Payment methods by country · Payment methods
How do Kuwaiti shoppers pay online? KNET and more
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Kuwaiti shoppers pay online mainly with KNET, the Shared Electronic Banking Services Company set up in 1992 with Kuwait's local banks. Through the KNET payment gateway the shopper enters their local debit card number and expiry date. Checkout.com says nearly 80% of online transactions in Kuwait use a KNET card, without giving a year. In 2024 KNET and the banks launched Wamd, which sends money instantly through bank apps at any hour.
- Currency
- Kuwaiti dinar (KWD)
- Local method
- KNET debit cards and payment gateway (since 1992)
- Instant payments
- Wamd (launched 2024)
- PlatformDTC offers
- Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay; MyFatoorah for Kuwaiti stores
What PlatformDTC does
PlatformDTC checkout takes Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay from Kuwaiti shoppers; PayPal can't charge in dinars. KNET isn't in the Stripe card form, but a Kuwait-based store can connect its own MyFatoorah account, and the local methods shoppers see then depend on that account.
How KNET works online
KNET's gateway takes cards from its member banks; Checkout.com counts 11. KNET says it updated the gateway in 2026 to accept more card types.
Wamd
The Central Bank of Kuwait describes Wamd as an instant payment service for individuals, available at any time through bank apps.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a store based in the Gulf use MyFatoorah on PlatformDTC?
- Yes. Stores based in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan or Egypt can connect their own MyFatoorah account as a card gateway. Which local methods shoppers see then depends on what that MyFatoorah account has switched on.
- Do KNET cards work in the Stripe card form?
- KNET is not one of the card networks Stripe supports, so Kuwaiti stores usually reach KNET users through a local gateway such as MyFatoorah.
Sources
- The Development of CBK's Payment Systems — Central Bank of Kuwait
- KNET — KNET
- Payment methods: KNET — Checkout.com
- Cards: supported card brands — Stripe
Related
- Saudi Arabia — mada cards, owned by the central bank, lead; sarie instant transfers and Tamara instalments follow.
- Qatar — Local debit cards through the QPay gateway and Fawran instant payments by phone number.
- United Arab Emirates — Cards, the new Jaywan domestic card, Aani instant payments, and Tabby or Tamara instalments.
- Egypt — InstaPay instant transfers, Meeza national cards and Fawry cash payments, alongside cards.
- Israel — Payment cards first, then bank transfers and payment apps such as bit.
- South Africa — Cards, plus bank-to-bank payments through Ozow, PayShap real-time transfers and SnapScan QR.
- Argentina — Mercado Pago, cards and bank-app QR payments that work across wallets under Transferencias 3.0.
- Chile — Debit cards lead, with electronic bank transfers and transfer-based checkouts such as Khipu.