If you live in the Gulf, you know that travel isn’t just a hobby here – it’s a way of life. We are constantly moving, whether it’s a spontaneous weekend road trip to Bahrain, a quick business hop to Riyadh, or dragging the entire extended family to Dubai for the shopping festival.
For years, my travel planning routine was a chaotic mess. I had one app for flights, another for hotels, and a browser full of tabs trying to figure out visa rules. I was juggling multiple credit cards to avoid foreign transaction fees and spending hours on hold with call centers in different time zones whenever a flight got delayed. It felt like work. And honestly, I didn’t realize how much harder I was making it for myself until I stumbled upon Almosafer, an app that now has over 1 million downloads and maintains a 4.7-star rating across both the App Store and Google Play.
It started as a recommendation from a friend when I was complaining about a steep hotel bill. “Just split it with Tabby on Almosafer,” they said. That one tip changed everything. Over the last year, I’ve quietly deleted all the other travel apps from my home screen and kept this one. Here is the story of why it became the only tool I use to plan my trips around the GCC, and why I think it will become yours too.
An App that Speaks Local
The first thing that struck me wasn’t the technology; it was the familiarity. When you open most global travel apps, you can tell they were built in Silicon Valley or Europe. They don’t quite “get” us. Almosafer’s clean, modern interface feels different because it was built with the region in mind.
I used to dread the final checkout screen on international sites. I’d have to use a specific credit card to avoid currency markups, and half the time, my local debit card would get declined. With Almosafer, transparent pricing means I see the exact amount upfront with no hidden fees, and I can pay in my local currency using Mada in Saudi Arabia. My friends in Kuwait use KNET, and Apple Pay works seamlessly when I need it. The payment just goes through, and I know exactly what’s coming out of my account with no random foreign fees.
It sounds simple, but having an app that switches flawlessly between Arabic and English is another lifesaver, especially when I’m booking for my parents who prefer Arabic. The intuitive design means they can navigate flight options, sort by price, number of stops, and filter stays by location or budget without calling me for help every step of the way.
The Option to Buy Now, Pay Later
This was the feature that hooked me. Last summer, I wanted to take the family to Abha for a week. The flights and hotels looked perfect, but the total upfront cost was very high. On any other app, I would have had to put it on a high-interest credit card or downgrade our hotel.
On Almosafer, I saw the option to pay with Tamara and Tabby. I clicked it, paid about a quarter of the cost upfront, and booked the entire trip instantly. The rest of the payments were spread out over the next few months with 0% interest, thanks to their installment plans. It completely changed how I budget for travel. I didn’t have to wait for my next month’s salary to lock in a deal. I could book the moment I saw a good price.
Turning My Phone Bill into Flight Tickets
I prefer using loyalty points, but I usually forget to use them. They sit in forgotten accounts until they expire. Almosafer changed that by integrating with the programs I actually use daily. One day, I noticed I could link my STC Qitaf account. I checked my balance and realized I had enough points from paying my phone and internet bills to cover a domestic flight to Jeddah. I booked it right there on the app, paying almost nothing in cash.
The loyalty and rewards integration extends to Alfursan, Mokafaa, and Shukran. Depending on the booking, I can choose which one to link, and I don’t feel like points are going to waste anymore. Now, with the new BSF Almosafer Visa Card, I’ll be earning Almosafer Points on every purchase I make, whether I’m filling up gas, buying groceries, or dining out, and those points go straight into my Almosafer Wallet to use on my next booking.
Getting Help from an Award-Winning Platform with Real Humans, at Real Branches
We have all had that travel nightmare. Mine happened at 2 AM when a hotel booking (made on a generic global site) couldn’t be found by the receptionist. I spent an hour chatting with a bot before giving up. Almosafer offers reliable customer support and a digital + physical experience that gives me total peace of mind.
I know that if I get stuck, I can call their 24/7 call center or chat on WhatsApp at any time, and someone will answer in Arabic or English.
They also have 38 retail branches across Saudi Arabia and one in Kuwait. I haven’t had to use this for an emergency yet, but knowing I can physically walk into a store in a mall and talk to a travel expert makes a huge difference. It bridges the gap between digital convenience and traditional service, reinforcing the safety, trust, and credibility that come from working with 44 travel award-winning brand backed by Seera Group, Saudi Arabia’s leading travel company.
Umrah Made Easy
Living in the GCC, performing Umrah is a regular part of our lives. But booking it used to involve a lot of disjointed steps. Through its Mawasim arm, Almosafer really understands the needs of religious travelers. I like that Mawasim is officially integrated with Maqam and Nusuk, the government platforms for planning and booking pilgrimage, because it means my bookings are aligned with the right system behind the scenes.
When I look at hotels in Makkah through Almosafer, I feel like I’m dealing with people who actually get the logistics of Umrah; how far the hotel is from the Haram, the best times to arrive, and how transport works, instead of treating it like just another city break.
One App for Everything I Need for my Travel Plans
With access to over 450 airlines and more than 1.5 million properties worldwide, I’ve honestly never hit a moment where I couldn’t find something that worked. Whether I’m looking for a luxury resort in the Maldives, a serviced apartment in Dubai, or a chalet in Riyadh for a weekend gathering, it’s all there. The seamless booking experience means I can reserve flights, hotels, car rentals, and even domestic activities all in one place.
The interface is clean, modern, and incredibly fast, and for me, it just works. The powerful price tracking and alerts mean I never miss a deal, and the flexible date and calendar pricing view helps me find the cheapest days to travel.
Planning a trip shouldn’t feel like a battle; it should be the start of the excitement. Almosafer became my go-to app not because of one single feature, but because it solves the specific friction points of living and travelling in the Gulf. It lets me pay the way that actually makes sense for me, helps me use the loyalty points I was already earning anyway, and gives me a safety net that most of the global apps on my phone just don’t offer.
If you’re still juggling three different apps and paying foreign transaction fees on your credit card, do yourself a favor and download the Almosafer app and try it for your next trip. It might just change the way you see travel.
Data validated on Nov 2025. All values are subject to real-time changes.
