A QR code payment is a mobile payment method where payment is performed by scanning a QR code from a mobile app. [1] This is an alternative to doing electronic funds transfer at point of sale using a payment terminal. [2] This avoids a lot of the infrastructure traditionally associated with electronic payments such as payment cards, payment networks, payment terminal and merchant accounts.
To make a QR code payment, the consumer scans the QR code displayed by the merchant with their smartphone to pay for their goods. [3] They enter the amount they have to pay and finally submit. [3] This is a more secure card-not-present method than others. [3]
The QR code system was invented in 1994 by Masahiro Hara from the Japanese company Denso Wave. [4]
In December 2010, the first documented description of QR code-based payments came from two patents filed by Shaun Cooley and Andrew Charles Payne, based on a prototype system developed for Norton Labs at Symantec called Norton Mobile Pay. US 8177125 describes a payment mechanism where a website displays a QR code and a mobile device's camera is used to read the code and complete the payment. US 9076171 describes payment mechanisms where a payment terminal displays a QR code that is scanned by a mobile device, a mobile device displays a QR code that is scanned by a payment terminal, and a mobile device displaying a QR code that is scanned by another mobile device. These patents have since been cited by companies like Wells Fargo, Google, Microsoft, IBM, United States Postal Service, Apple, Capital One, and Toast. There are no records of Symantec, Gen Digital, CA Technologies, or Broadcom attempting to enforce these patents in court.
The first mobile wallet app for cryptocurrency Bitcoin featured the ability to send and receive payments with QR codes in March 2011. [5] In 2011, Chinese company Alipay designed a QR code payment method which allowed partnering offline stores to accept payment by scanning an individual's QR code in Alipay Wallet. [6] In 2014, Chinese technology company Tencent introduced a similar feature on its messaging app WeChat to allow its users to make QR code payments. [7] QR code payment has helped mobile payment become the most popular method of payments in China, accounting for 83% of all payments as of 2018. [8] Nearly all shops, street vendors, most metro systems, buses, and taxis in Mainland China accept either WeChat Pay, Alipay, or Cloud QuickPass for payment. [9]
In 2012, the Czech branch of Raiffeisen Bank International developed the Short Payment Descriptor format for exchanging payment information via QR codes. [10] The format was soon adopted by other Czech banks as well as the Czech Banking Association as the national standard for QR code payments. [11] SPD can technically be used with any bank using IBAN account numbers, [12] although in practice it is only used within Czechia.
In 2014, Chinese technology company Tencent introduced a new feature on its messaging app WeChat to allow its users to make payments. This was introduced via in-app online wallet and a QR Code payment system resulting in major uptake in QR code payment services in China. [13] [14] [14]
In 2017, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched BharatQR as a single, interoperable QR code that could be used for making payments to and from bank accounts using UPI and wallets. It works alongside QR codes from wallet providers as well as card providers such as Visa's mVisa and Mastercard's Masterpass. [15]
In 2020, PayPal announced the ability to pay with QR codes in its mobile app. [16]
Most metro systems, buses, and taxis in Mainland China accept either WeChat Pay or Alipay for payment. The national railway operator, China Railway, also accepts the two major apps for payment.
qvik [17] enables payment within Hungarian National Bank's Instant payment system (AFR) by scanning a QR code, approving a payment request, NFC-based touch or clicking on a deep link within a mobile application. In addition to offering the same fast and secure payment as credit card systems for both purchases and bill payments, qvik is free for consumers and significantly cheaper for merchants than existing payment methods. Using qvik ensures payment security as the service is operated by Hungarian companies and user data remains within the country's borders.
Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro in India allows users to purchase a ticket on their phones using QR code payments. Instead of swiping an RFID card or single-use token, a QR code is generated on the Paytm app which is then read by a scanner mounted on the turnstile. [18]
QR code payment is becoming increasingly popular recently in Malaysia as a convenient and secure way to pay for transportation services. KTM ETS and KTM Komuter Northern Sector, as well as KLIA Ekspres and Penang Ferry Service, are all offering QR code payments to their passengers. [19] [20]
As Malaysia continues to modernize its transportation infrastructure, it is likely that more services including Rapid KL will adopt QR code payments to enhance the passenger experience and streamline operations.
QR code tickets, named beep QR, were introduced in LRT-1 on 1 June 2023 by AF Payments, Inc., the operator of beep card, in partnership with Maya, an e-wallet app. [21] QR tickets can be bought on the Maya app or ikotMNL app. Each LRT-1 station is equipped with at least 1 QR code-enabled gate. [22]
Indonesia has adopted a QR code payment system in the transportation sector to improve convenience and efficiency for commuters. Jakarta's MRT and TransJakarta bus systems now support payment via QR code Indonesian Standard (QRIS). [23] This promotes a cashless society and mobile payments in Indonesia.
This integrated QR code payment system allows people to make transactions with banks or e-money that supports their local integrated QR code payment system in any of the participating countries. Local currencies are used in these transactions, meaning that transactions in Thailand using an Indonesian payment app will directly exchange rupiah with baht. Currently, four of the QR code payment systems in ASEAN are connected (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand). Philippines are also planning to integrate their QR payment systems. [24] The following are QR Payment systems that are in or soon will be in the integrated payment system.
QRIS is a standardized national QR payment system for Indonesia launched by Bank Indonesia on August 17, 2019. [25] Almost all payment services in Indonesia support this system, including GoPay, OVO, Dana, ShopeePay, BCA, BNI, and BRI. [26] It combines all the separate QR codes from different payment services into one QR code which can be used by merchants to receive payments from any e-wallets or banks that supports QRIS.
DuitNow allows all participating banks and e-wallets in Malaysia to use the same QR Code for transactions. [27] It is launched by PayNet under the Bank Negara Malaysia's Interoperable Credit Transfer Framework (ICTF). Some of the banks and e-wallets that support this payment system are Maybank, Hong Leong Bank, CIMB, HSBC, Touch 'n Go eWallet, GrabPay, Setel, ShopeePay, OCBC, UOB, ICBC, and more. [27]
Thai QR Payment (Promptpay) integrates QR payment systems in Thailand. It was launched by the Bank of Thailand.
SGQR is a unified QR code payment system launched on September 17, 2018. SGQR combines multiple QR codes used by multiple payment services in Singapore, including PayNow, into one QR code. [28] This scheme is co-owned by MAS and IMDA. [29]
Swish is a mobile payment system in Sweden, launched in 2012 by six large Swedish banks, in cooperation with Bankgirot and the Central Bank of Sweden. It allows users to make instant payments by scanning a QR code.
QR Ph is the QR code standard in the Philippines, approved by the Philippines Payment Management, inc. (PPMI) in accordance with circular 1055 of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The system is based on the Europay-Mastercard-VISA (EMV) standard, allowing one QR Code to serve transactions from different banks and e-wallets. [30]
VietQR is the national QR code payment standard for Vietnam, launched as a collaborative effort by the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) in partnership with several major banks, including Vietcombank, BIDV, VietinBank, and Agribank. Introduced to the public in 2021, VietQR aims to streamline digital transactions across various financial platforms by using a unified QR code format that supports interoperability among different banks and e-wallets.
UPI is a unified instant payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India, launched on 25 August 2016 and was backed by 35 banks across the country in the first year of its launch. [31] Multiple startups like Paytm who were providing digital wallets for customers and merchants, along with new market players like PhonePe quickly got into the scene, with them incorporating new merchants by providing QR based payment solutions, along with QR code scanners for customers in their respective mobile apps which resulted in the widespread use of QR based payments in India. In FY 2023, there were 84 billion UPI transactions, accounting to about Rs 139.09 trillion ($1.67 trillion). [32] Singapore, UAE, Nepal, Bhutan, France and Sri Lanka have also started adopting UPI after seeing its success in India. [33]
Mobile payment, also referred to as mobile money, mobile money transfer and mobile wallet, is any of various payment processing services operated under financial regulations and performed from or via a mobile device. Instead of paying with cash, cheque, or credit card, a consumer can use a payment app on a mobile device to pay for a wide range of services and digital or hard goods. Although the concept of using non-coin-based currency systems has a long history, it is only in the 21st century that the technology to support such systems has become widely available.
The EZ-Link card is a rechargeable contactless smart card and electronic money system that is primarily used as a payment method for public transport such as bus and rail lines in Singapore. A standard EZ-Link card is a credit-card-sized stored-value contact-less smart-card that comes in a variety of colours, as well as limited edition designs. It is sold by SimplyGo Pte Ltd, a merged entity of TransitLink and EZ-Link since 2024, a subsidiary of the Land Transport Authority (LTA), and can be used on travel modes across Singapore, including the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), the Light Rail Transit (LRT), public buses which are operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore, as well as the Sentosa Express.
Touch 'n Go is a contactless smart card system used for electronic payments in Malaysia. The system was introduced in 1997 and is widely used for toll payments on highways, public transportation, parking, and other services. The card is equipped with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip that allows users to make payments by simply tapping the card on a reader device. Touch 'n Go cards can be reloaded with funds either online or at designated reload kiosks. The system has become a popular and convenient way for Malaysians to make cashless transactions.
Network for Electronic Transfers, colloquially known as NETS, is a Singaporean electronic payment service provider. Founded in 1986 by a consortium of local banks, it aims to establish the debit network and drive the adoption of electronic payments in Singapore. It is owned by DBS Bank, OCBC Bank and United Overseas Bank (UOB).
Alipay is a third-party mobile and online payment platform, established in Hangzhou, China in February 2004 by Alibaba Group and its founder Jack Ma. In 2015, Alipay moved its headquarters to Pudong, Shanghai, although its parent company Ant Financial remains Hangzhou-based.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is an Indian public sector company that operates retail payments and settlement systems in India. The organization is an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust payment and settlement infrastructure in India.
Paytm is an Indian multinational financial technology company, that specializes in digital payments and financial services, based in Noida, India. Paytm was founded in 2010 by Vijay Shekhar Sharma under One97 Communications. The company offers mobile payment services to consumers and enables merchants to receive payments through QR code payment, Soundbox, Android-based-payment terminal, and online payment gateway. In partnership with financial institutions, Paytm also offers financial services such as microcredit and buy now, pay later to its consumers and merchants.
Samsung Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service, operated by the South Korean company Samsung Electronics. It lets users make payments using compatible smartphones and other Samsung-produced devices, accessed using the Samsung Wallet app.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is an Indian instant payment system as well as protocol developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016. The interface facilitates inter-bank peer-to-peer (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions. It is used on mobile devices to instantly transfer funds between two bank accounts. The mobile number of the device is required to be registered with the bank. The UPI ID of the recipient can be used to transfer money. It runs as an open source application programming interface (API) on top of the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), and is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Indian Banks started making their UPI-enabled apps available on Google Play on 25 August 2016.
BHIM is an Indian state-owned mobile payment app developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Launched on 30 December 2016, it is intended to facilitate e-payments directly through banks and encourage cashless transactions. The application supports all Indian banks which use UPI, which is built over the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) infrastructure and allows the user to instantly transfer money between 170 member banks of any two parties. It can be used on all mobile devices.
WeChat Pay, officially referred to as Weixin Pay in China, is a mobile payment and digital wallet service by WeChat based in China that allows users to make mobile payments and online transactions. As of March 2016, WeChat Pay had over 300 million users. WeChat Pay reached 1.133 billion active users in 2023. WeChat Pay's main competitor in China and the market leader in online payments is Alibaba Group's Alipay. Alibaba company founder Jack Ma considered the red envelope feature to be a "Pearl Harbor moment", as it began to erode Alipay's historic dominance in the online payments industry in China, especially in peer-to-peer money transfer. The success prompted Alibaba to launch its own version of virtual red envelopes in its competing Laiwang service. Other competitors, Baidu Wallet and Sina Weibo, also launched similar features.
BharatQR, developed by NPCI, Mastercard, and Visa, is an integrated payment system in India for mobile device. The system was launched in September 2016. It facilitates users to transfer their money from one source to another. The money transferred through BharatQR is received directly in the user's linked bank account. It provides a common interface between RuPay, Mastercard, Visa and American Express, and is interoperable with all the banks. Currently, BharatQR is supported on both Android and iOS devices.
Kakao Pay (Korean: 카카오페이) is a mobile payment and digital wallet service by Kakao based in South Korea that allows users make mobile payments and online transactions. The service supports contactless payments using near-field communications and QR codes.
Faster Payment System is a real-time gross settlement payment system in Hong Kong that connects traditional banks and electronic payment and digital wallet operators. Users are able to perform instant money transfer or make payment to merchants by using the recipient's phone number, e-mail or QR code that contains the user's numeric identifier. Using the "traditional way" of full name and account number to make interbank transfer is also allowed.
Touch 'n Go eWallet is a Malaysian digital wallet and online payment platform, established in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July 2017 as a joint venture between Touch 'n Go and Ant Financial. It allows users to make payments at over 280,000 merchant touch points via QR code; pay for tolls, street parking, payment on e-hailing, car-sharing apps or taxis via RFID or PayDirect; pay bills; top-up mobile prepaid; pay for purchases on e-commerce websites or apps; order food delivery; perform peer-to-peer money transfers; renew car insurance and purchase unique insurance plans; and purchase movie, bus, trains, and airline tickets.
vcash was a Malaysian digital wallet and online payment platform established in Shah Alam in November 2017, by Digi Telecommunications, a subsidiary of Telenor Group. vcash allowed users to make payments in local stores via a QR code, pay bills, top-up prepaid mobile phones, and do P2P transfers. Despite being a Digi product, user registration and usage of this service was opened to both Digi and non-Digi customers. Its competitors were GrabPay, Touch 'n Go eWallet, and Axiata's Boost. On 1 November 2019, Digi announced they were discontinuing vcash on 30 November 2019, two years after its launch, which were attributed to stiff competition from competitors that provide rewards to their users to retain customers in their services.
The app of UnionPay is a mobile and online payment service, developed and operated by UnionPay, the national Chinese bank card clearing service. Launched in 2017, it was designed to compete with the existing third-party Chinese mobile payment platforms, Alibaba Group's Alipay and Tencent's WeChat Pay. The mobile app allows the user to add their UnionPay bank card, and use it for various types of online and mobile payments, including in-app online payments, QR code payments, as well as contactless payments on NFC-enabled devices using UnionPay's QuickPass feature.
Quick Response Code Indonesia Standard is an Indonesian QR code standard developed by Bank Indonesia (BI) and Indonesian Payment System Association for cashless payments in Indonesia.
Samsung Wallet is a digital wallet platform developed by Samsung. It is available for the Samsung Galaxy-exclusive One UI Android operating system, and was announced on February 9, 2022, at the February 2022 Samsung Unpacked event. It combines both Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass.
Google Pay, also known as GPay, is a mobile payments application developed by Google. It has been rolled out in India and Singapore.