PromptPay

Thailand’s national real-time payment system. Government-backed, like Venmo/Zelle but with better penetration.

Key Statistics (2025)

Adoption: 81M users (out of 72M population – includes business accounts)

Transaction fees: 0.8-1.5% (vs 3%+ for credit cards, 2-2.5% for international payment gateways)

Volume: ฿47.42 trillion processed in 2023, growing 35% YoY

Market share: 67% of mobile banking transactions use PromptPay

Why It Matters for GolfOkay

Local preference: Thai customers expect PromptPay as payment option. Not offering it = friction.

Lower fees: Save ~1.5-2% per transaction vs credit cards. On ฿100K package = ฿1,500-2,000 saved.

Fast checkout: Scan QR code, pay from any Thai bank app. No card entry, no declined payments.

No chargebacks: Direct bank transfer (not credit), can’t be reversed. Lower fraud risk.

Instant settlement: Money arrives in business account within seconds, not 3-5 days like cards.

How It Works (Customer Flow)

Customer confirms booking: ฿100,000 package
Platform generates PromptPay QR code with amount + ref ID
Customer receives QR via LINE message
Customer opens their bank app (any Thai bank)
Scans QR code
Confirms payment with PIN/biometric
Payment completes in <10 seconds
Platform receives webhook notification
System releases e-voucher

No manual verification needed. Webhook confirms payment automatically.

Integration (Technical)

Payment gateway options:

2C2P (local Thai gateway, supports PromptPay)
Omise (popular for startups, good documentation)
Stripe (supports PromptPay via Thailand Local Payment Methods)

API flow:

POST /create-payment
{
  "amount": 100000,
  "currency": "THB",
  "payment_method": "promptpay",
  "metadata": {
    "booking_id": "12345"
  }
}

Response:
{
  "qr_code_url": "https://...",
  "payment_id": "pay_xxx",
  "expires_at": "2025-10-06T10:30:00Z"
}

Webhook on payment success:
{
  "event": "payment.succeeded",
  "payment_id": "pay_xxx",
  "amount": 100000,
  "metadata": { "booking_id": "12345" }
}

QR code expires: 10-15 minutes (configurable). After expiry, customer must request new code.

Fee Structure

PromptPay QR:

Consumer → Business: 0.8-1.5% (depends on gateway provider)
No fee to customer (bank absorbs cost)

Credit cards (comparison):

Thai cards: 2.5-3%
International cards: 3-3.5%
Amex: 3.5-4%

Cost savings example:

Package value: ฿100,000
PromptPay fee (1.2%): ฿1,200
Credit card fee (3%): ฿3,000
Savings: ฿1,800 per package

At 75 packages/month: ฿135,000/month savings (~$4,000)

Limitations

Thai-only: Only works with Thai bank accounts. International tourists need credit card option.

No installments: PromptPay is one-time payment. Can’t do “pay 50% now, 50% later.”

Bank app required: Customer must have Thai mobile banking set up (rare for short-term tourists).

GolfOkay Payment Strategy

Priority 1: PromptPay (for Thai customers, expats with Thai bank accounts)

60-70% of transactions expected to use PromptPay
Lowest fees, instant settlement
Primary method for domestic market

Priority 2: Credit cards (for international tourists)

25-35% of transactions
Higher fees but necessary for inbound golf tourists
Support Visa, Mastercard, Amex

Priority 3: Bank transfer (for corporate bookings)

Manual invoice + transfer for high-value group bookings
No payment gateway fees, but manual verification needed

Competitive Advantage

Competitors still using credit cards primarily:

Golfasian: Email invoices, bank transfer or card on arrival
Club Thailand Card: Manual card entry on website (no PromptPay)
Golfsavers: Credit card focused, PromptPay recently added

GolfOkay differentiation:

PromptPay QR in LINE bot (scan & pay in-app)
No need to leave messaging flow
Lower prices possible due to lower payment processing costs

Technical Requirements

Gateway integration: 2-3 weeks development

Webhook handling: Must process payment confirmations reliably (retry logic, idempotency)

QR code delivery: Via LINE message API (can embed QR image directly)

Expiry handling: Regenerate QR if customer takes too long (send new message)

GolfOkay Knowledge Vault

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