FOR many of us, life now has been divided into two eras: pre-pandemic and the present. But there was an in-between—the dark days when we all didn’t know what was going to happen and we were counting infections and fatalities.
During the pandemic, specifically during ECQ and GECQ days, one of the things I looked forward to was the buying and selling of photo cards and other K-pop related merchandise on Twitter every Friday. It meant several hours of fun. It was less about buying and more about forgetting the troubles and uncertainties most of us had during that period.
Pre-pandemic, we would pay for online purchases by making bank deposits or via express payment methods. We would ask someone to do it for us and pay them a certain amount, as this would normally take several hours of lining up. Most online sellers only accepted these methods of payment. Very few of them had GCash because things were very different then.
Well, in the midst of all that online buying and selling during the pandemic, everyone realized how convenient GCash was. You didn’t even have to be a Globe subscriber. You could be a subscriber of the other network and still have a GCash e-wallet. Pretty soon, we all had GCash. Every online seller, owner of a small stall in the mall, Grab driver and rider, and delivery people now have GCash. In the online shopping milieu, GCash payment reigns supreme.
Last week, I was with my boss and a delivery person called her. She had a delivery from an e-commerce platform and it was supposed to be COD. She simply told the delivery person, as she was out of the house, “Let me send you the payment via GCash.” And it was done. I no longer go on my Friday night Twitter buying sprees but will always remember those times with a smile.
GCash is now very much a part of our lives, even post-pandemic. We even pay our utilities bills via GCash. As of March 2022, GCash had an average of 60 million users. This accounts for about 83 percent of the adult population in the Philippines.
Aside from hassle-free payments, GCash has opened easier ways to save money, invest, get insurance coverages, and even loan funds. Thanks to its current 76 million-strong user base, GCash is now the No. 1 e-wallet and the Philippines’s only double unicorn.
GCash has launched the “#GCashStories—Mga Kwento ng Pag-asa at Pag-asenso” campaign to encourage Filipinos to come forward with their heartwarming GCash stories. “With over 70 million people using GCash, we have millions of stories to tell. Every story, big or small, is a story worth telling because they are stories of progress and hope. It’s the story of how GCash has helped millions of Filipinos. It’s my story, it’s your story, it’s our story together,” said Neil Trinidad, chief marketing officer at GCash
The #GCashStories digital series features modern-day stories of progress, showing how Filipinos have improved their way of life with GCash. The series begins with the story of Cocoy Rubio, who lost his job as a bartender during the pandemic. Cocoy’s GCash story shows how he began his journey after being laid off to become an entrepreneur with his very own The Bike Coffee business in Cagayan De Oro. The film highlights how Cocoy used GCash to pay for his supplies and even applying for capital via GLoan, which provides fast, safe and affordable cash loans.
GLoan offers up to P125,000 instant cash without the need for additional documents.
GCash has also tapped several non-governmental organizations to bridge the narratives to help solve real-world.
The e-wallet has teamed up with ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation and Go Negosyo to help raise funds for their livelihood and entrepreneurship programs through #GCashStories.
Get a chance to win up to P10,000 worth of prizes when you share your own GCash story. Share how GCash helped you in your everyday lives, or how you helped someone using Gcash. Don’t forget to tag the GCash official TikTok account @gcashofficial and include the hashtags #GCashStories #Storytime. The post with the highest views and engagement will be picked as winners.
Image credits: Firmbee.com on Unsplash