THERE is now a simpler and smarter way of enjoying the convenience and security of electronic payments. Leading wireless services provider Smart Communications, in partnership with global payment facility MasterCard Worldwide, introduces the expanded Smart Money payment system.

Smart Money is the first reloadable payment card linked to a mobile phone with a Smart SIM. It combines the strength of Smart’s mobile services and Mastercard’s wide merchant acceptance network, enabling consumers to enjoy a wide array of goods and services.

“We are pleased to provide the public with a richer and more robust mobile commerce experience. Through Smart Money, Filipinos may enjoy the benefits of fast, secure and convenient electronic transactions with just one cash card linked to a Smart mobile phone. It is the smarter electronic solution of tomorrow, made available to Filipinos today,” said Orlando Vea, Smart chief wireless adviser.

“Our alliance with MasterCard Worldwide should assure our Smart Money cardholders that all transactions are consistently validated and protected,” said Danilo Mojica, Smart Wireless Consumer Division head. “Smart Money is a breakthrough innovation that Filipinos will find very useful and practical for their mobile lifestyles,” he added.

Now, the perks of owning a Smart Money card have gotten bigger and better, providing Filipinos with a safer, simpler and more convenient universal payment facility for their various needs and requirements: prepaid account loading, bills payment, shopping, funds transfer for a child’s allowance, etc.

The Smart Money card can then be used to purchase goods and services from over 25 million MasterCard merchant partners around the world, to withdraw from over 7,000 automated teller machines (ATMs) all over the Philippines, and to do over-the-counter transactions from more than 100 Smart Wireless Centers and thousands of Smart Money encashment centers nationwide. All Smart Money withdrawals from Banco de Oro (BDO) ATMS are free of charge.

Smart subscribers can load cash into their electronic card in amounts ranging from P500 to P10,000 at any given time, via a wide selection of Smart loading centers, affiliates and loading machines. Loading may also be done online via www.PLDTOnline.com. All Smart Money transactions are at the speed and convenience of a text message, with the cardholder receiving an SMS notification once a Smart Money fund transfer is completed.

Application is open to anyone aged 12 years old and above. For a one-time processing fee of just P30.00, you may already apply for a Smart Money account to enjoy the benefits of smarter electronic transactions. The application process is simple and hassle-free, eliminating financial document requirements and annual membership dues. You may also choose to process your application online, via www.smart.com.ph/money. Membership is renewable every five years.

The leader in wireless innovations, Smart has been at the forefront in promoting mobile-commerce services in the Philippines since 2000. Smart Money, the world’s first electronic wallet card linked to a mobile phone, won the 2001 3GSM Award for Most Innovative GSM Wireless Service for Customers. It was also cited as the Best Product Innovation award at the MasterCard Marketing Awards in Australia.

A new player comes to town

THERE are a lot of big words being thrown around in the wireless communications industry today. There’s interconnectivity, intranetwork SMS, frequency bandwidth, 3G, 4G, plus a whole slew of text promos—a virtual avalanche of marketing speak to make today’s hyper-caffeinated, earphone-tangled heads spin.

Tech Tips: Before you pull the plug...

WHEN your computer starts acting up, locking up or freezing up, it can be immensely satisfying to punish its disobedience by unplugging it, usually while cursing at the machine. But, if you want to keep using the computer, limit yourself to cursing.

Money Gets Smarter

THERE is now a simpler and smarter way of enjoying the convenience and security of electronic payments. Leading wireless services provider Smart Communications, in partnership with global payment facility MasterCard Worldwide, introduces the expanded Smart Money payment system.

Julianne Moore knows how to make them suffer

NEW YORK —JULIANNE MOORE has made a specialty of suffering in silence, her pale skin pulling tight across her cheekbones to form a flawless mask, a shell of perfect beauty concealing a soul in deepest turmoil. Only in private moments, when no one but the audience is watching, do the cracks begin to show.

Show and Tell: Nearly a week after...

IT was Independence Day when Rudy “Daboy” Fernandez was finally laid to rest.

There were a bit of news that made us see the lighter side of that day.

What would you do with a farewell run?

A GAY friend of ours was explaining a new story concept for a musical about Kiko Matsing and Pong Pagong of Batibot fame in a modern setting. They are yuppies renting a room in a haunted, old house in a Quiapo neighborhood.

Revisiting the past, situated in the present

HE asserts that he is “not trying to bring back the past,” simply “challenging history” in the use of old subject matter in a modern artistic realm. He is not bothered when people say realism is passé, and portraiture, where he excels, no longer excites attention.

Celebrating the Body

‘DRATS!”  I muttered. I got to the press conference and preview of the 100 Nudes, 100 Years exhibit and book project of the University of the Philippines (UP), marking the institution’s centennial, dry enough after braving the showers of late May armed with a golf umbrella.