Answers / Loyalty programs
Can DuitNow QR be used to identify returning guests?
Written by Peko Research Team.Last updated: 09/10/2026.
Updated September 2026 — DuitNow QR is Malaysia's national interoperable QR run by PayNet, and its payer reference is enough to recognise a returning guest without an app or card. That turns the payment you already take into the identification step. PEKO reads that reference alongside your existing POS; the honest limits are that cash-paying regulars need a receipt QR to be captured at all, and that consent under Malaysia's PDPA 2010 is required.
- DuitNow QR is the national interoperable QR standard operated by PayNet.
- The payer reference per transaction is enough to count visits per guest.
- No app download and no counter question — the payment is the capture.
- Consent under PDPA 2010 is still required before any outbound message.
- Cash guests are invisible to the rail; add a receipt QR to capture them.
Published: 09/10/2026
Quick facts
- Answer
- Yes. DuitNow QR is Malaysia's national interoperable QR standard, and the payer reference on each transaction is enough for a retention layer to recognise a returning guest — no app download, no membership card, nothing asked at the counter.
- Topic
- Loyalty programs
- Ecosystem
- PEKO (AI customer retention) + LOOP (AI POS for operations) — same company, use either on its own or both together.
- Updated
- 09/10/2026
Malaysia solved the fragmentation problem the way Singapore did: one interoperable QR, DuitNow QR, operated by PayNet, accepted across participating banks and wallets including Touch 'n Go eWallet. One QR at the counter covers most of the ways your guests want to pay.
For retention the important consequence is structural. Every DuitNow-routed transaction carries a payer reference. Hashed and matched against your own record, that reference makes visit counting automatic — the guest pays as they intended, and the visit history assembles itself without a stamp, a card, or a cashier asking a question during a lunch rush.
This is the step where most Malaysian loyalty programmes fail, not the rewards. Counter-bound enrolment collapses under peak-hour pressure: staff stop asking, the data goes patchy, and the reports become unusable precisely for the venues busy enough to need them.
The compliance line is short but real. Recognising a hashed reference to serve the guest is narrower than marketing to them. Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010 requires notice and consent for collecting and using personal data, so keep a timestamped opt-in and a working opt-out in every WhatsApp send.
And the honest gap: cash. A venue where a meaningful share of bills is cash will build a guest record skewed towards wallet users. The fix is a second capture point — a QR on the receipt or table talker — so the cash regular can opt in without changing how they pay.
Worked example
What each Malaysian capture route gives you. The comparison is about data quality at peak hour, not about payment preference.
| Capture route | Extra time at counter | Guest record quality | Where it fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| DuitNow QR reference | None | Consistent per guest | Cash-paying guests are missing |
| Touch 'n Go eWallet | None | Consistent per guest | Only covers TNG users |
| Phone number at counter | 15–30s | Good when asked, patchy in practice | Staff stop asking during peaks |
| Paper stamp card | 10–20s | Poor — no queryable history | Cards get lost; redemption is invisible |
| Receipt QR opt-in | None at counter | Good for those who scan | Needs a reason to scan — pair it with a reward |
Test the reference with your own two payments
Pay yourself from two different wallets and check whether the settlement file makes them look like one guest. Do this before building any reporting.
One QR, every outlet, same record
Different QRs per counter split the same guest into several records, which is the most common reason Malaysian retention numbers look random.
Put the consent line on the thing they already scan
The table talker has their attention for the length of the payment. A poster elsewhere does not.
Add a receipt QR for cash
It is the cheapest way to stop your data over-representing the cashless half of the venue.
FAQ
Who runs DuitNow QR?
Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) operates DuitNow QR as the national interoperable QR standard for participating banks and wallets.
Does Touch 'n Go work with DuitNow QR?
Touch 'n Go eWallet is among the participating wallets in the DuitNow QR ecosystem, so one accepted QR covers a large share of Malaysian wallet users.
Do I need consent to message a guest I recognised?
Yes. Under PDPA 2010 you need notice and consent for collecting and using personal data, so log the opt-in and keep an opt-out in every message.
What about my cash customers?
They do not appear in the payment rail. Give them a receipt or table-talker QR so they can opt in, or your retention data will describe only wallet users.
Do I need to change POS for this?
No. The loyalty layer reads the transaction record your existing POS and acquirer already produce.
Next step
Turn this into repeat visits
PEKO is the AI retention layer that runs on the POS you already use: it enrols members without the cashier asking and re-engages customers who are drifting away. Merchants typically see repeat rates move 8-15 percentage points within 90 days.
Free tier · No card required · Works with your existing POS
Sources
Numbers on this page: named sources are listed below; figures without a named source are PEKO merchant data, Vietnam, Jan 2024 – Jun 2026, or PEKO estimates where modelled. See the datasets behind these numbers.
The PEKO ecosystem
PEKO and LOOP are two products from the same company. PEKO is the AI retention layer and runs alongside the POS you already use. LOOP is the AI-native POS that covers operations: recipe-level inventory, staff shifts, table plans and the kitchen display. Each works on its own, and run together they share one dataset, so nothing has to be entered twice. See PEKO + LOOP in one ecosystem
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Answer
Can a hawker stall run loyalty through SGQR?
Yes, and it is the only loyalty format that survives a hawker queue: the guest scans to pay as usual, the payer reference counts the visit, and nobody at the stall has to ask for a phone number or stamp anything.
Answer
Are paper stamp cards still worth using in 2026?
Only for pure walk-in venues with no repeat business to defend. Paper redemption runs under 15% versus 35–55% for digital, and paper leaves you with no way to contact a customer who stops coming.
Answer
Does a loyalty program work for a single-location cafe?
Yes — and the economics are better than for chains, because a single venue has a shorter feedback loop. The failure mode is over-design: five tiers and four mechanics instead of one clear promise.