Buy now, pay later · Payment methods
Tamara for online stores: how it works in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain
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Tamara is a shopping and payments platform operating in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain. Shoppers can pay in full or split a purchase into 2, 3 or 4 payments, with no hidden fees or interest added to the cart value, online or in shops. Tamara's products are certified Sharia compliant by the Shariyah Review Bureau. The store receives the full purchase price upfront, and Tamara covers the fraud and credit risk while the shopper pays over time.
- Where it works
- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain
- Plans
- Pay in full; split in 2, 3 or 4
- Cost to shopper
- No hidden fees or interest added to the cart value
- Who carries the risk
- Tamara covers fraud and credit risk
- Store payout
- Full purchase price upfront
- Sharia
- Certified compliant by the Shariyah Review Bureau
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC checkout does not offer Tamara today. Shoppers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and stores in those countries with their own MyFatoorah account can take cards through MyFatoorah.
How Tamara works for your store
Tamara is built into many Gulf commerce platforms and payment gateways, including Salla, Zid, Shopify, Magento, Checkout.com, Amazon Payment Services and PayTabs, and also offers a direct API. Shoppers pay online or in store, and the store manages transactions, order history and returns from Tamara's tools.
Why Gulf stores offer it
Tamara's pitch to merchants is a higher conversion rate and average order value, with fraud and credit risk covered and the full price paid upfront. Sharia certification matters to many shoppers in the region who avoid interest-bearing credit.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Tamara charge shoppers interest?
- Tamara says no hidden fees or interest are added to the total cart value for pay in full or split payments.
- Is Tamara Sharia compliant?
- Yes. Tamara says its products are certified Sharia compliant by the Shariyah Review Bureau.
- What is the difference between Tamara and Tabby?
- Both are Gulf BNPL providers. Tamara lists Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain and split in 2, 3 or 4; Tabby lists Saudi Arabia and the UAE, pay in 4 and longer plans of up to 12 payments.
Sources
- Get to know Tamara — Tamara
- Tamara documentation index — Tamara
Related
- Tabby — Gulf pay in 4 and longer plans in Saudi Arabia and the UAE; merchants receive the full amount in days.
- Klarna — Pay in full, in 30 days, in 3 or 4 parts, or financing; store paid upfront, Klarna takes the credit risk.
- Afterpay / Clearpay — Four interest-free payments every two weeks in the US, Canada, UK (as Clearpay), Australia and New Zealand.
- Affirm — US and Canadian financing from pay in 4 to 36 monthly payments; orders from $35 to $30,000.
- PayPal Pay Later — PayPal's own installments inside the PayPal button: pay in 4, pay in 3, pay in 30 days or monthly, by country.
- Zip — Australian line of credit (Zip Pay, Zip Money) and US pay in 4; the store is paid upfront.
- Sezzle — US and Canadian pay in 4, pay in 5 and monthly plans; Sezzle pays the store upfront and handles repayment.