Boost and Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet), announced that Boost merchants can now accept cross-border payments from tourists from Thailand via its DuitNow QR, making it easier for tourists to make cashless cross-border payments in the country.
This new seamless transaction feature will pave the way for tourists to use their eWallets to make payments without the need to have Ringgit on hand. Tourists will only need to scan the Boost DuitNow QR code, which will automatically recognize the user’s current location in Malaysia. The user will receive a request to put in the amount of their purchase in Malaysian Ringgit (MYR), and an automatic conversion will then be deducted from their home country eWallet accordingly. For Boost merchants, they will continue to accept payments in MYR.
In the first phase, this convenience will be made available to tourists from Thailand.
Participating Thailand financial institutions mobile payments applications that can be used to scan the Boost DuitNow QR in Malaysia are CIMB Thai, Siam Commercial Bank, Bangkok Bank, Krungthai Bank and Bank of Ayudhya.
Close to 200,000 Boost DuitNow QR merchants can be found at popular tourist hangouts around Malaysia such as Jalan Bukit Bintang, a prominent shopping strip and food joint in Kuala Lumpur, the famous Jonker Walk and Kota Syahbandar in Malacca, the independent art of Armenian Street along with foodie favourites such as the Chowrasta Market and the renowned Gurney Drive Food Street in Penang, and discover more of Borneo at Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong or Sibu Central and Night markets, the company claims.
To encourage more merchants to digitalise and embrace the cashless way of doing business, Boost said it is currently working closely with the Jonker Walk Association in Malacca in a concerted effort to onboard even more merchants to offer tourists more shopping options.