68% of consumers in the UAE pay “digitally”

A recent report by the international company “Visa” showed that 68% of consumers in the UAE rely on digital payment methods, meaning that they carry out most of their payments using cards or mobile phones. This constitutes a noticeable increase during the year 2025, amounting to seven percentage points compared to the year 2024, which reflects a clear trend towards reducing reliance on cash.

The third edition of the “Where is Cash Used?” report pointed out that the attractiveness of cash is declining in daily transactions, as only 16% of consumers surveyed for the report use cash in their daily purchases, down from 25% in 2024.

Visa reported, in a statement yesterday, that this decline appears across all major categories in which cash is still common, such as local markets (-19%), taxi trips (-18%), and bill payments (-12%).

For everyday transactions such as grocery shopping, dining out and transportation, debit cards and mobile payments are the preferred option, while credit cards are more commonly used for planned or high-value purchases.

As for payments between individuals, tips are still the most common cash-based use case, as they are paid in cash by 58% of consumers in the country.

Cash is also widely used for international money transfers via exchange companies (25%), and for paying real estate rents (15%).

Despite this, reliance on digital solutions for payments between individuals continues to rise, with the percentage of use of digital payments rising by five percentage points in 2025, reaching 35%.

Vice President and General Manager of Visa in the UAE, Salima Gutieva, said: “The 2025 results reflect a clear shift in consumer spending habits, as digital payments continue to gain momentum in daily transactions.”

She added: “Although cash continues to be used in some categories, these areas represent important opportunities to help consumers move towards digital options that provide greater security, convenience, and ease of managing payments, and when digital payment experiences meet consumers’ expectations, they naturally become their preferred option.”

She pointed out that the results of the survey showed that consumers in the UAE are increasingly relying on digital payments, due to the ease, security, and many advantages they provide.

. 16% of consumers use cash for their daily purchases.