When you open a bank account in Saudi Arabia, you are given a mada card. It acts as your gateway between the money sitting in your bank account and your everyday transactions. In other words, the mada card is the equivalent of a debit card. It can be used instead of giving cash to a merchant when making purchases.
With a mada card, every time you make a transaction the money is immediately deducted from your checking account.
By using this card, users get more than instant connectivity to their bank accounts. It is a secure transaction and with each transaction users get text notifications informing them of every purchase. With their mada card users can withdraw riyals from the ATM too.
Depending on one’s needs, mada cards can have a daily limit of SAR 5,000 for cash withdrawals and up to SAR 60,000 for purchases that are made.*
The benefits of using this card are that it is convenient, easy, and secure to use. However, as opposed to having physical cash in your hands where you are noting how much money is being spent with every purchase, with a mada card that is difficult to ascertain. Sometimes, it becomes easier to lose track of how much you are spending.
An excellent way to keep track is to either jot down your expenses or use an app (like FataFeat) to track every purchase for you.