G-Cash in SM Malls

In Nov 2004, I wrote about a concept of G-Cash in SM using their POS Converged Machines (Part I):

That's also good news for G-Cash. I can imagine that we will one day be able to pay SM via G-Cash through Mighty POS.

SM won't need a hundred G-Cash cellphones (one per kahera) to accept G-Cash payments. I imagine that an SM mall will need just one GSM modem connected to the system running Mighty POS's (Mighty POS's boss).

And here's my experience in using Smart Money in SM.

Today, I posted this on Pinoy.Tech.Blog:

You see those Point-Of-Sale (POS) machines in SM? The machines that slurp your credit card when you make a purchase (I call it slurp, but most call it “swipe”). The integrated machines that accept almost any credit card, debit card, and almost “any” payment card.

Now these POS machines at SM accept G-Cash payments! No, the machines won’t slurp your Globe cellphone (your dog will do that for you). But these POS machines will accept payments via text messaging!

G-Cash to POS payments are currently available at Megamall and will be rolled out in other SM malls “soon”, says a press release on last Sunday’s broadsheets.

Whereas credit card payments are “slurped in” by the POS, G-Cash payments are “texted in” via SMS to SM’s POS system.

After texting in your G-Cash payment, you will receive an SMS requesting confirmation of the payment. Upon sending your confirmation, payment will be debited from your existing G-Cash. I imagine that SM kahera will see the payment received in her cashier’s machine and, possibly, a tape receipt will slither out of the POS machine.

What would increase G-Cash transactions in SM?

For starters, SM could start issuing gift certificates via G-Cash (GC via GC!). Malapit na ang pasko. Sell SM-G-Cash gift certificates to ninongs and ninangs so that they could send these mobile gift certificates to their inaanaks via SMS! How kewl is that, huh?

Sino kayang groovy ninong ko ang mag-sesend sa akin ng G-Cash gift certs?

;-)
edwin