SGQR or PayNow — which one should loyalty run on?
Written by Peko Research Team.Last updated: 10/07/2026.
Updated October 2026 — SGQR is the unified label, PayNow is a rail inside it, so the real choice is which rail you steer guests to. PayNow to your corporate UEN gives the cleanest, cheapest recurring reference for recognising a returning guest, while wallets vary in what they expose.
- SGQR is a label standard; PayNow is a payment rail that appears on it.
- PayNow to your UEN is usually the cheapest rail and the most consistent reference to match on.
- Wallet rails differ in what reference they expose — test before you build reporting on one.
- Whatever the rail, you still need consent for recognising the guest under the PDPA.
- Cash-heavy venues need a second capture route: a QR on the receipt or table talker.
Published: 09/10/2026
Quick facts
- Answer
- They are not alternatives. SGQR is the label that presents your payment options; PayNow is one of the rails behind it. Loyalty runs on the transaction record either produces — and PayNow to your UEN gives the cleanest recurring reference to match a returning guest on.
- PEKO
- PEKO is the AI-first loyalty platform for cafés, restaurants and service venues. Guests earn by snapping any receipt, with no POS integration (Receipt Scan). The whole table joins from one QR (Group Check-In). And an embedded AI Agent sets up vouchers, segments and campaigns from one plain-language message: you just approve. Free up to 300 members, live in about 15 minutes.
- Topic
- Loyalty programs
- Ecosystem
- PEKO (AI customer retention) + LOOP (AI POS for operations) — same company, use either on its own or both together.
- Updated
- 10/07/2026
The question gets asked because both appear on the same sticker. SGQR is the unified labelling standard that consolidates the schemes you accept; PayNow is a specific transfer rail that runs to a proxy — for a business, your UEN. So SGQR is not competing with PayNow; it is displaying it.
For retention the decision that matters is which rail you nudge guests towards, because rails differ in two ways: what they cost you per transaction, and how consistently they expose a reference you can match a returning guest on.
PayNow to a corporate UEN generally wins on both counts. Transfers into a business account are typically free or near-free, and the payer reference is consistent enough that the same guest paying twice looks like the same guest. Card and wallet rails carry the usual merchant rate, and the reference they expose varies by provider — so test what actually lands in your settlement file before you build reporting on it.
None of this identifies anybody on its own. A hashed reference tells you that guest #4,182 came back; it does not tell you their name, and under the PDPA you need consent before you use their data for marketing. In practice that means one clear line at the point of capture and a real opt-out in every message you send.
Cash is the honest gap. A venue where a third of the bill is still cash cannot rely on the payment rail alone, and needs a second capture route — a QR on the receipt, or a table talker — so the guest record does not quietly become a record of only the guests who tap.
Worked example
How the rails compare for the loyalty job. Cost lines are the usual shape of Singapore acquirer pricing — get your own rate card in writing.
| Rail | Typical cost to you | Recurring guest reference | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayNow to UEN | Free or near-free | Consistent | Everyday repeat visits, the default rail to steer to |
| NETS | Merchant rate | Consistent | Guests who prefer bank cards over transfers |
| Major wallets | Merchant rate | Varies by provider | Convenience, younger guest base — verify the reference first |
| Credit card | Highest of the four | Consistent | Higher tickets and tourists |
| Cash | No fee, no data | None | Needs a receipt QR or table talker to capture the guest at all |
Steer to the cheapest rail with placement, not signage
Put the PayNow option first on the table talker rather than asking staff to explain it. Signage that requires a script does not survive a lunch rush.
Test the reference before you trust it
Pay yourself twice from two different wallets and check whether the two transactions look like one guest in your settlement file. That five-minute test prevents a quarter of bad reporting.
Log the consent, not just the reference
Keep the timestamp and wording the guest agreed to. It is what makes the programme defensible if anyone asks under the PDPA.
Cover cash with a second capture point
A receipt QR captures the cash-paying regular the payment rail never sees, which is often the oldest and most valuable segment in a kopitiam or hawker stall.
FAQ
Is PayNow part of SGQR?
Yes. SGQR is the unified label; PayNow is one of the schemes it presents, alongside NETS and the major wallets you have enabled.
Which is cheaper for a café?
PayNow to a corporate UEN is normally the cheapest rail, since transfers into a business account are typically free or near-free compared with card and wallet merchant rates.
Can I match a guest across both rails?
Yes, if the same guest consents once and you store a hashed reference per rail against the same record. It is worth testing with your own transactions before relying on it.
Do I need consent to recognise a repeat guest?
Under the PDPA you need consent to collect and use personal data for marketing. Recognising a hashed reference for your own service is narrower, but any outbound message needs a consented opt-in and a working opt-out.
What about cash customers?
The payment rail cannot see them. Add a receipt QR or table talker so cash regulars can opt in, otherwise your retention data over-represents card and wallet users.
What makes PEKO different from other loyalty software?
Three things. Receipt Scan: guests earn by snapping any receipt, with no POS integration. Group Check-In: the whole table joins from one QR, not only the payer. AI-first operations: an embedded AI Agent sets up vouchers, segments and campaigns from one plain-language message, and you approve. It is free up to 300 members and live in about 15 minutes.
How fast can I start, and what does it cost?
About 15 minutes, self-serve. Free up to 300 members, then $35/month, 0% commission, cancel anytime.
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
See also: Best restaurant loyalty software in Singapore (2026)
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Answer
How much does a loyalty program cost in Singapore?
Budget in three lines, not one: the software subscription, the per-message channel cost, and the reward you give away. For a single Singapore outlet the software line is the smallest of the three — the reward margin is what decides whether the programme pays back.
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
Does receipt-scan loyalty capture every sale?
Receipt Scan records every sale a guest chooses to claim, whatever the payment method, including cash and e-wallets that payment-linked loyalty misses. Guests are prompted on the receipt and at the table, and Group Check-In enrols everyone at the table, so the share of guests who become members is usually higher than with cashier sign-up.