Credit cards are here to stay, but debit cards are the new cash. The good news is major card brands are now all linked to SWUP, so virtually any business can benefit as more shoppers start using their debit cards. SWUP now links up major ATM debit cards through Visa Electron, Mastercard Electronic, BancNet, MegaLink, and ExpressNet in addition to major credits Visa, Mastercard, Amercian Express, JCB, and Diner’s Club International. Swipe without fear, the Day of the Debit Card is really here.

There are approximately thirty million ATM debit cardholders, and only 70,000 terminals in the country. To close that gap, SWUP provides a fail-safe system enabling more debit cardholders to use POS (point of sale) terminals at their favorite retail stores. Soon the days of searching for the nearest ATM will be over.

The SWUP terminal has now been programmed to accept all types of cards, enabling more stores to accept both credit and ATM debit card payments. Consumers, on the other hand, get to choose their cards and their bank.

It means never having to queue at an ATM at the last minute, savoring the pleasure of making immediate purchases right then and there, at the key moment of decision. The consumer fix is satisfied at the point of sale, and for shoppers like me, that kind of empowerment is undeniable.

SWUP makes it easier on merchants and retailers too, because the easy swipe terminal allows for always-on connectivity. It means no more need for multiple phone lines. SWUP is MPLS-based (Multi Protocol Label Switching) and not Internet-based, so it is hacker and virus-free. Apart from this, it reduces fraud. Charges are made on a monthly rate, making it every bit as convenient and easy for the retailer as it is for the customer.

I’m so sold on PLDT SWUP, I can’t wait to use it. I have yet to see a terminal that accepts ALL types of cards—and now SWUP is it. The country that’s known for its malls will soon be a true shopper’s paradise. If there’s one thing we need, it’s to create a shopping mecca, one where SWUP machines and terminals abound, where carefree shopping means cashless shopping.

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Credit card swipes at retail stores are a given, but now there is a potential of millions of ATM debit cardholders about to be tapped for the retail sector. As PLDT SWUP (Shops.Work Unplugged) POS (Point of Sale) swipe terminals can now accept ATM debit cards apart from major credit card brands such as VISA, Mastercard, JCB, Bankard, American Express, Diner’s Club International, the customer base for retail has practically exploded overnight with Megalink, Expressnet, Visa Electron, Mastercard Electronic cards joining the SWUP community.

ATM debit cards are as good as cash, but until lately had limited acceptability at different outlets. This was due to the fact that there was a woefully low number of swipe -machines made to accommodate them.

SWUP It All

With SWUP’s terminals accepting both types of cards, another boon to retail business owners is also realized: a more compact all-in-one machine that does it all. The larger benefit to business, of course is an increased probability to capture “emotional” customer purchases, the so-called “impulse buys” which is one of the underlying aspects of credit card purchases as well.

As this aspect is now applicable to ATM debit cardholders, there is actually less of a psychological barrier to hurdle—buyers are aware that debit cards represent their own existing cash, electronic cash in this case. There is less guilt associated with these purchases, and no harried hunting for ATMs to queue-up for cash withdrawals especially during paydays.

Safe? Secure? Sure!

PLDT’s widest wireless coverage and incomparable network security also makes it possible for transactions to be sent straight to retailers’ systems. As SWUP is based on MPLS, and not on the open Internet as was conventionally done, the system is effectively hacker-and-virus-free. This negates fraud at significant stages of each transaction.

Additionally, SWUP features always-on connectivity, provides immediate access to the server, and eliminates the need for multiple phone lines at the establishment. Whereas it was once accepted by shoppers using old debit card swipes to expect occasional “off line” events at terminals or to wait interminably long for their transaction to go through, the risk of that happening with a new streamlined and efficient SWUP system is drastically reduced.

For retailers, it will be hard to reject the prospect of a customer base that can be expanded several-fold; and the messy needs of their old wired terminals system, the “octopus” of several phone and terminal cables that strangled their payment counters. SWUP’s masterstroke of simplifying everything wirelessly and its do-it-all capability for credit and ATM debit cards has ushered in a new day for retailers and their customers. For customers especially, it’s been a day long in coming.

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The age of cashless shopping is here. SWUP til you drop will soon be the new motto of consumers everywhere.