NayaPay vs SadaPay: fees, limits and international payments

On SadaPay vs NayaPay, the biggest difference is paying abroad. NayaPay’s published fee for an international card payment is USD 0.25, while SadaPay charges 6% plus tax, from their July to December 2026 fee schedules. NayaPay doesn’t publish its exchange-rate cost, so the real gap can be smaller. Local transfers through Raast are free on both, and both allow Rs 400,000 of incoming money a month after biometric verification.

Which is better, SadaPay or NayaPay?

Neither is better at everything. The table puts their own fee schedules side by side, as of October 2026.

A short way to read it:

• You pay for software, ads or subscriptions in dollars: NayaPay’s listed fee is far lower, but check the final rupee amount in the app, because its exchange-rate cost isn’t published.
• You only want a virtual card for local use and transfers: SadaPay’s virtual card is free; NayaPay’s schedule lists Rs 600.
• You want a physical card: NayaPay’s Visa costs Rs 1,000 and SadaPay’s Mastercard Rs 1,724.

What are SadaPay vs NayaPay international transaction charges?

SadaPay charges an international transaction fee of 6% of the amount, plus a fixed Rs 55 on payments up to Rs 800. Its terms and its March 2026 help page say the 6% excludes tax, and its own worked example charges 6.96%. The same fee applies when a foreign merchant such as Netflix or Spotify bills you in rupees, because SadaPay settles it in dollars.

NayaPay lists an international card transaction fee of USD 0.25, charged on both successful and failed transactions. Its rates exclude tax unless marked otherwise. NayaPay also passes on “FX settlement costs”, the cost of buying dollars from authorised dealers, but gives no percentage. We couldn’t find a published rate.

SadaPay says its exchange rate comes from its partner banks and can change when the merchant settles the payment a few days later. That can push your balance below zero, and you have to repay it.

On top of either fee, FBR’s advance tax on card payments abroad is 0.5% if you’re on the Active Taxpayer List (ATL, whether you count as a filer) and 1% if you’re not, under section 236Y as of the Finance Act 2026. See filer vs non-filer for what else changes.

What happens if an international payment fails?

Failed payments cost money on both apps, so keep enough balance before you pay a foreign site.

• NayaPay gives every user 5 failed international transactions. After that, you pay a charge from its schedule to restore the card, and further failures can get the card blocked. Failures from low balance or a frozen card count. A failed international card transaction is also charged the USD 0.25 fee.
• SadaPay’s terms say it may pass network fees for declined payments on to you. Repeated declines can switch off online payments on your card or, in extreme cases, suspend the account.

What are the NayaPay and SadaPay limits?

Both apps start you on low limits and raise them after biometric verification. SadaPay’s in-app check is free. NayaPay charges Rs 60 for its in-app check, or you can verify at any Meezan Bank ATM without a card.

NayaPay’s table is from its help page last updated in June 2025. SadaPay’s is from a help page last updated in October 2023, the newest it publishes; its July 2026 page confirms the Rs 400,000 monthly limit. Before verification, NayaPay allows Rs 50,000 a month in and Rs 10,000 a day in cash; SadaPay allows Rs 10,000 a day in cash.

Can freelancers receive money from abroad in SadaPay or NayaPay?

Yes, in rupees. Neither app gives you a dollar balance. Both list Payoneer, Wise, Remitly and ACE as remittance partners; NayaPay also lists Western Union, and SadaPay lists Xoom. You give the sender or platform the 24-digit IBAN shown in the app.

SadaPay says it charges no fee to receive remittances and converts them to rupees on arrival. NayaPay’s schedule lists no fee for incoming remittances. On an upgraded NayaPay wallet, foreign remittances can reach Rs 1.5 million a month.

SadaPay doesn’t let you send money abroad: it says it is waiting for SBP to confirm how electronic money institutions may handle outward remittances. For the wider choice of payout routes, see freelancer payment methods in Pakistan and using Wise in Pakistan. For tax on that income, see freelancer tax in Pakistan.

Who holds the licence for NayaPay and SadaPay?

Both are electronic money institutions (EMIs) licensed by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). SBP’s list, updated 2 September 2026, lists NayaPay (approved 30 August 2021) and SadaPay (approved 18 April 2022) under commercial operations. SBP adds that its list is not an endorsement of any EMI’s finances or soundness.

An EMI account is not a bank deposit. NayaPay’s terms say your balance earns no profit, the Banking Companies Ordinance doesn’t apply, and the money is held in a separate trust account run by a trustee under SBP’s EMI rules.

SadaPay is owned by SadaPay Technologies Ltd., registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre, and was bought by the Turkish fintech Papara. In May 2025, Arab News reported that Turkey detained 13 people, reportedly including Papara’s founder, in a money-laundering and illegal-betting probe, and a court put Papara under a state trustee. We found no SBP statement about SadaPay in connection with that case.

Which cards do you get?

• NayaPay: a Visa virtual card, a Visa physical card and a PayPak card. The PayPak card works only in shops and ATMs in Pakistan.
• SadaPay: a Mastercard virtual card issued as soon as you open the account, a Mastercard physical card and a PayPak card.

You must be 18 or older to open a NayaPay account, and NayaPay’s account is in rupees only.

More guides: Banking & Payments, credit cards compared, how to become a filer, Money.