2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

How has it "transformed life"? 😄

Could you give some examples of how your life has been transformed by this laborious form of payment.

Many people have trouble counting. Poor educations I suppose. So there’s that I guess. That can be transformational 😁

Then, there was that fear of catching Covid from bank notes. Thankfully, QR codes allow people to safely leave their homes (almost) without fear.

Have you noticed that there is certain demographic that seems to always come onto any type of digital payment thread to extol the virtues of a cashless society?

I don't own a smart phone. For me, problem solved.

2 hours ago, it is what it is said:

agree, QR code payment is such a clunky system, much more efficient and effective payment methods are available. it always seems to take people ages to pay, often much quicker and less faff with cash. the uk, for comparison, has a cashless payment system that is quick and easy.

I still prefer it, I am forced to login to my bank account first, then scan, then OK the transaction. Multiple chances to avoid any inadvertent purchases.

3 hours ago, it is what it is said:

the uk, for comparison, has a cashless payment system that is quick and easy.

Thailand has exactly the same system for merchants that choose to pay for it, 7-11 being one of many. The QR system benefits merchants in that it costs them nothing to use.

2 hours ago, Airalee said:

Have you noticed that there is certain demographic that seems to always come onto any type of digital payment thread to extol the virtues of a cashless society?

I've noticed it's the elderly that clearly have trouble with technology dissing it.

Everyone else seems OK with QR payments.

14 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I've noticed it's the elderly that clearly have trouble with technology dissing it.

Everyone else seems OK with QR payments.

Ok…I should have elaborated. You don’t seem to have a problem with people who use cash. Others seem to denigrate them constantly.

10 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Ok…I should have elaborated. You don’t seem to have a problem with people who use cash. Others seem to denigrate them constantly.

Unless it's a Thai granny in front of me in 7-11 trying to pay a 249bht bill using 1s and 2s!

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Unless it's a Thai granny in front of me in 7-11 trying to pay a 249bht bill using 1s and 2s!

Granny needs her Hong Thong and smokes!

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I mainly sit around drinking coffee, watching TV and cycling on rural roads.

Would any government want to restrict me from doing that?

Who knows. You might figure it out the day you're not able to scan pay for your coffee, app indicating that considering your overall health your caffeine intake is reached until the next week/month. That day you'll be happy to still have some cash in your pocket.

On 2/3/2026 at 12:22 PM, ozfarang said:

What security measures do they have in place for secure payments?

Compared tap and go with Apple wallet, QR codes are not as secure.

An Apple Wallet payment is significantly more secure than a standard QR code payment due to advanced built-in security features like tokenization and mandatory biometric authentication.

Apple Wallet Payment Security

Apple Pay, which operates through the Apple Wallet using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, is designed with a high level of privacy and security.

• Tokenization: When you add a card to Apple Pay, your actual credit card number is not stored on the device or Apple's servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number (token) is created and stored in a dedicated secure chip called the Secure Element. For each transaction, a dynamic, one-time security code is generated, which is useless if intercepted by a hacker.

• Biometric Authentication: Every in-store transaction requires authentication via Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. This ensures that even if your phone is stolen, unauthorized payments cannot be made easily.

• Privacy: Neither Apple nor your device sends your actual card number to the merchant during payment, protecting your sensitive information.

QR Code Payment Security

The security of a QR code payment depends heavily on the specific app or platform processing the transaction. While many established QR payment solutions use encryption and can incorporate biometric or two-factor authentication, they have inherent vulnerabilities at the point of interaction.

• Vulnerabilities: A major risk is that scammers can physically swap a legitimate static QR code with a fraudulent one, redirecting payments to their own accounts or leading users to malicious websites ("quishing").

• Lack of Inherent Security: QR codes themselves are just an image that links to information; they do not inherently include the same robust security measures as Apple's built-in hardware security.

• User Responsibility: The security often relies on the user verifying the source of the QR code and the payment details before finalizing the transaction, adding a layer of potential human error.

Summary Comparison

In conclusion, Apple Wallet payments are generally considered more secure because they leverage a dedicated secure element and mandatory biometrics, ensuring that sensitive data is never exposed during a transaction.

Sounds great....not. Just pay with cash and all the BS and risk goes away.

It's a total scam, i checked it once at the airport arrivals, they give people a rate of 2-4 THB lower than the real rate is in what you can actually spend with it net. Pointless too knowing contactless payments from visa/mastercard already work in almost all places.

There really isn't a single thing where they can just do things right is there...

On 2/3/2026 at 11:30 AM, Yumthai said:

There shall be an opt-in/opt-out option that makes QR codes transactions anonymous (as cash), it's technically feasible.

Good luck with that fantasy.

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I mainly sit around drinking coffee, watching TV and cycling on rural roads.

Would any government want to restrict me from doing that?

Come on, get with it, it has been well proven on this blog over the years, we are all being watched.

They, thems, those are all out to track our every move, how many trips we take to the shop every week to buy our bits and pieces, what we ate in the Lotus food hall, which TV program we watch as we are all so important and need to be tracked for national security and also because they just like to control us.

The forms of payments, QR Codes, credit cards, Wise bank transfers from our home countries to Thailand are only in place so they can track us and control us, everyone knows that.

Soon money will be digital (well it already is in a way) so they will be able to see which brands of corn flakes we prefer.

(yes I am taking the pissssssss 😃)

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

And my home, car and mtb are all solar powered

Yeah well they will be taxing that too as soon as possible and if you disagree they will turn off your digital money and access to the internet for posting about it 🫡

1 hour ago, emptypockets said:

Good luck with that fantasy.

Yes there is no way they will allow anonymity they only want control over every aspect.

(can't upload file/image maybe later..cloudflare timout)

Off topic posts removed.

Reminder of the topic - Thai QR Payments by Foreign Visitors Surge 143% Year on Year

On 2/4/2026 at 10:05 AM, JonnyF said:

Did that transform life?

It's pretty prehistoric compared to the UK system of Tap and Go.

Get phone out, unlock it, log into banking app, select QR code payment, scan the code, review the payment and then press confirm.

Compared to holding a card up to a machine for a split second and walking away.

If they want to track every Baht I spend and where I spend it, they could at least make it convenient.

I think just using a card is better and faster. Having said that, that method can be used in Thailand and my wife uses it sometimes. She used it at Topps a while back and it took ages but that was probably just a technical issue. I think paying by QR code is a better for people such as market traders as they don't need a a card reader. In 7/11 Lotus ect then tapping a card seems to make more sense due to speed.

On 2/4/2026 at 9:55 AM, JonnyF said:

How has it "transformed life"? 😄

Could you give some examples of how your life has been transformed by this laborious form of payment.

Not having to carry cash or a wallet, or draw money out an ATM.

16 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

Come on, get with it, it has been well proven on this blog over the years, we are all being watched.

They, thems, those are all out to track our every move, how many trips we take to the shop every week to buy our bits and pieces, what we ate in the Lotus food hall, which TV program we watch as we are all so important and need to be tracked for national security and also because they just like to control us.

The forms of payments, QR Codes, credit cards, Wise bank transfers from our home countries to Thailand are only in place so they can track us and control us, everyone knows that.

Soon money will be digital (well it already is in a way) so they will be able to see which brands of corn flakes we prefer.

(yes I am taking the pissssssss 😃)

It's interesting that you need to explain your post at the end. It's so difficult to tell the difference between sarcasm and stupidity these days.

What's more worrying is that if governments are watching us, and in particular on here, then some may well end up having a visit from the police.

Just to be clear that's a joke as well. Sort of.

4 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Not having to carry cash or a wallet, or draw money out an ATM.

That transforms your life? 😄

Where do you put your driving licence? Your health insurance card?

You don't carry cash as a backup in case they don't have a code, your banking app has an issue, phone dies etc.?

On 2/3/2026 at 9:22 AM, ozfarang said:

What security measures do they have in place for secure payments?

Compared tap and go with Apple wallet, QR codes are not as secure.

An Apple Wallet payment is significantly more secure than a standard QR code payment due to advanced built-in security features like tokenization and mandatory biometric authentication.

Apple Wallet Payment Security

Apple Pay, which operates through the Apple Wallet using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, is designed with a high level of privacy and security.

• Tokenization: When you add a card to Apple Pay, your actual credit card number is not stored on the device or Apple's servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number (token) is created and stored in a dedicated secure chip called the Secure Element. For each transaction, a dynamic, one-time security code is generated, which is useless if intercepted by a hacker.

• Biometric Authentication: Every in-store transaction requires authentication via Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. This ensures that even if your phone is stolen, unauthorized payments cannot be made easily.

• Privacy: Neither Apple nor your device sends your actual card number to the merchant during payment, protecting your sensitive information.

QR Code Payment Security

The security of a QR code payment depends heavily on the specific app or platform processing the transaction. While many established QR payment solutions use encryption and can incorporate biometric or two-factor authentication, they have inherent vulnerabilities at the point of interaction.

• Vulnerabilities: A major risk is that scammers can physically swap a legitimate static QR code with a fraudulent one, redirecting payments to their own accounts or leading users to malicious websites ("quishing").

• Lack of Inherent Security: QR codes themselves are just an image that links to information; they do not inherently include the same robust security measures as Apple's built-in hardware security.

• User Responsibility: The security often relies on the user verifying the source of the QR code and the payment details before finalizing the transaction, adding a layer of potential human error.

Summary Comparison

In conclusion, Apple Wallet payments are generally considered more secure because they leverage a dedicated secure element and mandatory biometrics, ensuring that sensitive data is never exposed during a transaction.

The Thai QR system is far superior to Apple Wallet because it's cheaper for merchants and makes Thailand independent of the US. Europe should develop similar systems to become independent from the US. The US can block all payment transactions at any time. Furthermore, the fees charged by US payment providers are exorbitant and offer little transparency for the customer.