GCash users can now pay with their NFC-enabled Android devices at over 150 million Mastercard acceptance points globally, as Alipay solution is bridging the convenience gap between domestic and cross-border payments.
Whether home or abroad, customers of the Philippine fintech company GCash can now use their e-wallets to seamlessly make NFC payments wherever Mastercard is accepted.
The innovative solution was introduced by GCash in partnership with Alipay, a global wallet gateway of Ant International, and powered by the global Mastercard infrastructure.
Besides convenience and security, the contactless Tap to Pay feature is distinguished by its global reach. It enables cross-border payments, which still remain one of the biggest pain points of the fintech industry, via QR and NFC.
To leverage Tap to Pay abroad, GCash users don’t have to apply for a foreign credit or debit card. They can utilize their existing GCash account. Therefore, the upgrade turns a regional e-wallet into a global, card-like contactless payment method. The countries of the Asia-Pacific region already boast some of the highest digital wallet adoption levels and transaction values globally. With the expansion of wallet functionalities, mass adoption will only surge.
Earlier, GCash cross-border payment functionality was limited to around 50 local QR partnerships. With the added NFC support, GCash can now be accepted via scan or tap, so that merchants from small local shops to major department stores can use existing NFC/contactless terminals. Besides, as NFC tap is quicker and more frictionless than opening an app, scanning a QR, and confirming, the new GCash payment method improves checkout speed and conversion for merchants.
Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International, noted that GCash is pioneering digital payment innovation as an early implementer of Alipay+’s NFC global payments. He said the Alipay+–Mastercard integration effectively extends Mastercard’s contactless acceptance to Alipay+ partner wallets internationally, and predicted that deeper interoperability between e-wallet platforms and card networks will be a key payment industry trend in the years to come.
