Why UAE Shopify stores need the right payment gateway
In the UAE, Shopify Payments is not available — so every merchant has to choose a local or regional payment gateway. The wrong choice means higher fees, slower settlements, worse mobile checkout, and lost sales at the final click. The right choice means smooth bilingual checkout, Apple Pay support, and BNPL options that UAE buyers expect.
The main Shopify payment gateways in the UAE
Telr
Best for: Established UAE merchants with steady volume. Fees: ~2.69% + AED 1 per transaction. Strengths: Strong local support, Arabic checkout, reliable settlements. Drawbacks: Setup can be bureaucratic if your business documents aren't in order.
PayTabs
Best for: SMEs launching in the UAE. Fees: ~2.85% per transaction. Strengths: Fast onboarding, good Shopify app, supports multiple MENA currencies. Drawbacks: Some report checkout redirect friction on older themes.
Network International (N-Genius)
Best for: Larger UAE merchants already using Network for POS. Fees: Negotiated. Strengths: Enterprise reliability, full acquiring bank, direct bank settlement. Drawbacks: Slower setup; less ideal for early-stage stores.
Checkout.com
Best for: Scale-stage merchants with international customers. Fees: Negotiated, often competitive at volume. Strengths: Clean Shopify integration, modern dashboard, strong fraud tools.
Tabby — Buy Now Pay Later
Best for: Fashion, beauty, electronics, home goods. Merchant fee: ~6%. Strengths: Proven to lift average order value by 20–40%. Shopify app is excellent.
Tamara — Buy Now Pay Later
Best for: Same verticals as Tabby — and it's worth offering both. Merchant fee: ~4–6%. Strengths: Strong brand recognition in the UAE and KSA.
Mamo Pay
Best for: Smaller UAE merchants and service businesses. Fees: 2.5% + AED 1. Strengths: Quick onboarding, Apple Pay, clean UX.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
Still essential in the UAE — especially for first-time buyers. We configure COD with postcode restrictions, order verification calls, and courier integrations (Aramex, SMSA, Fetchr) to minimise the COD return rate.
Our Shopify payment gateway integration service
We don't just "turn on" a gateway and walk away. A proper UAE payment setup includes:
- Gateway selection consultation based on your vertical, volume, and margin structure
- Merchant account application support — documentation, compliance, and underwriting walk-through
- Shopify integration and testing — live and sandbox transactions, 3D Secure, Apple Pay
- Checkout optimisation — reducing friction at the final step where most abandonment happens
- BNPL integration — Tabby and Tamara added properly with product page messaging
- COD configuration with anti-fraud filters and courier API hookups
- Ongoing monitoring — settlement reconciliation and failure rate tracking
Common UAE payment integration mistakes we see
- Only offering one gateway — no fallback if it goes down
- Not enabling Apple Pay, which converts 20%+ better on iOS
- BNPL banners missing from product pages (they need to be visible pre-checkout)
- COD enabled everywhere — leading to high return rates in low-confidence postcodes
- No Arabic checkout language option