KUCHING : E-wallets are a dime a dozen today in Malaysia as the government launches various campaigns and incentives to encourage the public and businesses to adopt digital payments.
Malaysians are no strangers to e-wallets – Sarawakians in particular have S Pay Global, a state initiative.
I have always been curious as to the extent to which I can use e-wallets across all facets of my life, such as paying bills, eating out, getting transportation—all at the tip of my fingers? Such was the futuristic dream I had as a child!
The opportunity came to me when Grab Malaysia approached me to take up the GrabPay Cashless Challenge, where I took up the mantle of testing how thoroughly I could live my life cashless.
I topped up my GrabPay Wallet and went about my daily life for one week by using only the Grab app to carry out my day-to-day activities.
A rewarding shopping experience with GrabPay
Right off the bat, my first go-to action on the app was to order GrabFood and pay with GrabPay, as is the norm for my work-life during these pandemic times.
With the current hybrid working model, I may work from home or head to the office as it deems fit, hence I do a fair bit of ordering food to be delivered to my home or office, depending on my schedule of the day.
With GrabFood expanding its repertoire of restaurant-partners recently, there were plenty of options to choose from. Ordering was a breeze as one perused the many merchants of choice, be it flavour, taste, speed, and distance from one’s location.
I went out to dine in restaurants and pay with GrabPay, which proved to be seamless and straightforward.
Prior to this, I was more inclined to use cash, but the pandemic has nudged me towards cashless transactions to minimise physical contact. I was impressed by how rapid our everyday eateries adopt e-wallets as an option of payment methods.
Additionally, I also shopped on GrabMart to pay for my groceries and other necessities via GrabPay. The best part about paying for all these services via GrabPay is that I can accumulate GrabRewards.
With every GrabPay transaction, I can earn GrabRewards and enjoy up to 1.8 percent back in savings, which I can later use to offset future payments for greater savings and enjoy exclusive vouchers.
Using GrabPay in our daily life
In Sarawak, it is more typical for anyone who owns a vehicle to drive oneself out and about for errands and whatnot. However, with the convenience of on-demand e-hailing services like Grab, transportation is made accessible to everybody.
For this challenge, I took Grab to a local mall and found the process, from booking to payment, to be seamless and effortless—everything was done in one app! At times when I drive my personal car, I also use GrabPay to pay for the parking ticket.
During this challenge, I discovered more ways to use GrabPay in my daily activities such as paying for my bills, offline or online shopping, insurance, sending money, receiving money, and more.
I was able to save myself some trips of going out to pay my bills physically—I did it in the comfort of my home. When I am out and about, I can pay with GrabPay by showing my QR code to the cashier. Long gone are the days of carrying bulky wallets, all I need is the Grab app on my phone.
As I progress through this challenge, I become more confident to perform cashless transactions. My money in the e-wallet is safeguarded by Grab’s sophisticated multi-layered safety and security features, which required me to set up an OTP (one time password) and GrabPIN.
Final verdict
It was a smooth week of using GrabPay for me. The pandemic and the MCO has accelerated the adoption of cashless payments and our lifestyle is made easy with digital payments.
I noticed that GrabPay’s use is not fully extensively adopted in Sarawak. However, Grab is committed to driving cashless adoption among businesses and users throughout Malaysia.
The homegrown tech enabler is partnering with the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) to encourage higher adoption of digital business models or e-wallets among businesses through the Retail Digitalisation (ReDI) initiative.
Merchants that offer cashless payment options not only provide a better shopping experience for their customers but also enjoy seamless business operations by going digital.
Moreover, shoppers that use GrabPay can enjoy more savings and gain peace of mind when performing digital transactions safely and securely. Going cashless is a win-win situation for all!