Visa and SM Champion Contactless Payments in the Philippines

Visa today announced that SM, the Philippines’ largest chain of department stores and partner boutiques, has become the first retail group to accept contactless payments in all its establishments and affiliate stores. There will be 5,000 contactless terminals enabled across 59 SM Stores in 68 SM Supermalls in the Philippines, where cardholders can make contactless payments.

This innovation offers cardholders a faster and convenient way to pay for their purchases from SM and its affiliate stores. Consumers can simply tap their cards on a payment terminal to complete a transaction. No more dipping and swiping, or signing for payments under 2,000 pesos.

“We are delighted to be working with SM to introduce to Filipino consumers an easier way to pay. We couldn’t ask for a better partner to embark with us on this exciting endeavor.” – Stuart Tomlinson, Visa Country Manager for the Philippines and Guam

He adds: This is the first time that a leading retail company is driving contactless at all its outlets in the Philippines, which is an important milestone for us. We want to show Filipinos how contactless payments can elevate and transform their shopping experiences. Likewise, we believe contactless payments will also improve the productivity level for cashiers at the various retail outlets so that the service staff can tend to customers faster and with ease.

“As a company, SM prides itself in being a one-stop shop for customers. We take our tagline, ’We’ve Got It All For You,’ seriously, and treat it as a guiding principle for the level of service that we uphold,” says Chelo C. Monasterio, President for The SM Store.

“We are pleased to work with Visa to introduce contactless payments and drive innovation at our retail outlets. As times change, so do the needs of our customers, ” she also told.

“With this new payment solution, we can continue to provide Filipino shoppers with a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience at our stores.” – Eugene Saw, Senior Vice President at SM Retail

After this launch, Visa hopes to see a growth in usage of contactless payment systems in the Philippines. ”Contactless is the future of payments,‘ says Mr. Tomlinson.

“With SM coming on board to offer this solution in the Philippines, we look forward to seeing more Filipinos embrace it and helping to accelerate the use of electronic payments in the country.”

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