International visitors can now pay more conveniently in Thailand thanks to a new cross-border QR payment system, an initiative designed to support digital tourism and make cashless transactions smoother for travellers.
Thailand has rolled out its Cross-Border QR Payment project, Pay Like a Local, to support digital tourism and promote spending. The functionality is aimed at simplifying transactions and reducing dependency on cash for tourists while also providing secure transactions. It will help visitors make direct payments at local stores using QR codes linked to their home country’s banking apps and digital wallets.
How the QR payment system works
Thailand is making travel payments easier with “Pay Like a Local,” allowing foreign visitors to scan and pay via supported mobile banking apps or e-wallets at participating venues. 📱
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— TAT Newsroom (@Tatnews_Org) June 26, 2026
Visitors from countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, Laos and Cambodia can use the functionality. People can easily pay at participating shops, hotels, retail outlets, attractions and restaurants, helping to eliminate language and currency barriers in transactions. The app will also help in decreasing reliance on physical currency exchange counters.
It is being offered by the Bank of Thailand, in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Currently, eight major financial institutions are working with them, including:
- Bangkok Bank
- Krung Thai Bank
- CIMB Thai Bank
- Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri)
- Kasikorn Bank
- Siam Commercial Bank
- ICBC (Thai)
- Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives
Further, the global payment networks that have been integrated into the system, which participating merchants can register, include:
- WeChat Pay for mobile wallet payments
- UnionPay for international card-linked QR transactions
- Alipay for Chinese and global users
- National ITMX for connecting banks and merchant payment networks
Here’s a quick look at the payment process for visitors:
- Merchants will have their QR codes on display.
- After making their purchase, visitors can scan these codes using their home banking and wallet apps.
- Payment will be processed in real time through linked networks.
The implementation of the QR-code payment system will help solidify Thailand’s position as a technologically advanced tourism destination.
(Featured image credit: Proxyclick Visitor Management System/Pexels)
This article first appeared on Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
