How to create a KNET payment link in Kuwait
By Ali Hayat, founder of Tech Labs · Last updated 16 October 2026
Selling on WhatsApp or Instagram and want customers to pay with KNET without having a website? A payment link is a simple way to do it. This page explains what it is, what you need to get one, how to create it step by step, and when taking payment on your own site suits you better. If your question is about connecting KNET to the store itself, see our KNET integration guide.
Want KNET on your website, or an online store? KNET integration on an existing website is 99 KWD, and an online store with KNET starts from 349 KWD, with a written fixed price before we start. The first consultation is free.
What is a KNET payment link?
It is a link you create from a payment service provider's or bank's dashboard, carrying a set amount and a description of the order. You send it to the customer, they open it on their phone and pay with their KNET card on the payment page, with no website or online store needed.
KNET is The Shared Electronic Banking Services Company, and the Central Bank of Kuwait lists it as the only e-payment services operator in Kuwait. Its gateway accepts debit cards issued by KNET's member banks in Kuwait. According to the KNET gateway portal, though, KNET does not serve merchants directly: the merchant contracts with a local member bank. There is a second route too: payment service providers that offer KNET as part of their services.
Under the Central Bank of Kuwait's circular on electronic payment links, every link must show the customer the amount, the beneficiary's name and the purpose of payment, the customer must approve before being moved to the payment gateway, and the OTP message must include the transaction amount. So the customer knows exactly who they are paying and how much before they confirm.
Who can get one?
You usually need a commercial licence and a bank account in the business's name, so check the provider's own requirements. Here is what we found in published terms:
- UPayments says opening an account requires a Kuwaiti company licence and a company bank account, and that personal accounts and home businesses must obtain a valid commercial licence to be verified.
- Tap asks for a business licence or commercial registration, the civil ID of the authorised signatory and of any significant owner, and an IBAN certificate whose account name matches the name on the licence. It also asks for a live website or social media page showing products, prices, a refund policy and a privacy policy, and says KNET is only available to merchants based in Kuwait.
- Bank payment links, such as Gulf Bank's K-Link, are aimed at businesses with a registered commercial licence in Kuwait.
If you run an unlicensed home business, do not assume you can enable KNET: ask the provider first and sort out the licence before anything else. Note also that "Quick Pay" e-payment links offered to individual customers are a different thing; the Central Bank's circular limits them to 24 hours of validity, with daily and monthly ceilings per customer that the Central Bank approves in advance.
Where do you get the link? A payment provider or a bank
There are two routes: an e-payment or e-money service provider, or a bank that offers payment links as part of its merchant services. Examples active in Kuwait (named for illustration, not as a recommendation): Tap, UPayments, Hesabe and MyFatoorah; among banks, Gulf Bank, Kuwait Finance House (KFH) and Boubyan Bank. Before you sign with anyone, you can check them against the Central Bank of Kuwait's lists of licensed entities: e-payment service providers and e-money service providers.
Fees and settlement terms vary from one provider to another and change over time, so ask each one for an up-to-date written offer.
How to create a KNET payment link, step by step
- Get your licence and bank account ready. A valid commercial licence, and a bank account in the business's name for settlements to land in.
- Open a merchant account. Register with the payment service provider or bank, upload the required documents and sign the contract. Tap, for example, provides the contract in Arabic or English.
- Make sure KNET is enabled on your account. With some providers KNET is requested separately; Tap, for example, enables it on request through its live chat if the merchant is eligible.
- Create the link. From the app or dashboard, set the amount and a description of the order. Some providers also let you add the customer's name and an expiry, and choose whether the link is one-time or recurring.
- Send the link to the customer. By WhatsApp, Instagram, SMS or email, or as a QR code.
- Track the payment and settlement. With some providers, the dashboard shows the link's status: sent, viewed, paid, refunded or cancelled. The money lands in your bank account according to the provider's settlement schedule.
How long a link stays valid also varies: KFH's Zaheb links, for example, are valid for 24 hours, and Boubyan's ePay links expire after 72 hours. If the customer is late, send a fresh link.
Sharing the link on WhatsApp and Instagram
The link is plain text, so you paste it into a WhatsApp chat or Instagram message like any other link. A few points to watch:
- Say in the message itself what the customer is paying for and how much, so it matches what they see on the payment page.
- Use a one-time link for each order, so every payment ties to a clear order. With some providers a one-time link deactivates after the first successful payment.
- Do not send the link before you have confirmed the item is available; refunds take time and frustrate customers.
- Confirm the payment in the provider's dashboard itself, not from a screenshot the customer sends.
Receipts and refunds
The Central Bank of Kuwait's instructions for regulating the electronic payment of funds say the payer and the payee each receive an electronic copy of the payment order showing at least the reference, amount, date, both names and the purpose of payment. With some providers, each payment also produces a downloadable invoice and a notification.
Refunds are made from the provider's dashboard, in full or in part depending on the provider, and the money goes back to the card the customer paid with. Timing depends on the provider and the payment method; an older Tap support article, for example, mentions 3 to 5 working days. Have a clear written refund policy before you start selling.
Do not add a "KNET fee" for the customer
According to Al-Rai newspaper on 30 September 2025, the Central Bank of Kuwait told banks, e-payment providers and e-money providers to stop end customers in Kuwait from being charged fees or commissions for paying with KNET or credit cards, required agreements with merchants that take payments through POS devices to include an explicit clause to that effect, and said service would later be suspended for violators. Keep the amount in the link equal to the order price itself.
Payment link or KNET checkout on your own site?
A payment link is a good way to start. Over time, though, you notice you are typing every link by hand, matching each payment to a chat, and hunting for orders between WhatsApp and the provider's dashboard. That is when taking payment on your own site saves you time.
| Payment link | KNET checkout on your site | |
|---|---|---|
| Each order | You create a link by hand | The customer chooses and pays on their own |
| Products and prices | Sent in the chat | Shown on the website |
| Order history | Spread across chats and the provider's dashboard | In one admin panel with each order's status |
| Needs a website? | No | Yes |
| Suits | A few orders from WhatsApp and Instagram | Daily orders and many products |
When you reach that point, these are our published offers:
- KNET integration on an existing website: 99 KWD, flat.
- Online store with KNET: from 349 KWD, built from scratch with no templates, in Arabic and English, with an admin panel for orders and products.
- Landing page: 59 to 150 KWD, a single page presenting your product or service, where you can also place your payment link.
Your money goes to your own account
The payment gateway account is in your business's name, with the provider or bank you choose, and the money lands in your own bank account. We build and integrate, and we never receive or hold any of your sales money. Before you sell online, also read what Kuwait's Digital Commerce Law asks of your store (Arabic).
Frequently asked questions
What does a payment link actually do?
A link you create from a payment service provider's or bank's dashboard, carrying a set amount and a description of the order. You send it to the customer on WhatsApp or Instagram, they open it and pay with their KNET card, and you do not need a website or online store.
Can I get a payment link without a commercial licence?
Usually not. The providers whose published terms we reviewed, such as UPayments and Tap, ask for a commercial licence even for home businesses, plus a bank account in the business's name. Ask the provider before you apply.
Do I need a website to use a payment link?
You do not need a website to send the link to a customer. Some providers do ask, when you sign up, for a live website or social media page showing your products, prices, refund policy and privacy policy.
When does the money reach my account?
The Central Bank of Kuwait's instructions for regulating the electronic payment of funds require providers to get the funds to the payee's account by the end of the next business day after the provider receives the funds. Actual timing depends on the provider, the bank and your account settings, so ask them before you sign.
Can I add a KNET payment fee on top for the customer?
No. According to Al-Rai newspaper on 30 September 2025, the Central Bank of Kuwait told banks, e-payment providers and e-money providers to stop end customers in Kuwait from being charged fees or commissions for paying with KNET or credit cards.
When should I move from payment links to a store or checkout on my own site?
When orders come in daily, you have many products, and creating each link by hand gets tiring. We offer KNET integration on an existing website for 99 KWD, an online store with KNET from 349 KWD, and a landing page from 59 to 150 KWD. The gateway account is in your business's name and the money lands in your own bank account; Tech Labs never receives or holds any of it.
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Note: providers' and banks' terms and fees change. This guide explains the general process as published on 16 October 2026 and does not replace the official terms from the provider or bank. Any company named here is mentioned for illustration only, not as a recommendation.
Sources: CBK circulars on payment links · CBK e-payment instructions (2023) · CBK: e-payment services operators · CBK list of e-payment service providers · CBK list of e-money service providers · KNET payment gateway · KNET gateway FAQ · UPayments: licence requirement · Tap: documents · Tap: account activation · Tap: KNET · Tap Kuwait · Tap: billing app · Tap: refunds · Hesabe · MyFatoorah: refunds · Gulf Bank: K-Link · KFH: merchant services · Boubyan: ePay · Al-Rai, 30 Sep 2025 (Arabic)