Creditwest unveils its new smartphone scheme
CREDITWEST bank yesterday unveiled a new scheme meaning customers can pay for purchases using their smartphone instead of carrying cash, credit or debt cards. The Local Pay app is hailed as a first for North Cyprus, by which account-holders can benefit from the bank’s “fast, easy and secure payment system” at participating outlets. Executive expat branch manager Figen Kaymak told Cyprus Today there were currently 160 retailers involved in the scheme and the figure “was increasing on an hourly basis, from restaurants, hotels, pharmacies to clothes shops, entertainment venues, sports centres etc”.
Ms Kaymak said the scheme — launched under the slogan “Cash out, mobile phone in” — was a specially customised “new generation mobile payment method” and a “very convenient” way to shop.
She explained: “How it works is simple: you can download the Local Pay application to your smartphone and make payments via any of your debit accounts, as well as checking your past payments.
“In addition, you can monitor the current balance of the account you choose and in case of insufficient balance, you can choose another account to make your payment quickly and easily.”
Ms Kaymak said the app would read the QR code at the point of payment, and the customer would then choose the correct outlet from a list.
“Enter the payment amount. Enter your Local Pay password and complete your payment.
“It is fast, easy and secure . . . even if you don’t have cash or credit card.”