GCash brings Tap-to-Pay tech to overseas markets

Tap-to-pay feature soon available to GCash users overseas

MANILA, Philippines — E-wallet brand GCash wants to make its Tap-to-Pay service—which allows users to pay by just tapping their mobile phones—available overseas soon, making transactions seamless for Filipino travelers.

Oscar Reyes Jr., president and CEO of GCash operator G-Xchange, told reporters in a press briefing this week they were targeting to roll out internationally the digital payment solution supported by near-field communication (NFC) technology by the “middle of the year.”

NFC is a short-range wireless technology that enables connection between the payment terminal and mobile devices.

READ: Soon, Pinoys can just tap with their phones to pay for train, bus rides

However, Reyes said this payment feature would be only available for Android devices for now, noting they prioritized this segment as majority of Filipinos own Android phones.

“But we do want to offer it to Apple users as well. So [this is] something that hopefully we’ll be able to engage Apple to enable for us,” he said.

Locally, Reyes said they have been making this service available in more stores as well.

GCash chief marketing officer Neil Trinidad, in a previous interview with the Inquirer, said they had begun pilot testing of Tap-to-Pay feature late last year at certain retail stores and restaurants in Metro Manila.

Moving forward, the e-wallet brand also aims to make this payment solution available on trains and bus rides, eliminating the need to buy physical tickets.

The mobile-based payment option is in line with the push of an automated fare collection system to make commuting more convenient.

Enabling Tap-to-Pay services overseas is just one of the latest moves by GCash to provide more digital payment options for Filipinos abroad.

READ: GCash taps Pinoy diaspora in global push

In January, GCash announced that its partner cross-border payment solution company Alipay+ teamed up with Japanese digital payment service operator PayPay.

This expanded the e-wallet’s presence in Japan, allowing Filipinos to use GCash for payment in more stores, including small businesses in the countryside.

The Ayala-led company also has partnership with international payment gateway Visa, enabling its users to pay at over 100 million merchants across 200 countries and territories.