New service will allow eligible international visitors to use GCash QR payments without opening a local e-wallet or exchanging cash.
Foreign tourists visiting the Philippines will soon have another way to pay at local shops, restaurants, and other establishments, as GCash and Mastercard prepare to roll out a service that lets travelers use their existing Mastercard credit and debit cards through the GCash app.
Called Mastercard Pay Local, the feature is expected to launch in the third quarter of 2026. It will allow eligible international visitors to link their Mastercard cards to GCash and pay merchants that accept GCash QR codes directly from their mobile phones, without cashing in or maintaining a local e-wallet balance.
The initiative is aimed at making everyday purchases simpler for travelers while giving Filipino businesses easier access to spending from overseas visitors.
Using GCash without opening a local wallet
IMAGE CREDIT: Visa
The Philippines has one of Southeast Asia’s largest QR payment networks, but many international visitors still rely on cash or foreign-issued payment cards that are not always accepted by smaller merchants.
Under the new service, visitors can continue using the Mastercard cards they already carry while paying through the same QR system used by millions of GCash users across the country.
Because payments will run through merchants’ existing QR acceptance infrastructure, businesses will not need to install new terminals or make changes to their current payment setup.
Jason Crasto, Mastercard’s Country Manager for the Philippines, said travelers increasingly expect payment experiences abroad to be as seamless as they are at home.
“Travelers increasingly expect the convenience and confidence of their everyday payment experiences to travel with them,” Crasto said.
He added that combining Mastercard’s global network with GCash’s widespread merchant acceptance allows visitors to spend less time worrying about payments while giving local businesses greater access to tourism spending.
GCash President and CEO Ren-ren Reyes said the partnership is designed to remove one of the common pain points for overseas visitors.
“Trips should be about experiencing a destination, not worrying about how to pay for essentials and experiences,” Reyes said.
Tourism spending goes increasingly digital
The announcement comes as the Philippines continues to see steady growth in international arrivals.
Government data showed the country welcomed 2.96 million foreign visitors between January and mid-June 2026, up 6.16% from a year earlier. Tourism contributed ₱2.27 trillion to the economy in 2025 and supported 7.7 million jobs, underscoring the sector’s importance to businesses nationwide.
For merchants, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises that already accept GCash QR payments, the new capability could expand their customer base without requiring additional investment in payment infrastructure.
Why it matters
The Philippines has made significant progress in expanding QR payments through initiatives such as QR Ph, making cashless transactions commonplace among local consumers. Foreign visitors, however, have often found themselves outside that ecosystem.
Mastercard Pay Local helps close that gap by allowing eligible travelers to tap into the country’s QR payment network using payment cards they already own.
The launch also signals the next phase of digital payments in the Philippines.
Rather than simply encouraging more Filipinos to go cashless, payment providers are now focusing on making local payment networks accessible to international visitors — a move that could benefit both tourists looking for greater convenience and merchants seeking to capture more tourism spending.
