Dubai-based insights consultancy SixthFactor has published a survey detailing payment preferences across the UAE.

The research highlights a growing divide in UAE digital wallet adoption based on household income and education levels.

The survey of 1,050 residents found that 70.7% have become more willing to use digital platforms like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Wallet over cash or physical cards.

The data indicates that this shift in payment behaviour has accelerated over the past few years across all demographics.

Income and education drive adoption

The research exposes clear divides in usage based on earning power and academic background. Consumers from households earning AED 30,000 or more per month are the most eager to adopt these technologies, with 75.5% expressing increased willingness to use mobile payments.

This drops significantly for lower-income groups earning below AED 10,000 per month.

Only 59.1% of this demographic report a shift toward digital payments, representing a 16.4 percentage point gap between the highest and lowest earners surveyed.

Education levels show a similar correlation with payment habits. Willingness to pay with digital alternatives stands at 66.6% among consumers with secondary education.

This figure rises to 73.5% for bachelor’s degree holders and reaches 73.6% for those with postgraduate or professional qualifications.

“Seven in ten consumers saying they have become more willing to pay with digital wallets is a strong finding, and it reflects how quickly payment behaviour has shifted in the UAE over a relatively short period,”

said Himanshu Vashishtha, Founder and Global CEO, SixthFactor.

Vashishtha noted that the income and education gaps indicate that markets do not move at the same speed for everyone.

He added that these underserved segments represent the next phase of real growth for banks, retailers and payment providers.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image by MICA and AI Generated via Magnific