A guesthouse owner in Kampot sends a photo of a laminated ABA KHQR card propped beside her desk fan and asks for 20 dollars to hold the room. How do you pay it from home? Pay into the network the host already uses: DuitNow QR in Malaysia, KHQR in Cambodia, or Pix in Brazil. Ask for the QR code their bank app generates. Check that the name and amount match the booking. Then pay it from a wallet that reaches that network without a local bank account.
Moreta's app, Moreta Pay, was built for this gap. It pays DuitNow, KHQR, and Pix codes from a balance you top up in your home currency, and it shows the fee, rate, and amount that arrives before you confirm. A bank wire still works. Wires typically take 1 to 5 business days and carry higher fees and exchange rate markups, which is heavy machinery for a 300-ringgit tour deposit.
About the Author: Written by the Moreta team. Moreta Global Inc. is a Y Combinator-backed (Summer 2024), FinCEN-registered money services business whose app pays local QR networks across Asia and Latin America, including DuitNow, KHQR, and Pix.
Why do hosts in Malaysia, Cambodia, and Brazil ask for deposits by QR instead of a wire?
The deposit request usually arrives as a photo, and that photo explains the whole problem. Picture a guesthouse owner in Kampot. She sends a picture of the laminated ABA KHQR card propped beside her desk fan and asks for 20 dollars to hold the river-view room. A pousada in Paraty sends a Pix key and a thumbs up.
Hosts ask this way because it is how everyone else pays them. The money lands in seconds, carries a reference, and needs no paperwork. A wire takes days and arrives with fees and markups applied along the way. The host is then left matching a SWIFT payment to a booking.
The wall for you is that each rail assumes a local account:
- Malaysia: DuitNow operates inside Malaysian bank and e-wallet apps.
- Cambodia: KHQR is paid from apps like ABA, ACLEDA, and Wing.
- Brazil: Pix runs through Brazilian accounts, and opening one generally requires a CPF tax number.
How do DuitNow QR, KHQR, and Pix work for a deposit?
The reason a photo is enough is that all three are national QR standards built on the EMVCo QR Code Specification. Think of the code as a pre-addressed envelope. It already contains the host's account identifier and currency, sometimes the amount, so your app never needs to know which bank the host uses. It only needs to read the envelope and be connected to the network that delivers it.
| Rail | What the host provides | Currency | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| DuitNow QR (Malaysia) | QR from Maybank, CIMB, or Touch 'n Go eWallet | MYR | Name on the review screen matches the host |
| KHQR (Cambodia) | QR from ABA, ACLEDA, or Wing | USD or KHR | Which currency the code is set to |
| Pix (Brazil) | BR Code QR or a Pix key | BRL | Whether the amount is pre-filled |
- A DuitNow QR payment from a screenshot carries the same data as the printed code at a mamak counter.
- Cambodia's two-currency quirk follows you into deposits, so confirm the code's currency before entering an amount.
- Pix for foreigners matters most of the three. Pix is how Brazilians pay each other day to day, so nearly every host will have a key.
What is the cheapest way to send money for a small deposit abroad?
Once you know the host's rail, cost is the next question. The cheapest option is the one where the host receives the full agreed amount at a rate you saw beforehand. As a benchmark, the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide report put the global average cost of sending 200 USD at 6.36 percent in Q3 2025.
Whichever provider you use, apply the same test. Read three numbers before paying:
- The fee, in your currency.
- The exchange rate, against the mid-market rate that minute.
- The amount that arrives, in ringgit, riel or dollars, or reais.
Moreta reports one 1.5% fee per payment or send, with the live rate shown before you confirm and nothing else added. Top-up costs it lists:
- US bank account (ACH): 1 USD, free over 250 USD
- SEPA (EUR): 1.50 USD, free over 225 EUR
- Faster Payments (GBP): 1.50 USD, free over 200 GBP
- Interac e-Transfer (CAD): 1.5% + 1 USD
- Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay: 2.5%
- USDC/USDT on Solana: free, not spendable in Cambodia
If a host sends a card payment page that offers to charge you in your home currency, decline it. That is dynamic currency conversion. Always choose the local currency.
How do I pay a host's QR deposit from home?
With the cost test settled, the payment itself follows the same beats as paying at a counter. Moreta Pay needs no local bank account or SIM, only mobile data or Wi-Fi when you pay.
- Top up your balance in USD, EUR, GBP, or CAD.
- Ask the host for a screenshot of the QR code their bank app shows.
- Import the screenshot into Moreta Pay, which reads codes from photos.
- Check the recipient name, fee, rate, amount that arrives, and expected delivery time. The app lists which methods are available for each recipient.
- Slide to send, then forward the receipt to the host.
Moreta lists a maximum single payment of 12,000 MYR in Malaysia and 16,000 BRL in Brazil, shown in the app before you pay.
How do I avoid a rental deposit scam before I arrive?
Paying quickly only helps if you pay the right person, so verification comes before any QR. Treat that as a red flag for anything beyond a small hold.
- Booked on a platform: Pay through Airbnb or Booking.com.
- Check the name: Match the name on the review screen to the listing or business.
- Monthly rentals: Ask for a live video walk-through before paying a deposit.
- Keep holds small: Pay for one night or one tour slot, not the whole stay.
What should I set up before landing?
Building on the steps above, three items finish the job:
- Verify at home. Identity checks use your passport and a selfie and usually take a few minutes.
- Top up by bank transfer above the free threshold. ACH is free over 250 USD, SEPA over 225 EUR, and Faster Payments over 200 GBP.
- Carry a cash reserve. Some homestays in Mondulkiri or the Cameron Highlands settle the balance in notes. Keep about RM100 in RM10s for Malaysia. Bring 20 USD in small bills plus riel for Cambodia. Bring 100 BRL for Brazilian beach kiosks without signal.
The five-second version: pay the host's DuitNow, KHQR, or Pix code, never pay off-platform for a listing you found on a booking site, never pay a name that doesn't match the listing, and keep some cash for the balance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a foreigner pay by Pix without a Brazilian bank account?
Not through Brazilian bank apps. A wallet connected to Pix, such as Moreta Pay, can pay a host's Pix QR code from a foreign balance.
Is a QR deposit an instant international transfer?
Pix and DuitNow settle in seconds domestically. Moreta's review screen shows the expected delivery time before you send.
Can I fund a Cambodia deposit with USDC?
No. USDC and USDT stablecoins cannot be spent in Cambodia due to local regulations, so use a bank or card top-up instead.
Should I pay a KHQR deposit in dollars or riel?
Pay in the currency the host's code is set to, at the agreed amount.
Does the host need to install anything?
No. The money arrives in their usual bank or wallet app.
Is a travel wallet app safer than sending card details?
You never hand over a card number, and every payment needs your confirmation in the app.
About Moreta
Moreta Global Inc. is a Delaware corporation, backed by Y Combinator (Summer 2024) and registered with FinCEN as a money services business. Its app, Moreta Pay, lets travelers, expats, and nomads add money in their own currency and pay on local QR networks. These include DuitNow QR in Malaysia, KHQR in Cambodia, Pix in Brazil, and Yape and Plin in Peru. Every payment shows the recipient, amount, and exact rate before you confirm, and funds are held with licensed partner banks.
Holding a Kampot guesthouse room, a Langkawi island tour, or a Florianópolis apartment? See how Moreta Pay pays DuitNow, KHQR, and Pix at https://moretapay.com/.
References
- Google (google.com)
