What payment gateway options work best for UAE-based drop shippers?

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment
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Topic summary

A UAE-based entrepreneur seeks payment gateway recommendations for a dropshipping business without a license, as many providers don’t support UAE operations, unlicensed businesses, or dropshippers. PayPal isn’t viable for UAE customers who prefer Visa, Mastercard, and Apple Pay.

Recommended Solutions:

  • Shopify staff suggested Stripe, 2Checkout, Payoneer Checkout, and Skrill as UAE-compatible options
  • Community members report Stripe works well but requires a valid business license
  • Alternative UAE-specific options mentioned: Ziina (no AmEx support), Tap Payments, and Telr
  • Easy Pie Checkout suggested as a Stripe-powered third-party solution supporting multi-currency

Key Challenges:

  • Shopify Payments unavailable in UAE despite Stripe operating there
  • Currency display issues: stores default to AED, causing checkout confusion for international customers
  • Shopify charges 2% transaction fees even when merchants use external payment providers
  • Most payment gateways require business licenses

Current Status:

  • Shopify recently added payment support for multiple countries but excluded UAE
  • Multiple users express frustration with limited UAE support and consider switching platforms
  • Some merchants successfully configured multi-currency checkout (USD/EUR/GBP) while UAE-based, though setup details require individual troubleshooting
Summarized with AI on October 28. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
14

Hey!

Yes I absolutely agree, that could be a bit jarring for your customers and no doubt causes drop off. Somehow, and I have half an idea why, mine is still displaying in multi currency and allowing that all the way through checkout without reverting to AED at any point.

I think I found your brand on IG, drop me a message on there @nealewkelly and we can compare store settings and hopefully get you on USD!

N