Vodacom customers can now buy airtime, data bundles and SMS bundles through the My Vodacom mobile application using Masterpass, the global digital payment service from Mastercard. To make a purchase, customers simply load their payment card information into the secure app, select “pay with Masterpass”, and enter in their bank PIN to complete the purchase.

The Masterpass vision is to support all forms of commerce in order to address the widest range of merchant experiences and consumer needs. Masterpass speeds up and simplifies the buying process as payment card information – including card details from both Mastercard and other payment networks – is only captured once, meaning that consumers do not have the repeated hassle of entering these details each time they want to complete a transaction. This checkout process creates a seamless purchase experience, supported by the highest levels of security.

“Consumers want to shop and pay in a way that suits their lifestyle. Whether it’s in-store, online or on-the-go, the payment experience needs to be simple and fast, while being safe and secure. This is the first Masterpass in-app feature to go live in South Africa, enabling consumers to make everyday payments like airtime top-up without having to leave the app,” says Mark Elliott, Division President, Mastercard, South Africa.

Masterpass currently supports Vodacom’s Express Recharge, a USSD (sms-based) platform that enables customers to buy airtime and data using their debit, cheque or credit cards via their mobile phones.

“At Vodacom, we’re always looking for innovative ways to improve our customer experience. Integrating Masterpass into My Vodacom is part of the payments innovation journey Vodacom is driving to make in-app commerce as safe, easy and convenient as possible,” says Steve Briggs, Executive Head of Digital Product and Operations at Vodacom. “With so many of our customers now using smartphones, it makes enormous sense to make it as easy for them to pay for airtime as it is to check their social media feeds.”

Another key benefit of Masterpass is that it uses multiple layers of security, ensuring the users personal and payments details are protected. Unlike other solutions, each Masterpass transaction classified as an Authenticated Mobile Transaction by South African banks, ensuring that consumers enjoy the highest protection from fraudsters.

Currently Vodacom customers can access Masterpass in-app payments on Android devices through the My Vodacom app.