Advertisement
Consumers
LifestyleEntertainment

How to spend Hong Kong’s HK$5,000 coronavirus voucher and where you’ll find special offers

  • Use it or lose it – the HK$5,000 consumption voucher scheme kicks off on July 4, but this free money can’t be saved
  • Some restaurants and shops will have special offers depending on the payment method you chose

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
3
Want a purple iPhone 12? That HK$5,000 could pay for most of it. Photo: Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Regina Chen

After months of turmoil and disruption, Hong Kong businesses need a boost. Luckily for the city’s permanent residents, that’s resulted in a government-run HK$5,000 voucher scheme to spend on anything from sneakers and smartphones to bus fares, coffee and cosmetics.

Advertisement

This free money, which will come in instalments, can only be spent, not saved, and you cannot collect it all in one go. You can, though, save up the whole HK$5,000 and spend it at all once – depending on how you choose to receive the vouchers – so if you’re eyeing that purple Apple iPhone 12 or Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 5G, the HK$5,000 will cover a decent chunk.

How do I get my HK$5,000 consumption voucher?

You need to be either a Hong Kong permanent resident or recent migrant from mainland China. Dependents sponsored by a permanent resident of Hong Kong will also benefit. There are some exemptions: see here for more details.
Yes Star Ferry lovers, you could spend your HK$5,000 on 1,851 trips between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central/Wan Chai – on weekdays. You’ll get a mere 1,351 trips on weekends and public holidays. Photo: May Tse
Yes Star Ferry lovers, you could spend your HK$5,000 on 1,851 trips between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central/Wan Chai – on weekdays. You’ll get a mere 1,351 trips on weekends and public holidays. Photo: May Tse

There are four ways permanent residents can choose to receive the vouchers: AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK, Tap & Go, and Octopus (including both physical Octopus cards and the mobile app). (AlipayHK is owned by Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post).

Advertisement

All payment providers have offered rewards to encourage registration with their own particular voucher system. For example, the first 2 million people who redeem their consumption vouchers via the Octopus mobile app can earn an additional HK$18. Early-bird rewards are also offered for registrations with AlipayHK and WeChat Pay HK.

Advertisement