Cashless adventure to Japan
If you plan to go anywhere abroad this year, you can go cashless and travel without the usual worries and hassles.
Take a cue from Megan Young and Mikael Daez’s recent adventure in Japan, where they traveled cashless through their favorite places in Tokyo. They share some of their tips, discoveries, and advice on using GCash abroad and why it’s the most important and best companion for any traveler.
Pay in stores with your GCash wallet by scanning a QR code for hassle-free, contactless payments.
“One of the most common inconveniences when traveling to a foreign country is familiarizing yourself with the currency, and this is usually what leads to delays or misunderstandings and even the risk of overpaying. When you pay with GCash, you ensure that you always pay the right amount. Also, GCash is securely linked to your wallet, so you don’t have to deal with cash and the different currencies, which is a great help especially for first-time travelers to Japan or any other country,” Mikael said.
Look for the Alipay+ sign at the checkout counter to verify if GCash is accepted as a payment method. Then pay with your app by scanning the QR code or generating your code for the merchant to scan.
“We’ve gotten used to scanning to pay locally, but it’s nice to now be able to pay with GCash when we visit some of our favorite places like Glico and BIC Camera, or when we check out the new Gigo flagship,” Megan added.
In case your phone dies or in areas where you can’t get a data connection, or in merchant stores where only cards are accepted, pay with the newest GCash Card. The card, also linked to your GCash wallet, lets you make secure payments with a simple tap. It has no surprise charges.
“One of the reasons I think the card is such a big help for travelers is that it covers all the possibilities and shows that we can all use GCash abroad. You can scan to pay and if that’s not possible, there’s still the option to pay with the card,” Megan shared.
Upon arriving in a foreign country, many travelers immediately exchange money for the local currency. But oftentimes this comes with service fees that don’t allow you to maximize your budget. With GCash Global Pay, you don’t need to face the long lines at the airport or money changes in the city. GCash has also launched a new feature of real-time conversion, so you can see your GCash balance in the currency of the country you are in.
GCash has extended the accessibility of GCash Global Pay via Scan QR not just in Japan but also in South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Macau in Asia as well as Qatar, the UAE, the USA, and destinations in Europe such as France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.