Whip out your credit card and wipe of that debt, because MyTeksi’s GrabCar (economy) and GrabCar+ (premium) services are now accepting credit and debit cards, besides the usual cash payment. The new service is called GrabPay, and you’ll need to update your MyTeksi and GrabTaxi apps to version three (V3) to be able to enjoy this service.
The service is still in beta but it’s easy to use GrabPay; simply launch your GrabTaxi/MyTeksi app as you normally would, and tap on the “hamburger” icon on the top-left, to bring out the settings pane. Then select GrabPay or ‘Payment Methods’ to enter your credit or debit card number.
You’ll be temporarily charged SG$1 to verify that your card’s usable. Later when you’re in the process of booking a GrabCar/GrabCar+ ride, there will now be an option to pay with your card.
There is a possibility that GrabPay will work with regular taxis in the future, but at this point, it isn’t yet available (the pay-by-card button is grayed out). You can be sure though, that there will be pushbacks by cab drivers at least here in Malaysia, as they usually prefer payment by cash.
The GrabPay option is immediately available on iOS, but on Android, it wasn’t there, due to the bugginess of the app. I’d have to clear the data (or uninstall-reinstall it) for the option to show up. On Android, both GrabTaxi and MyTeksi apps were last updated on September 13th, while on iOS, GrabTaxi was last updated on July 31st, and MyTeksi on August 1st.
My only gripe with MyTeksi’s approach is — just like WhatsApp — its myopic nature of just making the service available on one device at a time. When I added my credit card to iOS, it gets removed on Android, and I can’t use GrabPay on both platforms at the same time. This is unlike Uber, where you’ll just sign-in to a new device, and all your details (including your credit card record) are already there and ready to be used. Another disappointment is that while Android and iOS have the latest versions, and even BlackBerry’s supported, the Windows Phone version (not to mention the Windows 8 app) no longer seems to be supported.
As a homegrown taxi-hailing app, MyTeksi is also known as GrabTaxi outside of Malaysia, as it is also operating in Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. But both GrabTaxi and MyTeksi apps work in Malaysia without any issues. However, I’m not yet certain if GrabPay works outside of Malaysia.
Visit http://grabtaxi.com/myteksi/grabpay/ for more information about this new addition to the service.
The post MyTeksi’s GrabCar now accepts credit card via GrabPay appeared first on TechAttack.my.
