What PromptPay is and how merchants accept it

What it is

PromptPay is Thailand's instant payment infrastructure, launched in 2016 and promoted by the Bank of Thailand. People register a bank account against a simple identifier, usually a mobile phone number or citizen ID, and money can then be sent to that identifier rather than to a long account number. Merchants use it through Thai QR Payment: the checkout or counter displays a PromptPay QR code and the customer scans it with any participating banking app. Funds move between bank accounts almost immediately. The service also underpins government disbursements, tax refunds and cross-border QR linkages with neighbouring systems.

• PromptPay was launched in 2016 and is promoted by the Bank of Thailand.
• Transfers route to a phone number, citizen ID or bank account instead of a long number.
• Merchants display a PromptPay QR code that customers scan with a banking app.
• It also supports welfare disbursements, tax refunds and cross-border QR linkages.

Where it is used

PromptPay is domestic to Thailand and settles in baht. Its users are essentially every Thai bank customer, which is why registration numbers run into the tens of millions. It is used for peer transfers, market stalls, street food, taxis, retail, restaurants, ecommerce checkout, bill payment and government payments. For merchants the reach is the point: a PromptPay QR code is understood by nearly every adult with a Thai bank account, so it works for a much wider customer base than any single wallet. It is also the rail the government uses for welfare and tax payments, so most adults have a reason to be registered.

• PromptPay is available only in Thailand and denominated in THB.
• Registration is widespread, covering most adults with a Thai bank account.
• It is used for transfers, market trade, retail, restaurants, checkout and bills.
• Its reach is broader than any individual Thai wallet.

Which businesses it suits

PromptPay suits almost any business taking payment from Thai consumers: ecommerce, digital content, food and beverage, retail, transport, services and B2B collection. It is especially strong where cost matters, because transfer fees to the customer are low and often waived. It suits less well when customers need credit or instalments, since a bank transfer carries none. It is also a weaker fit for tourists and non-residents who do not hold a Thai bank account, so merchants serving visitors need cards or a wallet alongside it. It suits recurring and invoiced collection, provided you can match an incoming transfer to the right customer record.

• It suits ecommerce, digital content, food, retail, transport, services and B2B.
• It suits cost-sensitive businesses, because transfer fees to customers are low.
• It does not serve customers who need credit or instalments.
• It does not serve tourists or non-residents without a Thai bank account.

How merchants usually connect

Thai businesses with a local bank account can register for PromptPay and display their own QR code, with settlement going straight into that account. Cross-border merchants cannot do that, so they use a payment provider that generates PromptPay QR codes through an API and confirms payment back to their systems. Providers active in Thailand include dLocal, Opn Payments, 2C2P and Omise. A provider also handles reconciliation, which is the hardest part of QR acceptance: matching an incoming bank transfer to the order that produced it. Ask whether codes can carry an amount, because an amount-bearing code removes a whole class of keying mistakes.

• Thai entities can register directly and display their own PromptPay QR code.
• Cross-border merchants use a provider that generates QR codes through an API.
• Providers active in Thailand include dLocal, Opn Payments, 2C2P and Omise.
• The provider also handles the reconciliation of incoming transfers to orders.

Cross-border merchant notes

PromptPay is a bank network rather than an acquiring product, so a foreign business cannot join it directly. Acceptance runs through a licensed Thai partner, which means working with a provider or setting up locally. Settlement lands in baht in a Thai account before repatriation, so conversion is part of your cost. The good news is that having no Thai entity rarely blocks acceptance; it mainly affects where money settles and how tax is handled. Confirm that with your provider, along with category rules and limits. Ask how the provider reports each payment, because Thai transfers carry references that vary in quality between banks.

• PromptPay is a bank network, so it cannot be joined directly from abroad.
• Acceptance runs through a licensed Thai provider or a local entity.
• Settlement is in THB, so conversion affects your net revenue.
• Having no Thai entity usually affects settlement and tax rather than acceptance.

Fees, settlement and refunds

Public pricing is only a first filter. Actual pricing changes with country, industry, volume, settlement currency, integration method and contract terms, so confirm against the provider's official pricing page or a written quote before you go live. On the customer side, the Bank of Thailand's standard fee table makes transfers up to five thousand baht free, caps fees below ten baht up to the bank maximum, and notes that most banks waive fees for digital transactions. Merchant-side pricing comes from your provider. Confirmation is immediate, refunds are separate payments, and chargeback exposure is very low.

• Published pricing is only a starting filter, since real pricing depends on country, industry, volume, currency, integration and contract.
• Confirm final pricing on the provider's official pricing page or in a written quote.
• The Bank of Thailand's standard fee table makes transfers up to five thousand baht free.
• Confirmation is immediate, so you can fulfil without waiting for a clearing cycle.
• Refunds are separate outgoing payments, and chargeback exposure is very low.

Alternatives and complements

TrueMoney is the most useful complement, because it reaches wallet users and the large segment of Thai shoppers who top up in cash at agent points rather than using a bank app. Rabbit LINE Pay is worth considering if your customers sit inside the LINE ecosystem. Card acceptance remains necessary for tourists, for instalments and for international customers, none of whom a Thai bank rail can serve. A practical Thai checkout leads with PromptPay and keeps a wallet plus cards beside it. Treat PromptPay as the default and the wallets as the way to reach customers who never open a banking app.

• Add TrueMoney to reach wallet users and cash top-up customers.
• Consider Rabbit LINE Pay if your customers live inside the LINE ecosystem.
• Keep cards for tourists, instalments and international customers.
• Lead with PromptPay and use the others as supporting options.

Questions to ask before you integrate

Ask whether your provider generates dynamic QR codes, because static codes make reconciliation painful. Confirm how an incoming transfer is matched to an order and what reference is carried through. Ask for the settlement bank, payout cycle, cut-offs and conversion route in writing. Ask how refunds are initiated and how long they take, given that transfers cannot be reversed. Finally, ask about transaction limits and how cross-border QR linkages are handled, since those affect who can pay you at all. Ask what happens when a customer pays the wrong amount, because a completed transfer cannot be corrected automatically.

• Confirm whether the provider generates dynamic QR codes rather than static ones.
• Confirm how an incoming transfer is matched to an order and what reference is carried.
• Get the settlement bank, payout cycle, cut-offs and conversion route in writing.
• Confirm how refunds are initiated and how long the customer waits.
• Confirm what transaction limits apply and how cross-border QR linkages are handled.

Questions merchants ask

Public sources

• Bank of Thailand - PromptPay
• Bank of Thailand