PayMaya App + VISA prepaid card

Like I mentioned in my last post, I got myself a PayMaya beep VISA card in addition to the Globe beep MasterCard. Wala lang, adik lang sa prepaid cards. ?

The PayMaya card works pretty much the same way as the other card; same functions too, even the beep part. You can use it to swipe, shop online, pay bills, pay for MRT/LRT/Citylink/Airport Loop rides, etc. They are even priced the same at P150. You can get the PayMaya card from here.

One difference though is that you need to download and install the PayMaya app (iOS or ), unlike with the Globe MasterCard where you just need an active Globe/TM number. On the other hand, you can use any SIM card to register to PayMaya, be it Smart/TNT, Globe/TM, Sun or what-have-you.

Another thing, this is the physical VISA card I’m talking about here; this is different from the virtual VISA card you get from the PayMaya app itself. So with the app, you can have two (2) VISA cards–one virtual which can be only used for online transactions, and a physical card which you can use to swipe and withdraw from ATMs. They have different card numbers, CVV and/or expiration dates, but they share the same “wallet”. That is, the money you have loaded on your PayMaya account.

Anywho. This physical VISA card has a couple of advantages over the Globe MasterCard, namely:

• It is an EMV card. See that gold square chip on the left side of the card? That is an EMV chip; that creates a unique transaction code everytime you use the card to make a payment. That means a more robust security against hacking and fraud for your precious card and however much money it contains.
• You can use it to withdraw your PayPal funds. This is especially useful for freelancers and online entrepreneurs. By transferring your Paypal funds to PayMaya, you can then use the transferred money offline as well, whether through swiping or withdrawing through ATMs. More info may be found here. There’s a P250 PayPal withdrawal fee though. However, there’s an ongoing promo wherein you pay only P50 if you withdraw until December 21, 2016. For more info regarding the promo, click here.

So far I’ve used the card to pay for a coupla meals, and the app to pay for a Meralco bill. Just like with the other card, I got an SMS notification everytime, as well as a detailed transaction list on the app. Speaking of which, I like its interface better than Globe’s GCash app. ?

Reloading’s a pretty much pain-free affair as well, since I tend to load up using the Cliqq payment machines on 7-11. The one time I tried to cash in through SM bills payment, the system was down, so it was an unsuccessful attempt. Oh well. Still a pretty useful card all in all. ?