Payment method · Singapore
QR payments in Singapore
There is no such thing as "QR payment" as a single method. There is a bank transfer rail, several wallet rails, a display standard that combines codes onto one label, and two opposite directions the code can travel — and a merchant who does not separate them ends up with a counter that takes some of them and a reconciliation nobody can follow. This page is the map; each piece has its own page.
In short
- Two directions: you show a code, or you scan theirs. Both exist and they need different hardware.
- PayNow is a transfer rail, not a wallet — and static and dynamic are very different products.
- Alipay+, WeChat Pay and UnionPay QR are separate enablements. Having one is not having the others.
- SGQR is a label standard, not a payment method. Uniweb Pay does not offer SGQR.
- The question that matters is not "do you take QR" — it is which codes, in which direction.
The direction decides your counter
Before any of the rails, there is a physical question, and it is the one merchants most often answer by accident after buying hardware.
- Merchant-presented: you display a code — on a screen or on a printed label — and the customer scans it with their app. Needs something facing the customer.
- Consumer-presented: the customer opens their app and shows a code, and your staff scan it. Needs a scanner, and it closes the sale on your side rather than waiting on their screen.
Busy counters generally want the second, because it removes the "is it done yet?" wait. Most businesses accepting several wallets end up needing both, and the time to establish that is before the counter is built. Choosing a card terminal goes through what that means for hardware.
The rails, and what each one actually is
| What it is called | What it actually is | Separate enablement? |
|---|---|---|
| PayNow | A bank transfer rail between Singapore accounts. Not a wallet, no card behind it. | Yes |
| Dynamic PayNow | PayNow with a code generated per sale, carrying the amount, with a success notification. | Yes — and it is a different product from the static version |
| Static PayNow | One printed code for the whole shop. The customer types the amount; nobody is told it arrived. | Set up with a bank, not an acquirer |
| Alipay+ | A cross-border gateway to a set of wallets, not a single app. | Yes |
| WeChat Pay | Its own wallet rail, enabled separately from Alipay+. | Yes |
| UnionPay QR | The QR half of UnionPay. A merchant taking UnionPay cards does not automatically have it. | Yes — and this is the one most often missing |
| SGQR | A display standard that puts several codes on one physical label. Not a rail and not a method. | Not offered by Uniweb Pay |
The column that matters is the third one. Every "yes" in it is a separate conversation with your provider, and a merchant who believes "we take QR" has usually had one of those conversations and not the others.
What this means when you are choosing
The useful question to put to any provider is not whether they support QR. It is: which of these will be enabled on my account, in which direction, on one device or several, and settled into one batch or several. Those four things are what separate a counter that works from a counter that technically accepts everything.
The last one is the one that costs the most and is noticed the latest. Several rails settling separately means several reconciliations, every day, forever — see settlement and reconciliation for why that compounds.
For what Uniweb Pay does here: Alipay+, WeChat Pay, UnionPay QR and Dynamic PayNow are enabled on one merchant account alongside cards, on the same terminal, settled in SGD in the same T+1 batch. SGQR is not offered, which is stated plainly rather than worked around.
Where to go from here
- Setting up Chinese wallets specifically: how to accept WeChat Pay and Alipay in Singapore.
- PayNow in detail, and why static and dynamic are not the same product: Dynamic PayNow, static PayNow and SGQR.
- Which methods a business should support at all: payment methods for Singapore merchants.
Questions merchants ask
Is "QR payment" one thing I can enable?
No. In Singapore it covers a bank transfer rail (PayNow), several separate wallet rails (Alipay+, WeChat Pay, UnionPay QR) and a label standard that combines codes onto one sticker (SGQR). Each rail is its own enablement, so "we take QR" is not an answer to what a counter can actually accept.
What is the difference between merchant-presented and consumer-presented QR?
Direction. Merchant-presented means you display a code and the customer scans it, which needs something facing the customer. Consumer-presented means the customer shows a code and your staff scan it, which needs a scanner and closes the sale on your side rather than waiting on their screen. Busy counters usually prefer the second, and most businesses taking several wallets end up needing both.
If I have PayNow, do I have Alipay and WeChat Pay?
No. PayNow is a transfer rail between Singapore bank accounts and has nothing to do with the wallet rails. Alipay+, WeChat Pay and UnionPay QR are three further separate enablements, and having one of them says nothing about the other two.
Does Uniweb Pay offer SGQR?
No. SGQR is a display standard for combining codes onto one label, and Uniweb Pay does not offer it. What it does offer is Dynamic PayNow — a code generated per sale carrying the exact amount, with a payment-success notification — alongside Alipay+, WeChat Pay and UnionPay QR on one account.
Do QR payments settle separately from cards?
That depends on the provider and it is worth asking directly, because it is a daily cost rather than a one-off inconvenience. On Uniweb Pay the QR rails settle in SGD in the same T+1 batch as cards, on one merchant account.
Talk to us about your counter
Uniweb Pay is a Singapore merchant acquirer, licensed by MAS as a Major Payment Institution (No. PS20200612). Tell us what you sell and who pays you, and we will tell you whether we are the right fit — including when we are not.