Smart, Citi, Visa team up for mobile digital payments

MANILA, Philippines - Smart e-Money Inc. (SMI), Citi Philippines, and Visa has jointly introduced digital payments, which allow Filipinos to use mobile phones not just for SMS or calls or browsing, but to pay for small purchases.

Charge2Phone or C2P is the country’s first sticker-based contactless payment product for face-to-face and online purchases.  Designed to fit the back of any mobile phone device, C2P effectively transforms the mobile phone into a credit card or wallet.

PLDT Group and Smart chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said that C2P raises the bar for mobile-enabled payments. SMI is a subsidiary of Smart.

“A product of our collaboration with Citi Philippines and Visa, C2P supports our mutual interest to expand the ecosystem for digital payments, particularly in emerging markets like the Philippines. This is a strategic pillar in our portfolio of digital lifestyle services,” Pangilinan said.

This first-of-its kind payments solution can be availed of by Smart and Sun post-paid subscribers via a separate credit card line provided by Citi Philippines, on top of their post-paid subscription plan.  This credit line allows for frictionless payments for enhanced convenience when buying digital or physical goods and services.

Citi Philippines will issue a separate credit card statement containing all C2P purchases.  The technology is exclusively available with Visa payWave.

C2P is also beefed up with the world’s first functionality of being able to use the customer’s mobile number for online transactions instead of his 16-digit credit card number, making the Internet purchase experience more convenient and hassle-free.

In the physical world, the C2P payment sticker may be used to make contactless payments wherever Visa payWave is accepted globally and in the Philippines.

Pioneering merchants promoting the use of C2P include Mercury Drug, McDonalds, Marketplace by Rustan’s, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Eastwood Cinemas and Shell Select, among others.

Visa payWave provides a faster and more convenient payment experience allowing the consumer to tap the C2P payment sticker against a contactless terminal to pay for the transaction.

Visa payWave transactions are protected by multiple layers of security and are available for purchases of up to P2,000. For transactions beyond this amount, the customer will be required to use the companion Citi Rewards credit card.