Customers of Takealot.com, Flysaa.com (South African Airways) and entertainment ticketing site Plankton.mobi will be the first in the country to enjoy MasterCard’s MasterPass as a payment method at checkout with the introduction of MasterPass in SA.
MasterPass acceptance network allow consumers to store all their MasterCard or other branded credit, debit or cheque card information, and shipping and billing address details securely in one place with an ability to make secure online payments without the repeated hassle of entering these details each time.
For retailers, MasterPass provides a more secure, faster and easier way to checkout their customers.
In a statement, Mark Hearne, Head of Business Development, MasterCard, South Africa said,“With a single click, tap or touch of the MasterPass button at checkout, consumers can access their preferred digital wallet and authenticate a payment with a secure PIN. South Africans are the first in the Middle East and Africa region to be introduced to MasterPass, which was launched internationally last year.”
Apart from merchants, South Africa’s Standard Bank has also become the first local bank to offer a digital wallet powered by MasterPass via the Standard Bank MasterPass app available in Apple, Android or BlackBerry app stores. Standard Bank MasterPass app users download, register, load their credit, debit or cheque cards and delivery and billing address details and begin shopping and they don’t necessarily have to be Standard Bank cardholders.
MasterPass also accepts selected PIN-based debit cards such as Maestro, enabling millions of South Africans to make secure online purchases using their PIN-based debit cards. MasterPass promises to enable in-app and in-store purchases, based on the shopping experiences a merchant wants to make available to its customers.
“Standard Bank is excited to be pushing the frontiers of the payments technology landscape, in partnership with MasterCard, and enabling not only South African cardholders but also our merchant partners to provide slicker payment options to the market. In so doing, we hope to further galvanise the rapid rise we have seen in e-commerce in South Africa recently, and create the platform for future growth in the payments industry,” says Chris Sweeney, Group Head of Cards for Standard BankGroup.
According to a MasterCardOnline Shopping Behaviour Study concern around the safety of online transactions was the reason 42 percent gave for not shopping online, a 4 percent increase from last year but by selecting “Buy with MasterPass” as the payment option at checkout, consumers reduce the risk of exposing their personal information over potentially unsafe networks, assuring them of a safe and secure transaction.
More South African banks and their merchant partners will be offering MasterPass services which can be branded and personalised for online payments and in-store purchases. South African MasterPass users can shop internationally at the over 40,000 online merchants around the world that accept MasterPass, as long as their loaded payment cards comply with international standards. This applies to most South African cheque and credit cards.
