A government spokesman said that today (August 7) the Government has disbursed via the six stored value facility (SVF) operators the first voucher under 2022 (Phase II) Consumption Voucher Scheme to about 6.36 million eligible persons. Depending on the categories of the eligible persons and whether they have received voucher under Phase I, the voucher value will be either $2,000 or $3,000. These people will successively receive the relevant SMS notifications or mobile app push notifications today.

     For people who have chosen to collect the voucher via AlipayHK, BoC Pay, PayMe from HSBC, Tap & Go or WeChat Pay HK, the voucher has been directly injected into their specified SVF account, which will be separated from the existing e-wallet in the account. When making payment, people only need to open the app and choose to use the voucher and then can pay with the voucher directly.

     For people who have chosen to collect the voucher via Octopus, they may collect the voucher by tapping the card through Octopus app or at the Subsidy Collection Points of the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme at MTR stations, Light Rail Customer Service Centres, designated piers and public transport interchanges; designated convenience stores and supermarkets or Octopus Service Points. The voucher will be combined with the existing value stored in the Octopus card. People can make payment using the Octopus card as usual. The consumption falling within the usage scope of the consumption vouchers will automatically be counted towards the total "eligible spending". The spokesman reminded that when the total "eligible spending" has reached the target within the specified period, the last $1,000 voucher will be disbursed on the 16th of the following month after the target has been achieved. People may browse the website of the Scheme at www.consumptionvoucher.gov.hk or call the hotline 18 5000 to obtain detailed information.

     The spokesman reminded people who collect the voucher via Octopus card at supermarkets or convenience stores that there is no need for them to make purchase. They just need to inform the shop assistant that they want to collect the voucher before tapping the card to collect it.

     The consumption vouchers have a wide coverage. In general, the vouchers can be used at local retail, catering and service outlets or their online platforms which accept payments by the six designated SVFs. However, the vouchers cannot be used for the following transaction items:
 

• payments to the Government (e.g. tax, fines, licence fees, tunnel fees, parking meters)
• payments to public utilities (i.e. water, electricity and gas)
• payments to public organisations (e.g. Hospital Authority, Hong Kong Housing Authority, Hong Kong Housing Society)
• education expenses (i.e. payments to primary and secondary schools providing local and non-local curriculum, and University Grants Committee-funded universities)
• purchase of financial products or services (e.g. insurance)
• donation (including charitable, religious and political organisations)
• direct purchases from merchants located outside Hong Kong (including online purchases through non-local online platforms made locally)
• person to person payments
• encashment

     The spokesman reminded the public and merchants that consumption vouchers cannot be used for purposes other than local consumption or encashment. The Government and SVF operators will closely monitor the usage of the vouchers. If any intended malpractices are identified, the Government will take appropriate action, including referring the cases to law enforcement agencies for follow-up.
 
     The public may browse the apps and websites or call the following hotlines of the relevant SVF operators to enquire about how to use the vouchers, the value of the vouchers disbursed, unspent/available balance and expiry dates, etc.

     AlipayHK： 2245 3201
     BoC Pay： 3988 1822
     Octopus： 2969 5588
     Payme from HSBC： 2996 7288
     Tap & Go： 2888 0000
     WeChat Pay HK： 3929 1666

　The public may visit the Scheme website (www.consumptionvoucher.gov.hk) or call the hotline 18 5000 for enquiries if they have any questions about the Scheme.

Ends/Sunday, August 7, 2022
Issued at HKT 10:51

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