基本資訊 Basic info會員專享經濟 Economy

瑞典貨幣與支付 Swedish currency and e-payment

瑞典有樣東西很著名:電子支付,經濟電子化程度與中國大陸齊名。但瑞典比中國還要多走一步:在實行全面電子支付的同時,不少商店更已不接受現金了。請看彭博通訊社的這篇文章,當中談到去年 (2017年) 僅百分之二十五 (即四份一) 瑞典人每週使用現金最少一次,瑞典國家銀行也有發行e-krona之意。

那瑞典有沒有支付寶之類的東西呢?當然有啦,那叫做 Swish,帳戶與手機號碼綁定,並直接從銀行戶口扣款,而且也是掃一掃二維碼來付款,再加上BankID認證的保障,使瑞典人民安心進行電子交易。接受Swish的商戶主要限於小店和個體戶 (但部份大型企業,如國鐵SJ等,也在網上商店接受Swish付款),不過更多時候Swish的用處是在朋友之間給錢 (例如用膳結賬)。

這是我的Swish二維碼 (123 320 43 69),如果你有Swish的話,不妨贊助我,多多益善,少少無拘。This is my Swish QR-code (123 320 43 69), if you have Swish, please sponsor me for any amount :-)
這是我的Swish二維碼 (123 320 43 69),如果你有Swish的話,不妨贊助我,多多益善,少少無拘。This is my Swish QR-code (123 320 43 69), if you have Swish, please sponsor me for any amount 🙂

問題來了:要有BankID,必須有瑞典銀行戶口;要有瑞典銀行戶口,必須先成功登記為瑞典居民。要登記為瑞典居民,必須持有簽證或居留權並計劃最少在瑞典居住一年—還有其他如工作、讀書、資產、保險等條件—何況短住呢,又怎能使用Swish?

所幸,基本上所有商店 (以及大部分交通工具) 都接受信用卡付款。歐洲以外的信用卡,沒有四位數字密碼,一樣可以在有人看管的商店使用 (但須核對護照和在收據簽名),不過在自動售票機就不能用了 (而且在一些地區交通局的手機應用程式也只能用瑞典信用卡/扣帳卡)。這不太難解決:國鐵票可以網上購買,地區交通的票可以在便利店購買 (Pressbyran/7-11)。(大部份火車站都沒有人手售票處。)

想要方便一些,也可以在便利店購買Paygoo Reload一類的晶片密碼卡 (不要買錯Paygoo Gift!!!),那麼就可以用四位數字密碼在自動售票機購票,也可以在任何地方的交通手機應用程式購票 (及當作儲值支付卡在各商戶使用),但需瑞典電話號碼開卡,而且所費不菲 (99 SEK),值不值得就見人見智了。

Paygoo Reload (官方網站圖片 Picture from official website: paygoo.se)
Paygoo Reload (官方網站圖片 Picture from official website: paygoo.se)

雖說瑞典已經近乎完全無現金化,但留下少量現金傍身也不失為一個明智的選擇 (例如在收費廁所、需要按金解鎖的超市購物車、部份公眾儲物櫃等地方就有用)。不過,請留意硬幣和紙幣是否最新版本,因為瑞典近年曾更換整套硬幣和紙幣,並已宣佈舊版貨幣失效!(但部份超市購物車和儲物櫃只收舊版硬幣,那只好問人借了)。新舊貨幣樣式詳見國家銀行網頁


Sweden is famous for electronic payment, probably on a par with China. However, Sweden is really one step ahead of China—not only is e-payment omnipresent, many Swedish shops are no longer accepting cash; this article from Bloomberg pointed out (from a study) that in 2017 only 25% (a quarter) of Swedes used cash at least once a week. The Riksbank is also leaping on the train by planning to issue the e-krona.

China has the famous Alipay e-wallet, so does Sweden have it? Yes of course—welcome to Swish, the universal e-payment app in Sweden! Accounts are connected to mobile phone numbers and money is deducted from the bank account directly; payment is possible by sweeping a QR-code as well; authentication by BankID is required to ensure safety. The merchants that accept Swish are mainly small shops and sole proprietors (although larger companies like SJ also accept Swish on their online shops); however, the biggest use of Swish is perhaps to send money between friends (like settling a dinner bill).

But here comes the problem: to use Swish you need a BankID; to create a BankID you need to have a Swedish bank account; to start a Swedish bank account you need to be registered as a resident; to be registered as a resident you need to have a visa/the right to stay, intend to live for at least one year, and fulfill other conditions such as work, study, capital and insurance… let alone a short stay? So Swish is out of the question if you’re not living in Sweden for a long time.

趕火車呀... 咪住,都未買飛... Rushing for the train... wait, we haven't bought the ticket yet...
趕火車呀… 咪住,都未買飛… Rushing for the train… wait, we haven’t bought the ticket yet…

Luckily, basically all shops (and most transportation) accept credit cards; even non-European cards without 4-digit PINs can be used in shops with a human keeper (requiring passport and signature in this case), but they can’t be used at automatic ticket machines (and some transport apps require the use of a Swedish credit/debit card). Luckily, SJ tickets can be bought online, and local transport tickets can be bought in convenience stores (Pressbyran/7-11). (Most railway stations do not have a manned ticket office.)

For convenience, you might want to purchase a 4-digit PIN card like Paygoo Reload (NOT Paygoo Gift!!!) from a convenience store, so you can use your PIN to buy tickets at automatic machines, or buy tickets from any local transport app (and use it as a stored-value debit card). However, it requires a Swedish number to activate, and costs 99 SEK for the card itself, so it’s a good question whether it’s worth the cost.

瑞典新舊硬幣 New and old coins in Sweden
瑞典新舊硬幣 New and old coins in Sweden

Although Sweden is almost completely cash-free, it’s a good idea to have some cash with you (useful at e.g. pay toilets, deposit-operated supermarket carts, some public lockers). Please make sure you have the newest version of the coins and banknotes, as Sweden changed all of them a few years back, and decommissioned the old ones! (However, some supermarket carts and public lockers accept only old coins, in which case you got to borrow from somebody else). Details on new and old cash on Riksbank’s website