This is one of three short stories on how the QR code is being used in society.

The QR edge: High-tech begging

High-tech begging

Among those whose earnings have been hit by a cashless society: panhandlers.

In India, panhandlers don't settle for pennies in a hat. They have QR codes, which are good for business. According to The Wall Street Journal, India's beggars often wear a lanyard with a QR code around their necks. That way, charitable givers who don't have a few rupees in cash can simply scan the code with their phones and donate.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, one such man said his donations have doubled to about $4 per day (300 rupees) since he started using a QR code, the wages of a farmhand.

Even street vendors have introduced QR codes.