PayTabs UAE: Fees, Features, and Alternatives for UAE Ecommerce Sellers

PayTabs is one of the most widely integrated payment gateways in the UAE. Cards, Apple Pay, and most ecommerce platforms — covered.

But fees, settlement, and BNPL support vary. Here is how PayTabs stacks up against Tap Payments, Stripe, and Telr for UAE ecommerce sellers.

How Does PayTabs Compare to Other UAE Payment Gateways?

PayTabs charges 2.85% + AED 1.00 per transaction for standard card payments in the UAE — competitive but not the lowest rate available. Tap Payments is slightly cheaper at 2.75% + AED 1.00, while Telr’s Pro plan undercuts both on per-transaction cost if you can absorb a monthly fee. All figures are per publicly available pricing as of May 2026.

The table below compares the major payment gateways available to UAE ecommerce sellers on the metrics that affect your margins most directly.

Transaction fees per publicly available pricing pages as of May 2026. Telr Pro plan requires AED 99/month. HyperPay rates vary by payment method and volume. Verify current pricing directly with each provider before signup.

At AED 200 average order value, 500 transactions/month:

• PayTabs: (AED 200 × 2.85% + AED 1.00) × 500 = AED 3,350/month
• Tap Payments: (AED 200 × 2.75% + AED 1.00) × 500 = AED 3,250/month
• Telr Pro: (AED 200 × 2.49% + AED 0.50) × 500 + AED 99 = AED 2,588/month (lowest, but with monthly fee)
• Stripe UAE: (AED 200 × 2.90% + AED 1.00) × 500 = AED 3,400/month

At this volume, PayTabs and Tap Payments are close. The bigger choice is whether Telr’s monthly fee model saves you money at your actual volume — or whether you need the BNPL and regional payment method support that Tap Payments brings.

What Does PayTabs Charge for UAE Transactions?

PayTabs’s standard UAE rate is 2.85% + AED 1.00 per successful card transaction with no setup fee and no monthly fee on the standard payment gateway plan, per PayTabs’s published pricing. Volume discounts are available for higher transaction counts — contact PayTabs directly for negotiated rates. A minimum account balance of approximately AED 184 must be maintained, per PayTabs support documentation.

The fixed AED 1.00 component has a larger impact at lower order values.

At AED 100 AOV:

• Per transaction: (AED 100 × 2.85%) + AED 1.00 = AED 3.85
• Effective rate: 3.85% — the fixed fee adds 1.0% on top of the percentage

At AED 300 AOV:

• Per transaction: (AED 300 × 2.85%) + AED 1.00 = AED 9.55
• Effective rate: 3.18% — the fixed fee adds only 0.33%

Higher average order values make PayTabs’s fee structure more efficient. Stores selling AED 50–150 items bear a proportionally heavier cost from the fixed fee component.

Other fees to verify directly with PayTabs:

• Chargeback fees — standard in the industry, verify current amount before signup
• Refund handling — check whether a fee applies for processed refunds
• Currency conversion — for transactions outside AED

PayTabs does not publicly list all fee types on its pricing page. Get a full fee schedule from your PayTabs account manager before signing up.

Which Payment Methods Does PayTabs Accept in the UAE?

PayTabs supports Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, and Mada (Saudi-issued debit cards) for UAE transactions. Direct BNPL integration — Tabby and Tamara — is limited compared to Tap Payments, which has native BNPL connections in its checkout flow. Sellers who need BNPL should treat this as PayTabs’s most significant limitation.

Supported payment methods:

• Visa ✓
• Mastercard ✓
• American Express ✓
• Apple Pay ✓
• Mada (Saudi-issued debit cards) ✓
• Google Pay — available on select plans and configurations
• Samsung Pay — available on select configurations

What PayTabs does not support natively in the UAE:

• Direct Tabby or Tamara BNPL integration (checkout-embedded)
• STC Pay (limited UAE relevance; primarily a Saudi payment method)

The BNPL gap matters for UAE ecommerce sellers. Tabby and Tamara are the dominant BNPL providers in the UAE, and offering installment options at checkout increases average order values — sellers on platforms that have surveyed this find BNPL users spend 20–30% more per order on average, per Tabby merchant documentation.

Sellers using PayTabs who want to offer BNPL will need to integrate Tabby or Tamara separately through their ecommerce platform, rather than through PayTabs’s checkout. This is possible but adds integration complexity.

Tap Payments and HyperPay both offer direct BNPL integration embedded in their checkout flows.

Need to understand how Tabby and Tamara work for UAE merchants? Read the Tabby guide for UAE sellers and the Tamara vs Tabby comparison before choosing your gateway.

How Fast Does PayTabs Settle Funds in the UAE?

PayTabs settles funds to UAE merchant bank accounts within 2-3 business days, based on published merchant documentation. This is competitive for the UAE market — matching Tap Payments and significantly faster than Stripe’s standard 7-business-day UAE settlement. Faster settlement means working capital is available sooner for inventory, ad spend, and supplier payments.

Settlement speed matters most for stores with high order volume, tight inventory cycles, or significant ad spend that needs to be covered from incoming revenue.

UAE settlement comparison:

• PayTabs: 2-3 business days (standard)
• Tap Payments: 2-3 business days (standard)
• Telr: 2-3 business days (varies by plan)
• HyperPay: T+3 to T+7 depending on volume and account type
• Stripe UAE: 7 business days (standard; may improve with established account history)
• Checkout.com: 2 business days (enterprise accounts; custom pricing only)

PayTabs’s settlement performance is solid mid-market. It does not match Checkout.com’s 2-day enterprise settlement, but it comfortably beats Stripe’s 7-day standard window — which matters for UAE sellers where cash-flow timing affects operations.

If settlement speed is your top priority and you process high volumes, Checkout.com’s enterprise option is worth requesting a quote for. But for most mid-market UAE ecommerce stores, 2-3 business days is operationally sufficient.

Does PayTabs Integrate With Shopify and Other UAE Ecommerce Platforms?

PayTabs has pre-built plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and OpenCart, covering the major UAE ecommerce platforms without custom development. The Shopify plugin is available through the Shopify App Store. PayTabs also offers payment links and invoicing tools for social commerce sellers who collect payment without a full storefront — a gap most competing gateways do not fill as directly.

Platform-by-platform integration:

Shopify: PayTabs Shopify plugin available through the App Store. Enter merchant credentials in the Shopify payment settings — card processing activates without code. Note: Stripe operates as a native Shopify Payments provider in the UAE, which is marginally simpler to set up, but PayTabs’s plugin covers the same core checkout functionality.

WooCommerce / WordPress: Official WooCommerce plugin available. Configure PayTabs credentials in WooCommerce > Settings > Payments.

Magento: Pre-built Magento plugin available.

OpenCart: Pre-built OpenCart plugin available.

Custom / headless storefronts: PayTabs provides a REST API for developers building custom checkout flows. The API supports payment links, recurring billing, and split payment functionality — useful for subscription businesses or marketplace models.

Payment links and invoicing: PayTabs offers invoice-based payment links that work independently of a storefront. This covers B2B sellers, service businesses, and social commerce operators (WhatsApp, Instagram) who need to collect payment per order without a full ecommerce platform. Among the UAE gateways compared in this article, PayTabs has the strongest native invoicing and payment link toolkit.

Is PayTabs Secure and PCI DSS Compliant for UAE Merchants?

PayTabs holds PCI DSS Level 1 certification, the highest tier for payment data security, and supports 3D Secure authentication for card transactions. For UAE merchants, PCI DSS compliance is a regulatory baseline — all major UAE payment gateways including Tap Payments, Stripe, and HyperPay are also PCI DSS certified. Security should not be the deciding factor between these providers.

UAE ecommerce merchants processing card data must meet PCI DSS requirements under UAE Central Bank regulations and the Federal Data Protection Law (UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021). Non-compliance can result in penalties ranging from AED 18,000 to AED 370,000 or more monthly, depending on violation severity, per legal guidance on the Decree-Law.

PayTabs’s security features:

• PCI DSS Level 1 (highest certification tier)
• 3D Secure (3DS) authentication on card transactions
• Tokenization for stored card data
• Transaction monitoring and fraud detection tools

Where to pay attention: PayTabs’s fraud prevention tools are functional for standard UAE ecommerce volumes, but Checkout.com’s machine-learning fraud detection is more sophisticated and better suited to high-risk product categories or high transaction volumes where fraud rate management is critical. For most UAE mid-market ecommerce sellers, PayTabs’s security tools are adequate.

Should UAE Ecommerce Sellers Choose PayTabs?

PayTabs is a strong fit for UAE ecommerce sellers who need broad platform plugin coverage, invoice and payment link functionality, or GCC-wide merchant accounts. For sellers where BNPL (Tabby, Tamara) is a checkout priority, Tap Payments offers a stronger native integration. For pure Shopify sellers, Stripe’s zero-configuration setup may be simpler — at a slightly higher fee.

PayTabs is a capable, broadly compatible payment gateway for UAE ecommerce. Its fee structure is competitive, its settlement is fast, and its platform plugins cover most UAE store setups. The main limitation is BNPL — sellers who want Tabby and Tamara embedded in their checkout flow will get a stronger integration from Tap Payments.

PayTabs is the right fit if:

• You sell across multiple ecommerce platforms and need reliable pre-built plugins
• You need payment links or invoicing for B2B, service sales, or social commerce
• You sell across GCC markets and want a single gateway covering UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other MENA countries
• Quick onboarding matters — PayTabs typically approves accounts within 3-5 business days per merchant reports
• BNPL is not a primary conversion driver for your product category

Consider Tap Payments instead if:

• You want native Tabby and Tamara BNPL embedded in checkout
• You want the lowest standard transaction fee in the UAE (2.75% vs 2.85%)
• Your customer base is predominantly UAE-based and UAE payment method coverage is a priority

Consider Stripe instead if:

• Your store runs on Shopify and you want zero-configuration setup via Shopify Payments
• Your team is developer-focused and values Stripe’s API and documentation quality
• You sell internationally and need global payment method coverage beyond MENA
• The 7-business-day settlement timeline does not affect your cash flow

Consider Telr instead if:

• You are a small UAE seller with predictable monthly volumes
• Your math shows the AED 99/month Pro plan (2.49% + AED 0.50 per transaction) is cheaper than per-transaction-only pricing at your volume
• You prefer a UAE-headquartered provider with local support focus

For most UAE ecommerce sellers evaluating their first gateway, the comparison narrows to PayTabs versus Tap Payments. The fee gap is small. Tap Payments has stronger BNPL. PayTabs has broader invoicing functionality and wider platform plugin coverage. Run the math at your actual monthly volume and BNPL requirements before deciding.

See the full UAE payment gateway comparison for the complete head-to-head across all major options available to UAE sellers.

Fees and features verified against publicly available pricing pages and merchant documentation as of May 2026. PayTabs’s published rate of 2.85% + AED 1.00 is independently documented by PaymentsWiz. Payment gateway pricing changes — verify current rates directly at paytabs.com before signing up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PayTabs used for in the UAE?

PayTabs is a payment gateway used by UAE ecommerce sellers, service businesses, and B2B merchants to accept card payments, Apple Pay, and digital wallet transactions online. It supports Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, and provides payment links and invoicing tools for sellers who do not operate a full online store.

Is PayTabs cheaper than Tap Payments in the UAE?

PayTabs charges 2.85% + AED 1.00 per transaction, compared to Tap Payments at 2.75% + AED 1.00, per publicly available pricing as of May 2026. At AED 200 average order value, the fee difference is AED 0.20 per transaction — roughly AED 200 per month at 1,000 transactions. Tap Payments is slightly cheaper for most UAE sellers at standard volumes.

Does PayTabs support Apple Pay in the UAE?

Yes. PayTabs supports Apple Pay for UAE ecommerce transactions. Apple Pay adoption in the UAE is high — particularly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi where iPhone market share is significant. Enabling Apple Pay at checkout reduces friction for mobile shoppers. The Apple Pay option appears automatically at checkout once PayTabs is correctly integrated.

How long does PayTabs take to pay out in the UAE?

PayTabs settles funds to UAE merchant bank accounts within 2-3 business days, per published merchant documentation. This matches Tap Payments and is significantly faster than Stripe’s standard 7-business-day UAE settlement. Settlement timing may vary by account history, transaction volume, and account type.

Can I use PayTabs on Shopify in the UAE?

Yes. PayTabs has a Shopify plugin that allows UAE merchants to add PayTabs as a payment method without custom development. Install from the Shopify App Store and enter your PayTabs merchant credentials. Stripe and Tap Payments also have Shopify integrations available for UAE merchants, with Stripe operating as a native Shopify Payments provider.

Keep Reading

• Best Payment Gateways for UAE Ecommerce — full comparison of every major UAE gateway
• Tabby for UAE Ecommerce Sellers — how Tabby BNPL works for UAE merchants and what it costs
• Tamara vs Tabby — head-to-head comparison of the UAE’s two largest BNPL providers