Payment Methods in Hong Kong: The Complete Guide for Businesses (2026)

Accepting payments in Hong Kong looks simple. Most customers pay by phone, card, or FPS, so it seems you only need to add a checkout.

The hard part is the setup behind it. Several popular local methods need a Hong Kong bank or e-wallet account. FPS works well within Hong Kong, but customers in London or Singapore usually can’t use it to pay you. And the right method for a café in Causeway Bay is the wrong one for a trading company invoicing buyers in Shenzhen and Sydney.

This guide covers the main ways to get paid in Hong Kong in 2026: from consumers, from other businesses, and from overseas customers, plus how to pay your own suppliers. For each method, you’ll see what it costs and what you need to set it up. It’s based on our payments team’s experience supporting over 10,000 business account clients, many of whom run Hong Kong companies from overseas.

Short on time? Use our payment method checker in the “Which Payment Methods Should Your Business Accept?” section to get a recommended setup in about a minute.

Payment Methods in Hong Kong at a Glance

Use this table to shortlist methods, then read the sections that match your customers.

Fees are standard published rates where they exist. Card acquirers and wallet providers often quote individually for larger merchants.

How Hong Kong Pays in 2026

Hong Kong’s shoppers have moved quickly away from cash: digital wallets (45%), cards (40%), and account-to-account payments (9%) together made up roughly 94% of in-store spending in 2025, based on Worldpay’s figures.

Sources: Worldpay Global Payments Report 2026 (spending shares), HKMA (e-wallet accounts, credit cards), HKICL (FPS, cheques).

Three things stand out:

1. Wallets lead, but cards haven’t gone anywhere. Wallets are now ahead of cards by about five percentage points, both online and in store, according to Worldpay’s 2026 report, as covered by CMO Tech Asia, and cards remain the default for higher-value purchases. Hong Kong’s e-wallets handled about 2.2 billion transactions worth HKD 264.7 billion in the second quarter of 2026, according to the HKMA’s stored value facility statistics.
2. FPS is now everyday infrastructure. At about 2.8 million transactions a day in September 2026, FPS is how people and companies in Hong Kong move money between accounts, according to HKICL clearing statistics.
3. Paper is fading, slowly. Cheque volumes have fallen by about a fifth in three years, but around 4 million are still cleared each month.

How Hong Kong Consumers Pay: Methods to Accept

If you sell to people in Hong Kong, in a shop or online, these are the methods your customers expect to see.

1. Credit and Debit Cards

Cards remain the default for travel and higher-value purchases. Credit cards in circulation reached about 31 million at the end of June 2026, up 36.1% year on year, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Contactless is the norm in store.

Networks to support: Visa, Mastercard®, and UnionPay at a minimum. UnionPay matters if you serve Mainland Chinese customers. American Express is worth adding in hospitality, luxury retail, and travel. EPS and JETCO are local ATM and debit networks.

How to accept:

• Online: use a payment gateway. Stripe Hong Kong charges 3.4% + HKD 2.35 per domestic card payment, plus 0.5% for international cards and 2% if currency conversion is needed, according to Stripe’s Hong Kong pricing.
• In store: use a contactless POS terminal from a bank acquirer or a payment provider.

Watch out for: card fees are the highest of the mainstream methods, and chargebacks can reverse a sale weeks later. Our guide to accepting payments online shows how international and conversion fees stack up on overseas cards.

2. Octopus

Octopus started as a transport card and is now part of daily life. Octopus says it has more than 24 million cards and products in circulation, handles about 15 million transactions a day, and reaches 98% of people aged 15 to 64 in Hong Kong, across more than 190,000 acceptance points. Customers pay with the physical card, a phone, or a watch.

How to accept: apply through Octopus for Business for a card reader, or use the Octopus App for Business on a phone.

• Readers: the standard fee is 1.5%. New merchants who open an account by 31 December 2026 pay 1.3%.
• Settlement: funds arrive the next business day. Settlement is free to Octopus’s designated banks, including Bank of China (Hong Kong), Standard Chartered, HSBC, Hang Seng, and Citibank, and costs HKD 30 per settlement by CHATS to other banks.
• App for Business: the standard fee is 1.5% for non-transport payments. New merchants since 1 March 2025 get six months free, then 1.3%. An Octopus Business Account is capped at HKD 2 million a year, while Business Account Plus has no annual limit.

Best for: shops, F&B, kiosks, and anything with small, frequent purchases.

3. Local E-Wallets: PayMe, AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK, and Others

Hong Kong’s e-wallets are licensed stored value facilities (SVFs) regulated by the HKMA. The main ones for merchants are:

• PayMe for Business (HSBC). PayMe has more than 3 million customers. Merchant fees are 1.2% for app transactions and 1.5% through an API or POS terminal, according to PayMe for Business (as of October 2026). Onboarding uses HSBC Business Internet Banking, so you’ll need an HSBC business account. There’s no fee to withdraw funds.
• AlipayHK. Fees vary by merchant and channel. To sign up, you’ll generally need company documents such as your Business Registration Certificate and Certificate of Incorporation, plus a bank card or passbook and your last three months of bank statements, according to AlipayHK. Payouts start once your balance reaches HKD 20, are sent within one working day, and reach your bank in about two to three working days. AlipayHK merchants can also accept Mainland Alipay users.
• WeChat Pay HK. Popular with local and Mainland customers. Merchant fees aren’t published in one place, so ask the provider or your POS supplier.
• Tap & Go, BOC Pay, and others. Usually accepted through a multi-wallet POS terminal rather than signed up for one by one.

Tip: you don’t need a separate QR code for every wallet. The HKMA’s Hong Kong Common QR Code (HKQR) standard lets merchants combine several payment schemes into one code.

4. Global and Tourist Wallets

Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay run on top of customers’ cards, so you accept them through your card terminal or gateway at card rates.

For visitors, Alipay+ lets overseas wallets, including Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, GCash, Touch ’n Go, and TrueMoney, pay at Hong Kong merchants through their existing AlipayHK payment codes. There were 14 such wallets when Ant International announced the service in April 2024. Mainland Alipay works the same way.

Online: Stripe supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, and WeChat Pay for Hong Kong businesses. Alipay and WeChat Pay are charged at 2.2% + HKD 2.00 per transaction.

5. FPS for Consumer Payments

Many consumers now pay small businesses directly by FPS, by scanning a QR code or entering a phone number or FPS ID. It’s common for services, deposits, tutoring, home businesses, and online shops run through social media. FPS is covered in full in the business payments section below.

Watch out for: an FPS payment can’t be charged back like a card payment, which is good for you. But scammers sometimes show a fake payment screenshot. Always confirm the money has arrived in your account before releasing goods.

6. Cash

Cash is still used for small everyday purchases, by older customers, and in markets. There’s no transaction fee, but counting, storing, and depositing it takes time, so most businesses accept it alongside digital methods rather than relying on it.

Getting Paid by Other Businesses in Hong Kong

B2B payments in Hong Kong run on bank rails, not wallets or cards. If you invoice other companies, these are the methods to set up.

FPS for Business Payments

The Faster Payment System connects 36 banks and 9 stored value facilities, and runs 24/7 in Hong Kong dollars (HKD) and renminbi (RMB). For businesses, it does three useful things:

• FPS ID on invoices. Companies can request an FPS ID from their bank or SVF, according to HKICL, and print it, or an FPS QR code, on invoices. More than 234,000 corporate FPS IDs had been registered by the end of July 2026, according to HKMA statistics. Clients pay instantly without your full account details.
• Recurring collection by eDDA. Electronic direct debit authorisation lets clients authorise you to collect regular payments, such as monthly fees, through FPS. Real-time direct debits made up about 37.2 million of the 84.3 million HKD FPS payments in July 2026, according to HKMA statistics.
• Instant settlement. Funds usually arrive in seconds, including evenings and weekends, which helps cash flow.

Fees: banks set their own FPS charges for business accounts. Many are free or low for incoming payments, so check your bank’s tariff.

Limits: FPS is mainly domestic. Your client needs a Hong Kong bank or e-wallet account to pay you this way.

Local Bank Transfers and CHATS

For larger amounts, or clients who prefer a traditional transfer, you’ll receive a local bank transfer. You’ll need to share your bank code, branch code, and account number.

High-value payments settle through CHATS, Hong Kong’s real-time gross settlement system run by HKICL. CHATS runs in HKD, USD, EUR, and RMB. Each payment is final once settled. HKD CHATS settles between 08:30 and 18:30 Hong Kong time on business days, according to the HKMA, and individual banks set earlier cut-off times.

Cheques and e-Cheques

Cheques are still common in some sectors, such as stockbrokers, law firms, auditors, insurers, and estate management companies, which the Hong Kong Association of Banks named as heavily reliant on cheques when it began studying a phase-out, as reported by Fintech News Hong Kong. e-Cheques, available since 2015, can be issued and deposited online. If you’re overseas, ask clients to pay by FPS or transfer instead, because depositing paper cheques usually means a branch or a courier.

Getting Paid by Overseas Customers

This is where Hong Kong’s local methods stop working. FPS, PayMe, and Octopus are built for people and companies in Hong Kong. Customers abroad need a different route.

Your options:

1. Cards and wallets through a gateway. Stripe and PayPal let overseas customers pay with their own cards and wallets. Fees are higher on international cards: Stripe Hong Kong adds 0.5%, and 2% if conversion is needed. PayPal Hong Kong charges 3.90% + HKD 2.35 per commercial transaction, plus 0.50% cross-border, according to PayPal’s Hong Kong fee page (as of October 2026). Our PayPal Hong Kong business account review covers the details.
2. SWIFT transfers. Business clients often pay by international wire. Share your SWIFT code (see our list of Hong Kong bank SWIFT codes). Most SWIFT payments reach the receiving bank within an hour, according to Swift, but reaching your account can take longer. Intermediary banks may deduct fees along the way.
3. Local account details in your client’s country. Clients in the UK, Europe, or Australia can pay you with a local transfer to account details in their own market. That’s usually cheaper and faster than a SWIFT wire for both sides.

What about FPS cross-border links? Two exist, but neither is a general business tool:

• FPS x PromptPay: since December 2023, travellers between Hong Kong and Thailand can pay each other’s merchant QR codes with their own apps, according to the Hong Kong government.
• Payment Connect: since June 2025, FPS links to the Mainland’s Internet Banking Payment System for small, instant cross-boundary remittances, mainly for individuals, according to HKICL.

For more on choosing between these routes, see our guide to cross-border payments.

Paying Suppliers, Contractors, and Staff

Getting paid is half the picture. The way you pay others affects your costs and your relationships with suppliers.

Paying Mainland China is one of the most common cross-border flows for Hong Kong companies, and it has its own rules. Our guide to sending money to China covers them. For larger international payments, compare a SWIFT payment with international money transfer apps and a multi-currency account.

What You Need to Accept Each Method

This is the part most guides skip, and where overseas-based founders most often get stuck. Many local methods are set up through, and pay out to, a Hong Kong bank account.

The practical takeaway: if your company is in Hong Kong but you’re not, start with the methods you can open online, such as a payment gateway (Stripe, for example) and a multi-currency business account. Add local wallets and FPS once you have the Hong Kong account each one requires. Opening an account at a traditional Hong Kong bank remotely can take time, so plan for it early.

Which Payment Methods Should Your Business Accept?

There’s no single right mix. It depends on who pays you and where they are.

• Retail shop or F&B in Hong Kong: contactless cards, Octopus, and one multi-wallet terminal covering PayMe, AlipayHK, and WeChat Pay HK. Keep cash for small sales.
• Ecommerce selling to Hong Kong shoppers: a gateway for cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, plus Alipay and WeChat Pay. Add FPS or local wallets through a local gateway if your customers expect them. Our comparison of payment gateways in Hong Kong shows which providers cover which local methods.
• Services or SaaS with clients worldwide: cards through a gateway, SWIFT for larger invoices, and local account details in your clients’ main markets. Connect your gateway payouts to an account that holds the currencies you’re paid in. Our guide to connecting Stripe to your account shows how.
• Trading company (B2B): local transfers and FPS for Hong Kong clients, SWIFT or local currency transfers for overseas buyers, and RMB payments for Mainland suppliers. Cards are rarely needed.

Not sure which of these fits you? Answer a few questions below to get a recommended setup.

Staying Safe and Organised

• Confirm payments in your account, not on a customer’s screen. Fake FPS and wallet screenshots are a known scam.
• Use licensed providers. E-wallet issuers in Hong Kong must be licensed by the HKMA (licensed banks are deemed licensed), and you can check the HKMA’s register of SVF licensees.
• Plan for reconciliation. Each method settles on a different schedule and reports fees differently, so card payouts, wallet settlements, FPS receipts, and SWIFT credits all land in different ways. Agree a monthly reconciliation routine with your bookkeeper, or use an accounting tool connected to your accounts.
• Keep records. Hong Kong companies must keep business records for at least seven years, and that includes payment provider statements.

How Statrys Fits Into Your Hong Kong Payment Setup

Statrys isn’t a card acquirer or an e-wallet. It’s the multi-currency business account behind the methods above: the place your payouts land and your supplier payments go out.

With a Statrys business account, you can:

• Collect local payments in Hong Kong in HKD, RMB, and USD at no charge, and receive SWIFT payments in 11 currencies for HKD 60 each, according to the Statrys pricing page.
• Get local currency account details in the UK, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark, Liechtenstein, and Australia, so overseas clients can pay you like a local business.
• Connect Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify so card and wallet payouts land in one account. There are no Statrys charges for receiving HKD or USD from Stripe.
• Pay suppliers within Hong Kong in HKD or RMB for HKD 5 per payment, and internationally to more than 120 countries, in 18 currencies.
• Convert currencies with FX fees from 0.1%, when the rate suits you.
• Spend with Mastercard® physical and virtual payment cards linked to your account.
• Work with two dedicated account managers, and apply 100% online, with 96% of clients opening their accounts within 3 business days.

One thing to know: Statrys can send FPS payments, but it needs the recipient’s full bank details rather than just a phone number or FPS ID.

Not registered in Hong Kong yet? Statrys also offers Hong Kong company incorporation, which takes about 5 working days once all the requested documents are provided.