Tag: Contactless payment

Manila, Philippines – With the season being a peak time for getaways, Filipinos prioritise experience-driven travel, with Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan being top destinations, with a new study from Visa highlighting a significant shift in how Filipinos plan and pay for their travels, showing a growing preference for contactless payments alongside the continued use of cash.

According to the survey, December is a peak travel month for Filipinos, with 32% planning domestic vacations and 23% opting for international destinations.

The survey highlighted that most Filipinos travel primarily to relax (80%) and seek new experiences (43%). Sightseeing remains the most popular activity for travelers (82%), but local cuisine (67%) and shopping (67%) are also high on the list of priorities. These findings suggest that many Filipinos are looking for destinations that offer a mix of leisure, entertainment, and adventure.

Amongst international destinations, Singapore stands out as the top choice, with 38% of respondents having visited the city-state in the past 12 months. Its mix of urban attractions and cultural experiences, coupled with its close proximity and accessibility from the Philippines, makes it a favoured destination, especially during the holiday season.

Hong Kong follows closely, with 31% of Filipinos choosing to visit. Known for its extensive shopping opportunities and festive celebrations, Hong Kong attracts families seeking both luxury and bargain shopping, along with its diverse culinary offerings.

Japan is another popular destination, drawing 30% of Filipino travelers. Known for its scenic landscapes, festive markets, and deep cultural heritage, Japan offers a unique blend of tradition and modernity, making it an attractive option for those wanting to experience something different during the holidays.

A growing trend among Filipino travelers is the increasing preference for contactless payments. A recent survey commissioned by Visa and conducted by YouGov in August 2024 revealed that 66% of Filipino travelers now favor using mobile wallets and tap-to-pay cards for their transactions. Additionally, 67% expressed plans to acquire cards with contactless features, reflecting the rising adoption of digital payment solutions.

However, despite the shift toward cashless methods, 71% of holiday travelers still carry cash as a backup, particularly for destinations where digital payment options may not be as widely available. This indicates that while contactless payments are becoming more popular, many Filipino travelers continue to rely on cash, especially in areas that have yet to fully embrace digital transactions.

As the holiday season approaches, this blend of evolving payment methods and a desire for experience-driven travel highlights the changing dynamics of how Filipinos navigate their journeys. Whether paying with contactless technology or cash, the core of Filipino travel remains rooted in creating meaningful experiences and moments shared with loved ones—values that remain as significant as the destinations themselves.

Jeff Navarro, country manager for Visa Philippines, said, “At Visa, we are committed to ensuring a seamless, secure, and convenient experience for Filipino travelers heading abroad and for inbound visitors to the Philippines. We recognize that tourism plays a vital role in the economy, contributing to job creation and overall growth. We’re working to support the Filipino government’s efforts to enhance tourism by improving digital payment methods and providing tourists with an enjoyable experience, which will help to further drive economic development and strengthen the tourism industry.”

He added, “As cross-border travel continues to grow, Visa sees a tremendous opportunity to remain a key part of the traveler’s journey. The convenience and security of digital payment options give travelers greater confidence when making transactions abroad—whether they are booking accommodation, dining, or shopping. Our goal is to continue supporting travelers at every stage, from planning and booking to the entirety of their trip, by encouraging the use of Visa for a seamless, secure, and hassle-free payment experience.”

Manila, Philippines – Filipino consumer behavior during the pandemic has shifted to frequent use of e-commerce platforms and cashless payments systems, a new report from financial services Visa shows.

In the Philippine-centric report, Visa noted that 52% of Filipinos shopped online through apps and websites for the first time during the pandemic and 43% of them made their first online purchase using social media channels.

Online shopping activity behavior also rose within the period of past year, as the report showed close to 9 in 10 Filipinos have increased their online shopping activities on websites or apps, whilst 7 in 10 are shopping more on social media channels. 

More than half of the consumers are also more inclined to shop from large online marketplaces (53%) and home-based businesses (61%). These new shopping preferences might turn into habits that last beyond the pandemic.

As part of the growing behavior of online purchases, food deliveries also rose, as more than 9 in 10 Filipinos used home delivery in the Philippines and 67% of them increased their use of home delivery services during the pandemic. This can be attributed to the existing quarantine and lockdown restrictions being implemented by the government in the country.

“The pandemic has transformed the way Filipinos shop and pay. Based on the latest highlights from our annual study, we see adoption of new consumer behaviors including more Filipinos using digital commerce platforms and helping to accelerate the usage of digital payments in the country. We see double digit growth for e-commerce transactions for purchases on marketplaces and digital goods,” said Dan Wolbert, country manager for the Philippines and Guam at Visa.

Wolbert also noted that some of the initial purchases made by first-time online consumers include food and groceries, bill payments as well as pharmaceutical products.

Using physical cash as payment has dwindled by the offset of the pandemic, as best compared to pre-pandemic consumers averaged to 7 out of 10 payments made in cash, compared to mid-pandemic consumers who only averaged to 5 out of 10 payments made in cash.

Filipinos cited using more contactless payments (73%), perceiving cash as unsafe because of the potential spread of infection (54%) and more places adopting digital payments (50%) as the top reasons for carrying less cash. In addition, Filipinos see bill payments (81%), grocery shopping (71%), and overseas travel (68%) as the top categories where they would likely go completely cashless in future.

The study also showed that contactless payments had 66% increase in usage amongst current users due to the pandemic. In addition, 88% of Filipinos who had not used contactless payments stated interest in using this payment method in the future. Top benefits perceived by Filipinos for usage of contactless cards include not having to carry cash with them (88%), feeling safe from infection (75%) and being an innovative payment method (68%).

“We believe that contactless payments will continue to grow as Filipinos appreciate the benefits of contactless payments, including perceiving this payment method to be more hygienic due to the absence of physical interaction at point-of-sale. Even though we’ve made progress in digital payments adoption, there remains huge opportunities for us to encourage more Filipinos to embrace digital payments as we look to expand digital payments acceptance across the country,” Dan added.

The study was conducted on 1,014 Filipinos aged 18-65 years of age across key cities in Manila, and in several provinces.

Singapore – EZ-Link, one of the first to offer prepaid card payment in Singapore, has taken a major rebranding, at the same time, unveils new app enhancements to go in tandem with its new brand identity.

The branding comes as EZ-Link marks its 18th year in the market, having started in 2002. The product now carries the new brand direction “For Life’s Little Wins” to underscore the brand’s mission of “eliminating hassle and enabling possibilities for customers in their ‘little’ daily financial routines.”

For the new direction, the company has adopted a new logo and refreshed both its corporate website and EZ-Link app.

Still sporting the same cool colors of blue and green, the new logo now takes a brighter palette with a cleaner font – breaking off of the old one’s edgy typeface.

EZ-Link’s old (above) and new logo (below)

The more striking and almost neon hue is now adapted to both its website and app. The brand’s app also used to display sharp-edged navigation boxes, whereas, in the new one, edges have been carved and assigned more pastel hues.

The company’s old (left) and new (right) website

The company said the new visual identity “reflects [its] renewed focus on digital transformation, while still maintaining key elements that have become strongly associated with the brand.”

EZ-Link’s old app

For the past 18 years, EZ-Link has been a trusted local brand and an integral part of many Singaporean’s daily lives. However, a lot has changed since we launched the first EZ-Link card almost two decades ago. Consumers’ lifestyles have evolved and the world is set on its path to a digital future

Nicholas Lee, CEO at EZ-Link

To kick off the brand refresh, EZ-Link has launched its enhanced mobile EZ-Link Wallet, which is now integrated with EZ-Link’s Rewards program. 

Introduced at the start of this year, the EZ-Link Wallet can be used at local merchants that accept e-payments via the Singapore Quick Response Code (SGQR), Singapore’s unified QR label.

With the integration, users are offered a new avenue to earn and accumulate points that can be redeemed for benefits from over 200 EZ-Link Rewards merchants. Similar to EZ-Link card transactions, every S$0.10 spent on the EZ-Link Wallet will earn one point.

In addition, Android and iOS users can now top-up their EZ-Link cards anytime and on the go via the EZ-Link Wallet, and receive direct cashback and reward credits in their accounts when they spend with the e-wallet.

With the latest upgrade, EZ-Link said it aims to deliver a more seamless and rewarding experience for users’ transport and retail transactions. 

Lee said, “As we push forward in our digitalization journey, we must always put people at the heart of our innovation. This is in line with our new brand direction, which is rooted in the belief that our everyday life is lived in small moments that can be turned into little wins.”

In accordance with its branding move and to better differentiate its offerings, EZ-Link’s new and existing products will now be housed under three sub-brands: EZ-Link Rewards, EZ-Link Wallet, and former EZ-Pay, EZ-Link Motoring, which is the brand’s upcoming solution for electronic toll and parking payments.