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How international travelers, nomads & expats can pay with QR codes in Thailand

From a boat noodle stall in Bangkok to a dive shop in Koh Tao, the blue PromptPay sign is on almost every counter in Thailand. Moreta Pay scans it for you, funded from the bank or card you already have at home, so you spend baht like a local from the moment you land.

Thai QRPromptPay
Bangkok in blue line art: a tuk-tuk on the riverside, longtail boats on the Chao Phraya, Wat Arun and the city skyline

Costs, limits and tips

Paying in Thailand

Guide updated

What it costs

Exchange rate today
1 USD = 33.33 THBLive rate, updated recently

Limits

Max payment
100,000 THB
Weekly limit
200,000 THB

The app always shows the live rate and the exact cost before you pay.

Before you go

  • Thailand is currently only available for Canadian and US nationals.
  • Moreta Pay only supports ThaiQR / PromptPay business QR codes in Thailand. Personal QR codes are not currently supported.
  • Bank maintenance occurs from 11 PM – 3 AM. Some payments may be affected.Learn more
  • Money added with crypto (USDC or USDT) can't be spent in Thailand. Add money by bank transfer, card, Apple Pay or Google Pay for payments here.

Local tips

  • Look for the blue PromptPay logo or the Thai QR mark: if a stall shows one, Moreta can pay it.
  • Keep a few hundred baht in small notes for songthaews and the odd market stall that only takes cash.
  • Pick up an eSIM or an airport SIM: the app needs data at the moment you scan.

Why QR code is the best way to pay in Thailand

QR codes are how people pay in Thailand: hold up a phone, scan the code on the counter, done. Thais pay by scanning a PromptPay or Thai QR code with their bank app, and the merchant sees the money arrive on their phone before you have put yours away. Night markets, taxis, massage shops and temple donation boxes all show a code. Many small places prefer it to cash and never bought a card machine.

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 Thai baht 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 Thai baht 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 Thai QR and PromptPay 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 Thailand.

  1. Identity verification screen asking you to capture your selfie, with a face inside a round frame, tips for good lighting, no glasses and no hats, and a Take photo button
    01

    Verify 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.

  2. 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 Thailand.

    Payment methods

    Every way to top up, with live fees.

    Bank transfers

    • Bank account1-3 business daysUSD1 USD feeFree over 250 USD
    • SEPA transferUsually instantEUR1.50 USD feeFree over 225 EUR
    • Faster Payments transferUsually instantGBP1.50 USD feeFree over 200 GBP
    • Interac e-TransferInstantCAD1.5% + 1 USD fee
    • PayIDInstantAUD1.5% + 1 USD fee

    Instant methods

    • Apple PayInstant2.5% fee
    • Google PayInstant2.5% fee
    • CardInstant2.5% fee
    • CryptoInstantFree

    Money added with crypto can't be spent in Thailand, Cambodia, or China.

    Your first deposit is on us. Availability depends on your country, the payment method and the app version.

  3. 03

    Scan QR codes at local shops & restaurants

    Tap Scan and point your camera at the Thai QR and PromptPay code on the counter. Moreta reads it the way a Thai bank app would.

    Supported payment networks

    Scan any merchant QR on these networks and Moreta pays it locally.

    Asia

    • Vietnam flag

      Vietnam

      VietQRMoMoZaloPay
    • Thailand flag

      Thailand

      Thai QRPromptPay
    • Cambodia flag

      Cambodia

      KHQR
    • Philippines flag

      Philippines

      QR PhInstaPay
    • Laos flag

      Laos

      OnePay
    • Malaysia flag

      Malaysia

      DuitNow
    • South Korea flag

      South Korea

      SeoulPay
    • Mongolia flag

      Mongolia

      QPay
    • China flag

      China

      WeChat Pay

    Latin America

    • Brazil flag

      Brazil

      Pix
    • Argentina flag

      Argentina

      Mercado PagoUaláMODOCuenta DNIBNA+
    • Peru flag

      Peru

      YapePlin
    • Bolivia flag

      Bolivia

      Banco Central de BoliviaSimple
    • Colombia flag

      Colombia

      DaviPlataBre-BNequi
  4. 04

    Get seamless payments on the go

    Check the amount in Thai baht, 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.

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 PromptPay & Thai QR

    PromptPay is Thailand's real-time payment system and Thai QR is the code standard built on it, so one scan reaches the merchant's account whichever bank they use. Moreta pays those codes exactly as a Thai bank app would.

  • 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 Thailand.

  • 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 Thai baht at the live rate at the moment you pay.

    See today's rate

Frequently asked questions

What travellers ask before paying by QR in Thailand.

Showing 6 of 9 questions

Payment methods

Every way to top up, with live fees.

Bank transfers

  • Bank account1-3 business daysUSD1 USD feeFree over 250 USD
  • SEPA transferUsually instantEUR1.50 USD feeFree over 225 EUR
  • Faster Payments transferUsually instantGBP1.50 USD feeFree over 200 GBP
  • Interac e-TransferInstantCAD1.5% + 1 USD fee
  • PayIDInstantAUD1.5% + 1 USD fee

Instant methods

  • Apple PayInstant2.5% fee
  • Google PayInstant2.5% fee
  • CardInstant2.5% fee
  • CryptoInstantFree

Money added with crypto can't be spent in Thailand, Cambodia, or China.

Your first deposit is on us. Availability depends on your country, the payment method and the app version.

Activate your Moreta Pay account before your trip

Set up Moreta, add money and land in Thailand 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, Cambodia, the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, and 8 more countries