Quick Answer: Singapore merchants can accept payments from tourists and overseas customers using their home-country apps — including WeChat Pay (China), UPI (India), PromptPay and TrueMoney (Thailand), DuitNow (Malaysia), QRIS (Indonesia), QR Ph (Philippines), and KakaoPay/PayCo/LINE Pay (South Korea) — with no currency exchange required at the point of sale. HitPay, licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) (licence PS20200643), supports all of these cross-border methods for Singapore merchants alongside 50+ local and international payment options, with domestic payouts settling next business day in SGD and cross-border transactions settling next business day in SGD.

Singapore’s retail, food and beverage, and attractions sectors serve a genuinely international customer base every day. A souvenir shop in Bugis, a massage studio in Tanjong Pagar, or a tour operator near Orchard Road may see customers from China, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia within a single afternoon. According to Singapore Department of Statistics data, visitor arrivals have recovered strongly since 2023, and tourism-related retail spend represents a material share of SMB revenue in high-footfall districts.

The problem: most tourists travel without cash and prefer to pay using the wallet or banking app they use at home. If a merchant accepts only PayNow and local cards, that tourist either walks away or fumbles for foreign currency — both bad outcomes.

What payment methods do tourists from each country actually use?

The answer depends entirely on the visitor’s home market. Cross-border payment acceptance works by letting the customer scan a QR code using their home-country app. The merchant receives SGD. No currency conversion is required at the point of sale.

Here is a breakdown by origin market:

Note: Alipay+ is not available for Singapore merchants. Do not activate or advertise it — it is unavailable in this market.

For international card holders — travelling from any country — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and UnionPay are accepted universally, with Apple Pay and Google Pay also supported for contactless tap payments. Visa’s economic empowerment research highlights that contactless and digital wallet adoption among travellers in Asia Pacific continues to accelerate, reinforcing why QR-based cross-border options are no longer optional for tourist-facing businesses.

How does cross-border payment acceptance actually work at the counter?

The mechanics are simpler than most merchants assume. A single QR code displayed at the counter — or generated via a payment terminal — can be scanned by multiple different apps from different countries. The customer’s app handles the currency conversion on their side. The merchant receives SGD at the agreed exchange rate, with no manual conversion step.

Settlement works as follows:
- Domestic transactions (PayNow, GrabPay, ShopeePay, local cards): next business day in SGD
- Cross-border transactions (WeChat Pay, UPI, PromptPay, QRIS, DuitNow, QR Ph, Korean wallets): next business day in SGD

Activation timelines vary. Most cross-border methods require 3–5 business days for partner provider processing after submission. PromptPay, TrueMoney, Rabbit LINE Pay, DuitNow, and Korean wallets activate instantly in some configurations — check with your payment provider at setup.

For a practical walkthrough of setting up QR-based acceptance in Singapore, the guide on how to accept QR payments in Singapore covers the setup steps in detail.

Which local payment methods should Singapore merchants still prioritise?

Cross-border acceptance is additive — it does not replace local payment infrastructure. Singapore residents and repeat visitors still pay primarily via:

• PayNow QR — the dominant instant bank transfer method for SGD payments

• GrabPay and ShopeePay — high-adoption local wallets

• Atome, ShopBack Pay, GrabPay PayLater — buy now, pay later (BNPL) options that increase average order value for higher-ticket purchases

• Cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay) — essential for any tourist-facing business regardless of origin

For businesses new to the full range of local options, online payment methods in Singapore provides a structured overview of what each method is best suited for.

How does HitPay support tourist and cross-border payment acceptance?

HitPay supports the full range of cross-border payment methods available to Singapore merchants — WeChat Pay, UPI, PromptPay, TrueMoney, Rabbit LINE Pay, DuitNow, QRIS, QR Ph, and KakaoPay/PayCo/LINE Pay — alongside all major local methods. There are no monthly fees and no setup fees; merchants pay per transaction only.

For UPI specifically — the dominant payment rail for Indian visitors — HitPay’s dedicated UPI gateway guide explains how Indian tourists can pay using any UPI-linked app, with the merchant receiving SGD without additional integration steps.

HitPay is PCI DSS compliant and approved by MAS (PS20200643). Merchants can sign up for free and typically receive approval within 1–3 business days.

Practical takeaway

Singapore merchants in tourist-heavy locations — Bugis, Orchard Road, Tanjong Pagar, Jurong East — leave measurable revenue on the table by accepting only local payment methods. Activating cross-border wallets requires no hardware change and minimal setup time. The settlement is in SGD, the reconciliation is consolidated, and the customer experience matches what visitors use at home.

The priority list for a tourist-facing Singapore business:

1. Cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay) — covers all markets

2. WeChat Pay — essential for Chinese visitors

3. UPI — essential for Indian visitors

4. PromptPay / TrueMoney / Rabbit LINE Pay — covers Thai visitors

5. DuitNow — covers Malaysian visitors

6. QRIS — covers Indonesian visitors

7. QR Ph — covers Filipino visitors

8. KakaoPay / PayCo / LINE Pay — covers South Korean visitors

Accepting all eight categories covers the majority of Singapore’s inbound tourist markets without requiring separate terminals or accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions