How to combine a card terminal and online checkout for a UAE F&B or retail business — providers that do both, what it costs, and the free-zone wrinkle most guides miss.
By Raqma Editorial · reviewed by Raqma Editorial · Updated 21 October 2026
A UAE restaurant or shop may need both in-person acceptance and online checkout. Compare the two channels separately before choosing one provider or two. A single contract can simplify reconciliation, but it is not automatically the lowest-cost option.
In-person acceptance can use a dedicated card terminal or Tap to Pay on a supported phone. Ziina explicitly offers contactless acceptance on iPhone without additional hardware. Compare device compatibility, supported payment methods, receipt handling and staff access before treating the options as equivalent. Ziina: Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Online acceptance can use a checkout integration, hosted payment page or payment link. Ask for separate card-present and online rates, fixed transaction charges, monthly charges, refund treatment and any integration costs. Do not assume every online gateway also supplies physical terminals.
Shortlist providers by the required channel: a dedicated terminal estate, phone-based acceptance, online checkout or a combination. Ask each provider for written confirmation of the exact products included. Ziina supports in-person contactless payments through Tap to Pay as well as payment-link use cases; a phone-based solution is different from renting a terminal fleet. Ziina product documentation.
Ask the acquirer to confirm that your legal entity, licensed activity and physical outlet are eligible. Prepare the trade licence and any premises or activity documents it requests. A free-zone licence alone does not establish that every acquiring product will accept the business.
Separate payment acceptance, credit to a provider balance and cash-out to your bank. Ziina describes instant credit to the Ziina account, while its page states bank transfers take 1–2 days for amounts under AED 25,000. Check the conditions, cutoffs and treatment of weekends in your own agreement; a wallet balance is not the same as money available in the bank. Ziina cash-out information.
POS support, online rates and settlement times per provider are on the payment gateways comparison — the restaurant checklist maps directly to the product fields.
For a comparable quote, give each provider the same monthly card volume, number of transactions, average order value, foreign-card share, number of devices and expected refund rate. Compare percentage fees × processed volume + fixed fee × transactions + monthly/device charges, then add applicable FX, refunds, disputes and tax. Leave unpublished inputs as unknown rather than zero.
| Option | Published basis | Cash-flow / scope | Confirm before signing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziina Tap to Pay on iPhoneZiina fees; updated 7 June 2026 | 2.6% + AED 1 per transaction; +1.5% for international cards. The help page says no setup or monthly charges. | Phone-based contactless acceptance. Provider balance credit and bank cash-out are separate events. | Supported device/payment methods, applicable taxes, refunds, bank cash-out limits and your account eligibility. |
| Paymob Standard online offerPaymob merchant terms, clause 4.5 | Advertised base: 2.9% + AED 1, with no monthly subscription on the pricing page. Terms4.5 separately allow AED110 below AED10,000/month. | The pricing page states weekly bank settlement. Confirm the exact product and agreement. | Check whether the minimum-volume charge applies and will be imposed; base subscription and total cost are different. |
| Telr published UAE tiersTelr UAE pricing | For AED 10,000–24,999 monthly volume: AED 199/month and 2.45% + AED 1; for AED 25,000–49,999: AED 99 and 2.35% + AED 0.50. | Published gateway tiers depend on monthly volume. Hardware and bank-settlement terms require their own confirmation. | Applicable volume tier, card mix, taxes, refund/dispute charges and any POS integration fees. |
| Dedicated terminal proposal | Device purchase/rental and processing charges require a written quote. | Ask who acquires the payment, who owns/supports the device and when funds reach the bank. | A provider’s online pricing page is not proof of identical POS terms. |
Checked 21 October 2026. These are different products/channels, not interchangeable quotes. A missing term is unknown, not zero.
For an illustrative AED 10,000 month with 100 domestic-card transactions, the published Ziina base formula gives AED 360: 10,000 × 2.6% + 100 × AED 1. Applying Telr’s published AED 10,000–24,999 tier to the same volume/count gives AED 544. These are base processing examples, not like-for-like hardware quotes. Tax, international cards, refunds and other agreement-specific items are outside this calculation.
Use the payment cost calculator with your volume and transaction count.
Local UAE acquirer with strong SME track record — among the lowest local-card rates on a modest monthly plan.
Bands by monthly volume: AED 0–9,999 → AED 249/mo at 0%; AED 10,000–24,999 → AED 199/mo at 2.45% + AED 1; AED 25,000–49,999 → AED 99/mo at 2.35% + AED 0.50; AED 50,000+ → AED 0/mo at 2.25% + AED 0.50. Per telr.com/pricing, verified Oct 2026.
The UAE’s largest acquirer — best negotiated rates and enterprise-grade processing, but onboarding is slower and geared to established businesses.
Rates are custom-quoted (~1.5–3.5% observed range) plus monthly/terminal fees. Best economics at real volume.
Fastest way to get paid in the UAE with zero code: links, QR, Tap to Pay. No monthly fee — you pay per transaction only.
2.6% + AED 1 to receive via links/QR/NFC/Tap to Pay; +1.5% for non-AED currency or international cards. Sending to Ziina Business accounts is free. Fees include 5% VAT on the fee only. Per Ziina help centre + KFS, verified Oct 2026.
Smart POS terminals and omnichannel acceptance for retail, F&B and hospitality; entered the UAE via a partnership with Magnati.
No public UAE rate card — terminal and transaction fees are quoted per merchant.
Compare dedicated terminals, Tap to Pay and online checkout as separate products. Ziina supports contactless acceptance on supported iPhones; ask other shortlisted providers to confirm the terminal, online integration and reconciliation features in their written proposal.
There is no universal terminal cost. Compare purchase or rental, percentage and fixed transaction fees, monthly minimums, refunds, disputes and bank cash-out timing. Request a quote based on your own volume and card mix.
Eligibility depends on the provider, legal entity, licensed activity and outlet. Obtain written confirmation for the exact acquiring product and physical location before signing.
Check support for the exact checkout integration, terminal or phone. Ziina’s Tap to Pay documentation includes Apple Pay and contactless cards; this does not establish support for every product offered by every acquirer.
Raqma Editorial · reviewed by