Guide

How to collect PayNow payments for a group buy

In Singapore almost every group buy is paid by PayNow. It's instant and free — but when forty people each send a transfer, working out who has paid for what can take an evening. The fix is simple: every payment should arrive with the exact amount and a reference that identifies the order.

Why matching payments gets messy

Wrong amounts. Buyers work out their own total, round it, or pay for an order they later changed.
No reference. Most people leave the reference field blank, so all you see is a name.
Names that don't match. A spouse or parent pays, or the bank shows the payer's name partly masked.
Screenshots instead of transfers. A screenshot is a useful hint, but it can be cropped or edited. Your bank's transaction history is the record that counts.

Option 1: post your PayNow number in the chat

It costs nothing and everybody knows how to do it. But every buyer types the amount and the reference by hand, so you will spend time chasing mismatches. It works for a sale among ten friends; it gets painful past that.

Option 2: a PayNow QR per order, with amount and reference

A PayNow QR code can carry the amount and a reference as well as your number. When the buyer scans it in their banking app, both are filled in and they only have to confirm. The reference then shows up in your own transaction history, so each transfer tells you which order it belongs to. This is the approach that saves the most time.

Mobile number or UEN?

Collect to a PayNow-registered mobile number if you're organising personally. A society, club, association or small business can collect to its UEN instead, so the money lands in the organisation's own account and stays separate from your personal spending. Check your bank's daily PayNow limits before a big sale.

Good habits on the money side

Close the sale before you check payments, so totals stop moving.
Mark an order paid only when you see the transfer in your bank app, not just a screenshot.
If someone changes their order after paying, check the difference before you mark it paid.
Refund by PayNow to the same number that paid, and note it against the order.

How letsbuywith does it

letsbuywith gives every order its own PayNow QR with the exact amount and a unique reference code, pointing at your own PayNow mobile number or UEN. Buyers can upload a screenshot of their transfer, you tick the order paid once you see the money, and the buyer gets an email confirming it. Orders changed after payment are flagged. We never hold the money: it goes from your buyer straight to you, and the tool is free with no cut of your sales.