2.3m Sign Up For HK$5,000 E-vouchers

The government's latest pandemic handout has proven popular, with more than two million people signing up for HK$5,000 worth of electronic consumption vouchers as of Monday morning.

The scheme, which lets people buy goods electronically on their smartphones or Octopus cards, is expected to cost the government around HK$36 billion and benefit about 7.2 million people.

As of 8am on Monday, 2.3 million people had registered.

Earlier, some users encountered overloading problems with the secure government app, i-AM-Smart, which was one of two ways of identifying yourself online.

Residents can opt for four electronic wallets: Octopus, HKT's Tap and Go, WeChatPay and Alipay.

The government says things have been going smoothly but one RTHK reporter using the government's iAM Smart+ app, which allows electronic signing, encountered long waits, and client error messages.

Tap and Go also said its customers had been encountering delays.

The public has until July 17 to sign up electronically, and until August 14 using a paper form. The forms can be handed in at major banks and post offices.

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