Third Stimulus | E-voucher scheme kicks off today, 540,000 residents registered

The third round of economic stimulus, distributed through electronic consumption kicks off today. From June 1 until December 31, residents will be able to enjoy a total subsidized sum of MOP8,000 for a variety of purchases made via electronic payment.
As of yesterday, 540,000 residents have registered to receive the government subsidy. For 405,000 of those, the benefit has already been confirmed and is ready to use from today.
The consumer benefit package includes an initial amount of 5,000 patacas and an extra amount of 3,000 patacas for an immediate and automatic 25% discount.
This means that while the discount balance remains, residents are able to use up to 400 patacas (300 from the initial and 100 from the discount balance) per day.
According to the entities responsible for the plan, the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) and the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM), a total of 237,000 residents have opted to receive the benefits via one of the eight available mobile payment platforms, while some 303,000 preferred to continue to use the method used for the first two rounds, the electronic consumption card.
The DSEDT and AMCM also reminded the public that the benefits package is used simultaneously and users cannot control when to use or not use the discount balance.
“When making a purchase, 25% of the transaction amount (that is, the 25% discount) will be deducted from the ‘discount’ balance, and the remaining 75% will be deducted from the ‘initial’ balance,” as stressed by the bureaus in a joint statement. The same entities also clarified that in cases where residents have used the entire initial balance of 5,000 patacas but still have funds on the discount balance, they can reload money to continue to enjoy the 25% discount balance.
Residents who have chosen to receive the benefits through the consumer card can reload the card when the initial balance reaches 10 patacas or below.
Balances will be displayed at all times on receipts after any payment and can also be checked on the mobile payment applications, and on an exclusively dedicated webpage for the consumption cards.
Aiming for a smooth start to the plan, the AMCM has had meetings with the banks and entities responsible for the payment apps to ensure that they are prepared, in order to support a stable and steady system and avoid any problems during the use of the benefits.
The AMCM also noted that these payment platforms have conducted several tests in the last few days ahead of the plan’s commencement.