PayPal has launched QR code payments in Northern Ireland which will enable touch-free, in-person purchases and sales.
This is aimed to help reduce physical interactions, in keeping with Covid-19 social distancing rules.
The digital payment service has rolled out the QR Codes in 28 countries - including the UK and Ireland - from local takeaway coffee shops to those selling second-hand goods.
For a limited time PayPal is also waiving its standard seller transaction fees incurred for sales conducted using a QR Code.
Using the QR code functionality in the PayPal app eliminates the need to handle cash. For example, business owners who are selling items in-person can print a QR code and place it in front of their customer who then can scan it, enter the amount they are paying and send money immediately.
RELATED: COVID-19: Translink announces more contactless ticket options
Paypal said that no specific technology is needed to touch or purchase – just aim a smartphone camera at a QR Code that is printed or present on another screen.
Sellers can create a PayPal-generated QR code for by following the steps outlined here.
Maeve Dorman, Vice President of Global Merchant Services at PayPal said: “Covid-19 has changed the shopping experience in Ireland as we know it.
“Not only do people need security and convenience… they now need to be able to sell and buy in a way that is quick, safe and involves limited social contact. Digital payments, and this QR code functionality, allow for this and could be the means through which small Irish businesses survive during the crisis and potentially thrive in the future.”
RELATED: Coronavirus: NI donations app giving free use of platform to all UK charities
