The Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina (BCRA) authorized QR payments for public transportation as a new payment option alongside cards and mobile phones. Through communication A 8206 published by the BCRA, a new standard was established that transportation companies must adopt to implement this payment method.
"Any public transportation system that wants to enable payment through QR code will have to comply with the standard regulated by the BCRA," explained sources from the agency. The system will allow the use of QR codes to pay for public transportation starting May 12, provided that registered digital wallets with the BCRA that offer this service and payment platforms accept it.
The procedure involves the user generating a QR code from their digital wallet, which will be scanned by a validator installed in the public transportation. According to the details in the regulation, in the first phase, the QR code system will only accept debit payments from bank accounts (CBU) and payment accounts (CVU).
In the City of Buenos Aires, more than 2 million contactless card payments have been registered in the first month of implementation, with discounts and refunds of up to 100%.
