MANILA, Philippines - The SM group on Monday launched a stored value, contactless smart card, which can be used to pay for tickets at SM cinemas and Mall of Asia Arena, as well as fares for selected UV Express Shuttles.
Soon, these cards can also be used at SM department stores and maybe even the Metro Rail Transit 3 and Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and 2.
In an interview with reporters, SM's West Avenue Theaters Corp. senior vice president Edgar Tejerero said the e-PLUS Tap To Pay card provides customers with convenience in payment, as well savings by offering discounts, rebates and privileges.
The e-PLUS card was initially introduced for use at SM cinemas last year. But now the card can be used for cashless transactions at UV Express Shuttles in SM Passenger Terminals, SM Mall Parking Buildings, SM Tickets, Mall of Asia Arena, Science Discovery Center, SM Bowling, SM Ice Skating, Storyland, SM Cinemas, Directors Club Cinemas, IMAX Theatres and Snacktime.
By November, Tejerero said the card can be used at SM Retail Stores, including department stores and supermarkets, Uniqlo, Forever 21 and Toy Kingdom, as well as other mall merchants nationwide.
Unlike a debit card or a credit card, the e-PLUS Tap To Pay card provides cardholders with discounts and rebates.
"At the cinema, you can get a P50 rebate for any P500 purchase. It translates to a 10% discount food voucher at the snack bar," he said. Cardholders also have a special lane in SM Cinema ticket booths and Snack Time counters.
Also an MRT-LRT card?
Tejerero said the contactless stored value card may even be used for the MRT and LRT, if the SM group wins in the bidding for the automatic fare collection system (AFCS) for Metro Manila's elevated railways.
The Sy-led SM group was among 9 groups that qualified to bid for the P1.7 billion project. The group is composed of SM Investments Corp., BDO Capital Investment Corp., Advanced Card Systems Inc., Penta Capital Investments Corp., SM Retail Inc., GoldSign Data Co. Ltd., and BDO Unibank Inc.
The e-PLUS card is also being deployed at select school cafeterias, where students can use it. Students can get a 5% to 10% discount when they use the card.
The e-PLUS card currently has 183,000 cardholders. Tejerero said the company is aiming to have 1 million cardholders by June 2014.
"If we win the AFCS project, the number (of cardholders) will up... If we can get the contract, we can get as much as 3 million cardholders," Tejerero said.
Aside from the MRT-LRT, Tejerero said there are also talks to use the system for public buses.
An advantage of the e-PLUS card is that there is no minimum amount required when using it, and no limits on the "amount load." The card can also be "reloaded" easily at reloading centers, vending machines and through V-Mobile Dealers, and soon through BDO ATMs and online banking.
In case the card gets stolen, the cardholder can call a hotline to have the card cut off immediately.
Meanwhile, SM also launched the ePLUS.ph website, where customers can buy tickets for SM Cinema and Mall of Asia Arena events, as well as various deals and lifestyle articles.
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