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Online Payments in Bahrain: What Your E-commerce Options Are in 2026

· Upd. • By Jasper Frumau WooCommerce

When you want to take care of online payments in Bahrain, there aren’t always as many options as you have in Europe or the USA. The big international players do not always have full access to your local market, and the local players do not always publish clear setup rules. So what is available for your e-commerce business in Bahrain, and how do you go about it?

I first wrote this guide in 2017. A lot has changed since, so I went through every provider again in October 2026. Where something moved, you will see it labeled below.

Updated October 7, 2026 — what changed since 2017:

  • PayPal: you can now withdraw to a Bahraini bank account through a partnership with BisB. The 2017 “foreign bank account only” advice no longer holds in full.
  • Stripe: Bahrain is still not on Stripe’s list of countries for new accounts. The UAE is the only Middle East country listed there.
  • Payza: shut down. Removed from the options.
  • Payfort: is now Amazon Payment Services, and PayTabs has agreed to buy its MENA business (reported September 2026, not yet completed).
  • New: a comparison table, a section on taking BENEFIT and cards in WooCommerce through regional gateways, a note on BHD decimals, and an FAQ.
  • Archived: the 2017 reader comments and “I could not find a plugin” remarks are kept only where they still help, and marked as such.

Payment options in Bahrain at a glance (new, October 2026)

ProviderTypeStatus for Bahrain merchants
PayPalInternationalWorks. Withdrawal to a local bank via BisB; allow up to 7 business days.
StripeInternationalNot available for Bahrain-registered businesses. UAE only in the region.
2Checkout (now Verifone)InternationalCheck current country coverage with Verifone before building on it.
BENEFITNational gatewayDirect application (web form, no public API), or through regional gateways.
CrediMaxLocal acquirerOffers an online payment gateway for e-commerce merchants.
PayTabsRegional gatewayActive. Started in Bahrain, now Saudi-headquartered.
HyperPayRegional gatewayLists Bahrain among its active markets.
Amazon Payment Services (ex-Payfort)Regional gatewayOwnership changing. Verify Bahrain support before applying.
PayzaInternationalClosed.

Integrated payment providers

Integrated or independent payment providers are international players that work independently of national banks. They let e-commerce businesses receive online payments, then offer ways to wire that money to a local bank. That last step always depends on national law. Below are the ones I looked at and what you can do with them in Bahrain.

PayPal

Updated October 2026. Bahrain is on PayPal’s list of supported countries, and the biggest 2017 obstacle has eased. BisB (Bahrain Islamic Bank) has partnered with PayPal so customers can withdraw funds received in PayPal to their BisB account. PayPal’s own help pages say a transfer to a local Bahraini bank account can take up to 7 business days. Confirm eligibility with your bank before you plan your cash flow around it.

Archived (2017): at the time, withdrawing PayPal money to a Bahraini bank account was not possible, and you needed a foreign bank account or a Visa card. If your own account was set up under those old rules, check whether it can switch.

PayPal

Stripe

Updated October 2026. Stripe’s global availability page still does not list Bahrain. The only Middle East country on it is the United Arab Emirates. Some third-party lists claim otherwise, so check Stripe’s own country list when you decide. If you are registering a business in Bahrain, plan on a local or regional gateway instead. Stripe’s fees and integrations are good, which makes this the one I would most like to see arrive.

2Checkout

Updated October 2026. 2Checkout is now part of Verifone. In 2017 it listed Bahrain among its GCC countries, but getting your money out to a Bahraini bank looked difficult, and you needed a foreign bank account. Coverage and payout rules may have changed, so ask Verifone directly before you build a store around it.

Payza

Updated October 2026. Payza has shut down, so I removed it from the comparison. In 2017 it offered Visa, bank wire and Bitcoin in Bahrain, with withdrawals only in EUR, GBP or USD.

Merchant account providers

Merchant account providers (banks, state entities, hybrid entities) are local financial companies that offer local payment gateways. Customers pay with their local credit or debit card, and the money lands in the owner’s bank account. These are the two dominant players.

BENEFIT Bahrain

BENEFIT is the national gateway for electronic money transfers in Bahrain. It was set up in the nineties by 17 local banks to handle ATMs, points of sale and electronic transfers, and it handles debit card payments. It is part of the regional GCCnet. BENEFIT also offers a payment gateway for online businesses, with settlement to a bank account in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Updated October 2026. Applying directly is still a web-form process, and a reader told me in 2017 that there is no API. SMEs can apply, not only large companies. What is new is that you often do not need to integrate BENEFIT yourself. Several regional gateways list BENEFIT as a payment method alongside cards, which is the route I describe in the WooCommerce section below. There is also a BenefitPay app for Shopify, which tells you where merchant demand is heading.

CrediMax

CrediMax grew out of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) and is now an independent company. It is the leading credit card issuer and payment service provider in Bahrain. It runs points of sale across Visa, Mastercard, JCB, BENEFIT and GCCnet, and it also offers an online payment gateway for e-commerce merchants.

Archived (2017): back then, businesses relied on custom extensions to connect their stores to the CrediMax API. If you are on WooCommerce, ask CrediMax which integration they support today before you commission anything custom.

Credimax

Third-party payment gateways

Third-party gateways are companies that built their service on top of a local or large international provider. They tend to handle the paperwork and the integration for you. This is the group that changed the most since 2017.

PayTabs

Updated October 2026. PayTabs started in Bahrain and is now Saudi-headquartered. In September 2026 it was reported to have agreed a deal worth over $100 million to acquire Amazon Payment Services’ MENA business (the deal had not been officially completed at the time of writing). That makes PayTabs one of the larger regional players, so it is worth a look for a Bahrain store.

Archived (2017): I could not find a Magento or WordPress plugin then, and a reader noted that the mobile integration still redirected customers to the browser to pay. Check the current plugin and checkout flow before committing.

Amazon Payment Services (formerly Payfort)

Updated October 2026. Payfort was bought by Amazon in 2017 via the Souq.com acquisition and rebranded to Amazon Payment Services in 2020. With the PayTabs deal pending, ownership is in flux. In 2017 it worked in the UAE and was in private beta in Saudi Arabia, and it was not open for business in Bahrain. Verify Bahrain support directly before you apply.

HyperPay (formerly Gate2Play)

HyperPay is a payment service provider for the MENA region, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Riyadh, with an office in Manama. It lists Bahrain among its active markets, along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Oman, Qatar and Iraq. Merchant rules and fees are still not published openly, so you start with an interest form.

Taking BENEFIT and cards in WooCommerce (new, October 2026)

If you run a WooCommerce store, the practical route in 2026 is usually a regional gateway that bundles BENEFIT with cards, Apple Pay and the other GCC networks, rather than a direct bank integration. Vendors such as MyFatoorah and Tap Payments list BENEFIT support and WooCommerce plugins, and HyperPay and PayTabs both have integration options. Plugin quality and pricing vary a lot, so confirm these points with the provider before you commit:

  • That your business registration is accepted for Bahrain, and which documents they ask for.
  • That BENEFIT and local debit cards are included, not only international cards.
  • That payouts go to your Bahraini bank account in BHD, and how long they take.
  • That the plugin works with the WooCommerce checkout block, not just the old shortcode checkout.
  • The full fee: percentage, fixed fee per transaction, setup and settlement costs.

One WooCommerce detail that trips people up: the Bahraini dinar (BHD) uses three decimal places. In WooCommerce, set the number of decimals to 3 under WooCommerce, Settings, General, otherwise prices and gateway totals can round wrongly. Test a real low-value order end to end before you launch. For European payment methods, see my guide to WooCommerce payment methods in Europe.

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I use Stripe in Bahrain? Not as a Bahrain-registered business. Stripe’s global availability page does not list Bahrain, and the UAE is the only Middle East country on it. Use a regional gateway such as HyperPay or PayTabs, or BENEFIT or CrediMax directly.
  • Can I withdraw PayPal money to a Bahraini bank account? Yes, through BisB, which has a partnership with PayPal for this. A transfer to a local Bahraini bank can take up to 7 business days. Check with your own bank that your account qualifies.
  • How do I accept BENEFIT payments on a WooCommerce store? Either apply to BENEFIT directly through its web form, or use a regional gateway that lists BENEFIT as a payment method and offers a WooCommerce plugin. The gateway route is usually faster for an SME.
  • Which currency settings does WooCommerce need for Bahrain? Set the currency to Bahraini dinar (BHD) and the number of decimals to 3, because the dinar is divided into 1,000 fils. Then run a test order to check that gateway totals match the cart.

Wrap up

There are more options than you may have thought, and in 2026 more of them work out of the box than in 2017. Few are plug-and-play, though, and you will often need a developer to get the gateway, currency and checkout right. If you want help picking and setting up the right one for your store, that is what I do. You may also ask why I have not listed every fee. That depends on your volumes and contract, so ask each provider for a written quote.

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34 responses to “Online Payments in Bahrain: What Your E-commerce Options Are in 2026”

  1. I have to say
    Thank you
    very informative,
    I am building a woocommerece site, I was in beginning planing to use Strip but they not support GCC,
    So I was looking forward alternative option, I find your article …
    based on your experience to accept payment in GCC, what’s the best option

    1. So far I would still recommend BENEFIT or Credimax and preferably the latter. I have seen more extensions built connected to Credimax payment gateway for the Bahraini market than others. Also, they seem to be everywhere in Bahrain as a payment provider for points of sale. BENEFIT I bumped into at a coffee place yesterday. The first one in quite some time.. So my verdict is Credimax.

    1. Never heard of Gaatee before Ali. Thank you for your contribution! Briefly checked your website. Seems you cover multiple payment options as a service and not just for Bahrain, but for the GCC. Did not see specifics on BENEFIT or Credimax plugin implementations. Especially WordPress was missing as a CMS under free plugins. This being the no 1 CMS worldwide with WooCommerce as its ecommerce branch would be a welcome addition.

  3. Paytabs , CrediMax and benefit all not working for us as CBB enforced all payment gateways in bahrain to validate 3D code first time user pay online with card which is not user friendly experience and its not supported by our platform as well . I have to find international payment gateway and amlomst all of them do not support Bahrain / BHD Bahrain Currency .

    Let me know if any recommendation , thanks

    1. There are gateways like Stripe that do support BHD but they will require a foreign account / US for withdrawals . Their Atlas project allows you to set up a business for relatively little in Delaware I believe. And from there you could again wire to your Bahraini business. Do check it out. With local gateways I do not see a way around the 3D check.

  5. Hi Jasper, Thanks for such a informative note. I am building a E-commerce website for selling Jewelry overall (especially in GCC). I registered a company in Bahrain and having a bank account in some Bahraini Bank. PayPal and Stripe are not an options for me as you stated above. So please suggest me what shall I go for, a service where I can link my Bahraini Bank Account and put it on my website to receive customers’ payments. Look forward!

      1. Hi Jasper ,
        what is the left over profit that one will have if we adopt this model ?
        coz (( 3.9% + 30 Cent) + company tax of USA + remittance fee ), how come this option will be cheap can you through somelight on this .

        1. Well at https://stripe.com/atlas you can see the setup is $500. And then they mention key ongoing costs (not included in the setup fee):

          – Delaware registered agent — $100 per year (renewed automatically)
          – Corporate tax preparation — packages start at $250 per year
          – Delaware tax filing—preparation is free, Delaware fee starts at $225
          – Bank account maintenance — $25 per month (C Corporations only)

          As for tax payment. Delaware is chosen because of its low tax burden – https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/092515/4-reasons-why-delaware-considered-tax-shelter.asp . This does not mean there is none and this also depends on whether you use a C or LLC https://stripe.com/docs/atlas/tax-obligations#file-delaware-tax .

          LLC Case

          All LLCs formed or registered in Delaware must pay an annual LLC tax, currently at a flat rate of $300.00. There is no requirement to file an Annual Report.

          And then there is :

          – Partnership Federal Tax Form 1065
          – U.S. Individual Income Tax or U.S. Corporate Income Tax

          see for example https://stripe.com/atlas/guides/business-taxes and http://www.tax-rates.org/delaware/corporate-income-tax .

          FYI: I am not an attorney, but Stripe documentation is pretty solid and can be backed up with sources and their aid. I would however hire an attorney and or account besides the general setup. And I would consult one on C or LLC choice and attached tax burden before deciding to set up one.

    1. No, Justus, no new updates from my part. I am no longer residing in Bahrain however. But I have neither had any updates on this from my network which includes a lot of web developers located there and in the region. If you do find out more Justus, do post back.

  7. HyperPay
    Unfortunately, HyperPay now ONLY operates in Lebanon, Jordan, UAE, KSA and Egypt soon.Bahrain is not available now.

  8. Thanks a lot for your introduction,I’ve tried to contact these payment gateways one by one .
    BUT,just find that Payza has been accused by the US government of operating an unlicensed money service business since March,2018.
    Just for update.

      1. They sent emails to their clients (not sure if its just me or all clients) , announcing that they are suspending their services. Probably something to do with CBB regulations.

  10. Hi,

    thank you dear for your informative posts. I am starting my ecommerce, however I am stuck choosing the best payment gateway for Bahrain. I now realize that paypal cannot be connected to Bahrain based banks. However, I do have a Visa card (personal), can I use Paypal to debit my Visa card account when my customers do the purchase? Can I then withdraw cash or transfer the amounts received to my bank account?

  11. Just came across this post and wanted to add an update.

    I was personally involved a few years ago in signing with PayPal exclusively with my previous employer Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) and they have recently enabled the option to withdraw directly to your BisB account from PayPal.

    Although PayPal now works in Bahrain, it only supports transactions in USD.

    1. Thanks for the information Salman. Good to hear there is a bank that now supports connecting your PayPal account to albeit using USDs only. That at least is a nice step forward for those of us that would like to use PayPal for online transactions. Hope to see more follow suit and see Stripe land in Bahrain soon too.

  12. Hi Jasper,
    I would like to know if the BENEFIT provides their Payment Gateway as a wordpress/WooCommerce plugin ? Or is there a plugin for Benefit payment gateway available?

  13. I subscribe with TotalAV yesterday and I paid US 2.99 through Paypal.

    After a few minutes I noticed somebody draw from my account 4 times aftet each 3 minutes :
    1)BD.388/870 at Youtube Automation
    2)BD.77:550. at Dorieclatk.com
    3)BD.105/328. At Gormationscfio
    4)BD.58/070 at Ashlynwrites.com

    Could you please inveterate and do the needful ti refund me.

    Thank you

    1. Hi Mohammed,

      Sorry to hear that it seems like your PayPal account had been hijacked. Perhaps the TotalAV site was not a legitimate, malicious and or hacked website and caused this. Perhaps you were tricked into going to this website that looked legit but was setup to scam you. This is often done via phishing emails. See https://www.paypal.com/us/brc/article/what-is-phishing-or-spoofing

      I would however contact PayPal to ask for a refund. They are the ones that should be able to help you out. I do however not represent them and I do not know in what circumstances they refund and when they do not.

      NB I would also make sure my account’s password is changed.

      Best of Luck.

      Jasper

  14. Hi Jasper Frumau

    i want to start selling online courses and i want to ask you what is the best option for international payment getaway to be used other than paypal ..
    for example i want people to buy my courses from america , Europe and other places with different payment method (creditcard , ……)

    what you suggest for me ?

    1. Hi Yousif, for the US I recommend Stripe via the Atlas program ( https://stripe.com/atlas ), but that is credit card payments only. A lot of Europeans do not use credit cards however so will not be able to reach them unless you offer SEPA options. And that often also requires local payment options like iDEAL in the Netherlands. Laravel Cashier (Laravel PHP Framework payment providers package) does Stripe but also Mollie for European payments. For the latter I do however not know the rules if you apply as a business from outside the EU, but I think with your business registered US side using Stripe Atlas I am sure you can manage as well. Wish you all the best with your endeavors!

  15. dear. i want 2d gateway for GCC specially in Bahrain. please tell me which one is better international credit card transactions . my client from Bahrain so he want 2d gateway. please tell which one is better thanks.

  16. hi..
    How are you doing .. Greeting to you
    I am trying to make an e-commerce website so which payment method online I should use for my website my location in Bahrain. can you please advise me and I am really confused about this issue?

    thx

  17. Hi Jasper,

    First of all, thank you so much for this article. I’m a university student and working on my thesis about cashless payments and came across this article while searching for payment gateways being used by online shopping sites in Bahrain. As I was reading your reply to comments, I noticed you mentioned SEPA. Are you based in Europe now? Are countries there now gearing towards becoming cashless societies? Or is cash still highly used?

    Thanks a lot!

    1. Sorry, only read about this just now. In the EU they are using online banking for payments a lot and in stores debit cards are used for almost everything these days. So yes, cash is used less and less in Europe. Does however not mean it is not possible to pay in cash.

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