{"id":84514,"date":"2026-01-21T12:36:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/?p=84514"},"modified":"2026-01-21T12:36:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:36:41","slug":"mobile-payments-on-the-rise-cash-continues-to-decrease-visa-report-highlights-payments-shift-in-ksa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/2026\/01\/21\/mobile-payments-on-the-rise-cash-continues-to-decrease-visa-report-highlights-payments-shift-in-ksa\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobile Payments on the Rise, Cash Continues to Decrease: Visa Report Highlights Payments Shift in KSA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"539\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/VISA-Where-Cash-Hides-EN-KSA-539x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-84515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/VISA-Where-Cash-Hides-EN-KSA-539x1024.png?v=1768991752 539w, https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/VISA-Where-Cash-Hides-EN-KSA-158x300.png?v=1768991752 158w, https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/VISA-Where-Cash-Hides-EN-KSA-768x1458.png?v=1768991752 768w, https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/VISA-Where-Cash-Hides-EN-KSA-809x1536.png?v=1768991752 809w, https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/VISA-Where-Cash-Hides-EN-KSA-1079x2048.png?v=1768991752 1079w, https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/VISA-Where-Cash-Hides-EN-KSA.png?v=1768991752 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mobile Payments on the Rise, Cash Continues to Decrease: Visa Report Highlights Payments Shift in KSA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><strong>Cash is losing ground in everyday transactions, with eight in ten (80%) payments now made digitally<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>Mobile payments are growing steadily, representing 16% of all transactions<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Digital payments are continuing to reshape how people choose to pay in Saudi Arabia, with more consumers embracing faster, more secure digital experiences. Visa\u2019s third edition of \u2018<em>Where Cash Hides<\/em>\u2019 report<a id=\"_ftnref1\" href=\"#_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> shows <strong>67%<\/strong> of KSA consumers are largely non-cash users, making most of their payments with payments cards or mobile devices. This is an increase of <strong>4% <\/strong>compared with last year, highlighting a clear move away from cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Digital Payments Break into Cash-Heavy Categories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The appeal of cash is also decreasing in day-to-day purchases. Nearly <strong>one in four KSA consumers<\/strong> surveyed still use it for everyday purchases. The downward trend is visible across all major categories where cash remains popular, including eating out (-9%) and bills (-8%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For everyday spending such as eating out, bill payments, and in-store groceries, cash and mobile payments are the payment method of choice. In making payments to another person (or peer-to-peer (P2P) payments), tips are still paid in cash by <strong>39% of KSA consumers, <\/strong>the most common remaining cash use. &nbsp;Cash is also widely used for peer-to-peer services (28%) and for property rent payments (14%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe data shows a steady move toward digital payments in Saudi Arabia. Such progress is possible only because banks, fintechs, merchants and technology partners are pushing together in the same direction, in line with the Kingdom\u2019s Vision 2030,\u201d said <strong>Ali Bailoun, Visa\u2019s Senior Vice President, Group Country Manager <\/strong><strong>for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman<\/strong>. \u201cAs more people try mobile and card payments in their daily lives and their expectations evolve, too. Consumers want payment options that are quick, convenient, and safe. When digital solutions meet these expectations, they naturally become the preferred choice.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings of Visa\u2019s Where Cash Hides research suggest KSA consumers\u2019 growing reliance on digital payments because they are more convenient, secure and rewarding. Compared to cash, debit and credit cards offer consumers greater security, convenience, and transparency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They eliminate the risks of carrying physical money, enable seamless online and in-store purchases, and provide instant transaction records for better budgeting. Mobile payments offer enhanced convenience and security through tokenization, which replaces sensitive card details with unique digital identifiers so the actual card number is never shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Credit cards also come with rewards programs, cashback offers, and travel or lifestyle benefits, value benefits that consumers have come to expect when they spend at home or travel abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mobile Payments on the Rise, Cash Continues to Decrease: Visa Report Highlights Payments Shift in KSA Cash is losing ground in everyday transactions, with eight in ten (80%) payments now made digitally Mobile payments are growing steadily, representing 16% of all transactions Digital payments are continuing to reshape how people choose to pay in Saudi &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4554],"class_list":["post-84514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-mobile-payments"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - 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