QR Ph Limit and Fees (2026): Maximum Amount, Wallet Caps and Who Pays
Paying a shop's QR Ph code is generally free for you, because the merchant carries the fee. Limits come in layers: the ₱50,000 InstaPay cap per transaction, then your wallet's own caps. Checked on 3 November 2026.
Quick answer: Paying a shop's QR Ph code is generally free for you: since a 2024 rule restated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on 29 July 2026, QR Ph is the person-to-merchant code and the merchant bears the fee, while a person-to-person InstaPay QR transfer to another app costs ₱10 at GCash and Maya. There is no single QR Ph maximum: payments between different apps ride InstaPay, capped at ₱50,000 per transaction, and your wallet adds its own caps, such as ₱500,000 a day for a Fully Verified GCash account (as of 3 November 2026).
Key takeaways
- Shop payments: no fee for you. The BSP and Philippine Payments Management, Inc. (PPMI) designate QR Ph for merchant payments, with fees borne by the merchant.
- Person-to-person QR: ₱10 at GCash and Maya. Both cut their InstaPay fee from ₱15 in July 2026; BDO, BPI, Metrobank and LandBank made transfers free.
- ₱50,000 per transaction is the standard InstaPay cap; registered businesses got ₱500,000 under InstaPay for Business on 29 July 2026.
- Your wallet tier decides the rest. A Basic GCash account can spend only ₱5,000 a month; an upgraded Maya account ₱100,000 a day in purchases.
- Visitors on Fizen QR Pay: US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week, with any fee shown before you confirm.
The bill at a Cebu dive shop comes to ₱38,000 for a three-day package, and the owner points at a laminated QR Ph card. Will the app take that much in one go, and is someone going to skim a fee off the top? Both answers depend on which kind of QR you are scanning and which app you scan it with. Here is how the caps and fees stack up, from the BSP rules down to your own wallet.
What is the maximum amount for a QR Ph payment?
QR Ph itself sets no peso ceiling. The limit comes from two layers: the rail underneath and the app you pay from. When your app and the shop's app are different, the payment travels over InstaPay, the BSP's real-time rail, and the standard cap is ₱50,000 per transaction (HitPay, updated October 2026). Then your wallet's own tier applies.
| Layer | Limit | Source, as of 3 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| InstaPay, standard transfer | ₱50,000 per transaction | HitPay guide |
| InstaPay for Business | ₱500,000 per transaction, registered businesses only | BitPinas, 29 July 2026 |
| GCash Basic (not verified) | Wallet ₱10,000; spend and receive ₱5,000 a month | GCash Help Center |
| GCash Fully Verified (incl. GTourist) | Wallet ₱1,000,000; spend ₱500,000 a day, ₱1,000,000 a month | GCash Help Center |
| Maya Basic | Wallet ₱50,000 a month; purchases ₱50,000 a day | Maya account limits |
| Maya Upgraded | Wallet ₱100,000 a month; purchases ₱100,000 a day | Maya account limits |
GCash updated its limits on 1 October 2026, and its monthly limits reset on the 1st of the following month.
Does QR Ph have a fee?
Not for the shopper paying a merchant. At the 29 July 2026 launch of InstaPay for Business, the BSP and PPMI restated a 2024 split: QR Ph is for person-to-merchant payments, "where transaction fees are covered by merchants" (BitPinas). PayMongo's June 2026 explainer says the same from the shop's side: QR Ph payments are generally free for customers, while merchants may pay their provider.
What the merchant pays is not capped by law. PayMongo notes there is "no numeric cap on merchant discount rates" under BSP Circular 1238, only a duty to keep them reasonable and cost-based; PayMongo's own rate is 1.34% before VAT. The same circular says small merchants should not be charged for receiving digital payments (GMA News, 18 June 2026). If a cashier asks you to cover a QR fee, that is the shop's pricing, not part of how QR Ph is designed.
How much is a person-to-person QR transfer?
A personal code, now called InstaPay QR, is a transfer, and the sending app may charge. Inside one wallet it is usually free: GCash to GCash by QR costs nothing, and InstaPay fees apply when you send to a bank or another e-wallet (GCash Help Center). After the BSP asked providers to justify their fees in July 2026, the numbers fell:
- GCash: ₱15 down to ₱10 per transfer from 4 July.
- Maya: ₱15 down to ₱10 to other banks from 6 July.
- Free or waived: BDO, BPI, Metrobank, LandBank, Security Bank, ChinaBank, PSBank, EastWest.
- Free quotas: GoTyme 20 a month, MariBank 50 a month, CIMB two a day.
Figures from Philstar Life's list of 10 July 2026. The receiver gets the full amount; Circular 1238 bars deductions on the receiving side (PayMongo).
What if my payment is over the limit?
- Check which cap you hit. A ₱60,000 bill fails on InstaPay's ₱50,000 cap even if your wallet allows more.
- Ask the shop to split the bill into two codes, or pay the balance by card or cash.
- Check your tier. Basic GCash and Maya accounts run out fast; verification lifts the caps.
- Do not pay twice if a payment shows as pending. Our guide to why a QR Ph payment fails covers the error messages.
What are the limits on Fizen QR Pay for visitors?
For travellers and foreigners, Fizen QR Pay scans the same QR Ph codes; the merchant receives pesos as usual. Its limits are simple: US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week per user. There is no fixed fee to quote; any fee shows in the app before you confirm, next to the peso amount.
The order: create or import your Fizen wallet, get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it, deposit from the wallet into QR Pay and pass KYC (per wallet and per device), then scan and confirm. BNB Chain deposits need no gas; on Solana you need a little SOL. USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited, and there is no bank or card top-up. Steps: QR Pay getting started. Not for residents of the Philippines.
Your money. Your freedom. No borders. The Fizen wallet is self-custody. QR Pay works differently: USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend. New app users also get a US$10 travel eSIM gift.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee when I pay a store with QR Ph?
Generally no. Under the BSP and PPMI rule restated on 29 July 2026, QR Ph merchant payments carry fees borne by the merchant, not the customer.
What is the QR Ph maximum amount?
QR Ph has no own cap. Payments between different apps ride InstaPay, capped at ₱50,000 per transaction, and your wallet's tier limits apply on top.
How much is the GCash QR transfer fee?
GCash to GCash by QR is free. Sending to a bank or another wallet costs ₱10 via InstaPay since 4 July 2026, down from ₱15.
Does a GTourist account have lower limits?
No. GCash's limits page groups GTourist with Fully Verified accounts: a ₱1,000,000 wallet and ₱500,000 of spending a day, as of 3 November 2026.
What are the Fizen QR Pay limits for visitors?
US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week per user, with no separate cap per day. Any fee shows in the app before you confirm.
Pay QR Ph without a local wallet
Your money. Your freedom. No borders. Fizen, the stablecoin neobank for travelers, digital nomads and online workers. Fizen QR Pay is for travellers and foreigners in the Philippines and Vietnam: deposit USDT on Solana or BNB Chain from your Fizen wallet, scan the shop's QR Ph code and confirm the amount in pesos, up to US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week.
Terms and conditions
- Information only. This article is information only, not an offer or sale, and not financial, legal, tax or investment advice. Fees, limits and app rules change; check the provider before you rely on anything here.
- For readers in the United States. This is information only, not an offer or sale, and not advice. Fizen products and services are not offered to US Persons.
- QR Pay availability. QR Pay is for cross-border use by travellers and foreigners in Vietnam and the Philippines only, and is not available to residents of those countries in their own country. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. KYC (per wallet and per device), KYT, AML and sanctions checks apply. The Fizen wallet is self-custody; USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend.
- Independent. Fizen is not affiliated with GCash, Maya, the BSP, PPMI or any bank named here. Limits and fees are quoted from public pages as of 3 November 2026.
Sources
- GCash Help Center, What are my GCash wallet and transaction limits? (limits effective 1 October 2026, read 3 November 2026)
- GCash Help Center, How to send money via QR Code (read 3 November 2026)
- Maya, Account limits (read 3 November 2026)
- BitPinas, BSP and PPMI roll out 3 new payment rails, 29 July 2026
- PayMongo, BSP payment updates 2026, 5 August 2026
- PayMongo, What is QRPH?, 11 June 2026
- Philstar Life, Banks and e-wallets with free or lower digital transfer rates, updated 10 July 2026
- GMA News, BSP rolls out rules for lower digital transfer fees, free payments for small merchants, 18 June 2026
- HitPay, PESONet vs InstaPay (updated October 2026)
- Fizen Help Center, QR Pay limits and fees
Limits and fees read on 3 November 2026 from GCash and Maya help pages, PayMongo, BitPinas, Philstar Life, GMA News and HitPay. The ₱50,000 standard InstaPay cap is cited via HitPay; the BSP's own page could not be opened.
