Alfamart, GCash ink partnership

MANILA, Philippines — Mobile wallet GCash and minimart chain Alfamart have teamed up to provide safe and convenient payment method in the latter’s store network.

GCash said customers of Alfamart can now safely pay for their transactions using GCash.

With the partnership, the new GCash barcode payment has been made available in almost 700 Alfamart branches.

The new GCash payment option will also be rolled out in more Alfamart branches soon.

“GCash and Alfamart share the same goal of providing safety, convenience, and security  to all Filipinos, especially during these trying times. We hope to encourage the communities that we serve to opt for these digital cashless options to minimize the need for physical contact as we prioritize the health and  safety of our valued customers during the pandemic,”  GCash president and CEO Martha Sazon said.

GCash said the contactless payment method is safer, faster, and more convenient for Alfamart customers as they purchase staples that include fresh meat, poultry, vegetables and food-to-go.

Customers simply need to log  into  their GCash app, tap Pay QR and Generate Barcode and show the GCash barcode to the cashier for scanning.

“Serving the underserved has always been our credo, so we’re always looking for ways to be accessible to as many customers as possible,” Alfamart Philippines COO Harvey Ong said.

“With GCash being a popular payment method, even in the furthest-flung communities, we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with them – to give our communities a safe and reliable payment option when shopping for their daily needs at their nearest Super Minimart,” Ong said.

Alfamart, a joint venture between SM and Alfamart Indonesia, is targeting to expand its retail footprint to over 1,200 stores this year.

GCash, meanwhile, has over 51 million subscribers as of end-October.

“Now, we have more than doubled our user base with active users logging more than twice a day. This means a great deal to us because it shows our app is now a part of our users’ daily lives,” Sazon said.