Receive Consumption Coupons as 'Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates'... Number of Affiliated Merchants Doubled

Doubling the Number of Affiliated Merchants to 480,000
Zero Merchant Fees, Bringing Benefits to Small Business Owners

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will double the number of affiliated merchants to maximize the policy effect when citizens receive the Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupon in the form of Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates, the city’s local currency.

On July 14, the city announced that it will collaborate with credit card companies to register an additional 240,000 small business credit card merchants with annual sales of 3 billion KRW or less, expanding the total number of locations where Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates can be used to 480,000.

In addition to affiliated merchants, Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates can also be used as a payment method on the city's public delivery app, Seoul Delivery+ Ttaenggyeoyo. When combined with the public delivery app activation consumption coupon, the discount benefits become even greater. The delivery app consumption coupon provides a 10,000 KRW refund when a user places three orders of 20,000 KRW or more.

Furthermore, when citizens receive the Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupon through Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates, unlike with cards, there is no merchant fee, so small business owners also benefit. If citizens apply for the consumption coupon through a credit card company, merchants are charged a fee of up to 1.15% for check cards and up to 1.45% for credit cards, depending on their annual sales.

The city will also strengthen guidance and promotion for Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate merchants. Special stickers will be distributed to merchants where the consumption coupon can be used, and the merchant search function will be expanded. The Seoul Metropolitan Government website will also offer a ‘Find Merchant’ feature.

To receive the Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupon as Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates, citizens can apply through the Seoul Pay Plus app starting July 21. During the first week of weekday applications, a five-day rotation system based on the last digit of the applicant’s birth year will be implemented to prevent congestion and system overload. From July 26, anyone can apply regardless of birth year.

Unlike existing Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates, the ‘gift’ function is restricted for Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupons received through Seoul Pay Plus.

Lee Haeseon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Bureau of Livelihood and Labor, stated, "Using the consumption coupon through Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates will reduce the fee burden for small business owners and provide tangible consumption benefits for citizens. We hope that many citizens will apply through the Seoul Pay Plus app and participate in a virtuous cycle that leads to local consumption."