How does PayNow work for online payments?
PayNow online is a dynamic QR code. At checkout the shopper chooses PayNow and the merchant’s provider shows a QR code for that payment. On a computer, the shopper scans it with a participating banking or payment app on their phone. On a phone, Stripe says the shopper saves the QR image, opens their app and uploads it. They review and approve the payment, and confirmation follows at once.
Codes are single-use and time-limited. Stripe’s PayNow QR codes are valid for 1 hour, after which the shopper must start a new payment. Once a payment succeeds, PayNow rejects further attempts to use the same code. Airwallex adds that a payment made by typing the merchant’s UEN instead of scanning is not supported and is refunded to the shopper the same day.
It is always on. The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) says PayNow runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and works with a mobile number, NRIC or FIN, a virtual payment address or, for businesses, a UEN. PayNow QR follows the SGQR standard, so a PayNow code can be paid from any participating bank or selected e-wallet app.
Where and how do shoppers use PayNow?
Banks and wallets offer it. ABS lists 23 participating banks, including DBS/POSB, OCBC, UOB, Standard Chartered, HSBC and Maybank, and six major payment institutions, including GrabPay and Wise, which joined from February 2021. PayNow Corporate, launched in August 2018, lets businesses, government agencies and societies receive and send SGD instantly through their UEN.
Cards still lead online, but bank payments are growing. The Xendit and Cube Ecommerce Payments Momentum Report 2026 estimates that cards are used for 60% of online purchases in Singapore, with bank transfers at 35% and e-wallets at 33%. Too many checkout steps is the top reason Singapore shoppers abandon a purchase, cited by 26%.
PayNow also connects abroad for transfers. ABS lists links with Thailand’s PromptPay since April 2021, India’s UPI and Malaysia’s DuitNow. MAS reports that Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are working on Nexus, a multilateral instant payments link targeted to go live in 2027.
The service is still developing. In June 2026 MAS and ABS published the first phase of the PayNow Generation 2 study. Its priorities include interoperability between PayNow and NETS QR, with a pilot targeted for the end of 2026, and deep links in PayNow QR codes so that online shoppers no longer have to save a QR code and switch apps.
What rules and costs should merchants know?
Surcharges are banned. ABS says businesses may not impose surcharges on consumers for PayNow payments.
Some categories are excluded. Stripe prohibits PayNow for petrol and fuel merchants, by merchant category code. Stripe supports PayNow only for Stripe accounts in Singapore, while Airwallex accepts businesses registered in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Australia, the UK, the EU, the US, New Zealand and Malaysia.
Limits are wide. Stripe and Airwallex both accept PayNow payments from SGD 0.50 to SGD 200,000, and Airwallex notes that the shopper’s own internet banking limit applies.
Refunds are quick. Stripe and Airwallex support full and partial refunds within 90 days of the payment, and Stripe says a PayNow refund completes within 5 minutes and cannot be cancelled.
There are no chargebacks. Stripe says PayNow has no standard dispute process because each payment is authenticated in a separate app, and funds are never withdrawn from the merchant’s balance for a dispute. PayNow does not support recurring payments at Stripe, so subscriptions need invoices that the shopper pays each time.
How would Omno handle PayNow?
- One checkout: PayNow would appear in the Omno hosted checkout next to cards, wallets, local methods and crypto, with the QR code shown on the page. Merchants with their own payment screens would use Direct Links on their own buttons.
- Routing rules: The merchant would set rules that send SGD payments to a connected provider that supports PayNow. Omno connects through those providers; it is not an acquirer and does not hold funds.
- Cascading: In the hosted checkout, if the chosen provider is unavailable or rejects the request before the QR code is shown, the payment would move to the next provider in the rule until one accepts.
- Status: The order would stay pending until the provider confirms the payment, and the final result would reach the merchant by webhook.
What should merchants plan for?
Make mobile checkout easy. Until deep links arrive, mobile shoppers have to save the QR image and upload it in their banking app, so give clear instructions.
Expire orders with the code. If the QR code lapses after an hour, the shopper needs a new payment, so the order should follow the same timer.
Keep cards next to PayNow. Cards still cover most online purchases in Singapore, and some shoppers will prefer them.
Do not add a PayNow surcharge.