Choosing a payment gateway for a UAE restaurant
No single payment gateway is best for every UAE restaurant. Choose by how you take money. Geidea, Fortis and Ziina suit quick card and tap-to-pay setups. Foodics and PayTabs offer pay-at-table. Telr and Amazon Payment Services handle online orders and payment links. Adyen, Checkout.com and Network International suit high-volume groups.
What a restaurant needs from a payment provider
A restaurant takes money in more ways than an online shop. Most operators need some mix of four things:
- Card terminals at the counter or the table, ideally connected to the POS so the bill amount goes straight to the terminal.
- Tap to pay on a phone for terraces, events, food trucks and busy queues.
- Payment links and QR codes for WhatsApp orders, catering deposits, delivery and paying at the table.
- An online gateway for your own ordering website or app.
Most lists of the best payment gateways in the UAE are written for e-commerce. They compare online checkout and Shopify plugins, and skip the terminal, the table and the POS. This guide starts from the restaurant floor.
Payment providers for UAE restaurants compared
| Provider | What it is | In person | Online and links | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adyen | One platform for online, in-store and mobile payments | Yes | Yes | Holds a banking licence in the UAE; Interchange++ pricing with no setup or monthly fees |
| Amazon Payment Services | Online payment gateway across MENA | Not stated | Gateway, payment links, instalment plans | Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Apple Pay; says 3,500+ businesses use it |
| Checkout.com | Payment processing built for enterprise businesses | Yes | Yes | Fraud, risk and compliance tools; AI payment optimisation |
| Foodics | Cloud POS with its own payments, Foodics Pay | Yes | Online ordering add-on | Daily settlement; QR pay-at-table and bill splitting |
| Fortis | POS that runs on your card machine | QR and NFC contactless | Not stated | Built for UAE restaurants, food trucks and retailers |
| Geidea | Card terminals, POS software and payment links | Countertop and mobile terminals; tap-to-pay on Android | Payment links, online checkout | Licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE; hardware in under 24 hours with free setup |
| Network International | Payments provider for the Middle East and Africa | Yes | Yes | Used by 240,000+ merchants; fraud protection, analytics and loyalty |
| PayTabs | MENA payment gateway, founded in Saudi Arabia in 2014 | SoftPOS; scan-to-pay at the table | Gateway, QR payments, payment links | Guests scan to see the menu and settle the bill |
| Telr | UAE online payment gateway | QR payments in-store and at delivery | Gateway, payment links for social and messaging | Instalments with Tabby; fraud screening; business loans through Telr Finance |
| Ziina | UAE payments app | Tap to Pay on iPhone | Online checkout, Pay by Bank | Licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE; sign up with an Emirates ID |
None of these providers publishes a UAE restaurant customer count. The merchant figures above cover all their markets.
Which provider fits which restaurant
| If you run | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A café, kiosk or food truck that wants to take cards this week | Fortis, Geidea, Ziina | Fortis runs the POS on the card machine. Geidea says hardware arrives in under 24 hours. Ziina takes tap to pay on an iPhone. |
| A full-service restaurant that wants pay-at-table | Foodics, PayTabs | Foodics offers QR pay-at-table and bill splitting. PayTabs offers scan-to-pay at the table. |
| A restaurant taking WhatsApp, Instagram or catering orders | Amazon Payment Services, Geidea, PayTabs, Telr | All four offer payment links. |
| A cloud kitchen or delivery brand with its own ordering site | Amazon Payment Services, Network International, Telr | Online gateways that take cards and wallets on your site or app. |
| A group with high volume across outlets and channels | Adyen, Checkout.com, Network International | Online and in-store payments on one platform, with fraud tools. |
Payment gateway, processor and acquirer: what each one does
The terms get mixed up in sales calls. In plain terms:
- Payment gateway. The software that captures card details on a website, app or payment link and passes them on securely.
- Acquirer. The bank or licensed company that holds your merchant relationship and settles the money into your account.
- Payment processor. Moves the transaction between the acquirer and the card networks.
- Aggregator. Signs up many small merchants under one merchant account, so you don't need your own.
Many providers on this list do more than one of these jobs. For a restaurant, the questions that matter are who settles the money to you, how fast, and at what rate.
Does a payment provider need a Central Bank licence?
Yes. Under the Central Bank of the UAE's Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation, no company can provide or promote a listed retail payment service without a Central Bank licence. Merchant acquiring and payment aggregation are both on the list, according to Pinsent Masons.
On their Run The Shift profiles, Geidea and Ziina state that they are licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE. Adyen states that it holds a banking licence in the UAE. For any provider, ask which legal entity holds the licence, and check that the same entity appears on your contract.
Can a UAE restaurant charge extra for card payments?
No. The Executive Regulations of the UAE Consumer Protection Law took effect on 14 October 2023. According to Bracewell, adding amounts to the price when a consumer pays by credit card is prohibited. Article 5 also requires businesses to state whether debit cards are accepted and any related discounts.
In practice, build card costs into your menu prices. Then negotiate the rate with your provider.
What to check before you sign
- Full cost at your volume. Ask for the rate on local debit, international credit and Amex cards, plus monthly, setup, terminal and chargeback fees. Adyen uses Interchange++ pricing with no setup or monthly fees. Most others don't publish UAE restaurant rates, so get the quote in writing.
- Settlement time. Cash flow matters more than a small difference in rate. Foodics Pay settles daily. Adyen lets you choose settlement timing and currency. Ask everyone else for the number of days.
- POS integration. Check that the terminal pulls the bill from your POS. If staff key in the amount, mistakes show up at closing. Fortis and Geidea combine the POS and the card machine, and Foodics Pay sits inside Foodics.
- Tap to pay on phones. Useful for terraces, events and food trucks. Ziina offers Tap to Pay on iPhone, Geidea offers tap-to-pay on Android and PayTabs offers SoftPOS.
- Tips and split bills. Ask how tips are entered on the terminal and how they appear in reports. Ask whether guests can split by item. Foodics offers bill splitting.
- Payment links and deposits. You need these for catering, events and large bookings. Amazon Payment Services, Geidea, PayTabs and Telr offer payment links. If bookings run through a reservation system, Eat App and Servme both take deposits.
- Licence and contract. Confirm the licensed entity, the contract length, any early termination fee and who owns the terminal if you leave.
- Fraud and chargebacks. Online orders and payment links carry more chargeback risk than a card tapped at the table. Telr offers fraud screening, Network International offers fraud protection and Checkout.com lists fraud, risk and compliance tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best payment gateway in the UAE for restaurants?
No single provider is best for every restaurant. Small cafés and food trucks often start with Geidea, Fortis or Ziina. Full-service restaurants that want pay-at-table can look at Foodics or PayTabs. Online ordering and payment links suit Telr or Amazon Payment Services. High-volume groups can compare Adyen, Checkout.com and Network International.
Which payment gateway is cheapest in the UAE?
We don't know, because most providers don't publish UAE rates for restaurants. Adyen publishes its pricing model: Interchange++ per transaction, with no setup or monthly fees. For every other provider, ask for written rates on local debit, international credit and Amex cards, plus monthly, setup and terminal fees, then compare at your volume.
Is tap to pay available in the UAE?
Yes. Ziina lets businesses take Tap to Pay on iPhone, and Geidea offers tap-to-pay on Android phones. PayTabs offers SoftPOS card acceptance. Fortis takes QR and NFC contactless payments on a card machine. Before you sign, ask each provider about settlement time and how tap-to-pay sales appear in your POS reports.
What is the difference between a payment gateway and a payment processor?
A payment gateway captures card details online or on a payment link and passes them on securely. A payment processor moves the transaction between your acquirer and the card networks. Many UAE providers do both. For a restaurant, the questions that matter are the rate, the settlement time and who holds the licence.
Can restaurants in the UAE add a fee for card payments?
No. Under the Executive Regulations of the UAE Consumer Protection Law, in force since 14 October 2023, adding amounts to the price when a consumer pays by credit card is prohibited. Businesses must also state whether debit cards are accepted. Build card costs into menu prices instead, and negotiate your rate with the provider.
Do payment companies need a Central Bank licence in the UAE?
Yes. The Central Bank of the UAE's Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation requires a licence to provide listed retail payment services, including merchant acquiring and payment aggregation. Geidea and Ziina state they are licensed by the Central Bank. Ask any provider which legal entity holds the licence.
Sources
- Central Bank licensing: Pinsent Masons, UAE introduces licensing regime for payment service providers
- Card surcharges and debit card disclosure: Bracewell, Seller beware: the impact of new Executive Regulations under the UAE's Consumer Protection Law
- Partner details: each company's own website, linked from its Run The Shift profile.
Last updated: 8 October 2026. Partner details come from each company's own website, summarised on its Run The Shift profile. Partners are listed in alphabetical order. Some partners sponsor Run The Shift, and that does not change where or how they appear in this guide. Spotted something out of date? Use the claim link on the partner's profile.