The most cashless countries in Middle East

17 countries and territories in Middle East, ranked by how easily a visitor can get by without cash in The Cashlessy Index 2026. United Arab Emirates leads with 88 out of 100; Yemen is the most cash-reliant. 9 of 17 are cashless or mostly cashless, and the region averages 55.

What the checked guides say

We have checked 6 of the 17 guides in Middle East against sources so far. Fee-free ATMs are easy to find in Saudi Arabia.

All 17 ranked

  1. 1
    United Arab Emirates

    Cards: accepted almost everywhereCash: rarely neededATMs: some ATMs are fee-freeChecked October 2026

    Go cashless88
  2. 2
    Israel

    Cards: accepted almost everywhereCash: rarely neededATMs: some ATMs are fee-freeChecked October 2026

    Go cashless86
  3. 2
    Qatar

    Cards: accepted almost everywhereCash: rarely neededATMs: some ATMs are fee-freeChecked October 2026

    Go cashless86
  4. 4
    Saudi Arabia

    Cards: accepted almost everywhereCash: rarely neededATMs: fee-free ATMs are easy to findChecked October 2026

    Mostly cashless84
  5. 5
    Bahrain

    Cards: accepted almost everywhereCash: rarely neededNot yet checked

    Mostly cashless82
  6. 5
    Kuwait

    Cards: accepted almost everywhereCash: rarely neededNot yet checked

    Mostly cashless82
  7. 7
    Turkey

    Cards: widely acceptedCash: carry a littleATMs: some ATMs are fee-freeChecked October 2026

    Mostly cashless78
  8. 8
    Oman

    Cards: widely acceptedCash: carry a littleNot yet checked

    Mostly cashless68
  9. 9
    Georgia

    Cards: widely acceptedCash: carry a littleNot yet checked

    Mostly cashless66
  10. 10
    Armenia

    Cards: cities and tourist areasCash: carry a littleNot yet checked

    Mixed58
  11. 11
    Azerbaijan

    Cards: cities and tourist areasCash: carry a littleNot yet checked

    Mixed56
  12. 12
    Jordan

    Cards: cities and tourist areasCash: needed dailyATMs: some ATMs are fee-freeChecked October 2026

    Mixed50
  13. 13
    Lebanon

    Cards: hotels and a few big businessesCash: bring plentyNot yet checked

    Cash essential20
  14. 14
    Iraq

    Cards: rarely or neverCash: bring plentyNot yet checked

    Cash essential14
  15. 15
    Syria

    Cards: rarely or neverCash: bring plentyNot yet checked

    Cash essential4
  16. 16
    Iran

    Cards: rarely or neverCash: bring plentyNot yet checked

    Cash essential3
  17. 17
    Yemen

    Cards: rarely or neverCash: bring plentyNot yet checked

    Cash essential2

Scores are out of 100. See the full world ranking and how we score. Last reviewed October 2026.

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