Gateway choice is a financial decision that usually gets treated as a technical one. On AED 2 million of annual card volume, the gap between a 2.4% and a 2.9% rate is AED 10,000 a year. Settlement timing changes your working capital just as much. This is the comparison we run with UAE clients before writing any integration code.
UAE gateway rates and settlement at a glance
| Gateway | UAE card rate | International | Settlement | Local methods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network International | 2.4–2.9% + AED 1 | 3.4–3.9% + AED 1 | T+1 to T+2 | Mada, Apple Pay |
| Tap Payments | 2.75% | 3.25% + FX | T+1 | Mada, KNET, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| Telr | 2.49% + AED 0.50 | 3.49% + AED 0.50 | T+2 to T+3 | Mada, Apple Pay, Tabby |
| PayTabs | 2.85% + AED 0.27 | 3.5% + AED 1 | T+2 to T+3 | Mada, KNET, Apple Pay, Tabby |
| Checkout.com | 2.9% + fixed (enterprise: interchange + 0.10–0.40%) | Custom | T+2 | Mada (enterprise), Apple Pay |
| Stripe | 2.9% + AED 1 | 3.9% + AED 1 | T+2 | Apple Pay, Google Pay (no Mada) |
| Mamo Business | 2.9% + AED 1, or 1.9% on the AED 399/month plan | 3.2% + AED 0.80 | T+1 | Apple Pay; Tabby at 6.9% + AED 1 |
Rates as published in September 2026. Negotiated enterprise rates differ, so verify current pricing before you commit.
What the table tells you
Stripe does not support Mada. It is the default most developers reach for, but if you sell to customers in Saudi Arabia, a meaningful share of checkout abandonment will never show up in your analytics because those customers cannot pay with their local card scheme.
A flat monthly plan can beat a percentage-only rate. The AED 399/month Mamo plan at 1.9% beats every percentage-only option above roughly AED 40,000 in monthly volume, which matters if your average order value is high.
Settlement speed is a cash-flow line item. T+1 versus T+3 is two extra days of revenue sitting with the processor on every order.
How to choose
- Estimate monthly card volume and average order value.
- List the payment methods your customers actually use (Mada, KNET, Apple Pay, buy-now-pay-later).
- Price each shortlisted gateway at your real volume, including fixed fees.
- Check settlement time against your supplier payment cycle.
The checkout also has to handle 5% UAE VAT correctly at the data layer, with the rate at time of purchase stored per line item so later refunds stay accurate. We cover how we build this on our Dubai web development page, and the Abu Dhabi specifics on the Abu Dhabi page.