Quick Answer: Singapore merchants cannot create a native GCash payment link directly — GCash is a Philippines-issued e-wallet. However, Singapore businesses can accept GCash payments from Filipino customers by enabling QR Ph, the Philippine national QR standard, through HitPay. HitPay supports QR Ph as a cross-border payment method for Singapore merchants, allowing Filipino visitors to pay from their GCash app at checkout — with settlements in SGD.

GCash has over 94 million registered users in the Philippines, making it the country's dominant mobile wallet. According to Statista Singapore e-commerce data, Singapore's digital commerce market continues to attract significant cross-border spending — and Filipino workers, students, and tourists represent a substantial buyer segment, particularly in districts like Bugis and Orchard Road.

For Singapore merchants selling online or accepting remote payments, the question is not whether to support Filipino customers — it is how to do it correctly.

How GCash payment links work for Singapore businesses

GCash is the Philippines' largest e-wallet, used by over 90 million Filipinos. In Singapore, a large and growing Filipino community — including domestic workers, professionals, and tourists — uses GCash as their primary payment method. Singapore merchants can accept GCash without a Philippine business entity or a separate GCash merchant account.

Here is how it works through HitPay:

For online payments and payment links:

Create a payment link in your HitPay dashboard with GCash enabled. Share the link via WhatsApp, Viber, email, or any channel. Your Filipino customer clicks the link and selects GCash — they are redirected to authenticate and pay in their GCash app. You receive the funds in SGD, settled to your HitPay account.

For in-person payments:

HitPay's Borderless QR displays a single QR code at your counter. Filipino customers scan it with their GCash app and pay in PHP — you receive SGD automatically, with currency conversion handled by HitPay. No additional hardware or separate QR codes needed.

In both cases: no Philippines entity required, no GCash merchant application, and all transactions — GCash alongside PayNow, GrabPay, and cards — appear in one HitPay dashboard.

Why Singapore businesses accept GCash

Singapore has one of the largest Filipino communities in Southeast Asia, with over 200,000 Filipino residents and significant tourist and worker inflows. Many prefer or exclusively use GCash for payments — particularly for smaller transactions and peer-to-peer transfers.

Businesses that already serve Filipino customers — F&B, retail, salons, tuition, domestic services, and travel — are the strongest candidates for GCash acceptance. Offering GCash removes a payment barrier that would otherwise push the transaction to cash or cause abandonment.

The practical case:

• No cash handling — customers pay via their phone, you receive funds digitally

• No separate merchant account — GCash acceptance is enabled through your existing HitPay account

• One QR, all methods — your Borderless QR accepts GCash alongside international wallets; domestic payments still go through your PayNow Static QR

What Is the Difference Between GCash and QR Ph?

GCash is a private e-wallet operated by Mynt (Globe Fintech Innovations) in the Philippines. QR Ph is the national QR payment standard mandated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Philippine central bank. All major Philippine e-wallets — including GCash and Maya — are required to support QR Ph.

This distinction matters for Singapore merchants. GCash as a standalone payment method is not available for direct merchant sign-up outside the Philippines. But QR Ph works as an interoperable standard: a Filipino customer can scan a QR Ph-enabled QR code using their GCash app and pay in Philippine pesos (PHP), while the merchant receives the equivalent in SGD.

Singapore merchants accepting QR Ph effectively accept GCash — and Maya — without needing separate agreements with each wallet provider.

How Can a Singapore Merchant Accept GCash via a Payment Link?

HitPay supports QR Ph as a cross-border payment method for Singapore-registered businesses. Payment links generated through HitPay can be configured to include QR Ph at checkout, allowing Filipino customers to complete payment via GCash or Maya from their phone.

Here is how the setup works:

1. Sign up for a HitPay account — approval takes 1–3 business days, licensed under Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) licence PS20200643.

2. In the HitPay dashboard, navigate to Payment Methods and enable QR Ph under the Cross-Border section.

3. Cross-border method activation is processed by partner providers within 3–5 business days after submission.

4. Once activated, create a payment link from the dashboard — set the amount, add a description, and generate the link.

5. Share the link via WhatsApp, email, Instagram DM, or embed it on a website.

6. The customer opens the link, selects QR Ph at checkout, scans with their GCash app, and completes payment in PHP.

7. The merchant receives SGD. Cross-border transactions settle at T+2.

For merchants who want to learn more about payment link mechanics, HitPay's guide to generating free payment links in Singapore covers the full setup for local and cross-border use cases.

How to create a GCash payment link for your Singapore business

Step 1: Create your free HitPay account

Sign up at dashboard.hit-pay.com/register. No setup fee. No monthly fee.

Step 2: Complete business verification

Submit your Singapore business UEN, ACRA registration, and director ID. Most businesses are verified within 24 hours.

Step 3: Enable GCash in your payment methods

In your HitPay dashboard, go to Payment Methods and enable GCash (Borderless QR). This activates GCash acceptance across all channels — payment links, online checkout, and in-person Borderless QR.

Step 4: Create a payment link

Go to Payment Links → New Link. Set the amount, add a description, and save. GCash will appear as a payment option for Filipino customers when they open the link.

Step 5: Share the link

Copy the link and send it via WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram, email, or any channel. Your customer clicks the link, selects GCash, authenticates in their GCash app, and pays. You receive a notification and the funds settle to your account in SGD.

What Payment Methods Should Singapore Merchants Offer Alongside QR Ph?

QR Ph covers Filipino customers. A well-configured Singapore checkout should also cover the full local payment stack:

HitPay supports all of the above under a single merchant account. There are no monthly fees — merchants pay per transaction only. For card transaction rates, see hitpayapp.com/pricing.

Merchants operating in tourist-heavy areas like Orchard Road or Tanjong Pagar who serve a mixed international clientele benefit most from enabling the full cross-border stack, not just a single wallet. Understanding the broader shift toward alternative payment methods in Southeast Asia helps frame why multi-method acceptance is increasingly the baseline expectation for any customer-facing business.

What Do Singapore Merchants Need to Know About Payouts?

Cross-border payment settlement differs from domestic settlement. Singapore merchants should account for these timelines:

• Domestic payments (PayNow, GrabPay, ShopeePay, cards in SGD): next business day payout in SGD

• Cross-border payments (QR Ph, QRIS, PromptPay, DuitNow, UPI, WeChat Pay): settle at T+2

Cash flow planning should reflect these timelines. A boutique in Bugis accepting both PayNow and QR Ph on the same day will see PayNow funds the next business day and QR Ph funds two business days later — both in SGD, both through the same HitPay dashboard.

Reconciliation is consolidated: all transactions appear in one dashboard regardless of payment method. This matters for merchants managing both local and tourist-facing sales without separate reporting systems.

For businesses handling cross-border invoicing or B2B payments alongside retail, HitPay's guide to managing B2B multi-currency payments in Singapore is a useful operational reference.

Frequently Asked Questions