Personal QR Code Ban: What You Need to Know. Recently, news swept across the internet that "personal payment QR codes will be banned for commercial use starting March 1, 2022" and that "personal static QR codes are prohibited for remote, non-face-to-face payments." This stems from new barcode payment regulations issued by China's central bank. On October 13, 2021, the People's Bank of China published its "Notice on Strengthening the Management of Payment Acceptance Terminals and Related Businesses," setting out a series of requirements for acquirers and clearing institutions. The notice makes clear that for individuals showing obvious signs of commercial activity, payment service providers may not offer business-related collection services through personal QR codes. In addition, personal static QR codes are, in principle, banned from remote, non-face-to-face payments; where genuinely necessary, a whitelist applies—a measure designed to prevent personal static codes from being sold, rented, or lent out to build online top-up channels for gambling. Does This Affect US Daigou Sellers? The notice took effect March 1, 2022. So will the small merchants and daigou sellers who rely on personal QR codes lose the ability to collect via WeChat Pay and Alipay? According to HantePay, which provides WeChat Pay and Alipay collection services for US businesses, the new rules will only make the cross-border payment market more standardized. Daigou sellers simply need to apply for a "business cross-border collection account" to keep accepting WeChat Pay and Alipay—and receive USD directly. Gift Card Bundle Deal to Lower Daigou Costs. Many daigou sellers use personal QR codes for two reasons: to avoid taxes, and to dodge the fees on business QR codes. HantePay has teamed up with PayGift to launch a B2B gift card promotion across 300 brands. US business accounts that purchase gift cards from Saks, Sephora, Bloomingdale's, and more earn an extra 1% cash back on top of standard personal-user rewards. About PayGift: search and download PayGift on the Apple App Store. It offers gift cards from 300 brands, with 7% cash back on Saks gift cards. Contact PayGift on WeChat: PayGift.