POS device
Saudi Arabia’s point-of-sale (POS) transactions reached nearly SAR 13.8 billion in the week ended Sept. 12, compared to SAR 15.8 billion a week earlier.
The number of POS transactions reached about 254.9 million last week from nearly 267.8 million the week before, according to data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).
POS transactions represent consumer expenditure through debit and credit cards at major shopping centers, retail outlets, pharmacies, and others.
The data indicated that the value of sales via POS increases in the weeks that coincide with the disbursement of salaries to government employees (the 27th of each month), in addition to the weeks that coincide with school vacations and the weeks preceding Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. On the other hand, the value of sales decreases in the weeks preceding salary disbursement and those coinciding with the start of the back-to-school season.
The four-week moving average stood at about SAR 15 billion. The value of POS transactions rose in 2025 compared with 2024, 2023, and 2022, with the average sales value ranging from SAR 11.4 billion to SAR 15.3 billion, versus SAR 11.5 billion to SAR 13.8 billion in 2024, SAR 10.4 billion to SAR 12.7 billion in 2023, and SAR 9.4 billion to SAR 11.6 billion in 2022, as shown in the chart below:
In the week ended Sept. 12, consumer spending on food and beverages (F&B) accounted for 16.5% of total spending, or SAR 2.28 billion, while restaurants and cafes made up 12.3% (SAR 1.69 billion).
Riyadh led Saudi cities in terms of consumer spending, with approximately SAR 4.87 billion, accounting for 35.3% of the total. Jeddah followed with SAR 1.89 billion (13.7%).
According to the latest data from SAMA, e-payments in the retail (individuals) sector accounted for 85% of total payments made by individuals in the Kingdom in 2025. This achieved the target ratio in the Financial Sector Development Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030’s programs, which had aimed to reach an e-payment ratio of 70% by 2025.
Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed remarkable progress and rapid growth in e-payment adoption, thanks to the myriad strategic efforts and initiatives launched by SAMA, in cooperation with the financial sector, to support the growth of the payments sector and stimulate the use of various e-payment methods in the Kingdom.
E-Payment Ratio in Retail Sector (Individuals)
Year
Ratio to Total
2021
57 %
2022
62 %
2023
70 %
2024
79 %
2025
85%