Ontong Daejeon to offer up to 15% cashback through November

All Daejeon residents who use the Ontong Daejeon local payment platform will receive up to 15% cashback through November.

The city of Daejeon announced Tuesday that it will extend the Ontong Daejeon cashback program through October and November.

Users receive a base cashback rate of 10%. An additional 3% applies for welfare recipients, shoppers at traditional markets, shopping districts and alley-type commercial zones, and customers of youth small-business merchants. Purchases at businesses designated as fair-pricing establishments earn an extra 5%, bringing the maximum cashback to 15%.

Welfare recipients receive the base 10% plus an additional 3%, for a total of 13%. Eligible groups include basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty households, disability pension recipients, single-parent families recognized under law and national merit recipients. The roughly 9,000 people already registered do not need to reapply. New applicants can sign up through the Ontong Daejeon app, its website or their local community service center.

Payments at Ontong Daejeon-affiliated stores inside traditional markets, shopping districts and alley-type commercial zones also qualify for the additional 3%, bringing the total to 13%. The city has confirmed 7,077 locations as priority support targets based on data submitted by district offices and will accept additional applications for stores left off the list.

Youth small-business merchants are also eligible for the extra 3% cashback. The benefit applies when users pay with Ontong Daejeon at stores whose owners are between 19 and 39 years old and have been in business for less than one year as of the application date. The additional cashback remains in effect for one year from the date the merchant is registered as a support target.

Purchases at fair-pricing establishments earn an extra 5%, for a total cashback of 15%. That additional benefit runs from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31 and may end early if the budget is exhausted.

However, the additional cashback rates cannot be combined. Even if a user qualifies under multiple categories, only one additional rate — either 3% or 5% — applies per transaction. For example, a welfare recipient shopping at a traditional market would not receive 3% plus 3% for a combined 16%.

"In September we offered 15% cashback to all residents, but from October onward we are maintaining the base benefit while concentrating the additional benefits on welfare recipients and local commercial districts," a city official said. "We encourage residents to check whether they qualify for the extra cashback and make active use of Ontong Daejeon."

Meanwhile, the city provided 15% cashback to all residents throughout September, during which the number of Ontong Daejeon users grew by about 19,000 and affiliated merchants increased by 430. The app also averaged 102,000 daily users, reflecting strong public interest in the platform.