Paying your bills is an essential errand. If you want to enjoy continuous services and privileges, then you have to settle your accounts completely and on time.
Thankfully, there are plenty of bills payment methods available nowadays. Aside from the traditional bayad centers, Filipinos can also pay their dues through banks and convenience stores. Mobile and internet banking are also popular choices for bills payment, as are e-wallets like Maya.
The latter, in particular, is gaining a lot of ground in the Philippines. Over the years, e-wallets in the country have seen an increase not just in user base but also in usage frequency. From convenience to savings, customers cite various reasons behind their patronage of such apps.
If you haven’t tried paying bills through Maya yet, or need convincing to use it more often, below are some good reasons to do so:
Pay Anytime, Anywhere
One of the downsides of traditional bills payment methods is that you have to step out of the house to run your errand. This can be time-consuming, especially if you only have that particular task to do. Not only do you have to account for your drive or commute t, but you also have to contend with long lines.
In addition, there’s also the fact that bayad centers and banks have fixed business hours. Many are also closed during public holidays. If you don’t make it on time, you have to come back on the next business day.
With e-wallets like Maya, you don’t have any of these problems. You can pay your bills anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re at home or in the office, or even if it’s the middle of the night, you can open the app and pay in just a few taps. You can even set up reminders for recurring payments so that you don’t have to worry about forgetting your due dates.
One-Stop Shop
With the Pay Bills function of e-wallet apps, you essentially have a one-stop payment center in your pocket. Beyond paying utility bills like those for your electricity, water, mobile phone plan, and internet services, you can also pay government contributions and fees. These include SSS and Pag-IBIG contributions, loan payments, as well as the DFA’s passport fee.
There are also banks, credit card companies, hospitals, insurance companies, and even schools that accept payments through Maya and other e-wallets. The list of merchant partners is continuously growing, too, so you can pay more bills through the app in the future.
Cashback and Other Offers
Paying bills and fees using Maya is one way for budget-conscious, bargain-loving Filipinos to save even more money. Depending on the biller, you can receive cashbacks and other forms of rebates when you pay using the app.
Usually, the cashback comes in the form of vouchers that can be redeemed and converted into additional wallet balance. The amount credited can then be used to pay for other bills or other online transactions.
Better for Your Health
One of the factors behind the sudden surge of e-wallet usage in the Philippines is the COVID-19 pandemic. Quarantine measures were implemented to slow down the spread of the virus, but it also limited the hours that could be spent outside. This prompted people to look for ways to do errands from home, both for convenience and their health.
With e-wallets like Maya, it’s possible to go completely cashless and contactless. From adding money to your account to actually paying the bills, you can complete the entire process without having direct contact with others. This is beneficial for your physical health in two ways: you have minimal exposure to viruses and bacteria, as well as to usual pollutants like vehicular emissions.
Paying bills and fees using Maya can also contribute to a healthier mental state. With limited exposure to disease-causing particles and substances, you’ll have more peace of mind.
Easy Monitoring of Finances
Budgeting your income can be quite a challenge nowadays. Thankfully, there are plenty of tools you can use to help with the task. There are budgeting apps that you can download for free, along with basic spreadsheets and even your smartphone’s built-in calendar.
Paying bills using an e-wallet app like Maya can also help with better and easier budget management. Thanks to the notifications you receive each time you pay a bill, you’ll have automatic electronic records of your transactions. This also eliminates the need for paper receipts, which means that your budget-keeping will be greener as well.
In the end, it’s still about your personal preferences and situations. For example, there are some people who prefer paying in cash because they feel more secure with a physical proof of payment. There are also others who may not have access to the right technology.
However, with all of these benefits mentioned above, it’s certainly compelling to start using e-wallets like Maya to pay bills and fees. If you have a smartphone and access to the internet, why not give it a go? When you experience the cashless and contactless convenience, you may not want to go back to traditional transactions again.
