E-coupons to be used b/w Mondays & Thursdays
The government will launch a new round of its community e‑coupon consumption stimulation programme next week; this round’s modus operandi will differ significantly from all previous ones.
This time, e-wallet users will have the chance to win e-coupons on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and will then be required to use them between the immediately following Mondays and Thursdays – otherwise they will expire.
In all previous rounds of the government’s community e-coupon consumption programme, e-wallet users had the chance to win e-coupons between Mondays and Fridays, and had to use them on the immediately following Saturdays and Sundays.
As previous rounds, the upcoming new round of the programme will be run by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) in collaboration with the Macau Chamber of Commerce (ACM), colloquially known in Cantonese as Chung Chung.
The programme’s new round was announced during a press conference at the bureau’s headquarters in Nam Van on Friday.
The new round will run between Friday next week, April 10, and June 18, lasting 10 weeks.
Unchanged from previous rounds, in the new round, all real-name authenticated users of any of the eight e-wallets covered by the programme, regardless of being local residents and non-locals, who have spent at least 50 patacas on a purchase at participating businesses will then have three chances to win e-coupons, with a face value of 10 patacas, 20 patacas, 50 patacas, 100 patacas, or 200 patacas.
However, each authenticated e-wallet account will be entitled to up to three draws per week, regardless of the number of 50-pataca-plus transactions they make during the period.
If a person holds an account of all the eight e-wallets, he or she will be entitled to up to 24 draws per week.
In all previous rounds, smartphone users received their e-coupons in their e-wallets between Mondays and Fridays and used them on Saturdays and Sundays.
In contrast, in the upcoming new round, according to Friday’s press conference, they will instead receive their e-coupons on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and must use them between the immediately following Mondays and Thursdays – otherwise they will expire.
Addressing the press conference, DSEDT Deputy Director Cheang Hio Man underlined that the government decided to change the programme’s modus operandi with the aim of encouraging residents to stay more often in Macau to spend money during weekends, while also enabling them to use their e-coupons over a longer period of time (four days instead of two) per week, thereby enhancing their consumption choices and flexibility here.
Unchanged from previous rounds, in the new round, officially known as Community Consumption Grand Prize 2026, each e-coupon stored in the smartphone user’s e-wallet will be automatically redeemed in a purchase if its amount is at least three times the face value of the coupon.
If the e-wallet has more than one coupon at the same time, the e-payment platform will automatically validate one or more coupons after the user spends at least three times the total value of these coupons.
4 rounds previously
The government first rolled out its community e-coupon consumption stimulation programme in 2024 but only for the peninsula’s northern district at that time. The government launched the programme once again later the same year with that round extended to the whole city. Afterwards, the government launched two rounds of the programme last year, covering businesses across the city.
This time, the e-coupon consumption stimulation programme will continue to be a citywide one, covering over 20,000 businesses across the city.
As previously, this time the e-coupons cannot be used in certain types of transactions and businesses such as water and electricity bills, large supermarket chains, and all shops and businesses in resorts and properties run by the city’s six gaming operators.
E-coupons for seniors
In the upcoming new round, according to the press conference, senior citizens can continue to receive additional 500-pataca e-coupons by topping up their version of Macau Pass cards at over 100 designated service points across the city.
Only local residents aged at least 65 are entitled to apply for a Senior Citizen Macau Pass card.
As previously, senior citizens can use their e-coupons in their Macau Pass cards every day during the programme’s period. When a senior citizen makes a purchase, half of the transaction’s amount will be paid by the e-coupons, while the other half will be deducted from the card’s remaining balance that he or she has injected into with their own money. Consequently, with the 500-pataca e-coupons to be provided by the government, senior citizens can buy goods and services worth 1,000 patacas in total, with the other 500 patacas paid with their own money.
Additional e-coupons for holders of Senior Citizen Macau Pass cards were first rolled out in the programme’s 2025 first round when the amount was 300 patacas. The government raised the amount to 500 patacas in the programme’s 2025 second round. This time, the amount will remain unchanged at 500 patacas.
E-coupons for people with disabilities
Moreover, in the new round, according to the press conference, people with disabilities will continue to receive an additional 500‑pataca e‑coupon.
The additional 500-pataca e-coupons for people with disabilities was first rolled out in the programme’s 2025 second round, but the beneficiaries, namely those holding a government-issued Disability Assessment Registration Card, had to collect a “Care Card” containing the 500-pataca e-coupons from designated facilities at that time.
A Disability Assessment Registration Card is only issued to local residents. Disabled residents need to be assessed by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) first before they can get the card.
This time, according to Friday’s press conference, holders of Disability Assessment Registration Cards will simply receive their 500-pataca e-coupons by topping up their version of Macau Pass cards at over 100 designated service points across the city, an arrangement similar to senior citizens.
Those holding a Disability Assessment Registration Card are entitled to apply for a Disability Macau Pass card.
Senior Citizen Macau Pass cards and Disability Macau Pass cards entitle their holders to free public bus and Light Rapid Transit (LRT) rides.
As previously, the modus operandi of the use of e-coupons in Disability Macau Pass cards will be the same as those in Senior Citizen Macau Pass cards.
According to the press conference, the government expects to spend 395 million patacas on the programme’s upcoming new round, comprising 320 million patacas for e-coupons issued to those using any the eight e-wallets and 75 million patacas for e-coupons issued to holders of Senior Citizen Macau Pass cards and Disability Macau Pass cards.
Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Deputy Director Cheang Hio Man addresses Friday’s press conference at the bureau’s headquarters in Nam Van. – Photo: DSEDT
