PayMe And BoC Pay To Join Consumption Voucher Scheme

The public will be able to use two more electronic platforms to collect their HK$10,000 consumption vouchers later on in the year, meaning there will be six platforms to choose from.

The new ones are HSBC's PayMe and Bank of China's BoC Pay. People currently have the options of getting their money through the Octopus Card, Tap and Go, Alipay HK and WeChat Pay HK.

The government said on Sunday that people can use the new systems in the second phase of the voucher scheme, which is scheduled to be launched this summer.

Officials hope to announce details of the new entries soon with the hope to accept registration in the middle of the year.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said the introduction of more operators can encourage healthy competition.

"We hope the arrangements can suit different people, and widen the scheme's implementation. With the further development of the electronic payment market, hopefully we can bring more discounts to shops and the public," he said.

Chan added on his official weekly blog that people have gotten used to electronic payments in their daily lives, as they can now buy food and other daily necessities without cash.

More than six million eligible residents have already collected HK$5,000 worth of vouchers last month through the existing payment platforms.