Hong Kong permanent residents and non-permanent residents who recently registered for the 2023 Consumption Voucher Scheme will receive their first payments of HK$3,000 and HK$1,500, respectively, on July 16.
In addition, Hongkongers who already signed up for the scheme in 2022 will get the second instalments of their e-vouchers — HK$2,000 for permanent residents and HK$1,000 for non-permanent residents — on July 16.
How are the consumption vouchers distributed?
There are two ways that approved registrants will receive their vouchers. The first is via a direct payment into one of the five e-wallets that recipients opted for during Phase 2 of the 2022 round of the consumption voucher scheme: AlipayHK, BoC Pay, PayMe from HSBC, Tap & Go, or WeChat Pay HK.
Eligible recipients can also get their vouchers on Octopus cards by tapping their cards at designated collection points, supermarkets, or convenience stores.
However, existing Octopus recipients can only claim their second payments on July 16 if they finished spending their first instalments by June 30. They will get the remaining amount on the 16th of every month by tapping their cards, until November 16, 2023.
When do my consumption vouchers expire?
The vouchers paid into e-wallets on July 16 will be valid until February 29, 2024 for both existing and new registrants.
There is no expiry date for the payments made to Octopus cards, but the last date that existing registrants can collect their first-instalment vouchers is November 16, 2023, and June 30, 2024 for their second instalments.
What is the consumption voucher scheme?
As part of the 2023-2024 budget, Finance Secretary Paul Chan announced that eligible Hong Kong permanent residents over 18 years old will receive consumption vouchers worth HK$5,000 to spend at retail and F&B outlets and on public transportation in the SAR. In addition, non-permanent residents will get HK$2,500 worth of digital vouchers.
On April 16 this year, permanent residents approved for the 2022 Consumption Voucher Scheme received their first payment of HK$3,000, while non-permanent residents got HK$1,500.
In May, Chan also announced that newly eligible permanent residents and residents will also be able to claim their 2023 vouchers, starting July 16. They will get the same amount as those already registered for the scheme.
These new registrants will receive their remaining consumption voucher payments of HK$2,000 and HK$1,000, depending on their resident status, on October 16, 2023.
Header image credits: Rido via Canva
