EasyTicket Zero Pay Mobile Gift Certificates let you preload Local Love Gift Certificates at a 5~10% discount and pay by QR code at neighborhood merchants. You don’t even need to carry a card — your phone is enough — and you can also claim a 30% income tax deduction at year-end tax settlement, which is why it has remained a steady favorite among office workers for cutting everyday living costs. EasyTicket put together everything you need to know: which apps to buy from, discount rates, how to pay, and which merchants accept it.
🔍 Zero Pay Mobile Gift Certificates at a Glance
Zero Pay Mobile Gift Certificates work by letting you top up and spend mobile Local Love Gift Certificates — issued by each local government — on the Zero Pay payment network. Unlike paper certificates, the key is that you buy them for less than face value, then pay full face value at merchants in that area.
Quick Summary
- Buy a ₩100,000 face-value certificate for ₩90,000 (10% off)
- Spend it at full face value at Zero Pay merchants — neighborhood restaurants, hair salons, traditional markets, and more
- Get up to a 30% income tax deduction on what you spend
Which Apps Can You Buy It On?
The most widely used app is BIZPLAY. Some banks, such as NongHyup and Shinhan, also issue region-specific certificates through their own apps, and certain areas have their own dedicated apps — Busan’s Dongbaekjeon and Incheon’s Incheon e-eum, for example. If you’re not sure which app covers your area, installing BIZPLAY first will show you almost everything available.
Where Can You Use It?
You can only use it at Zero Pay merchants within the local government area where you bought the certificate. So if a resident of Gangdong-gu in Seoul buys a Gangdong-gu certificate, it only works at Zero Pay merchants inside Gangdong-gu — not next door in Songpa-gu. This is the part that trips up first-time users the most.
💰 Where to Buy and How Much Can You Save?
Local governments set the discount rate by ordinance under the Act on the Promotion of Use of Community-Based Gift Certificates (Source: Easy-to-Find Practical Legal Information). 5~10% is the most common range, and it runs higher in population-declining areas or during special holiday periods.
How to Buy Through BIZPLAY: 4 Steps
- Install the app + verify your identity: Download the BIZPLAY app and sign up with mobile phone verification.
- Register a bank account: Link the bank account the purchase amount will be drawn from. Credit card payment isn’t supported.
- Go to the gift certificate menu: On the ‘Buy Gift Certificate’ screen, select the certificate for the region you live in (or plan to use it in).
- Enter an amount and pay: You can buy in ₩5,000 increments, and only the discounted amount is withdrawn from your account.
Discount Rates and Purchase Limits by Region (as of 2026)
| Category | Standard Discount | Holidays / Special Periods | Monthly Purchase Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital area (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon) | 5~7% | Up to 10% | ₩700,000 (varies by app) |
| Metropolitan cities / provinces | 7~10% | Up to 13% | ₩300,000~700,000 |
| Population-declining areas | 10% | Up to 15% | ₩500,000 |
Limits and discount rates are set by individual local government ordinances, so they vary by city, county, or district even within the same metropolitan area. Be sure to check the ‘Gift Certificate Info’ screen in the relevant app before applying.
Why Should You Watch Out for Budget Exhaustion?
Each local government’s discount budget is fixed for the entire year. In popular areas, the moment top-ups open on the morning of the 1st of each month, the allotment can sell out within days. It’s safest to set a reminder in advance and buy within the first week of the month.
📱 How to Pay at Merchants
There are two ways to pay. Some merchants only support one method depending on their setup, so it’s worth learning both.
Method 1: Customer Scan (Scan the QR Code Yourself)
This is common at small restaurants and cafés. Scan the Zero Pay QR sticker posted at the store using the BIZPLAY app, enter the payment amount yourself, and pay from your certificate balance — that’s it. Since you have to enter the amount manually, it’s a good idea to double-check it before you take your receipt.
Method 2: Merchant Scan (Show Your Barcode)
This is common at convenience stores and franchise outlets. Tap the ‘Pay’ button in the app, a barcode or QR code appears on screen, and the cashier scans it with their reader for an automatic deduction. It works just like paying by card, so it’s easy even for first-timers.
Things to Check When You Pay
- Before paying, check that your certificate balance is greater than the payment amount
- Confirm the merchant is located within the same local government area as your certificate
- Check the deduction record in the app notification right after paying
- Partial refunds or cancellations are handled directly by the merchant (no cash refunds — the amount is restored to your certificate balance)
🍱 Where Can You Use It? Eligible Merchants
About 1.5 million Zero Pay merchants are registered nationwide. Since they’re mostly independent neighborhood businesses, they’re great for everyday spending. Just remember that some business types are off-limits.
✅ Eligible Business Types
- Traditional markets, neighborhood marts
- Restaurants, cafés, snack bars
- Hair salons, nail salons, laundromats
- Private academies (hagwon), daycare centers (in some areas)
- Pharmacies, optical shops, stationery stores
- Hospitals and dental clinics (in some areas, for non-covered treatment)
⚠️ Ineligible Business Types
| Business Type | Usable? |
|---|---|
| Large discount marts (E-Mart, Homeplus, Lotte Mart) | ❌ |
| Department stores, duty-free shops | ❌ |
| Corporate-run supermarkets (SSM) | ❌ |
| Entertainment venues, gambling-type businesses | ❌ |
| Online shopping malls (Coupang, Naver, etc.) | ❌ |
| Franchise corporate-owned stores | Partially ❌ |
Where Can You Search for Merchants?
The BIZPLAY app has a ‘Find Merchants’ menu. It shows eligible stores within a 1~3km radius of your current location on a map. It’s handy to browse it once when you’re using it in an unfamiliar neighborhood for the first time.
⚖️ Pros and Cons of Zero Pay Mobile Gift Certificates
Here’s how it compares to credit and debit cards, and who it suits best.
Pros
- 5~10% discount on purchase — directly cuts your monthly spending on food and daily necessities
- 30% income tax deduction — double the rate for credit cards (15%); up to 40% at traditional markets
- No worrying about a lost card — just lock the app and you’re covered
- Directly supports small businesses — near-zero card fees mean it helps neighborhood shops
Cons
- Regional restriction — usable only within the local government area where you bought it
- Barely usable online — built around offline merchants
- Early cutoff when the budget runs out — in popular areas you need to buy quickly on the 1st of the month
- Returns and refunds are a hassle — merchants have to process them separately
If you have go-to restaurants, cafés, or pharmacies along your commute, this is almost always a win. On the other hand, if most of your spending is online shopping or big-box marts, the benefit shrinks.
📌 Handy Tips and Things to Watch Out For
Some Places You Can No Longer Use It
Since July 2023, the Seoul Love Gift Certificate can no longer be used within Zero Pay mobile gift certificate apps (Source: Zero Pay Point). You need to install the separate ‘Seoul Pay+’ app instead. The Mobile Onnuri Gift Certificate also moved to the ‘Onnuri Pay’ app starting March 2024, so you won’t find it inside BIZPLAY either.
Conditions for Automatic Year-End Tax Settlement
The income tax deduction is applied automatically, but if you haven’t agreed to third-party sharing of your personal information, it won’t show up in the year-end tax settlement simplification service. Just check the consent box when you first sign up for BIZPLAY and you’re set.
Refunds: Face Value or Discounted Price?
To refund a certificate itself, you usually need to have used at least 60% of its value first, and the remaining balance is refunded proportionally rather than at its pre-discount price. For example, if you spent ₩80,000 of a ₩100,000 certificate you bought for ₩90,000, you’d have ₩20,000 left — and you’d get back 90% of that, or ₩18,000. This varies slightly by local government, so check the terms.
You Can Gift It to Family, Too
BIZPLAY has a mobile gifting feature. Send it to a friend or family member using their phone number, and they can register it in their own app to use. Keep in mind the recipient is still limited to merchants in that same region.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Which App Is Most Convenient?
Nationwide, BIZPLAY has the broadest compatibility. If you only use it in Seoul, ‘Seoul Pay+’ — or ‘Dongbaekjeon’ in Busan, ‘Incheon e-eum’ in Incheon — these region-specific apps sometimes run more discount events.
Q2. Can You Top Up With a Credit Card?
No. Zero Pay Mobile Gift Certificates only support bank transfer. So it doesn’t help toward credit card spending targets. Instead, the discount plus tax deduction it already offers often beats card benefits on its own.
Q3. Does It Expire?
By default, the extinctive prescription period kicks in 5 years after the purchase date. That said, local government policy generally recommends using it up within about 1~2 years, so it’s safer to top up in amounts sized for one month’s living expenses rather than buying too much at once.
Q4. What Happens If You Exceed the Monthly Limit?
The monthly limit (usually ₩700,000~2,000,000) is automatically blocked at the app level. It resets on the 1st of the following month, so you can buy more then.
Q5. Does the Discount Carry Over to Refunds?
When you refund a certificate, the discounted amount is clawed back. So if you fully refund an unused ₩100,000 certificate that you bought for ₩90,000, you only get ₩90,000 back — the ₩10,000 discount disappears.
Mobile gift certificates are the single most reliable way to cut your monthly living costs. Spending just ₩300,000~500,000 a month at neighborhood shops can save you ₩180,000~600,000 a year. Install BIZPLAY in the first week of this month, and check whether your go-to spots are Zero Pay merchants.