How cashless transactions make your life easier

MANILA, Philippines – Cash is a daily-life essential: it’s convenient for making small purchases and handy in case you need to make a quick payment of some sort, like paying for your parking ticket.

But there are some downsides to using it as your main mode of payment: it’s harder to keep track of your expenses, you run the risk of theft or misplacing it, and it can limit how much you can spend for the day.

Luckily, it’s now easier and simpler to go cashless when paying for products and services. Here a few things that are made better by cashless transactions:

Click shopping

Shopping is a pretty simple task. You just enter the store, choose what you want or need, pay at the counter, and then be on your way. But as anyone who has ever had to deal with seasonal sales and the holiday rush will tell you, navigating a brick-and-mortar store isn’t always so pleasant. In a typical mall, there are crowds to deal with, long lines to stand in, and heavy shopping bags to lug around. Not to mention all the money counting you have to do at the cashier.

Click shopping allows you to skip the queues and shop using a card, without even having to leave your house. This provides you with convenience, variety, and sometimes, even special discounts in just a few clicks. You can take your time browsing, choose your items, and have them delivered right to your door in a few days. The long queues give way to a relaxing cashless shopping experience from the comfort of your own home. As an added bonus, some online shops even ship items from overseas that you won’t find in your local stores.

No need to use a calculator to add up your purchases, either: online shopping sites allow you to view your virtual shopping cart and the total amount while you browse.

Smoother deliveries

Ordering food for delivery used to go like this: you’d make a list of what everyone wants, try and work out how much it all costs, call the restaurant on the phone, and place your order. Then you’d prepare the exact amount of your order in cash, because the riders usually don’t bring a lot of loose change.

Now, mobile apps like Foodpanda allow you to browse through the menu, choose your orders, and pay all without having to pull out your wallet. You can sync your credit or debit card to the app’s payment system and your order will be charged automatically.

You also won’t have to worry about what time your food will arrive. The app’s delivery tracking system monitors your order from placement to delivery and gives you a countdown timer of when your food will arrive. 

If you’re generous, you can still use cash – to give the delivery person a nice tip!

Convenient public transport

When you take a taxi or another form of public transport, you’d normally need to stand out under the heat of the sun or rain and hail them as they pass by. You’d also need to make sure that you have enough small notes and change on you to pay for your fare. If you don’t have the right amount, then the driver might not be able to give you correct change, which forces you to fork out even more money for the ride.   

Since apps like Uber arrived in the Philippines, commuters have been able to book rides without leaving their homes or buildings. They can also pay using their mobile phones and credit cards. While this system is a lot more convenient, it’s only available for a certain few. According to data from the Credit Card Association of the Philippines, only around 7% of Filipinos have credit cards.

Now, even those without credit cards can enjoy cashless rides, too. With a mobile payment app like PayMaya, anyone can enjoy the benefits of a card: users simply download PayMaya from the App Store or Google Play, activate it, and then load up through any of the 15,000 reloading stations nationwide, which include SM Malls Business Centers, Robinsons Department Stores, Bayad Centers, 7-Eleven stores with Cliqq kiosks, TouchPay Kiosks, and Smart Padala Centers, on top of online banking via BDO.

There are times when bills and coins are necessary. As life gets increasingly more digital, however, cashless will be the better way to go. – Rappler.com  

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The Rise of #NowNation. PayMaya launched its new campaign #NowNation to empower the Filipino millennials to seize the day, pursue their passions and live in the here and now.  

(L-R) Paolo Azzola, Managing Director and co-COO of PayMaya Philippines; Ram Cortez, PayMaya’s Student Ambassador; Carlo Atendido, DJ Champion; Seph Cham, Lifestyle Guru; Camille Co, Style Maven; Orlando Vea, President and CEO of Voyager Innovations; Chichi Tullao, Foodie Extraordinaire; Alyssa Valdez, Phenom of Philippine Volleyball; Jonas Roque, Weekend Wandering Warrior; and Benjie Fernandez, co-COO of PayMaya Philippines and COO of Voyager Innovations. 

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