery information, a privacy policy, terms and contact details.

If you hold a home-based license, such as the Dubai eTrader license, ask each provider whether they accept it before you apply. If you are still setting up your business, our guide on how to start an online store in the UAE shows where payments fit among the other steps.

How to set up a payment gateway on your store, step by step

1. Get your documents and policies ready, as listed above.
2. Apply on the provider's website and upload your documents.
3. Get approved. Approval times vary, so apply well before launch. The provider may ask you questions about your products or your website first.
4. Connect it to your store. On a custom store, your developer links the provider to your checkout through its API, and switches on Apple Pay and Google Pay if the provider offers them. On a platform, you install the provider's app or plugin and follow its steps.
5. Test with real small payments. Use test mode first, if the provider has one. Then pay for a small real order with your own card, and with Apple Pay on an iPhone, and refund both. This checks that money flows both ways.
6. Go live. Switch the provider to live payments, then watch your first orders and check that your first payout reaches your bank.

You apply to the provider in your business's name, so the account is yours. If we build your store, setting up payments is part of our Website package.

How much does a payment gateway cost in the UAE?

Gateway fees are agreed with each merchant and vary, so we do not quote rates. Here is how they are built, so you can compare quotes.

• A fee on each sale. This is usually a percentage of the order plus a small fixed fee. Ask whether cards from abroad or American Express cost more.
• Setup or monthly fees. Ask whether there are any.
• Refunds. Ask whether you get the fee back when you refund an order.
• Chargebacks. A chargeback is when a shopper asks their bank to reverse a payment, for example because they say the parcel never came. The bank can take the money back, and your provider may charge a fee for handling it.
• VAT. Ask whether the fees you are quoted include VAT.

A worked example

Say you sell AED 10,000 a month, from 50 orders of AED 200. Your gateway charges 2.5% plus AED 1 per sale. These are made-up rates, and your quote will differ.

On a custom store, that is the whole cost, because no platform fee comes on top. On Shopify's Basic plan with a third-party gateway, Shopify's extra 2% would add AED 200 a month, making AED 500, or 5% of your sales.

Two lessons stand out. First, the fixed fee hurts small orders most. AED 1 is 2% of an AED 50 order, but only 0.2% of an AED 500 order. Second, a fee on each sale grows with your sales. Here, a 2% platform fee costs AED 2,400 a year, and twice that if your sales double. For every other running cost, see how much an online store costs in the UAE.

How to choose the best payment gateway in Dubai and the UAE

There is no single best gateway for every store. Shortlist two or three providers and compare them on these points.

1. Apple Pay and Google Pay. Apple Pay lets iPhone users pay with Face ID or Touch ID instead of typing a card number, and Google Pay does the same on Android. If your customers shop on their phones, treat these as a must, and check that they will work on your store.
2. Fees on your real orders. Get a written quote that lists every fee. Then run your average order through it, as in the example above.
3. Payouts. Check how fast money reaches your UAE bank account, and that it arrives in AED.
4. Onsite or redirect checkout. With an onsite gateway, the shopper pays without leaving your store. With a redirect (offsite) gateway, they pay on the provider's page and then come back. Ask which kinds each provider offers, and try both on your phone if you can.
5. Saudi debit cards, if you sell to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's debit card network is called mada. Tap Payments and Amazon Payment Services accept it. If you want to charge Saudi shoppers in riyals as well as dirhams, ask each provider whether it can. Our guide to selling to Saudi Arabia from the UAE explains the rest.
6. Payment links. WhatsApp does not take payments for you in the UAE, so you send a payment link in the chat. Mamo, Ziina, Telr and Tap offer payment links. Your store can also create a payment link for an order you take on WhatsApp, if it has that feature: every store we build does. See how to sell on WhatsApp in the UAE.
7. Support and contract terms. Find out who helps you when payments fail on a busy day, how long the contract runs and what leaving costs.

Keeping payments safe: 3-D Secure, fraud and chargebacks

Your gateway does most of the security work. A few habits protect you further.

• Use 3-D Secure. It adds a step for the shopper, but it makes stolen cards harder to use. Ask your provider to confirm it is on.
• Check unusual orders before you ship. Watch for a very large first order, many failed payment attempts, or several cards used for one address. If in doubt, call the customer.
• Never take card numbers by WhatsApp, phone or email. Send a payment link instead.
• Keep proof of delivery. If a shopper disputes a payment, your courier's delivery record helps you answer the chargeback.

Frequently asked questions

Which payment gateway is best in the UAE?

There is no single best one. Shortlist providers that offer Apple Pay, such as Checkout.com and Amazon Payment Services, and mada if you sell to Saudi Arabia. Then compare their written quotes on your typical order, and how fast they pay out. On a custom store, your developer can connect the provider you choose. On a ready-made platform, you choose from providers that connect to it.

Can I use Stripe in the UAE?

Stripe serves UAE businesses, and a custom store can connect to it directly, like any other provider. At the time of writing, though, it cannot be connected directly to a UAE Shopify store, so stores there use other providers, such as Checkout.com, Tap Payments, Telr or Amazon Payment Services.

How do I add Apple Pay to my online store in the UAE?

Choose a provider that supports Apple Pay, such as Checkout.com, Amazon Payment Services or Tap Payments. On a custom store, your developer switches it on when connecting the provider. On a ready-made platform, check that the provider's app or plugin offers it there. Then test a real payment on an iPhone.

Do I need a trade license to get a payment gateway in the UAE?

Usually, yes. UAE payment providers normally ask for a trade license, the owner's ID and a bank account in the business's name. If you hold a home-based license such as the Dubai eTrader license, ask each provider whether they accept it.

How long does it take to get paid by a payment gateway?

It depends on the provider and your contract, so ask before you sign. Find out how many days after a sale the money reaches your bank, and how often payouts happen. Also ask whether new accounts wait longer at first, or have part of their money held back for a while.