uae country report
All countries

Payment methods in United Arab Emirates

Here are the top takeaways you need to know about the UAE e-commerce market:

  • The average online shopper in the UAE spends US$1,189 a year, rising to US$1,505 by the year 2027.
  • In 2023, the e-commerce market in the UAE was worth US$12 billion. By 2027, this will have increased to US$16 billion.
  • In the UAE, shoppers complete more than 60% of all online purchases using a mobile device – such as a smartphone or tablet.
  • Almost 40% of the items UAE shoppers buy online come from merchants based overseas — a volume of commerce worth over US$4 billion a year.
  • Online shoppers in the UAE use cash and digital payment methods, rather than cards, to pay for almost half of all e-commerce purchases.
Population
Online Population
B2C E-commerce
Banked Population
Credit Card Population
E-commerce of Total Retail

Payment Method Breakdown

  • Card 52%
  • Cash 7%
  • Bank Transfer 11%
  • E-Wallet 24%
  • Other 6%
[{"label":"Card","value":"52"},{"label":"Cash","value":"7"},{"label":"Bank Transfer","value":"11"},{"label":"E-Wallet","value":"24"},{"label":"Other","value":"6"}]

Card Scheme Breakdown

  • Visa 56%
  • Mastercard 39%
  • American Express 4%
  • Local schemes 0%
  • Other 1%
[{"label":"Visa","value":"56"},{"label":"Mastercard","value":"39"},{"label":"American Express","value":"4"},{"label":"Local schemes","value":"0"},{"label":"Other","value":"1"}]

Cross-Border E-Commerce

61

Online shoppers who have shopped cross-border

37

Cross-border proportion of total e-commerce

4.1 bn $US

Value of cross-border e-commerce

Top cross-border shopping origin markets