Doha Bank Introduces Debit Card Acceptance for Mobile Commerce

Doha Bank has once again demonstrated its leadership in payments innovation by introducing the option of making payments on mobile websites using an ATM or debit card to all residents of Qatar. This first-of-its-kind initiative will allow debit cardholders of any bank in Qatar to make purchases through their smartphones and tablets.

In the first demonstration of this success, debit cards issued by any bank in Qatar are now accepted on the mobile website of their trusted partner, Q-Tickets.com, giving Qatar’s cinema-goers more flexibility and convenience in booking tickets through their smartphones and tablets.

Speaking on the launch of the service, Mr. Suresh Bajpai, Head of Retail Banking at Doha Bank said, "Doha Bank believes in delivering greater value to the customer and with the support of the Qatar Central Bank, we are able to offer a service that is unprecedented in the country. Customers can now complete their mobile payments using their debit cards. People are rapidly adopting smartphones and tablets as their preferred medium of accessing the internet and making payments, and we believe in serving them through these channels."

Mr. Bajpai said credit card penetration is low compared to debit/ATM cards, due to various eligibility factors required to secure a credit card, whereas almost everyone has a debit card: "We believe there is immense growth potential for these transactions. This service gives people of all income brackets the ability to purchase their tickets online, conveniently from wherever they are. This facility is also a great option for merchants to accept payments from practically the entire country. We thank the Qatar Central Bank for their vision and support towards facilitating such an inclusive network."

On the Q-Tickets regular and mobile websites, users can select their seats and then choose a preferred payment option – ie, either credit card, a Doha Bank account, or debit card. On choosing the debit card option, customers are prompted to enter their debit card details. After the user enters his/her debit card details, they are then directed to QCB's secure environment on QPay to complete the transaction after entering their 4 digit PIN number.

The debit card payment gateway is a highly secure platform and meets the safety standards regulated and mandated by the Qatar Central Bank.