PayPay Launches Service for Cashless Offerings at Shrine, Temple; Services Aims to Simplify, Speed up Donating

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:21 JST, December 30, 2024

PayPay Corp. has launched a service that allows users to make cashless offerings through its app at shrines and temples. The service is expected to make it easier and quicker for visitors to make offerings and for shrines and temples to collect them. There are also hopes that the service will reduce crowding during peak periods for visiting shrines and temples such as the New Year Day.

Visitors can use their smartphones to scan QR codes placed at temples and shrines and enter the amount of money they would like to offer. Users are required to verify their identity through the app in advance. Only cash balances are accepted; points cannot be used.

In summer, PayPay launched a service that allows users to make donations to organizations. Offerings are regarded as donations.

Zojoji temple in Minato Ward, Tokyo, introduced the cashless offering service on Dec. 23. and six more temples and shrines in cities such as Nagoya and Kyoto will launch the service by the end of the year.

“The act of offering money is a form of training, aimed at letting go of greed,” a representative of Zojoji temple said. “I think that sense will remain unchanged even with the use of PayPay.”