science

QR code payment

QR code payment is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand QR code payment rather than just read about it. In short: A QR code payment is a mobile payment method where payment is performed by scanning a QR code from a mobile app. This is an alternative to doing electronic funds transfer at point of sale using a payment terminal.

Key takeaways

QR code payment belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect QR code payment to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of QR code payment from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A QR code payment is a mobile payment method where payment is performed by scanning a QR code from a mobile app. This is an alternative to doing electronic funds transfer at point of sale using a payment terminal. This avoids a lot of the infrastructure traditionally associated with electronic payments such as payment cards, payment networks, payment terminal and merchant accounts. To make a QR code payment, the consumer scans the QR code displayed by the merchant with their smartphone to pay for their goods. They enter the amount they have to pay and finally submit. This is a more secure card-not-present method than others.

History The QR code system was invented in 1994 by Masahiro Hara from the Japanese company Denso Wave. In December 2010, the first documented description of QR code-based payments came from two patents filed by Shaun Cooley and Andrew Charles Payne, based on a prototype system developed for Norton Labs at Symantec called Norton Mobile Pay. US 8177125 describes a payment mechanism where a website displays a QR code and a mobile device's camera is used to read the code and complete the payment. US 9076171 describes payment mechanisms where a payment terminal displays a QR code that is scanned by a mobile device, a mobile device displays a QR code that is scanned by a payment terminal, and a mobile device displaying a QR code that is scanned by another mobile device. There are no records of Symantec, Gen Digital, CA Technologies, or Broadcom attempting to enforce these patents in court. In March 2011, the first mobile wallet app for cryptocurrency Bitcoin featured the ability to send and receive payments with QR codes. In 2011, Chinese company Alipay designed a QR code payment method which allowed partnering offline stores to accept payment by scanning an individual's QR code in Alipay Wallet. In 2014, Chinese technology company Tencent introduced a similar feature on its messaging app WeChat to allow its users to make QR code payments. QR code payments helped mobile payments become the most popular method of payments in China, accounting for 83% of all payments by 2018. Nearly all shops, street vendors, most metro systems, buses, and taxis in Mainland China accept either WeChat Pay, Alipay, or UnionPay's Cloud QuickPass for payment. In 2012, the Czech branch of Raiffeisen Bank International developed the Short Payment Descriptor format for exchanging payment information via QR codes. The format was soon adopted by other Czech banks as well as the Czech Banking Association as the national standard for QR code payments. SPD can technically be used with any bank using IBAN account numbers, although in practice it is only used within Czechia. In 2017, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched BharatQR as a single, interoperable QR code that could be used for making payments to and from bank accounts using UPI and wallets. It works alongside QR codes from wallet providers as well as card providers such as Visa's mVisa and Mastercard's Masterpass. In 2020, PayPal announced the ability to pay with QR codes in its mobile app.

Usage in the transportation industry by country

China

Most metro systems, buses, and taxis in Mainland China accept either WeChat Pay or Alipay for payment. The national railway operator, China Railway, also accepts the two major apps for payment.

Hungary qvik enables payment within Hungarian National Bank's Instant payment system (AFR) by scanning a QR code, approving a payment request, NFC-based touch or clicking on a deep link within a mobile application. In addition to offering the same fast and secure payment as credit card systems for both purchases and bill payments, qvik is free for consumers and significantly cheaper for merchants than existing payment methods. Using qvik ensures payment security as the service is operated by Hungarian companies and user data remains within the country's borders.

India Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro in India allows users to purchase a ticket on their phones using QR code payments. Instead of swiping an RFID card or single-use token, a QR code is generated on the Paytm app which is then read by a scanner mounted on the turnstile.

Malaysia QR code payment is becoming increasingly popular recently in Malaysia as a convenient and secure way to pay for transportation services. KTM ETS and KTM Komuter Northern Sector, as well as KLIA Ekspres and Penang Ferry Service, are all offering QR code payments to their passengers. As Malaysia continues to modernize its transportation infrastructure, it is likely that more services including Rapid KL will adopt QR code payments to enhance the passenger experience and streamline operations.

Philippines QR code tickets, named beep QR, were introduced in LRT-1 on 1 June 2023 by AF Payments, Inc., the operator of beep card, in partnership with Maya, an e-wallet app. QR tickets can be bought on the Maya app or ikotMNL app. Each LRT-1 station is equipped with at least 1 QR code-enabled gate.

Indonesia Indonesia has adopted a QR code payment system in the transportation sector to improve convenience and efficiency for commuters. Jakarta's MRT and TransJakarta bus systems now support payment via QR Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS). This promotes a cashless society and mobile payments in Indonesia.

Integrated QR code payment systems

The integrated QR code payment system (also known as a unified, national, standard, or common QR code) is a type of payment system that employs a standardized QR code format, enabling interoperability among multiple banks and e-wallet providers. This system allows consumers to make transactions by scanning a single QR code, regardless of the issuing institution of their payment app. This system typically shares the following characteristics:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with QR code payment

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what QR code payment claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to QR code payment before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about QR code payment ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of QR code payment

In research: QR code payment appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses QR code payment in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: QR code payment is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1994 introductions, 2011 introductions, Contactless payments, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for QR code payment outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study QR code payment in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what QR code payment means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain QR code payment out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is QR code payment in simple terms?

Why does QR code payment matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study QR code payment?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on QR code payment.