Smart, Sun Cellular turn phones into virtual credit cards

MANILA, Philippines - Smart and Sun Cellular subscribers may now easily purchase goods with just the use of their mobile phones following the launch of “Charge2Phone” last week.

“C2P supports our mutual interest to expand the ecosystem for digital payments, particularly in emerging markets like the Philippines,” Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT Group and Smart Communication chairman, said.

“This is a strategic pillar in our portfolio of digital lifestyle services,” he added.

This new technology, which utilizes a sticker-based Near Field Communication (NFC) payment solution, was introduced by Smart’s mobile money unit Smart e-Money Inc., along with Citi Philippines and Visa. 

With the use of a sticker that users should attach to their phones, consumers will be able to pay for purchases of up to P2,000 at various merchants here and abroad that uses Visa payWave technology. This innovation allows cardholders to just wave their cards in front of readers to make a transaction, and in this case will let Smart and Sun subscribers to tap their phones on the terminal for payment.

Pioneering merchants in the country include Mercury Drug, McDonald’s, Marketplace by Rustan’s, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Eastwood Cinemas and Shell Select, among others.

C2P at the moment is only available for Smart and Sun postpaid subscribers. These clients will be able to apply for such in Smart stores nationwide.

Subscribers wanting to use the C2P will be given a separate credit line provided by Citi Philippines on top of their postpaid subscription plan. This means their purchases will also be delivered via a separate bill and will not be included in their mobile phone bills.

Aside from face-to-face transaction, C2P users will also be able to use their mobile number for online transactions instead of their 16-digit credit card numbers.

At present, the technology may be used for online transactions at Uskoop, TicketNet, McDonald’s, Philippine Airlines, Zalora and EasyTaxi. 

“We continue to leverage on technology to transform the way in which we serve our clients… We strongly believe the future is digital, and our goal is to be the world’s leading digital bank,” Batara Santuri, chief executive officer at Citi Philippines, said.