[category]
[title]
These days, buying stuff doesn’t take much effort. You grab your phone, scan a QR code and you’re done. No fumbling for cash, no awkward moments wondering if you've got enough change. It's the kind of convenience that slides into your routine without you really noticing.
And it turns out Thai people aren't the only ones hooked on it. Thailand's cross-border QR code payment apps are quietly being adopted by foreign tourists, particularly visitors from China.
Thai QR, a homegrown cross-border payment app, is seeing serious traction with inbound travellers. According to National ITMX (NITMX), December 2025 alone saw transaction values smash through B809 million, a 143 per cent jump from the year before. Chinese tourists lead the charge, with visitors from Malaysia and Laos following close behind. The numbers paint a picture of a city that's genuinely ready to welcome the world, from street food vendors and taxi drivers to shops dotting tourist neighbourhoods.
But Thai QR isn't purely about moving money around. It's a bit of infrastructure quietly making the city function better, helping Thai businesses sell with less hassle and nudging Thailand closer to becoming Asia's digital payment hub. The system now links up with global platforms like Moreta, Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay. Meanwhile Kasikorn Bank has teamed up with Meta to launch Meta Pay, a new service letting shops on Facebook and Messenger take payments directly in chat. We're talking credit cards, debit and QR codes, all wrapped up in one package. Deals get sealed and sales wrapped up in minutes, with no stress about dodgy payment slips.
Still, as spending gets easier, there's something else that needs keeping up too. Mindfulness. Because when things are this frictionless, it's easy to lose track. It’s worth taking a moment to double-check transactions, verify details and generally stay switched on.