How people pay in Thailand in 2026
Thailand is one of the most advanced real-time payment markets in the world. PromptPay, the national instant payment service built by the Bank of Thailand, National ITMX and Thai banks, had more than 82.21 million registrations and handled 2.38 billion transactions in December 2025, according to Mastercard. Most of that flow runs through banking apps such as K PLUS and SCB EASY, and through the standard Thai QR code displayed at almost every shop and street stall. In July 2026, Bank of Thailand data show 2.51 billion interbank internet and mobile banking transactions, against 104 million credit card and 25 million debit card payments.
Cards still matter for higher tickets, travel and installments, and foreign visitors bring a large share of card spending. Cash keeps a role in daily life and in e-commerce through cash on delivery and payments at 7-Eleven counters. Wallets such as TrueMoney, LINE Pay and ShopeePay are popular with younger and unbanked users, and buy now, pay later is growing fast enough that the central bank plans new rules by the end of 2026. For merchants and their payment providers, a checkout without PromptPay QR loses Thai shoppers.
- 82.21 million PromptPay registrations in December 2025 (Mastercard)
- 2.51 billion interbank mobile and internet banking transactions in July 2026 (Bank of Thailand)
- 15,945 7-Eleven stores in Thailand at the end of 2025 (CP ALL)
- 4.91 million BNPL user accounts in 2024 (Bank of Thailand via Thairath)
Payment by card in Thailand
Card payments are a small slice of Thai payment volume. Bank of Thailand statistics count 103.8 million credit card and 24.9 million debit card transactions in July 2026, while mobile banking transfers ran in the billions. In value, credit cards carried THB 202 billion that month and debit cards only THB 20 billion. Most Thais pay from their bank account by QR rather than with a debit card, and Thai BOT data cited by The Nation show card usage declined modestly in mid-2025.
Visa and Mastercard dominate issuing, with JCB and UnionPay well represented for Asian travelers. Domestic debit transactions must be processed by local switches such as TPN or National ITMX under Bank of Thailand rules described by Tilleke & Gibbins. Tourists are a big card audience: foreign cards spent THB 327 billion over more than 100 million transactions in 2024, about 20% of card payment value, according to a Bank of Thailand and Visa study. Card installment plans are another reason to accept cards, and acquirers compete on interchange fees and approval rates.
Card schemes in Thailand
Visa
International scheme
The leading card brand in Thailand for credit and debit cards, and the main brand used by foreign visitors paying at Thai terminals.
THB 327 billion spent with foreign cards in Thailand in 2024, Bank of Thailand and Visa via Thairath
Mastercard
International scheme
The second scheme in Thailand, widely accepted at EDC terminals and online, and a technology partner of National ITMX for PromptPay since 2017.
TPN (Thai Payment Network)
Domestic debit switch
A local switch licensed to process domestic debit card transactions, owned by Bangkok Bank and China UnionPay, used on co-branded debit cards, as Tilleke & Gibbins explains.
JCB
International scheme
Japan's card scheme is popular with Thai premium cardholders and Japanese visitors, and local gateways such as GB Prime Pay have added JCB acceptance online.
Credit card installment plans
Card installments
Thai issuers let cardholders split purchases into monthly installments, often at 0% during promotions. KBank's gateway, for example, offers SmartPay installments over 3 to 10 months.
THB 202 billion credit card payment value in July 2026, Bank of Thailand
Payment by cash in Thailand
Cash is no longer the default for Thais, but it stays important. Mastercard, quoted by The Nation, notes that cash keeps a strong cultural role, especially in rural areas and among older consumers. Visitors use it heavily too. A Bank of Thailand and Visa study reported by Thairath found that cash still accounts for a large share of tourist payment value, even with over 900,000 card terminals and more than one million QR payment points in the country.
Online, cash takes two forms. Cash on delivery remains common on marketplaces: Worldpay estimates it at 15% of e-commerce payments in 2025, as quoted by Antom. Shoppers can also pay a barcode or reference at a convenience store. Counter Service, the payment arm of CP ALL, collects bills and online orders at 7-Eleven, which counted 15,945 stores in Thailand at the end of 2025. Our article on the transition from cash to digital payments gives more context.
Cash payment methods in Thailand
Cash
Banknotes and coins
Thai baht banknotes and coins remain widely used at markets, small shops and by tourists, even as QR payments take over daily purchases.
78% of tourist payment value in cash, undated figure from a Bank of Thailand and Visa study, Thairath
Counter Service
Convenience store payment
CP ALL's bill payment service at 7-Eleven tills, where shoppers pay online orders, bills and loans in cash or by wallet with a barcode or QR code, as IBS Intelligence describes.
15,945 7-Eleven stores in Thailand at the end of 2025, CP ALL
Cash on delivery
Cash on delivery
Paying the courier at the door is still offered by marketplaces and social commerce sellers, and many shoppers use it to avoid fraud risk.
15% share of e-commerce payments in 2025, Worldpay via Antom
Payment by bank transfer in Thailand
Account-to-account payments are the core of the Thai market. PromptPay links a mobile number or national ID to a bank account, and the standard Thai QR code lets any banking app or wallet pay any merchant. Mastercard reports more than 300 PromptPay transactions per person per year, almost 400,000 registered businesses and peaks above 80 million transactions a day in 2025. Worldpay, quoted by Antom, puts bank transfers at 44% of e-commerce payments in 2025, the largest share of any method.
Banking apps are the front end. KBank's K PLUS had 24.7 million users in June 2026, and SCB reports 18.1 million SCB EASY users in 2025. PromptPay also connects abroad: foreign tourists paid THB 2.49 billion through cross-border QR in 2024, led by Malaysians. These instant payments settle in seconds, which is why account-to-account payments are a priority for any provider entering Thailand.
Bank transfer methods in Thailand
PromptPay
Instant payment
Thailand's national instant payment service, operated by National ITMX since 2017, used for person-to-person transfers, QR payments in stores and online, and government payouts.
2.38 billion PromptPay transactions worth THB 4.70 trillion in December 2025, Mastercard
Thai QR Payment
QR scheme
The common QR standard shown at checkouts and on stall signs, readable by every Thai banking app and major wallets. The country counts more than one million QR payment points.
K PLUS
Banking app
Kasikornbank's mobile banking app, one of the most used ways to scan Thai QR codes and to approve online payments redirected from merchant checkouts.
24.7 million K PLUS users in June 2026, KBank
SCB EASY
Banking app
Siam Commercial Bank's mobile app, used for QR payments, transfers and app-to-app payment approvals at online merchants.
18.1 million SCB EASY users in 2025, SCB
Cross-border QR
QR linkage
PromptPay QR codes accept payments from partner countries' apps, and under an October 2025 agreement Chinese travelers can pay PromptPay QR codes with Alipay through a link with Ant International and Krungthai Bank.
THB 2.49 billion paid by foreign tourists via cross-border QR in 2024, Bank of Thailand and Visa via Thairath
Payment by installment and BNPL in Thailand
Thailand has two layers of deferred payment. The traditional one is the credit card installment plan, often at 0% during bank promotions. The newer one is buy now, pay later inside shopping and super apps. Bank of Thailand data reported by Thairath show BNPL credit of THB 17.9 billion in 2024, up 38%, and 4.91 million user accounts, almost double the year before.
Platforms lead the market: SPayLater on Shopee, TikTok Pay Later, PayLater by Grab, and Atome, now majority owned by KBank's holding company. Banks also play with products such as K PAY LATER. Regulation is coming. The central bank is drafting rules on user age, eligible products and interest caps, expected to take effect by late 2026, and plans to license BNPL providers from Q4 2026. Providers will also have to show the full cost of each installment payment more clearly.
Installment and BNPL providers in Thailand
Atome
BNPL
Pay-in-three and pay-later provider active in Thailand since 2021, in which KBank holding company KASIKORN INVESTURE holds more than 50% since April 2026.
SPayLater
Marketplace BNPL
Shopee's pay-later service, offering payment next month or in installments for purchases on Shopee and at selected partner merchants.
K PAY LATER
Bank BNPL
KBank's pay-later credit line in K PLUS, one of the bank-led BNPL offers named by Thairath alongside platform products.
TikTok Pay Later and PayLater by Grab
Platform BNPL
Deferred payment options inside the TikTok Shop and Grab apps, popular with younger shoppers for social commerce and daily services.
4.91 million BNPL user accounts across the market in 2024, Bank of Thailand via Thairath
Credit card installments
Card installments
Bank installment plans on credit cards, often interest-free for electronics and travel, offered at checkout by acquirers such as KBank with 3 to 10 month SmartPay plans.
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in Thailand
E-money wallets are the second digital channel after banking apps. Bank of Thailand data count 486 million e-money transactions in July 2026, about four times the number of credit card payments. TrueMoney, owned by Ascend Money in the CP group, leads: its parent's new virtual bank starts with about 32 million wallet accounts, and TrueMoney's BlueTap tap-to-pay service passed 1.5 million users in 2026.
LINE Pay, formerly Rabbit LINE Pay, took its current name in October 2023 and remains a common wallet for LINE users. ShopeePay serves Shopee buyers, and wallet top-ups are possible at 7-Eleven. International X-Pay wallets play a smaller role locally, but inbound wallets matter for tourism: Alipay users can pay PromptPay QR codes directly. Our piece on QR code payments in Asia explains the model.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in Thailand
TrueMoney Wallet
E-wallet
Thailand's largest e-wallet, used for QR payments, 7-Eleven purchases, bill payments and online checkout, and now testing BlueTap tap-to-pay with Mastercard and Alipay+.
About 32 million accounts linked to TrueMoney Wallet in July 2026, Thairath
LINE Pay
Messaging wallet
The wallet inside the LINE messaging app, owned by LINE MAN Wongnai and LINE Thailand, used for online checkout, transport cards and in-store QR payments.
ShopeePay
Marketplace wallet
Shopee's wallet, used mainly for marketplace purchases with cashback offers, and accepted at a growing number of partner merchants.
Alipay+
Inbound wallet
Ant International's network lets visitors pay with home wallets such as Alipay; Alipay has been available in Thailand since 2015 and now reaches PromptPay QR merchants.
486 million e-money transactions across all Thai wallets in July 2026, Bank of Thailand
Payments in Thailand: FAQ
What is the most popular payment method in Thailand?
PromptPay, usually through a Thai QR code scanned with a banking app. It counted 82.21 million registrations and 2.38 billion transactions in December 2025. Bank transfers also lead e-commerce, with 44% of online payments in 2025 according to Worldpay data quoted by Antom.
Do Thai shoppers still use cash on delivery?
Yes, but less than before. Worldpay estimates cash on delivery at 15% of e-commerce payments in 2025, down from higher levels a few years ago. Marketplaces still offer it, and shoppers can also pay in cash at 7-Eleven through Counter Service.
Which e-wallets are used in Thailand?
TrueMoney Wallet leads with about 32 million accounts, followed by LINE Pay, formerly Rabbit LINE Pay, and ShopeePay. E-money transactions reached 486 million in July 2026, according to the Bank of Thailand.
Is BNPL regulated in Thailand?
Not yet with a dedicated license, but rules are coming. The Bank of Thailand plans limits on age, products and interest, expected by late 2026. The market reached THB 17.9 billion of credit and 4.91 million accounts in 2024.
Accept local payments in Thailand with NORBr
In Thailand, licensed gateways bundle cards, PromptPay QR, wallets and Counter Service, while banks such as KBank, SCB and Bangkok Bank act as acquirers. Check dynamic PromptPay QR with real-time notifications, K PLUS and SCB EASY flows, and THB settlement.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers PromptPay and Thai QR, mobile banking apps, TrueMoney Wallet, card installments and counter payments. Some are already in our connector catalog; Mapper™ gets the others live in days, and Smart Checkout shows each shopper the right methods. Explore the other #PayWorldTour guides.
Local payment providers in Thailand
2C2P
Payment gateway
Founded in Bangkok in 2003 and now part of Ant International's Antom, 2C2P serves large merchants and airlines in Thailand and the region, with over 600,000 alternative payment locations in its network.
Covers: Cards, card installments, PromptPay, mobile banking, TrueMoney, Counter Service
Omise
Payment gateway
Thai gateway founded in 2013 that returned to the Omise brand in March 2025 after two years as Opn, serving online merchants and banks with cards, QR and app payments.
230,000+ merchants in five countries and over USD 17 billion in payment volume in 2024, Thairath
Covers: Cards, card installments, PromptPay, mobile banking, TrueMoney, Alipay+
GB Prime Pay
Payment gateway
Thai online payment platform for SMEs, travel and e-commerce businesses, established in 2017 and regulated by the Bank of Thailand.
Covers: Cards, PromptPay QR, mobile banking, bill payment
KBank
Acquirer
Kasikornbank is a major Thai acquirer whose K Payment Gateway accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB and UnionPay with installments and dynamic currency conversion, alongside QR collection through K PLUS.
24.7 million K PLUS users in June 2026, KBank
Covers: Cards, card installments, Thai QR, K PLUS
