How to Set Up FonePay QR for Your Shop and Online Store in Nepal

If you run a shop in Nepal, you have probably noticed how many customers now reach for their phone instead of cash. A single FonePay QR sticker on your counter lets a customer pay from almost any bank app or wallet — eSewa, Khalti, or their mobile banking — by scanning one code. No POS machine, no card fees, and the money lands in your bank account. Here is exactly how to set it up for both your physical shop and your online store.

Why FonePay QR makes sense for a Nepali shop

FonePay is Nepal’s most widely used interoperable QR network. “Interoperable” is the important word: you display one QR, and a customer can pay from whichever app they already have. A customer with eSewa, another with Global IME mobile banking, and a third with Khalti all scan the same code. You do not need a separate QR for each wallet.

For a small retailer in Nepal, the benefits are practical:

• No hardware cost. A printed QR is free to display; you do not need a card swipe machine.
• Money to your bank, not a wallet. Payments settle into your linked bank account, usually the next working day (T+1).
• Instant confirmation. You get an SMS or app alert the moment a payment clears, so there is no “did it go through?” confusion at the counter.
• Customers already trust it. Scan-to-pay is now normal in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and increasingly in smaller towns.

Step 1: Decide between a personal and a merchant QR

This is the decision most shop owners get wrong, so settle it first.

Personal QR

Generated free from your own bank app or wallet in minutes. It is fine for a tea stall or a hobby seller. But personal accounts carry daily and monthly receiving limits, and using a personal QR for steady business income can flag your account. It is not a long-term setup for a real shop.

Merchant (business) QR

This is what an actual shop should use. A merchant QR is registered to your business, shows your shop name to the customer when they pay, supports higher transaction limits, and gives you a proper settlement report — which matters when you file VAT or reconcile daily sales. Apply through your bank or an authorized FonePay merchant partner.

Documents you will typically need: your PAN (or VAT registration if you cross the threshold), business/firm registration, a citizenship copy, and your business bank account details. Keep clear photos or scans ready before you start — it speeds up onboarding considerably.

Step 2: Get your in-store QR set up

1. Contact your bank’s merchant services (or a FonePay partner) and ask to register for a FonePay merchant QR. Most banks now offer this directly.
2. Submit your PAN, registration, and bank account details. The account you give here is where every payment will settle, so use your main business account.
3. Receive your static QR. You get a printable QR linked to your shop. Print it cleanly, laminate it, and place it where customers stand to pay — near the counter at eye level.
4. Do a test transaction. Pay yourself NPR 10 from your own phone. Confirm the money arrives and the alert reaches you. Never go live without this test.
5. Train whoever runs the counter. They must wait for the success screen and your confirmation SMS before handing over goods — not just trust the customer’s screenshot. Fake “payment done” screenshots are the most common scam, so this rule matters.

Step 3: Add FonePay payments to your online store

A printed QR works at the counter, but online you need a payment that completes inside the checkout. There are two common ways to do this.

Dynamic QR or hosted checkout

Instead of a fixed printed code, the system generates a QR (or a payment link) for the exact order amount. The customer scans, the amount is already filled in, and your order is automatically marked paid when the transaction clears. No manual checking, no typos in the amount.

Gateway integration

For a real online store you want the payment gateway built into checkout so eSewa, Khalti, FonePay, and bank transfers all appear as options and orders update automatically. Wiring this up yourself means API keys, callback URLs, and testing each method — doable, but slow.

This is where a platform helps. Saauzi, built for Nepali businesses, lets you connect digital payments like eSewa, Khalti, and FonePay to your online store and POS from one dashboard, so an online order and an in-store sale both reconcile in the same place — without you stitching together separate integrations.

Step 4: Reconcile, and stay ready for festival season

Getting paid is only half the job; matching payments to sales is the other half.

• Check settlement daily. FonePay payments usually settle T+1. Match your day’s QR total against your bank credit each morning so nothing slips.
• Keep records for PAN/VAT. Digital payments leave a clean trail. Export your merchant statement monthly — it makes tax filing far less painful than reconstructing cash sales.
• Prepare before Dashain and Tihar. Festival sales bring your busiest counter days of the year. Confirm your QR works, check that your receiving limits are high enough for peak volume, and print a backup QR in case the first sticker gets damaged or smudged.
• Pair QR with COD for delivery. Many Nepali customers still prefer cash on delivery. Offer prepaid QR payment as an option — prepaid orders cut down on failed deliveries and returns from your courier.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Trusting screenshots. Always confirm via your own alert, never the customer’s screen.
• Using a personal QR for a busy shop. You will hit limits and risk account issues; register as a merchant.
• Settling to the wrong account. Double-check the linked bank account during setup.
• Skipping the test transaction. Two minutes of testing prevents a day of lost sales.

Your takeaway

Start this week: apply for a merchant FonePay QR through your bank with your PAN and registration ready, run a NPR 10 test, and put the laminated QR on your counter. Then connect the same digital payments — eSewa, Khalti, FonePay — to your online store so every sale, online or in-store, settles to one account and reconciles in one place. Do that before Dashain, and you will be ready for your busiest season with payments that customers already trust.