How to pay at Al Huwaila: bank card through a secure gateway

There is one way to pay at Al Huwaila and it is a clear one: bank card online through the SkipCash gateway. The payment happens inside the gateway's own page, and the shop neither sees your card number nor keeps it. Delivery inside Qatar is available once the order is confirmed.

How do I pay by card through SkipCash, step by step?

Once you have chosen your items and reached the checkout page, you put in your details, your name, your mobile number and a delivery address inside Qatar, and from there the site hands you over to the SkipCash gateway.

• You enter the card details on the gateway's own page, not on the shop's page.
• The bank sends a verification code to your phone and you enter it on the same page.
• If the transaction goes through, the gateway returns you to the site and a confirmation page appears with your order number on it.
• Save the order number or photograph it. That is what we work from with any question later on.

One thing that matters: between the bank's page and the confirmation page, do not close the browser, do not press back and do not reload. Let it finish and bring you back on its own, because going back halfway is the commonest reason a transaction is left hanging.

Does the shop keep my card details?

It does not. The card number, the expiry date and the security code on the back are all typed inside the SkipCash gateway, an independent payment specialist, and they do not pass through the site's server at all. Two things reach Al Huwaila from the transaction and no more: whether it went through or not, and the reference number tied to your order.

On that basis: do not give your card details to anybody in a WhatsApp message or over a call, even if he tells you he is from the shop. An Al Huwaila employee will never ask you for a card number, and we do not send payment links from any account but our official ones: the phone +974 4465 0041, WhatsApp +974 5094 7142, and al_huwaila on Instagram and Snapchat.

What do I do if my payment fails?

A failed payment is an ordinary thing and it happens for simple reasons: the verification code ran out of time, the network dropped mid transaction, online purchasing is switched off on the card by the bank, or the daily limit is used up. First of all, do not try ten times in a row: a run of failed attempts makes the bank freeze the card for a while and turns a small matter into a long one.

• Check that online purchasing is enabled on your card, from the bank's app or by ringing them.
• Try a different network, mobile data instead of Wi-Fi for example, or try another card.
• If the amount was taken and no confirmation page appeared, do not pay a second time. Message us on WhatsApp with the time of the transaction, the amount and the order number if you were given one, and we will check it with the gateway.
• And if it will not work at all, message us on WhatsApp on +974 5094 7142 with your order number and we will take you through it step by step.

Can I look at the item in the shop before I order?

Of course, and with certain things that is exactly what we would tell you to do. Come to the shop in the Falcon Souq at Souq Waqif, handle the item and ask about it, then order it on the site and pay by card, and either have it delivered or come and collect it. That suits anybody who wants to see a thing with his own eyes before he decides, the way people do with binoculars: you look through a pair at something far off and see how clear the picture is and how steady it holds before you choose. What we have is in the Binoculars section.

The hours, so you can work out your timing: Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 in the morning to 1:00 in the afternoon, and from 4:00 in the afternoon to 10:00 at night. Friday from 4:00 in the afternoon to 10:00 at night. Saturday we are closed, so do not tire yourself out coming.

When is it better to order online, and when should I come to the shop?

If you know what you want by name and by model, order online, pay by card and have it come to you inside Qatar. Most falconers and camping people know their flashlight by name and know what they are fitting it to, and an order like that needs no inspection. The Flashlights section lists each light by name and model, and somebody who wants a torch to carry out into the dunes knows already what suits him.

But if you are after a knife and you want to feel the handle in your hand, see the thickness of the blade and how it balances, or compare two models, then looking at it in the shop will do more for you than any photograph. Look first, and order from the site afterwards.

How do I ask about the status of my order?

The fastest way is WhatsApp on +974 5094 7142, and put the order number in the first message instead of explaining the order from the beginning. If the amount was taken and you have a screenshot of the bank's message, attach that too. It shortens the check.

If you would rather call, the phone is +974 4465 0041 during opening hours, and you can message us on Instagram or Snapchat at al_huwaila. Keep the order number from the confirmation page until the goods are in your hands.

Does the way I pay change from brand to brand?

No, it is the same for everything on the shelves. We hold 13 official agencies: ACEBEAM, COLD STEEL, F.DICK, Cudeman, OPINEL, Smith's, SCHRADE, XTAR, FENIX, RovyVon, ARCOS, NITECORE and Spyderco. There are other goods that we import and sell under our own name, Al Huwaila, and the total with us is 48 brands.

Whether what is in your basket comes from an official agency or from what we import under our own name, the payment is the same: bank card through SkipCash on the site.