Some 40 million Filipinos have a GCash account, underscoring how the pandemic has accelerated the shift to cashless transactions. Monthly e-commerce sales and utilities payment have become our new normalmaking mobile wallets a must.
If you still don’t have a GCash account or you don’t know where to start, we list down the many ways you can load up on credits so you can transact cash-free online and in the real world.
Before you load up your mobile wallet to pay for utilities or splurge on payday, make sure your GCash account has been verified. Apart from ensuring your information is legitimate and safe, most transactions like cashing in online are available to verified users only.
Verification can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a full day and requires your updated information, a photo, and valid ID with signature that ascertains your identity. Once you’ve been verified, you’ll have access to a variety of GCash services, including cash-ins at the platform’s partners.
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Here’s your guide to cashing in on GCash:
Online banking app and account
GCash lets you cash-in through mobile banking apps. All you have to do is link your bank account to GCash and it will save your details for the next time you cash in.
To protect users, GCash will replace your account number with asterisks when transacting and will require a one-time pin every time.
If you’ve got more than one account in a bank or you have accounts in several banks, you can link them all to GCash and cash-in from different sources. Each bank may have different instructions, which are available on the GCash app.
While most banks let you top up your mobile wallet with credits, do take note that some charge a small fee for cash-ins.
New users are allowed to cash-in up to P10,000 a day. This will increase to P50,000 two weeks from your first online cash-in.
Bank transfer
Most bank apps categorize GCash as a merchant or mobile wallet partner meaning you can transfer money from your bank account to your online wallet. Again, each bank’s instructions are different with corresponding payment fees.
Open up your bank’s app and you’ll find the GCash option under ‘send money’ or ‘transfer.’ For this transaction, your account number is the phone number you used to sign up for GCash.
Over the counter
If you don’t have an online bank account or you’re wary of linking it, you can top up in the real world via GCash’s over-the-counter partners. Cash-ins can be done at supermarkets, department stores, drugstores, convenience stores, gas stations, and even pawnshops.
Instructions for each payment facility vary, but you’ll need your phone, GCash app, and physical cash to transact in all of them. Some involve scanning barcodes, others need a GCash-generated barcode, while some facilities will require you to fill out a form and present a valid ID.
A how-to guide for each payment facility is available in-app.
MORE ON OVER-THE-COUNTER CASH-IN:
GCash Now Accepts Cash-In Via Cebuana Lhuillier
International payment and remittance centers
Got money coming in from abroad? No worries, you can still cash-in through a variety of payment and remittance centers.
Most international payment facilities like PayPal and Western Union only accept Philippine Peso so you’ll have to convert currencies when cashing-in. Like other transactions, international remittance centers may charge a fee for cash-ins.
For a list of cash-in partners, check the GCash app or the GCash website.