McDonald’s Philippines goes cashless with PayMaya

MANILA, Philippines – PLDT Incorporated unit PayMaya Philippines has partnered with Golden Arches Development Corporation (GADC), which holds the exclusive franchise of McDonald’s in the country, to step up the telcos’ battle on cashless payments.

Over 40 McDonald’s restaurants nationwide have started accepting card payments for all types of Mastercard and Visa credit, debit, and prepaid cards, through a collaboration with PayMaya Philippines.

The competition between the country’s two telecommunications giants, Globe Telecom Incorporated and PLDT, has spilled over into mobile payments. In February 2017, Globe inked a deal with Ant Financial, with the Alibaba unit subscribing to new shares in Globe Fintech Innovations Incorporated (Mynt).

In the future, PLDT and Globe are targeting to equip various retail partners – down to the sari-sari store levels – with quick response (QR) codes. (READ: Globe, PLDT battle it out in cashless payments)

“It’s a new space for both of us. It’s a big push for cashless payments,” said Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of PLDT, Smart, Voyager Innovations, and PayMaya Philippines.

“We’re starting with McDonald’s today, but we envision a future where most of our transactions will be carried out with the help of a PayMaya account,” Pangilinan added.

McDonald’s Philippines, according to PayMaya president and chief executive officer Orlando Vea, will accept PayMaya QR payments in its McCafe Bonifacio Global City Arts Center in Taguig and McCafe Tagaytay-Calamba Road branch in the next few weeks.

This means McDonald’s customers can scan QR codes and make purchases in some of the food chain’s branches. 

“Our goal is to continuously provide our customers with a convenient and feel-good restaurant experience, which is why we are committed in seeking out innovations that can deliver this to them,” GADC president and chief executive officer Kenneth Yang said in a media briefing in Taguig City on Friday, January 12.

“Through our partnership with PayMaya, our customers will now have a cashless payment option to make ordering their favorite McDonald’s meals more convenient,” Yang added.

PayMaya subscribers can load up their accounts through over 15,000 top-up facilities nationwide, including Robinsons Department Store, SM, Cebuana Lhuillier, ExpressPay, TouchPay, 7-Eleven, ExpressPay, Palawan Pawnshops, Shopwise, Wellcome, 2Go outlets, Petron stations along North Luzon Expressway, Smart Padala centers, Unionbank automated teller machines, and even some sari-sari stores in grassroots communities.

McDonald’s joins a roster of merchants that accept PayMaya cards. Some of these are Lazada, Zalora, Philippine Airlines, and Cebu Pacific, Robinsons Department Store, and The SM Store. – Rappler.com