Helping the “uncarded and unbanked” fully enjoy the benefits of the Internet, Smart Communications, Inc. unveils the “world’s first ever” pay-with- load service for iTunes and App Store.
Available to prepaid and postpaid subscribers (except for corporate accounts) beginning February 16, the service, dubbed “Pay-With-Mobile,” allows subscribers to purchase apps, games, books, magazines, music, and movies on their Apple devices using only their prepaid load or charged on top of their monthly postpaid bill.
“Smart understands that not everyone owns a credit card, but that shouldn’t stop people from realizing the full potential of their mobile devices,” said Charles Lim, EVP and Wireless Consumer Division Head at Smart. “This is why we have worked hard to bring this groundbreaking service to Filipino users, which we believe will further revolutionize the way they enjoy their favorite lifestyle apps and content on their devices.”
One-time registration
To get started, users only need to register once by texting REG to 4949. After texting, they will receive their Pay-With-Mobile number and other pertinent account details. Once ready, users can go to the Apple ID Account Settings page on iTunes or the App Store, select “MasterCard” as their payment option, and enter the number and other details on their corresponding fields.
Once the card number is associated with the account, users can already purchase all the apps, games, movies and music on their phones, as well as make in-app purchases within “freemium” apps. For every successful transaction, subscribers will receive an SMS notification to inform them of the purchase.
A 15% premium will be charged on top of the published App Store and iTunes rates to account for VAT (value-added tax) and foreign exchange rate difference in dollars.
“With more than 1 million apps available in the app store, as well as tons of music and movie content downloadable via iTunes, users will have endless amounts of entertainment wherever they go using their Apple devices,” Lim added.
The service will soon be available to Sun Cellular subscribers.
