ABA PayWay vs KHQR — what's the difference when you pay?
· 4 min read
Pay for a booking online in Cambodia and two names come up: ABA PayWay and KHQR. They sound like competing options, but they are two parts of the same checkout. Here is what each one actually does, which one you will see when you pay, and why it makes no difference to the amount. The short version: PayWay runs the checkout, KHQR is the code you scan, and both lead to the same confirmed booking.
What ABA PayWay is
ABA PayWay is the payment gateway KOKSIN is integrated with. A gateway is the service that sits between a booking and your bank: when a partner asks for a deposit or a payment, PayWay handles the whole payment page — it generates the request with the amount already set, watches for the transfer, and tells us the moment your bank reports that the money has moved.
You do not need to bank with ABA to pay through it. PayWay is the plumbing behind the page, not the account the money comes from. Whichever bank you use, the checkout in front of you is the same one.
What KHQR is
KHQR is Cambodia's national QR standard, run through Bakong, the National Bank of Cambodia's payment system. Every participating bank reads the same code, so the shop never needs to know which bank you use — the code carries everything, including the exact amount. It is the same standard you already use at markets, cafés, and petrol stations — paying for a booking online simply reuses it.
That is why one code on a checkout page works from ACLEDA, Wing, Chip Mong, Sathapana, Prince, and the rest. There is no card number and nothing to type. You scan, check the amount on your own screen, and approve inside your own bank app.
Which one you'll see when you pay
If you use ABA Mobile, you can pay directly in the app — the checkout hands you over to ABA Mobile and brings you back once you approve. If you bank anywhere else, the same checkout shows a KHQR code instead, and you scan it from your own bank app. You do not really choose between them — you just fall into the right one for the app already in your pocket.
That is the whole difference. Same checkout, same amount, same protection — the only thing that changes is whether you approve inside ABA Mobile or scan a code first.
Why it changes nothing about the amount or your protection
Whichever path you take, the amount is fixed before you ever see a code. The exact figure is shown before you confirm the booking, the slot is held for you while you pay, and confirmation is instant once your bank reports the transfer. And if the partner takes cash on arrival instead, you will simply see no payment step at all.
You also approve every payment on your own screen, in your own bank app. Neither the partner nor KOKSIN ever sees a card number or a PIN — there is not one to see. So there is no better or worse option to pick. Use the app you already have, and the rest works out the same.
See the amount before you commit
Every partner on KOKSIN shows the price and any deposit before you confirm a booking.
