Cashless Payments – UnionPay’s Response to the Global Pandemic
Phnom Penh, Cambodia. With the present global pandemic caused by
COVID-19, personal hygiene and observing social distancing are critical
as safety measures. However, we still need to move around to meet the
requirements of our daily lives. In order to better protect our health,
it is only wise and safe to use cashless payment methods when it comes
to paying at the supermarket, pay for electricity, water, phone, house
rents, to mitigate the possibility of exposure to the deadly virus.
UnionPay
International aims to continuously deliver world-class quality
financial solutions that offer security over financial handlings of its
customer based on innovation and adaptation to the current business
trends. UnionPay offers diverse payment methods that adapt to the
evolving situation, like the global health crisis that we are facing
right now. These payment platforms are tailored to the needs of its
customers.
Indeed, UnionPay customers can opt for several
cashless payments available in Cambodia to support their daily payment
needs. These cashless payments include several payment modes that reduce
the need for physical transactions like handling bank notes, and
face-to-face contact.
UnionPay Online Payment offers convenience
through multiple security technology and risk monitoring, to ensure the
safety of online payment, regardless of purchasing from local
e-commerce merchants or cross-border ones for essential goods, without
leaving the comfort of our homes. Currently, UnionPay is accepted by
more than 20 million online merchants worldwide. These merchants are
based in 200 countries and regions, including here in Cambodia, in
Thailand, Japan, USA, South Korea, Hong Kong, Europe and more, covering
wide and varying fields of retail, healthcare, online food, grocery
deliveries and more. For example UnionPay customers can order pizza from
The Pizza Company or food delivery from Nham24 and Muuve so that they
need not go out to queue and pack food. If they want to stay health,
they can stay fit at home by ordering sportswear and sports goods from
Decathlon at https://www.decathlon.com.kh/en/.
If
you really need to go out for a quick grocery run, UnionPay cards are
widely accepted at major supermarket chains like AEON MaxValu, Lucky
Supermarket, Bayon Supermarket, Thai Huot Market and more. At AEON
MaxValu market, you even get to enjoy 5% off with UnionPay.
When
paying at merchant physical stores, use an UnionPay Debit or Credit
card instead of bank notes, which may have a lot of germs and bacteria.
Working with local partners like ABA Bank, Acleda and PPC Bank, UnionPay
has been actively deploying Contactless terminals at merchants like
Smart Shops and Lucky Supermarkets – just a tap of the UnionPay card on
the merchant terminal will authorize the purchase, there is even no need
to hand the card to the cashier, allowing our customers to further
reduce physical contact.
It is no surprise that bank notes are
unhygienic, given the nature of its usage and that money is one of the
most frequently exchanged items in the world. Therefore, they collect
significant number of bacteria and even viruses.
A team of
researchers from New York University have conducted the first
comprehensive DNA study* on $1 bills from USA, and found 3,000 different
types of bacteria that cause acne, staphylococcus infections that cause
meningitis (which is the inflammation of the lining of the brain),
pneumonia, gastric ulcers, food poisoning, and antibiotic resistance.
These bacteria could be ingested when we directly rub our eyes or eat
food using our hands, after handling money without washing or sanitizing
it thoroughly. Distinctively, the US dollar bill is prone to bacteria,
because it’s printed on cotton-based paper, which is more absorbent than
the plastic polymer notes used in Australia, Thailand, Singapore and
Malaysia. Another study conducted in Singapore also supported the above
findings.
From an economic point of view, cotton-based paper
makes money less durable, with an average lifetime of only 21 months.
Cambodian Riel is now printed on cotton-based paper.
It’s little
wonder that government and associations in surrounding nations are
advocating cashless payments. In Thailand, the Thai Bankers’ Association
urged the general public to use e-payment channels to minimize the risk
of any infection. Singapore’s central bank also urged the use of
digital payment to support safe distancing measures.
Similarly
in Cambodia, the National Bank of Cambodia has also urged government
ministries, financial institutions and the public to use electronic
payment where possible to combat the spread of Covid-19.
By
utilizing UnionPay’s electronic payment solutions, our health is better
protected against possible exposure to different diseases and viruses.