Friday 18 October, 2019
Vodafone Fiji has enhanced its M-PAiSA mobile wallet with a new App that will now provide users a much richer experience. The App can be downloaded free of
charge through Playstore for android users and on Appstore by iPhone users simply by typing “M-PAiSA” to search. As an introductory offer, when you download the M-PAiSA App, you will receive 1 GB free data from Vodafone.
Apart
from all the existing services currently available through M-PAiSA such as recharge, data bundles, sending and receiving money and utility payments, the App comes with a new “Scan to Pay” QR Code payment feature. This will allow consumers
to use their mobile phones to scan and pay for their shopping bills, buy their next movie ticket and even pay for their coffee.
The Chief Marketing Officer of Vodafone Fiji, Mr. Rajnesh Prasad said “mobile payment globally is
transforming the payment industry and has set in motion a cashless revolution that is fast becoming a business need. If you do not have a mobile payment option, you will soon realize that you are losing customers and business.
Today’s
consumers are convenience seekers. They make decisions on the go and need the products and services in an instant. Hence, the mobile-based cashless payment is becoming a business imperative. There are currently over 560,000 registered M-PAISA
users, and over 250m in processed in M-PAiSA transactions annually.
Through M-PAISA QR, Vodafone provides its customers with a brand-new payment experience that is secure, convenient, fast and trendy. Consumers will automatically access
the QR payment by downloading the M-PAiSA App that is securely integrated into the M-PAiSA mobile wallet. Once activated, consumers can select QR payment to activate the camera on their mobile device to scan a QR code placed at cashier counters
in shops to make the payment. Every merchant enabled for M-PAiSA QR will have their own unique M-PAiSA QR code placed on their counters for customers.
The launch of QR payments is an important milestone in the evolution of the digital
payment ecosystem in Fiji. Vodafone Fiji is the first to introduce QR pay in Fiji. It creates a ubiquitous and widely accessible, secure, convenient and cost-effective cashless payment system for everyone. The good news for consumers
is that QR payments via M-PAISA are available absolutely free. So when you make a payment using M-PAiSA QR, you do not pay a single cent in extra charges or fees. The M-PAiSA App is also zero-rated for data charges which means as a user
you will not incur any data charges for using the M-PAiSA App.
For businesses and merchants, QR code provides a cost-effective way to start accepting electronic payments instead of relying on cash which has its own set of cash
handling challenges. The payment is received by the business in real-time and the business is able to track every payment made through the M-PAiSA Merchant App. M-PAiSA QR payment option has no boundaries. It can be adopted by the smallest roadside
vendors to the largest businesses across Fiji and can be applied across multiple industries. - There is no investment in any hardware or additional systems by businesses to enable this payment system and or consumers, anyone with a smartphone
and a camera can use QR Pay. M-PAiSA QR payments will now be accepted at more than 200 outlets Fiji wide. These include New World Supermarkets, Extra Supermarkets, Chicken Express Outlets, Damodar Cinemas & Candy Bars, Gloria Jean’s
Coffee Outlets, Grace Road Restaurants and Cafeteria including Snowy House & Sunny Pizza, True Value etc, Courts Fiji Limited, Vinod Patel and Home and Living, Rosie Holidays, and all Vodafone and Valuefone outlets. M-PAiSA QR Pay option will
now also be available on all EFL Bills and customers will have the convenience of QR Pay to pay their bills.
“We are confident that being able to scan to pay with M-PAiSA QR is going to accelerate the shift from cash to
electronic payments and help to drive financial inclusion across the country,” said Mr. Prasad,
The good news for other pacific markets where M-PAiSA platform has already been rolled by Vodafone including Kiribati, Bluesky Samoa, American
Samoa, Vanuatu that success of M-PAISA will also be replicated in these markets.
Quotes from M-PAiSA QR Partners
- Peter Royce, Operations Manager for New World Supermarket said: “We are excited to successfully launch mobile phone QR payment option for our customers at New World. With this convenient and cashless payment service,
customers simply scan the QR code placed at our cashier counters with their mobiles to pay. We pride ourselves in offering our customers the best in products and service at New World. M-PAiSA QR is a modern payment channel that is sure
to excite our tech savvy customers. As a whole, a QR-payment solution greatly helps to accelerate the country’s transition to a cashless society. Lack of access to cash can is barrier to trading and cashless payment is good
for greater financial inclusion and access.
- Mr. Rodel Garcia, Operations Manager at Gloria Jean’s Coffee said “We are delighted to launch this mobile payment option for our customers. Coffee goers are young, trendy and highly tech-savvy. They are constantly
“on the go”. Therefore, having a mobile payment option at our stores will surely bring an exciting new payment experience for our customers. This new innovation will provide more data on our regular customers and allow
us to offer additional rewards such as customer loyalty benefits.
GM Damodar Cinemas. Mr. Div. Damodar said, “We have been waiting for mobile payment App like the M-PAiSA QR Pay. Those of us who travel overseas to countries like China and India, QR pay through mobile is
now the preferred payment mode. WeChat and Alipay in China and PayTM in India dominate mobile payments. M-PAiSA operates in exactly the same way. This sets in motion a cashless payment revolution in Fiji. We are delighted
to be amongst the first to provide this payment option to our customers at all Damodar Cinema locations, Concession and ticketing areas and Candy Bars. Cinema-goers would also be able to buy tickets online and call and book tickets and pay directly
through M-PAiSA from their mobile phone soon. “I am really impressed with the M-PAISA App. It's designed taking into consideration the needs of the consumers as well as the business. This will surely fly”, said Div.
