To let a cashier scan your GCash code, open the app, tap QR, tap Generate QR, choose Pay using QR Code and show the screen to the cashier. The shop's scanner reads your code, and both of you get a message confirming the payment.
This is the opposite direction from the usual scan. Instead of pointing your camera at a sticker, you display a code on your own phone and the store scans it. Some counters work this way because they use a handheld scanner or a register that reads codes from a screen. You may see it at larger stores, food chains and places with a point-of-sale system.
Step by step
Step one: open GCash and sign in.
Step two: tap QR.
Step three: tap Generate QR.
Step four: tap Pay using QR Code.
Step five: show the code to the cashier and hold the phone steady. Keep the screen facing the scanner, and avoid covering the code with your thumb.
Step six: wait for the confirmation message. GCash's help page says both you and the merchant will get an SMS to confirm your payment.
You do not need to type an amount in most cases, because the store's system tells the app what to charge. Check the total on the register or the receipt before you let the cashier scan.
This is different from your receiving code
People often mix up two screens. Receive Money via QR Code is the personal code you give to people who want to send you money. Pay using QR Code is the one you show a cashier so that you pay them. They look similar, but they do opposite jobs.
If you show the wrong one, the cashier's scanner may not accept it, or worse, you may confuse yourself about who is paying whom. When in doubt, read the heading on the screen before you hold it up. If you want to collect money, use the receiving option. If you want to spend money at a counter that scans your phone, use the pay option.
When to use this method
Use it when a store has a scanner at the register and does not display a standee for you to scan. Use it when the cashier asks you to show your code. Use it when the line is moving fast and you do not want to fumble with scanning a sticker at an awkward angle.
If a store prefers to show its own code, scan that one instead. Both methods end with the same result, but you should follow whatever the staff is set up to handle.
Preparing before you reach the counter
Open the code screen while you are still in the line, so you are not rushing at the till. Turn up your brightness. A very dim screen can be hard for a scanner to read, and a cracked screen protector can add glare. Wipe the screen if it is smudged.
Keep your phone close to the scanner but not touching it. Hold it level and still for a second or two. Many scanners need to focus, and moving the phone away too fast causes a miss.
What to check before the cashier scans
Confirm the amount. Ask the cashier to say the total out loud and check the screen on the register. Once the scan goes through, the payment is made.
Confirm the store. If you are in an unfamiliar place, such as a pop-up stall, check that the person scanning you is actually part of the shop. A stranger who walks up with a handheld device and offers to scan you is not a cashier.
Confirm the screen. Make sure you are on the pay option and not on a page asking for any login. Your MPIN is for entering the app, not for showing a code.
If the scan does not work
First, clean your screen and raise the brightness. Then hold the phone steadier and closer. If it still fails, close the code screen and generate it again, so the cashier tries a fresh screen. If the shop's scanner has trouble with phones in general, ask whether they have a standee you can scan instead.
Do not allow the cashier to take your phone and tap around. Keep control of the device. If staff ask you to approve a payment, read the prompt on your screen, not what they say it is.
If the scanner reads the code but you do not get a confirmation message, check your transaction history before you pay again. The next articles in this guide explain how to handle a payment that seems stuck or was charged more than once.
Funding source and spending
Depending on what the store supports and what your account offers, you may have a choice of funding source on the payment screen. Make sure you know which one is selected before the cashier scans. If you only want to use your wallet balance, check that nothing else is selected.
It is also a good idea to keep enough balance in your wallet for the purchase. A failed payment because of low balance is awkward at the counter, and a quick cash-in before you reach the register avoids it.
A short example
At a fast food counter, the cashier says, "GCash po? Pakitap na lang." You open QR, tap Generate QR, tap Pay using QR Code and hold the phone above the scanner. The total matches the receipt. The scanner beeps, your phone shows confirmation, and the cashier prints your order slip. You keep the confirmation until your food arrives.
Privacy and safety
A code you show to a cashier is meant for one purchase. Do not post a screenshot of it online, and do not send it to anyone in chat. If you want to receive money, use your receiving code instead. Keep your MPIN and one-time codes to yourself.
This guide is independent and not affiliated with GCash. We last checked these steps against GCash's official help pages in November 2026. If a label differs on your phone, follow the label in your own app.
Keep reading
- How to Send Money With a GCash QR Code
- QR Ph and GCash QR Code: What the National Standard Means
- Does a GCash QR Code Expire? What to Expect
More guides in this section: GCash QR Code How-To: Generate, Scan and Pay Guides.
Back to the main guide: GCash QR Code: How to Generate, Scan & Pay with QR Ph.