How international travelers, nomads & expats can pay with QR codes in Cambodia
Whether you are watching sunrise at Angkor Wat, eating fish amok in Phnom Penh or riding the river in Kampot, the red KHQR sticker is on the counter. Moreta Pay scans it for you from a wallet you fund at home, so you can leave the dollar bills and the riel maths behind.
KHQR
Costs, limits and tips
Paying in Cambodia
Guide updated
What it costs
- Transaction fee
- 1.5%
- Exchange rate today
- 1 USD = 4,000.00 KHRLive rate, updated recently
The app always shows the live rate and the exact cost before you pay.
Before you go
- Money added with crypto (USDC or USDT) can't be spent in Cambodia. Add money by bank transfer, card, Apple Pay or Google Pay for payments here.
Local tips
- Look for the red KHQR sticker: it is the same code whichever bank the merchant uses.
- Prices are often in US dollars with change in riel. The app shows what you pay in riel and in your own currency.
- Keep small riel notes for temple entrance stands and remote villages where data is patchy.
Why QR code is the best way to pay in Cambodia
QR codes are how people pay in Cambodia: hold up a phone, scan the code on the counter, done. Cambodia's KHQR is a single national standard: one code accepted by every bank and wallet in the country, from Bakong to ABA to Wing. Cafés, tuk-tuk drivers, guesthouses and market stalls show it, and many prices are quoted in both dollars and riel.
Moreta gives you the same thing as a visitor. A scan is contactless, so there is no card to hand over and no cash to carry, and each payment costs one flat fee at the live rate instead of a foreign transaction fee and a marked-up rate from your bank at home.
The problem with paying abroad as a tourist, expat or nomad
Paying abroad with the card in your wallet is easy until it is not. Your bank may block the first charge as suspicious. When it goes through, most cards add a foreign transaction fee and convert at a rate of their choosing, and some terminals offer to charge you in your own currency at a worse one.
Cash is no better. ATMs stack your bank's withdrawal fee, the operator's fee and a poor rate, and you still end up carrying more Cambodian riel than you need and changing the rest back at the airport. Paying by QR from a wallet you fund yourself skips all of it: one fee, the live rate and no plastic.
Card or cash
- A foreign transaction fee on most cards
- Your bank's rate, or the terminal's worse one
- ATM fees from your bank and the operator
- Leftover Cambodian riel to change back
Moreta
- One flat fee, shown before you slide to pay
- The live rate at the moment you pay
- No ATM and no card to hand over
- What you do not spend stays for the next country
How Moreta Pay works
Moreta is a wallet on your phone that pays KHQR codes as if a local had scanned them. Set it up once, at home or on the plane, and it is ready before you land in Cambodia.
01Verify your identity
Download Moreta, scan your passport and take a selfie. Verification usually takes a few minutes, and your account can move money as soon as it passes.
- 02
Load funds to your Moreta Pay wallet
Link a US bank through Plaid, or send a SEPA, Faster Payments, Interac or PayID transfer. Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay work too. Money added with crypto can't be spent in Cambodia.
- 03
Scan QR codes at local shops & restaurants
Tap Scan and point your camera at the KHQR code on the counter. Moreta reads it the way a Cambodian bank app would.
- 04
Get seamless payments on the go
Check the amount in Cambodian riel, what it costs in your own currency and the fee, then slide to pay. The merchant sees the payment in their own app the moment it clears.
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
Why Moreta Pay is better than alternatives
No local bank account required
Pay from the bank or card you already have. Nothing to open, nothing to close when you leave.
Seamless integration with KHQR
KHQR is the National Bank of Cambodia's QR standard, built on the Bakong system, so a code from any Cambodian bank or wallet is one code. Moreta pays it directly, and the app shows the amount in riel and in your own currency before you confirm.
Designed for international travelers, expats & nomads
A two-week trip or a year abroad, it works the same, and what you do not spend stays for the next country.
Several accepted payment types
Top up by bank transfer in US dollars, euros, pounds, Canadian or Australian dollars, or with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Crypto deposits can't be spent in Cambodia.
Lower fees compared to cash or card alternatives
One flat fee per payment, shown before you confirm. No ATM fees, and most banks add no foreign transaction fee.
Instant, contactless QR payments
Scan, check, slide. Nothing to hand over, and the merchant is paid in seconds.
Real exchange rates
Every payment converts to Cambodian riel at the live rate at the moment you pay.
See today's rate
Frequently asked questions
What travellers ask before paying by QR in Cambodia.
Showing 6 of 9 questions
Guides for Cambodia
How to pay5 min read
Cambodia Runs on Two Currencies and One QR Code
Cambodia uses US dollars and riel at the same time, and small change is a daily headache. Here is an honest comparison of cash, cards, local wallets, and visitor-friendly QR payment.
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How to pay8 min read
How to Pay With QR Codes as a Foreigner in Cambodia
A woman at the Russian Market in Phnom Penh sells you a $4 kroma scarf, taps her phone screen awake, and points to a laminated QR code taped next to a jar of incense sticks. No cash register.
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ATM fees & rates5 min read
Why Did You Pay in Dollars but Get Your Change in Riel?
Cambodia runs on two currencies, and visitors pay for the confusion at ATMs and in riel change. Here is how KHQR and the Bakong system let travelers skip both.
Read more
More ways to pay
Activate your Moreta Pay account before your trip
Set up Moreta, add money and land in Cambodia ready to scan. No cash to change, no card to worry about, and one flat fee at the live rate on every payment.
Also works in 
Vietnam, 
Thailand, 
the Philippines, 
Laos, 
Malaysia, and 9 more countries