ReservationHub
Pre-integrated Payment gateway

mada integration on ReservationHub

mada is Saudi Arabia's national payment scheme, operated by Saudi Payments, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). It links bank cards to ATMs, point-of-sale terminals and online stores. mada reported more than 47.7 million cards and 1.7 million POS devices in 2023, and online mada payments have been possible since 2018.

About mada

mada grew out of the Saudi Payments Network (SPAN), which the central bank set up in 1990 and rebranded as mada in 2015. It is now run by Saudi Payments, a wholly owned SAMA subsidiary established in 2019 that also operates SADAD and the Sarie instant payment system. mada routes transactions from Saudi bank-issued cards through a central system for ATMs, POS terminals, SoftPOS and e-commerce.

Online payments with mada cards started in April 2018, after a SAMA decision that let banks enable mada for online shopping. mada Pay, for paying with smart devices, followed in 2019, and from 2021 mada added e-commerce features such as pre-authorisation and card-on-file payments. For hotels and packages, pre-authorisation allows a hold before the final charge. SAMA data reported by Arab News put mada e-commerce spending at about SR29.9 billion in July 2025, almost 80% higher than a year earlier.

A travel agency does not contract with mada directly. It accepts mada cards through an acquiring bank or a licensed payment gateway that is certified for mada, and that provider sets the fees and settlement terms. Gateways that offer mada include Amazon Payment Services and noon payments. Card data handling still falls under PCI DSS. Agencies selling to customers in Saudi Arabia usually treat mada as a required checkout option.

What you can sell

  • mada debit card payments online
  • mada Pay on smartphones and other smart devices
  • Pre-authorisation holds for hotel and package bookings
  • Card-on-file payments for returning customers
  • Card payments at agency counters through mada POS terminals

How to connect mada

  1. Choose an acquirer or gatewaySign a merchant agreement with a bank or payment gateway that accepts mada cards.
  2. Plug in credentialsAdd that gateway's merchant credentials to ReservationHub.
  3. Enable the card typeTurn on mada at checkout in your booking flows.
  4. Go livePayments are processed in real time and recorded against the booking.

Who uses it

Online travel agencies selling to Saudi customersAdd mada at checkout so customers can pay for flights and hotels with the debit card most Saudi residents carry.
Umrah and Hajj operatorsTake mada payments for packages from domestic pilgrims online or at the agency counter.
Hotel and package sellersUse mada pre-authorisation to hold an amount at booking and charge the final total later.

mada integration: FAQ

Does ReservationHub support mada payments?
Yes. mada is pre-integrated and listed as Mada Pay on the ReservationHub partners page. You add the merchant credentials from the acquirer or payment gateway that processes mada for you, and then choose where mada appears in your booking flows.
Do I sign a contract with mada itself?
No. mada is a national card scheme, not a merchant acquirer. You sign a merchant agreement with an acquiring bank or a licensed payment provider certified for mada, and that agreement sets your fees and settlement. You then add those credentials to ReservationHub. ReservationHub does not provide the merchant account.
Who operates mada?
mada is operated by Saudi Payments, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). Saudi Payments also runs the SADAD bill payment system and the Sarie instant payment system. mada itself began as the Saudi Payments Network and took the mada name in 2015.
What is mada Pay?
mada Pay is the mada service for paying with smartphones and other smart devices, launched in 2019. Customers add their mada card to a supported device and pay without the physical card. Online acceptance depends on your payment provider supporting it.
Can customers outside Saudi Arabia pay with mada?
mada cards are issued by banks in Saudi Arabia, so the customers who pay with mada are mainly residents and citizens holding Saudi bank cards. International visitors usually pay with Visa, Mastercard or other schemes, so offer those alongside mada.

Sell mada content with the rest of your suppliers

Book a demo and we will show mada running alongside GDS, NDC, low-cost and hotel content in one platform.

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Sources

  1. mada — Official site (history and 2023 statistics)
  2. Saudi Central Bank — SAMA enables online payment for mada holders (March 2018)
  3. Saudipedia — Saudi Payments
  4. Arab News — Saudi e-commerce via mada cards surges 79% (September 2025)

Updated . mada is a trademark of its owner; it is named here to describe a technical integration and does not imply endorsement.