Visa and Octopus Expand QR Payment Acceptance in Hong Kong, Enabling Tourists to Pay Like They Do at Home

• Visitors to Hong Kong from across Asia Pacific can now scan and pay with their preferred home wallets via Visa Pay at Octopus QR merchants—no cash or additional local apps required.

HONG KONG, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Visa, a global leader in digital payments, today announced the expansion of Visa Scan to Pay acceptance in Hong Kong through a partnership with Octopus Cards Limited (Octopus), one of Hong Kong's leading everyday payment platforms, enabling Visa-powered QR payments at Octopus QR merchants across the city^[1].

Tourists visiting Hong Kong can use their preferred home payment apps—including Hyundai Card, Woori Card, Samsung Card, VNPT Money and soon to come LINE Pay, Shinhan Card — to pay at participating Octopus QR merchants, with more international payment apps to be added in the future. Payments are processed securely through Visa's global network, supporting a smooth and familiar checkout experience for visitors.

Making travel spending simpler for visitors

Hong Kong welcomes millions of visitors each year, and the way travelers pay plays an important role in their overall experience. According to Visa's latest Consumer Payment Attitudes Study^[2], about two in three travelers prefer to use contactless or mobile payments when travelling overseas, reflecting a growing move away from cash.

Paulina Leong, General Manager of Visa Hong Kong and Macau, said, "When people travel, they want payments to be effortless and familiar. Through our collaboration with Octopus, we're enabling visitors to pay in Hong Kong using the apps they already know and trust, giving them greater confidence and convenience wherever they go. At the same time, this helps local merchants serve more customers easily, capture more sales, and benefit from the continued strength and vibrancy of Hong Kong's tourism economy."

Building on the extensive Octopus QR infrastructure already in place, the small businesses currently using Octopus App for Business can now accept payments easily from inbound visitors across Asia Pacific through the Visa QR network, without the need to install new hardware or systems.

This reflects Visa's broader mission to simplify payments and empower growth for every business. Visa's solutions enable small businesses to scale by reducing the complexity of managing payments, enabling merchants to focus on growing their business and serving every customer.

Anthony Lau, Executive Director, Hong Kong Tourism Board, said, "The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) welcomes the partnership between Visa and Octopus, as the collaboration offers a wider range of cashless payment options in Hong Kong and aligns with global consumer trends. HKTB believes that enhanced payment convenience will further enrich visitors' shopping experiences and strengthen Hong Kong's image as a tourist friendly destination."

Andy Yip, Director, Consumer Business & Product, Octopus Cards Limited, said, "At Octopus, our commitment to making everyday life easier also applies to every visitor coming to Hong Kong. By partnering with Visa, tourists from across Asia Pacific can simply open the wallet app they use at home and pay instantly at any Octopus QR merchant, while our merchants receive these cross-border payments through the same Octopus setup, with no additional hardware needed. Looking ahead, we are excited to take this to the next level by enabling Octopus Wallet users to Scan to Pay when they travel overseas, helping to build a truly connected payment ecosystem for everyone, wherever they go."

Driving QR payment acceptance in Hong Kong

As part of Visa Pay, Visa Scan to Pay supports QR payments through wallets and bank apps. Consumers can use their everyday wallet with Visa's security infrastructure and global reach behind the scenes. Merchants can accept more ways to pay and meet local customer preferences, while keeping checkout simple. Visa Scan to Pay is part of Visa's broader strategy to connect consumers and businesses through trusted, secure, convenient payment experiences while supporting the continued growth of digital commerce across Asia Pacific. 

The launch of QR payment acceptance in Hong Kong represents the first phase of Visa's partnership with Octopus. Visa and Octopus will continue to explore enabling Octopus HK wallet users to Scan to Pay across the Asia Pacific region in 2027.

Visa will continue to grow the Visa QR network by onboarding more digital wallets over time, further expanding payment choice for international visitors and reinforcing Hong Kong's position as a world-class, visitor-friendly destination.

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

About Octopus Cards Limited (Licence Number: SVF0001)

Operating under the Stored Value Facilities Licence, Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) provides innovative offline and online Octopus payment services to meet customers' diverse payment needs. Launched in 1997 by OCL, the Octopus system in Hong Kong is one of the world's leading and most extensively accepted contactless smartcard payment systems. Its aspiration is to bring diversity and inclusion in payment to customers of all facets of life.

Today, more than 36 million Octopus cards and products are in circulation; spanning businesses including public transport, parking, retail, self-help services, schools, and leisure facilities, and access control for residential and commercial buildings. There are almost 210,000 Octopus acceptance points in the market. Octopus' application has been extended to online and mobile payment arenas with services including Octopus on iPhone and Apple Watch, Octopus on Samsung Pay, Octopus on Huawei Pay, Octopus App and Octopus Wallet, bringing new payment experiences to customers.

The Octopus Group exports its unique experience and technology overseas, offering consultancy services across the world. The mission of OCL is simple: Making everyday life easier. For more information about OCL, please visit www.octopus.com.hk.

SOURCE Visa Worldwide Pte Ltd