Does Shopify Payments work in the UAE, and what does it cover?
Yes. Shopify lists the UAE as a supported country, and you can switch Shopify Payments on in your admin when you set up your store. It covers online selling only: you can’t use it for in-person (POS) payments in the UAE, so a physical shop needs an external card terminal from a third-party processor.
Visa, Mastercard and Maestro cards switch on automatically. So do Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay, Shopify’s accelerated checkouts. Your account must be protected with two-step authentication.
Payouts arrive in AED on every plan. The minimum settlement time is 5 business days: it starts longer, and can shrink as you fulfil orders on time. Payments captured on Friday, Saturday and Sunday go out as one payout. The minimum payout is AED 20, and banks typically need 24 to 72 hours to credit it.
What do you need to activate Shopify Payments in the UAE?
Shopify verifies your business before it pays you. Have these ready:
- A company registration number (CRN) and one of four business types: LLC, Free Zone LLC, Sole Establishment or Free Zone Sole Establishment. Shopify says no other business type, and no non-profit, is eligible at the moment. Your products must not be on its prohibited list.
- A UAE bank account: a checking account in AED that takes domestic and international transfers, with an IBAN starting AE. An LLC needs a business account in the company’s name; a sole establishment, an individual account in the owner’s legal name. Savings accounts, flex-currency accounts and some fintech accounts are not accepted.
- Documents: identity documents for the representative, executives and owners (passport and Emirates ID, plus a residence visa for foreign residents); a trade licence, or a freelancer permit for a sole establishment; for an LLC also the memorandum of association and proof of the bank account issued in the last 6 months.
- Photos of the originals. Shopify does not accept scans, photocopies or screenshots. A document issued to you digitally goes in as its original PDF.
If you can’t supply what Shopify requests, you can’t use Shopify Payments in the UAE.
What does Shopify Payments cost, and what does Shopify charge for other gateways?
Shopify’s UAE pricing page lists the card rate by plan. Beyond that rate and your plan fee, Shopify says Shopify Payments has no monthly, hidden or setup fees.
| Plan | Shopify Payments, standard online card | Third-party transaction fee |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2.9% + AED 1.00 | 2% |
| Grow | 2.8% + AED 1.00 | 1% |
| Advanced | 2.7% + AED 1.00 | 0.6% |
| Plus | 2.5% + AED 1.00 | 0.2% |
The third-party fee applies to every payment through another card gateway or an alternate one such as Tabby or Tamara, even when Shopify Payments is on. It comes on top of the provider’s own fee and is not refunded when you refund an order. Shopify works it out as (products − discounts + tax + shipping) × rate. Shopify Payments, Shop Pay and manual methods such as cash on delivery carry none.
Example, an AED 400 order on Basic (products, tax and shipping together). A standard card through Shopify Payments costs 2.9% × 400 + 1.00 = AED 12.60. A Tabby order costs 2% × 400 = AED 8.00 in Shopify’s fee, plus Tabby’s own fee. Cash on delivery carries no Shopify fee. The AED 8.00 is not the whole Tabby cost, so get the provider’s fee before you compare.
What can you use if you can’t, or don’t want to, use Shopify Payments?
Another card gateway. Shopify supports over 100 card providers: direct ones, where buyers pay on your store, and external ones, where they pay on a page hosted elsewhere. Its payment gateways page, filtered to the UAE, includes Telr, Checkout.com, N-Genius Online by Network, Amazon Payment Services, CCAvenue UAE, MyFatoorah and Tap Payments. Each has its own sign-up terms and fees. You can also run one direct gateway beside Shopify Payments: the gateway stays primary for cards, and Shopify Payments takes Shop Pay and retries failed card payments, at its standard rate plus 1.25%.
Tabby and Tamara. Both apps are free to install on Shopify, and both need a merchant account first. Tabby takes businesses registered in the UAE or Saudi Arabia, with business documents and a business bank account. It typically replies within 2 working days and, if it approves you, sends a contract. Its Shopify guide has you paste API keys, create 6 webhooks and switch test mode off. Tamara’s team replies within a few business days; its guide has 2 webhooks, a public key and payment capture set to automatic at checkout, and Tamara says it doesn’t support test mode. Both say they pay you whether or not the shopper repays them.
Cash on delivery. It is one of Shopify’s manual payment methods. You switch it on in Settings, then Payments. The instructions you write show on the order confirmation page, for example “Pay the courier in cash when your order arrives.” The order shows as unpaid until you mark it paid.
Which payment option fits your store?
| Option | Suits | What to set up | Fees, paid to whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Payments | A store with a UAE CRN and an AED bank account that wants cards and wallets in one admin | Activate in Settings, then Payments; verification documents; two-step authentication | Card rate by plan, to Shopify. No third-party fee |
| Another card gateway | A store that can’t use Shopify Payments, or wants its own provider | A merchant account with the gateway, then activate it in Settings, then Payments | The gateway’s fee, set by the provider, plus Shopify’s third-party fee by plan |
| Tabby | Shoppers who want to split or delay a payment | Apply to Tabby; install its app; API keys; 6 webhooks; test mode off | Commission set by Tabby; payout fee AED 6, or AED 25 under AED 2,500; plus Shopify’s third-party fee |
| Tamara | The same shoppers, if you want both providers or one of them | Apply to Tamara; install its app; 2 webhooks; public key; automatic capture | Fee set by Tamara; AED 25 bank fee on a weekly settlement under AED 2,500; plus Shopify’s third-party fee |
| Cash on delivery | Customers who prefer to pay the courier | Switch it on; write the instructions; mark orders paid | No Shopify fee. Your courier’s own terms apply |
How do you set up and test payments before launch?
- Apply early. Shopify checks your documents, Tabby typically replies in 2 working days, and Tamara within a few business days. Don’t wait for launch week.
- Test, then switch test mode off. Shopify Payments test mode works only on a paid plan, after setup, and takes no real payments. Without Shopify Payments, use Shopify’s Test payment gateway. Don’t buy a shipping label for a test order: Shopify charges for every label you buy. Turn off any app that fulfils orders automatically before you test. Tabby does not pay out for test orders, and Tamara doesn’t support test mode.
- Check the provider’s settings. Tabby needs email and phone at checkout. Tamara needs payment capture set to “Automatically at checkout”.
- Place an order with each method you turn on: a test order where the provider allows it, a small real one where it doesn’t. Then read the confirmation page and emails in Arabic and English.
- Check the fees on the first real orders, in Shopify’s bill under Settings, then Billing, and in each provider’s dashboard.
Moving from Salla or Zid? Payments are one step of the migration checklist. More guides are on the Webly blog, or ask us about your store.