Absa has launched the Absa Masterpass App, a digital wallet powered by Mastercard, enabling South Africans to make safe and easy payments wherever Masterpass is accepted.

Payments via the Absa Masterpass App currently gives people the power to make online purchases using the digital wallet on their smartphones, without needing to carry their bank cards with them. Absa customers will also soon be able to do in-store shopping using Absa Masterpass, with a variety of merchants presently being signed up.

Consumers can store all their MasterCard or other branded credit, debit or cheque card information, and shipping and billing address details securely in the Absa Masterpass digital wallet. This gives them the ability to make secure payments wherever they see the Masterpass logo, without the hassle of entering these details each time they purchase an item using their Masterpass digital wallet.

“The global banking industry is faced with an ever-changing landscape as customers opt to migrate to digital channels,” says Willie van Zyl, Head of Card Issuing, Absa Retail and Business Banking. “We are seeing a huge change in the way our customers shop and pay for things and the Absa Masterpass App is another step on our mobile banking journey as we respond to the changing needs of our customers. It also gives them access to a smooth shopping experience – from start to finish and in real time. It allows people to conduct the transaction of their choice through the channel of their choice – any time and in any place.”

Mastercard launched the digital payment service in South Africa in July 2014. Today, Masterpass is accepted at more than 270,000 merchants globally including a wide range of South African merchants such as Vodacom, Forever Resorts, Lancet Labs, Lottostar, South African Airways, and Takealot among others.

“This positive uptake of Masterpass by merchants and consumers is indicative that digital payments are growing in popularity in South Africa,” says Mark Elliott, Division President for Mastercard, South Africa. “Masterpass also addresses the concern many shoppers have about the safety of online shopping. We have built Masterpass to have a multi-tiered security system to keep consumers’ personal information, including their payment card and account details, safe.”

Downloading, registering and using the Absa Masterpass App is quick and easy. Consumers simply visit the Google and Apple App stores, download the app, register, load their credit, debit or cheque cards (with secure authentication), and delivery address details and begin shopping. Anyone can use the Absa Masterpass App – even non-Absa 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.

To pay, consumers simply open the Absa Masterpass App on their mobile device and scan the quick response (QR) code on the website. Then they select the card they wish to use, enter their bank PIN number on their own device, and the transaction is complete.