TL;DR
QR Ph is the national QR-code standard set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and settled in real time through InstaPay. To get it for your restaurant, you sign up with a BSP-supervised participating bank or e-money issuer — such as GCash for Business, Maya Business, or a bank's merchant service — submit your business registration documents (DTI or SEC, BIR Certificate of Registration, a valid ID, and a settlement bank account), and once approved you display a single QR Ph code. Because QR Ph is interoperable, that one code accepts payment from any participating app — GCash, Maya, and dozens of bank apps — so you stop taping a separate standee for every wallet. Merchant fees (MDR) for QR Ph are typically around 1.0% to 1.5%, with no monthly or setup fee at most providers, but providers set their own rates so confirm before you sign. The setup itself is fast — often well under an hour to apply. OrderEase helps you collect through QR ordering and checkout that ties each payment to the right order; payment processing runs through a licensed provider and is not yet live in the Philippines.
What QR Ph Actually Is
QR Ph is the Philippines' national QR-code standard, established by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) so that every bank and e-wallet can read the same code. Before it existed, a merchant who wanted to accept digital payments had to display a separate QR for each provider, and customers had to be on the exact app that matched the code on the counter. QR Ph fixes that fragmentation: one standard code that any participating financial institution can pay across.
The standard rolled out in two stages. The BSP launched QR Ph for person-to-person (P2P) transfers in November 2019, then opened the person-to-merchant (P2M) facility in 2021 — the use case that matters to a restaurant, because it is how a paying diner sends money to your business account. Both run on InstaPay, the country's real-time payment rail, so a QR Ph payment clears in seconds and the funds are tracked from the customer's app straight to your settlement account.
Person-to-Merchant (P2M): the part that matters for restaurants
QR Ph P2M is the merchant payment facility. When you register, your provider generates a QR Ph P2M code tied to your business. Any customer with an account at a participating bank or e-money issuer (EMI) can open their app, scan that code, and pay — and the payment is routed to you over InstaPay. According to the BSP, as of the end of 2025, dozens of institutions participate in QR Ph P2M, including the e-wallets and banks your diners already use. That breadth is the whole point: you register once and accept everyone.
Why One Interoperable QR Beats a Wall of Wallet Codes
Many restaurants still run the old way: a GCash standee here, a Maya standee there, maybe a bank QR taped beside the register. It looks like coverage, but it creates real problems at the counter.
- Customer confusion: a diner has to find the standee that matches their app, and at peak hours that hesitation slows the queue.
- Wrong-account payments: send to the wrong code and you are chasing a misdirected payment instead of seating the next table.
- Messy reconciliation: every provider settles separately, so your end-of-day involves stitching together multiple dashboards by hand.
- Clutter and trust: a counter papered with codes looks improvised, and some customers hesitate to scan a code they do not recognize.
- Provider lock-in: build your habits around one wallet's standalone code and you are exposed if its rate or terms change.
A single QR Ph code removes all of it. One code, one account, one settlement stream, and any participating app can pay it. You are not betting on which wallet wins; you are accepting the national standard that all of them speak. For a deeper comparison of the wallets themselves, see our guide on how to accept GCash, Maya & QR Ph at your restaurant.
Who Issues QR Ph (and Who Cannot)
You cannot mint a QR Ph code yourself, and the BSP does not hand them out directly. QR Ph codes are issued only through BSP-supervised institutions that participate in the standard. In practice that means one of three routes:
| Provider type | Examples | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| E-money issuer (EMI) / e-wallet | GCash for Business, Maya Business | Fast online sign-up, low QR Ph rates, owners already in that ecosystem |
| BSP-supervised bank | Universal and commercial banks' merchant services | Restaurants that want settlement into their existing business bank account |
| Payment aggregator / gateway | BSP-supervised payment service providers | Operators who also want online checkout, payment links, or multi-method acceptance in one contract |
All three issue the same interoperable QR Ph code — the difference is the onboarding experience, where the money settles, the fee schedule, and what extra tools come bundled. An e-wallet route like GCash for Business or Maya Business is usually the quickest to start; a bank route keeps funds flowing into an account you already reconcile; an aggregator route is worth a look if you want online payments alongside your in-store QR.
Documents You Need to Get QR Ph
Exact requirements vary by provider and by how your business is registered, but the core set is consistent because every provider is verifying the same things: that your business is legally registered, tax-registered, and that there is a real account to settle into. Have these ready before you apply and onboarding goes faster.
- Business registration — a DTI Certificate of Registration for a sole proprietorship, or SEC documents for a partnership or corporation.
- BIR Certificate of Registration (Form 2303) — proof you are tax-registered, which also ties your payments to your invoicing.
- Mayor's / Business Permit — commonly requested for a physical establishment such as a restaurant.
- Valid government-issued ID of the owner or authorized signatory.
- A settlement account — a bank account or, with some e-wallet providers, a business wallet, where your collected funds land.
- For corporations and partnerships — a board or partners' resolution naming the authorized signatory.
Fees to Expect
QR Ph is generally the cheapest way to collect a digital payment in the Philippines, which is by design — the BSP created the standard partly to bring down the cost of digital collection. The fee that matters is the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR): the percentage your provider deducts from each successful sale before settling the rest to you.
| Fee item | What to expect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MDR (per transaction) | Typically ~1.0%–1.5% | Some e-wallet providers advertise QR Ph from ~1.0%; an offline/static QR rate around ~1.25% is common |
| Monthly fee | Usually none | Most QR Ph providers charge only the per-transaction MDR |
| Setup fee | Usually none | Static QR sign-up is commonly free; physical terminals may carry hardware cost |
| Settlement timing | Often next business day (T+1) | Via InstaPay; some setups are faster — confirm the exact schedule |
On a thin restaurant margin those points add up, so the practical move is to lead with QR Ph as your most visible payment option — customers paying from GCash or Maya can scan the same QR Ph code, and you typically capture the lower national-standard rate rather than a higher standalone-wallet rate.
Step by Step: Getting QR Ph Live
The actual process is short. Most of the effort is gathering documents up front; the application itself is often done in well under an hour, with approval commonly landing within a few business days.
- Choose a provider — pick a BSP-supervised participant (an e-wallet like GCash for Business or Maya Business, your business bank's merchant service, or a payment aggregator) based on where you want funds to settle and which extra tools you need.
- Prepare your documents — DTI or SEC registration, BIR Form 2303, Mayor's Permit, valid ID, and your settlement account details.
- Apply and submit — register on the provider's merchant portal and upload your documents; sign-up is typically free.
- Wait for approval — the provider verifies your business; this commonly takes from same-day up to a few business days.
- Receive and display your QR Ph code — print the static code as a standee or counter card, and confirm it is a QR Ph P2M code settled via InstaPay.
- Test a live payment — pay a small amount from your own phone using a different app to confirm acceptance and check that it settles correctly.
- Connect it to ordering — feed the payment step into your QR ordering and checkout so each payment is matched to the right order.
How QR Ph Plugs Into QR Ordering and Checkout
Getting a QR Ph code is the first half of the job. The second half is making sure each payment lands against the right order, because a static code on the counter does not know what the customer ordered or how much they owe. Without that link, a staff member still has to read out the total, watch the customer type it, eyeball the 'payment received' screen, and match it to a ticket by hand — slow at peak, and easy to get wrong.
When QR Ph acceptance is wired into your QR ordering and checkout, the flow becomes one continuous step:
- The customer scans the table QR, orders from the digital menu, and reaches the payment step automatically.
- They pay the exact order amount through QR Ph from whatever app they have — no manually typing the total.
- The payment is matched to that specific order, so there is no mismatched or unpaid ticket to chase.
- The kitchen receives a confirmed, paid ticket and starts preparing immediately.
- The sale is recorded with the correct amount and payment method, so your reports and BIR records reconcile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q：How do I get a QR Ph code for my restaurant?
A：You register with a BSP-supervised participating provider — an e-money issuer such as GCash for Business or Maya Business, your business bank's merchant service, or a payment aggregator. You submit your business documents (DTI or SEC registration, BIR Certificate of Registration, a valid ID, usually a Mayor's Permit, and a settlement account), and once approved the provider issues your QR Ph P2M code, which you display as a standee or use in checkout. You cannot generate a QR Ph code yourself; it must come through a participating institution.
Q：Do I need a separate QR for GCash, Maya, and each bank?
A：No — that is the whole point of QR Ph. Because it is the BSP national standard settled through InstaPay, a single QR Ph P2M code accepts payment from any participating bank or e-wallet, including GCash and Maya. One code replaces the wall of separate standees, which reduces clutter, customer confusion, and wrong-account payments.
Q：What documents do I need to register?
A：Typically your business registration (DTI for a sole proprietorship, or SEC documents for a partnership or corporation), your BIR Certificate of Registration (Form 2303), a Mayor's or Business Permit, a valid government ID for the owner or authorized signatory, and a settlement bank account. Corporations and partnerships also need a board or partners' resolution. Requirements vary by provider, so confirm the exact list with the one you choose.
Q：How much does QR Ph cost in merchant fees?
A：QR Ph is usually the cheapest digital method, with a merchant discount rate (MDR) typically around 1.0% to 1.5%, and most providers charge no monthly or setup fee for a static QR. Some e-wallet providers advertise QR Ph from around 1.0%, and an offline QR rate near 1.25% is common. Providers set their own rates and run promotions, so confirm the current MDR and full fee schedule before you sign.
Q：How fast does the money reach my account?
A：QR Ph payments clear in real time over InstaPay, and settlement to your account commonly happens on a next-business-day (T+1) basis, though some setups are faster. Ask your provider for the exact settlement schedule, since cash-flow timing matters when you are paying daily suppliers and staff.
Conclusion
Getting QR Ph for your restaurant is genuinely simple: choose a BSP-supervised provider, hand over your standard business documents, and display the one interoperable code that every participating app can pay. You get the lowest typical fees in Philippine digital payments, no wall of competing standees, and a single settlement stream. The real upgrade is connecting that code to your QR ordering and checkout so each payment lands against the right order automatically — that is what turns 'we accept QR Ph' into a checkout that is faster, cleaner, and audit-ready.