Saudi Arabia

Cash, including cash-on-delivery, is the dominant payment method in Saudi Arabia, followed by cards. 

Currently, about 31 million cards have been issued, 88% of which are debit and 12% are credit. All debit cards are branded with the local scheme: mada. The government encourages mada’s use and is mandatory locally. Apple Pay is widely used, with mada as the linked card.

Around two thirds of mada debit cards are dual-branded with international brands Visa and Mastercard. Only these dual-branded cards allow online transactions.