Activate Tamara
Tamara lets your customers split their payments into installments or pay in full, while Tamara settles the amount with your store. You turn it on from Payments > BNPL > Tamara: ask Zid to open a Tamara business account for you, or link the one you already have.
Tamara needs a Zid plan that includes installment services. Otherwise Activate on the Tamara card opens an upgrade dialog. To reach the Payments page you need the staff permission to view or manage payment options. Requesting an account through Zid is available to stores in Saudi Arabia only.
What your customers get
At checkout, the customer chooses Tamara, confirms their mobile number with a one-time code and pays with mada, a credit card or Apple Pay. Tamara charges customers no fees, apart from a late payment fee when they miss a payment.
According to Tamara's FAQ, Tamara settles with your store every Tuesday for the orders processed and shipped before that day, so you don't collect installments from customers yourself. Tamara works alongside Zid Payments or any other payment gateway.
Open Tamara's page
Go to Payments.
In the BNPL card, find Tamara. It shows Activated or Not activated.
Select Activate.
The Tamara details page opens. Under Tamara's description it has three tabs:
| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Overview | What Tamara offers |
| FAQ | Tamara's answers on fees, settlements, how customers pay and how long activation takes |
| Contact | Tamara's support site |
Below them, the Activation card is where you request or link your account.
Choose how to activate
In Saudi Arabia, the Activation card asks you to Select how to activate with Tamara:
Submit a business account opening request: Zid requests a Tamara account for you. See Request a Tamara account through Zid.
I have a Tamara business account already: you enter the keys Tamara sent you. See Link your Tamara account.
Stores outside Saudi Arabia see the key form directly: register with Tamara, then link your account.
Request a Tamara account through Zid
Under Activation, choose Submit a business account opening request.
Enter your Freelancer Key if your account is registered to an individual, or your Unified National Number (700) if it is registered to a business. Zid shows the field that matches your account.
Select Activate. Zid sends the request with the latest Saudi bank account you added. If you have none, a dialog asks you to add one first.
The Freelancer Key is the number on your freelance certificate. See Get a freelance certificate.
An alert at the top of the Activation card follows your request:
| Alert | What it means |
|---|---|
| We’ll automatically request the account for you | You haven't sent a request yet |
| Your request has been submitted successfully and will be reviewed | Tamara is reviewing your request and emails you your account details. Follow up on Tamara's partner portal |
| Additional information is required. | Continue on Tamara's portal to give Tamara what it needs |
| Your request has been approved by Tamara. | Tamara has emailed you the linking details. Enter them in the form under the alert, as in the next section |
| Your account is now live with Tamara. | You can accept Tamara payments right away. The form under the alert holds your display options and Enabled |
| You already have an account registered | Tamara already has an account for you. Finish linking it from Tamara's partner portal, then link it here |
| Your request was not approved. | Tamara could not approve the request under its eligibility criteria |
Link your Tamara account
Use this when you already have a Tamara business account, or when Tamara has approved the request Zid sent for you. Tamara emails your keys after you sign its contract.
Under Activation, choose I have a Tamara business account already. After an approved request, the form is already under the alert.
Fill in the form:
Field What to enter Notification token The notification token Tamara sent you. Required Public key Your Tamara public key. Required API token Your Tamara API token. Required Show Tamara in product page Tick to show Tamara on your store's product pages, so customers see it before checkout Show Tamara in cart page Tick to show Tamara on the cart page Enabled Tick to offer Tamara at checkout Select Save.

Once saved with Enabled ticked, the Tamara card under BNPL shows Activated and customers see Tamara at checkout.
Turn Tamara off
Go to Payments and select Activate on the Tamara card.
Clear Enabled and select Save.
Tamara leaves your checkout and the card shows Not activated. Your keys stay in the form, so you can tick Enabled again later. To hide Tamara only on product or cart pages, clear that option instead.
Orders paid with Tamara
Order page and invoice: the payment method shows as Tamara.
Orders list: filter by Payment method > Tamara to see these orders. See Manage orders.
Cancelling: when you cancel a Tamara order that is in delivery, the confirmation adds Please cancel the order from the Tamara dashboard: cancel it in Tamara's dashboard as well. See Order details.
Refunds: Tamara payments don't go through Zid Payments. Once the order is paid and Tamara allows a refund, a Refund button appears on the order's payment card. You refund a delivered order directly; for an order that isn't delivered yet, edit it first to remove products or lower its total. See Refund a payment.
Editing: when you remove products from a Tamara order, refund the difference with Refund. You can't add products that raise the order above its original total. See Edit an order.
Payment links: once Tamara is active, you can offer it on the payment links you send. See Payment links.
Take Tamara payments in Zid POS
In ZidPOS, the cashier chooses Tamara and sends the customer a text message with a payment link. The customer pays on Tamara's page, and the cashier completes the sale from the pending sales screen. Your Tamara account must be active first. See Pay with Tamara.
Get help with Tamara
The Contact tab on the Tamara page links to Tamara's support site. Questions about your Tamara account, approval or settlements go to Tamara; the FAQ tab also says how to reach Tamara's support when activation takes longer than expected. For anything in your Zid dashboard, contact Zid support.
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Still need help?
Our customer service team is ready to help, or find quick answers in the FAQ.