I went to the mall today as I have heard about the new version of Gcash MasterCard that Globe is offering. Basically, it has the same features as the old Gcash Mastercard; you can shop online, withdraw cash and swipe the card to get transactions done without shedding physical cash.
The new Gcash MasterCard is royal blue, plus the EMV chip is embedded on the card. EMV chips are a thing for debit and credit cards now as it offers an added security for your deposited cash.
The new EMV-enabled Gcash Mastercard comes in two variants: one enables you to top up your phone, send money, pay bills, withdraw cash and shop online and cashless, while the other one is a debit-beep card, that you can use with all the features of the first variant, plus the beep feature that allows you to use the card when riding LRTs and MRTs.
New subscribers must pay P150 for the debit-only EMV Gcash Mastercard or P210 for the debit-beep variant. Unfortunately, subscribers and users who have the old version of the beep card and want to switch to the more secure EMV-enabled MasterCard also need to pay all the same (that’s a bummer).
For New subscribers/users, availing of this card is easy as 1-2-3 since all you need is to present an ID, fill out a form and you’ll be assisted with the mobile number-linking process.
For subscribers who have the old Gcash beep card, the process will be a bit different and longer since the old and new Gcash Mastercards carry different card numbers (thus, treated as two separate accounts).
- You’ll be assisted by a CSR through 2882.
- The verification process will commence. CSR will confirm the purpose of call.
- Be ready to provide info about your Gcash: the last transaction you made and the current balance is the usual verifiers if you own the Gcash account.
- You will be asked for your old Gcash MasterCard card number, your email address and the card number of the new EMV-enabled GCash Mastercard.
- Upon some clicks and input of details, the process will be finished. CSR will inform you that the unlinking of the old card and the activation/linking of the new card will take up to 5 working days.
Pros:
- The EMV chip is an additional security feature of the card.
- For people who heighten their card-linked money security, this is beneficial.
Cons:
- Availing this card is just an additional expense for old subscribers. A “free replacement” could have been offered.
- Globe should have stuck with offering an EMV-chipped Gcash MasterCard Beep card than offering two variants (debit only and debit-beep card).
- The 5-day wait for the unlinking and relinking means you can’t do any transaction using the account, thus you have to resort to another financial medium.
- Meanwhile, the old Gcash MasterCard Beep card will not be taken from you as it is still usable as a beep card for riding the MRTs and LRTs.
