Online payments in Saudi Arabia: mada, Apple Pay, Tabby, Tamara

A customer's first question in a store is: how do I pay? A store owner's first question is: where does the money go? On Tansik the answer to the second is simple: to your own accounts. You connect your store to your own account with each payment provider, and Tansik never receives or holds the money. These are the payment methods available and how each one works.

mada, cards and Apple Pay through Moyasar

Moyasar is a Saudi payment gateway. Through your own Moyasar account, customers pay with mada, credit cards, Apple Pay or whatever else your account offers. To turn it on:

1. Enter the publishable key and secret key from your Moyasar dashboard. The secret key is stored encrypted and never shown again.
2. Copy the webhook URL from the store settings into your Moyasar dashboard, so payments are confirmed even if the customer closes the page.
3. Press "Test connection" to check the keys. The result tells you whether the account is in test mode or live.

The customer goes to Moyasar's secure payment page and comes back to their order page. You only hear about the order once the payment is confirmed, so unfinished card checkouts don't take your attention.

The same Moyasar account serves your bookings too: any service or course can be "prepaid", so the customer pays before the appointment is confirmed, as we explain in online classes over Zoom and Google Meet.

Tabby and Tamara: buy now, pay later

Many customers prefer to split larger purchases with no interest. Tansik supports:

• Tabby: pay in 4, no interest. You need the merchant code and secret key from your Tabby dashboard.
• Tamara: pay in 3, no interest. You need the API token and notification token from the Tamara partners portal, and you can try a sandbox account first.

For each one you set the lowest and highest order total it is offered for, so instalments don't show on small orders if you don't want them to. Tabby and Tamara are offered only to stores selling in Saudi riyals or UAE dirhams. Both stay off until you turn them on.

Cash on delivery

Many customers still ask for cash on delivery. You can turn it on with an extra fee that shows on the order and invoice, or without one. The order reaches you as soon as it is placed, and you mark it paid once you have collected the money.

If you ship with your own Aramex or SMSA Express account, the amount to collect goes on the shipment itself when you book it from the order page.

Bank transfer

Enter the bank name, account holder name and IBAN, and the customer sees these details after placing the order. The order reaches you at once, and you mark it paid when the transfer arrives in your account.

Refunds

If you cancel an order paid online, you refund it from the order page through the same gateway the customer paid with, whether Moyasar, Tabby or Tamara, in full or in part. If tax invoices are on, each refund gets a numbered credit note automatically. Loyalty points the customer earned on a cancelled or refunded order are taken back.

Which methods should you turn on?

There is no single answer, but a practical rule: turn on Moyasar, since it covers mada, cards and Apple Pay; add cash on delivery if your customers ask for it; then Tabby or Tamara if your orders are the size customers like to split. You can change this at any time in the store settings.

Get started

Open the store settings, then "Payment methods", and turn on at least one method so the store starts taking orders. If you haven't started yet, read how to open an online store in Saudi Arabia, and see the plans on the home page.

Questions