How do people in Egypt pay online?
Cash and cards carry similar shares of online spending. PPRO’s market data put cash at about 31% of e-commerce payments, much of it paid on delivery, and cards at about 30%. Fawry is how cash reaches online checkouts before delivery. The customer chooses Fawry at checkout, receives a reference number, and pays it at one of Fawry’s retail points or through the myFawry app, banking apps or an ATM. The merchant is notified when the payment is made. Fawry’s reach into small shops across the country makes it the standard option for customers without cards.
Mobile wallets are the fastest-growing rail. The Central Bank of Egypt reports that the number of mobile wallets reached 60 million by the end of 2025, up from 15.2 million in 2019, with transactions worth around EGP 4 trillion. Vodafone Cash is the largest wallet by usage, with wallets from other telecom companies and banks alongside it. Online, the customer typically enters their wallet number and approves the payment with a PIN or OTP.
Cards are growing too. Meeza, the national card scheme, is issued widely for salaries, government payments and prepaid use, and Visa and Mastercard cards are common among banked shoppers. InstaPay, the Central Bank’s instant transfer app, is widely used for person-to-person transfers and is increasingly accepted by merchants. A senior Central Bank official put activity on the instant payment network at 263 million transactions worth more than EGP 1.2 trillion in the first quarter of 2025 alone. Instalment providers such as valU serve larger baskets.
What rules shape online payments in Egypt?
Foreign currency card limits matter first. During the dollar shortage the Central Bank told banks in October 2023 to restrict credit card use for foreign currency transactions, and by January 2024 some banks capped spending abroad, including on foreign e-commerce sites, at a few hundred dollars a month. After the March 2024 float the limits were raised in stages, and in September 2024 the National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr lifted international credit card spending to USD 5,000. Limits still vary by bank and card, so charging in EGP through local acquiring is the safer route.
Foreign sellers of digital services owe VAT. Under Ministerial Decree No. 160 of 2023, the Simplified Vendor Registration Regime has applied to e-services since 22 June 2023. A non-resident selling to Egyptian consumers registers through the Egyptian Tax Authority portal once its Egyptian revenue reaches EGP 500,000 in 12 months, and charges 14%, or 10% on professional services.
Consumer law sets refund rules for distance sales. Under the Consumer Protection Law, No. 181 of 2018, the seller must show its identity, the full price including taxes and shipping, delivery terms and cancellation conditions before the sale. The consumer may cancel within 14 days of receiving the product, and the seller must refund within seven days of the return, by the same payment method unless agreed otherwise. The consumer pays return shipping unless the contract says otherwise, and consumer documents, including electronic ones, must be in Arabic.
Data rules are tightening. The executive regulations of the Personal Data Protection Law, No. 151 of 2020, were issued on 1 November 2025 with a one-year compliance period, and transfers of personal data outside Egypt need a licence or permit from the Personal Data Protection Centre.
How does Omno route payments in Egypt?
Omno treats Egypt as a market where most customers need a non-card option. You connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group:
- Fawry pay-ins generate a reference in the hosted checkout or through Direct Links, and the order stays pending until the webhook confirms the cash or app payment.
- Vodafone Cash and other wallets are routed to providers that support wallet collections, with cascading to the next provider in the rule until one accepts.
- Card pay-ins can be routed by BIN, so Meeza, Visa and Mastercard cards each go to an acquirer that accepts them, as your rules set for that issuer.
- Payouts follow PSP eligibility rules by method, currency and payout support, so money only goes through providers that can send it to the recipient’s wallet or card.
Webhooks report the final status of every transaction, which is the record your order system should trust for fulfilment.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for cash and wallets. A card-only checkout leaves out a large share of Egyptian shoppers, and Fawry plus at least one wallet method is the practical minimum.
Plan for delayed confirmation. Fawry references can be paid hours after the order, so set clear expiry times and keep stock or access on hold until the webhook arrives.
Plan for refunds. The 14-day cancellation right and the seven-day refund deadline apply to online orders, so check that every route can refund to the original method.
Plan for currency and tax. EGP pricing, settlement and conversion costs can change quickly, and digital service sellers should track Egyptian revenue against the VAT threshold. The routing-decision log in Omno shows which provider handled each payment, so finance teams can reconcile EGP settlements by route.