Dubai, UAE — Point-of-sale transactions in Saudi Arabia fell to nearly $3.79 billion in the week ended Aug. 15, from about $4.35 billion a week earlier, according to data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).
The number of POS transactions fell to about 249.7 million from nearly 253.4 million the previous week, the data showed.
POS transactions represent consumer spending through debit and credit cards at major shopping centres, retail outlets, pharmacies and other businesses.
The four-week moving average value of POS transactions stood at about $3.81 billion.
Based on the four-week moving average, the value of POS transactions rose during 2025 compared with 2024, 2023 and 2022.
The average weekly value of sales ranged between $3.04 billion and $4.08 billion in 2025, compared with $3.07 billion to $3.68 billion in 2024, $2.77 billion to $3.39 billion in 2023 and $2.51 billion to $3.09 billion in 2022.
The data showed that POS sales tend to rise during weeks coinciding with the disbursement of government employee salaries on the 27th of each month, as well as during school vacations and the weeks before Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Sales tend to decline in the weeks before salary disbursement and those coinciding with the start of the back-to-school season.
Food, restaurants account for significant share
Food and beverage spending accounted for 15.5% of total POS spending in the week ended Aug. 15, or about $587 million.
Restaurants and cafes accounted for 12.9%, with spending of about $485 million.
Riyadh led Saudi cities in consumer spending, with approximately $1.29 billion, representing 34.1% of the total.
Jeddah followed with about $501 million, or 13.2%.
Electronic payments continue to grow
According to the latest SAMA data, electronic payments in the retail sector accounted for 85% of total payments made by individuals in Saudi Arabia in 2025.
The figure met the target set by the Financial Sector Development Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 programmes, which had aimed to reach an electronic payment ratio of 70% by 2025.
Saudi Arabia has recorded rapid growth in electronic payment adoption in recent years, supported by initiatives launched by SAMA in cooperation with the financial sector to develop the payments sector and encourage the use of different electronic payment methods.
