Globe partners with SM Store for easy payments

MANILA, Philippines – GCash, the digital wallet service of Ayala-led Globe Telecom, teamed up with the SM Store to enable customers to pay for their items through their cellphones.

Globe announced on Friday, December 1, that GCash’s new scan-to-pay feature is now available in all SM Store branches as well as information booths of SM malls nationwide.

This means that a customer with a smartphone must either download or update to the latest version of the GCash app, create an account, and fund the GCash wallet through cash-in centers located across the country.

Once done, the customer can tap on Scan QR and point the phone’s camera at the item’s QR code to pay.

The SM Store, the in-house department store of the Sy family’s retail empire, is the latest major retailer to adopt GCash’s scan-to-pay feature. Since its launch last August, the service has been made available at Mercato Centrale in Bonifacio Global City and at Ayala Malls, particularly Glorietta.

Other major retailers to adopt the feature include restaurants under the Max’s Group, apparel brand Bench, and international brands specialty retailer Stores Specialists, Incorporated (SSI).

The scan-to-pay feature is the first major fruit of the joint venture between Globe Telecom, Ayala Corporation, and Ant Financial, the digital payment arm of Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group.

Anthony Thomas, president and chief executive officer of fintech firm Mynt – the joint venture vehicle that operates GCash – noted that the firm has already begun the rollout of QR code acceptance.

“We’re not installing a device but just a sticker with a QR code. The customer simply scans that sticker so no need for additional machines for transactions and there’s no cost to the machine but more benefits to the merchants,” he explained.

“Cash is still convenient but there’s also the issue of security and handling. With GCash scan-to-pay feature, we’re bringing that down to the level where merchants can adapt.”

Thomas added that Mynt will continue to aggressively roll out the scan-to-pay feature in other locations nationwide. – Rappler.com