Quick answer: STC Qitaf is the largest loyalty program in Saudi Arabia, with over 15.7 million active members and more than 3,300 partner outlets across the Kingdom. Members earn points simply by paying their phone bills — no extra spending required. Those points redeem at every 5 points = 1 SAR across travel, dining, retail, health, and banking partners. Any small business can copy the core mechanics today.
What is STC Qitaf?
STC Qitaf is the loyalty program of the Saudi Telecom Company (stc), the largest telecom operator in the MENA region. Launched in 2004, Qitaf allows stc customers to earn points on their monthly bills and redeem them across a wide network of partner brands. The program has since evolved into a four-tier ecosystem spanning consumer and business customers, open even to non-stc subscribers through its partner earn network.
This guide draws on publicly available stc annual reports, official program pages at stc.com.sa, and loyalty industry research from TTEC, Capillary Tech, and GlobeNewswire.
stc Qitaf loyalty program overview. Source: stc.com.sa
How STC Qitaf works
Registration is free and takes under a minute. Customers enroll via the Qitaf app, by sending 201 to 900, or through the mySTC app. Once enrolled, every bill payment starts earning points automatically.
How do members earn Qitaf points?
Points come from three main sources: paying stc bills, subscribing to specific packages, and spending at partner brands.
For bill payments, the earn rate is tied to membership tier:
| Tier | Spend required | Points per 15 SAR paid |
|---|---|---|
| Qitaf Classic | Free to join | 1 point |
| Tamayouz Gold | 7,800 SAR/year | 1 point |
| Tamayouz Platinum | 24,000 SAR/year | 1.5 points |
| Tamayouz Diamond | 48,000 SAR/year | 2 points |
Subscribing to select home internet and mobile packages earns bonus points on activation. For example, subscribing to the Baity Fiber Max package earns 35 points, and the Mofawtar Prime 5 package earns 35 points on top of regular bill earning.
Partner earn rates vary by brand. Members can earn 1 Qitaf point for every 10 SAR spent at restaurants like Saadeddin and BurgerFuel, 1 point per 10 SAR at health services like Al Maha Optical, 1 point per 20 SAR on Flyin flight bookings, and 1 point per 10 SAR spent on Almosafer hotel bookings, among many others.
How does point redemption work?
Redemption is simple: every 5 Qitaf points equals 1 SAR in value at partner outlets. Members provide their registered phone number at checkout, receive a one-time password (OTP) to confirm, and the points are deducted instantly.
Internally, points can be used to reduce a postpaid bill, recharge a prepaid Sawa balance, or redeem for free call minutes, SMS bundles, and mobile data. Qitaf minutes, SMS, and data rewards are valid for one month from redemption.
Can members transfer points to others?
Yes. This is one of the most distinctive features of Qitaf. Members can transfer points to other stc customers — including non-stc subscribers — through the Qitaf app. This turns the program into a gifting tool, not just a personal reward system.
Can non-stc customers join?
Yes. Holders of any Saudi mobile number can join Qitaf to earn and redeem points at external partners. Non-stc members cannot earn or redeem for stc internal services, and points expire after 12 months of inactivity. But they gain full access to the partner ecosystem — which spans over 150 brands across more than 3,300 outlets.
The Tamayouz tiers — what high-value customers actually get
Tamayouz is the premium tier layer inside the Qitaf program, reserved for postpaid and landline customers whose total annual payments exceed the relevant threshold. Enrolment is automatic once the spend threshold is hit.
stc's loyalty program ecosystem including Qitaf and Tamayouz. Source: stc.com.sa
What do Tamayouz Gold members get?
Gold members spend at least 7,800 SAR per year and receive:
- 1,500 Qitaf enrollment gift points (one time)
- 30% discount on new vanity mobile numbers (up to 3 per year)
- Promise-to-pay service: a 2-day bill deadline extension via the mySTC app
- 100 Tamayouz keys to activate free service perks (calls, SMS, data)
What do Tamayouz Platinum members get?
Platinum members spend at least 24,000 SAR per year and receive:
- 7,500 Qitaf enrollment gift points (one time)
- 1.5 points per 15 SAR on bill payments (versus 1 point for Classic/Gold)
- 50% discount on new vanity numbers
- Promise-to-pay deadline extension of up to 5 days
- 500 minutes of calls to all local networks per activation cycle
- Unlimited domestic mobile data per activation cycle
What do Tamayouz Diamond members get?
Diamond members spend at least 48,000 SAR per year and receive:
- 2 points per 15 SAR on bill payments — the highest earn rate in the program
- 70% discount on new vanity numbers
- Up to 1,000 minutes of calls to all local networks
- 500 SMS to all networks
- Unlimited domestic internet access
- Free premium stc TV subscription
- Dedicated customer care access
Tier status is held for 12 months, then reassessed based on the most recent 12-month spending. Members can maintain, upgrade, or downgrade based on their actual usage.
The numbers behind Saudi Arabia's largest telecom loyalty program
15.7 million active members
According to stc's 2023 Annual Report, the Qitaf program reached 15.7 million active members — up from 12 million subscribers recorded in the Q1 2022 investor presentation. Earlier public statements from stc leadership referenced more than 20 million members engaging with the program across partner outlets.
3,300+ outlets across 150+ brands
Qitaf operates across more than 3,300 sales outlets in KSA and beyond, representing over 150 local and international brands. Categories span food and dining, fashion, perfume, home appliances, electronics, travel, healthcare, banking, education, and entertainment. This is not a narrow retail play — it is a lifestyle ecosystem.
A $712 million loyalty market — and growing
The Saudi Arabia loyalty industry was valued at $712.3 million in 2025 and is projected to reach $1.27 billion by 2030. stc Qitaf is cited as one of the anchor platform-led programs driving that growth. Loyalty functionality is increasingly embedded into the core digital experience — billing, payments, and lifestyle services — rather than running as a separate program layer.
Recognised across the EMEA region
In 2015, the Qitaf-Tamayouz program was named Highly Commended loyalty program in the telecom sector at the Loyalty Magazine Awards, covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The award coincided with the program's 10-year anniversary and recognised its evolution from a single-operator points scheme to a multi-partner ecosystem.
The Utility Loyalty Loop — why Qitaf works when others don't
Most loyalty programs ask customers to do something extra: visit more often, spend more per trip, download a new app. Every one of those asks creates friction. And friction kills participation.
Qitaf is built on the opposite logic. We call it the Utility Loyalty Loop: the idea that the most powerful place to attach a loyalty program is to a routine behaviour the customer already performs — one they cannot opt out of.
For stc customers, that behaviour is paying the phone bill.
Why does this matter?
Every postpaid customer has a bill date. That bill arrives every month without exception. It does not require a trip to a store. It does not require a decision. It happens automatically.
Qitaf simply says: while you are doing that thing you were already going to do, you are earning points. There is no extra step. No new habit to form. No extra spending required.
This is why Qitaf's enrollment numbers grow alongside stc's subscriber base rather than requiring a separate marketing push. The program earns members by doing nothing more than existing inside the billing cycle customers already live in.
The Utility Loyalty Loop in practice
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Trigger | Monthly bill arrives |
| Action | Customer pays bill (already planned) |
| Reward | Qitaf points added automatically via SMS |
| Reinforcement | Points build toward partner redemption |
| Expansion | Customer spends at partners to accelerate earning |
| Stickiness | Accumulated points and tier status create switching cost |
The last step is the most important one. A customer who has accumulated 3,000 Qitaf points and sits two months away from Tamayouz Gold is not leaving stc. The cost of switching is not the contract. It is the points they would abandon.
What can a small business take from this?
The principle works at any scale. The question to ask is: what do my customers already do when they interact with me? Not what you want them to do. What they already do. Loyalty programs that attach to existing behaviour cost less to run and produce higher engagement than programs that demand new behaviour.
A coffee shop whose customers already tap their card every morning does not need a complex redemption structure. It needs a program that says: while you are already here, you are earning something. The Utility Loyalty Loop scales down to a single QR code at a counter just as well as it scales up to a national telecom billing system.
5 tactics small businesses can steal from STC Qitaf
1. Tie earning to something customers already do
Qitaf's most powerful mechanic is not the partner network or the tier structure. It is the bill-payment earn trigger. Members do not need to change their behaviour at all. They pay a bill they were already going to pay, and points arrive.
How to apply it: Map your customer's existing touchpoints before designing your program. What do they already do? Pay a subscription? Book a recurring appointment? Visit once a week? Attach your earn trigger to that touchpoint, not to an incremental visit you are hoping to generate. Loyalty programs that reward existing behaviour are easier to adopt and cheaper to sustain than those that try to manufacture new ones.
2. Open your program to non-customers through partners
Qitaf allows non-stc subscribers to join the program and earn points at partner brands. This means Qitaf is recruiting loyalty members from competitors' customer bases — without requiring those people to switch networks first.
How to apply it: If you have a points program, consider whether any local businesses serve the same customer. A salon near a gym, a cafe near a wellness studio, a boutique near a blow-dry bar. A shared earn arrangement — where a customer of one business earns points redeemable at the other — expands your member base without a single marketing spend. It also gives both businesses data they would never have had alone.
3. Let members transfer points to others
Qitaf's point transfer feature turns members into recruiters. When a customer can gift points to a family member or friend, two things happen. First, the recipient now has a Qitaf balance they did not earn themselves, which creates a reason to enroll and transact. Second, the sender feels generous, not just transactional. The program stops feeling like a discount mechanism and starts feeling like a relationship tool.
How to apply it: Add a simple gifting mechanic. Even a "send a reward to a friend" feature that costs one redemption from the giver's balance drives more value than the same points sitting unused. The referred recipient is already warm — someone they trust recommended the program.
4. Use welcome and anniversary points to lock in early engagement
Tamayouz Gold members receive 1,500 enrollment gift points on joining. Platinum members receive 7,500. This is a deliberate front-loading strategy. Before the new member has done anything, they have a balance. That balance creates an obligation — a reason to use the program before the points expire.
How to apply it: Give every new member a welcome bonus on sign-up. It does not need to be large. Even 50 or 100 welcome points that cover a small reward creates the first earn-to-spend behaviour loop. Add an anniversary bonus in month 12 to reset the cycle before lapsed members drift. Both mechanics are one-time configurations in any digital loyalty platform, not ongoing manual tasks.
5. Build a two-speed program: mass access and high-value tier perks
Qitaf serves two audiences with one program. Classic members get the baseline: earn points, redeem at partners. Tamayouz Diamond members get something completely different: dedicated care, exclusive discounts, entertainment subscriptions, and fast-tracked bill flexibility. Both audiences are served without the program feeling like two separate things.
How to apply it: Design your loyalty program with an explicit "top customer" layer from day one — even if only 5% of members ever reach it. The existence of a visible premium tier does two things. It gives your best customers a reason to feel recognised. And it gives everyone else a visible goal to reach. Programs with no tier ceiling have no aspiration. Programs with a clear top tier create a climb.
How to launch your own loyalty program in under 10 minutes
stc built Qitaf over two decades, integrating it into billing systems, apps, and a national partner network. The core mechanics — earn on existing behaviour, redeem at partners, automated tier progression, welcome bonuses, and win-back triggers — are now available to any small business at a fraction of the cost.
LoyaltyPass is built for exactly this. Here is what launching looks like for a single retail store, salon, cafe, or SME.
Step 1 — Design your card Upload your logo, set your brand colours, choose your reward structure. Takes about five minutes.
Step 2 — Set your earn and redeem rules Decide what customers earn on (visits, spend, specific services). Set your redemption threshold. Build in a welcome bonus for new members. LoyaltyPass handles the logic automatically.
Step 3 — Print your QR code Generate a QR code and place it at your counter, on your receipt, or on your menu. Customers scan once. The card lands in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet instantly. No download required.
Step 4 — Scan and redeem at the counter Use the free LoyaltyPass merchant app to add points and process redemptions. No new hardware. No POS integration needed to get started.
Step 5 — Set up your win-back campaign Configure an automated message to any member who has not visited in 30 days. This single automation delivers a significant share of the retention ROI that loyalty programs generate for small businesses.
Most businesses are live within one shift.
Bottom-line summary
STC Qitaf works because it does not ask customers to do anything new. It rewards a behaviour — paying the phone bill — that every subscriber was already performing. The partner network turns that earned currency into something useful across daily life. The Tamayouz tier structure gives high-value customers a reason to stay, while the open enrollment model recruits members from outside stc's own network. Small businesses do not need a national telecom platform to run the same logic. They need a program that attaches to existing customer behaviour, a visible tier worth aspiring to, and one automation that catches lapsing members before they disappear entirely.
If you want to see what this looks like for your business, join the LoyaltyPass waitlist and get early access to founding member pricing.
