A QR payment is not a separate type of payment, but an instant bank transfer via a mobile app triggered by scanning a QR code. The solution is meant to be a low-cost alternative to card payments for merchants and, in terms of convenience, to resemble a "double-click" on the phone. The presentation explains why this is possible today and exactly how the process unfolds from scan to receipt.
Why pressure arose for a low-cost cashless payment
The topic came up after the state sought to introduce an obligation to offer customers a cashless payment, but the market lacked a low-cost alternative to payment cards. A team from the Financial Administration and the Ministry of Finance therefore looked for a solution for tens of thousands of cash registers in a way that would be advantageous for merchants. The key impetus is the obligation for banks to process instant payments within approximately 10 seconds, effective from October 5. In the longer term, this may reduce the need for card payments in some situations, since a direct account-to-account transfer itself meets the requirements for speed and security.
How the payment works from scan to receipt
The cash register first requests a unique transaction ID from the instant payments notification system and encodes it together with the IBAN and amount into a QR code. The customer scans the code, confirms the payment in the app, and the bank immediately sends the money to the merchant’s account. The recipient’s bank then informs the notification service, which matches the ID to the specific cash register and sends it a confirmation. The cash register then records the purchase in the eKasa system as usual and prints the receipt.
In practice, it’s convenient and easy to test even with small amounts, literally as little as 1 cent. Several banking apps (e.g., Tatra banka, VÚB, ČSOB, or George) automatically prefill the details after scanning via the camera, with icons of the available apps shown on the screen. If an outage or weak signal appears during a demo, it’s not a failure of the concept but ordinary operational circumstances. After the payment is confirmed, the cash register is notified within a few seconds and the purchase process concludes with the receipt being issued.
