Touch 'n Go eWallet

Touch 'n Go eWallet is a Malaysian digital wallet and online payment platform, established in Kuala Lumpur in July 2017 as a joint venture between Touch 'n Go and Ant Financial.[5] It allows users to make payment in local in-store via QR code, pay for toll roads and petroleum via RFID, pay bills and car parking, make online payment for e-commerce, taxi hailing mobile apps, food delivery, peer-to-peer banking, and book movie tickets and airline tickets.

Touch 'n Go Digital
The current logo for Touch 'n Go eWallet
screenshot
Touch 'n Go eWallet app running on Android 9
Type of site
e-wallet
Available inEnglish
HeadquartersBangsar South, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
OwnerTouch 'n Go (51%)
Ant Financial (49%)[1]
Key peopleIgnatius Ong (CEO)[2]
URLwww.tngdigital.com.my
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired
Users10 million users (April 2020)[3]
Launched24 July 2017 (2017-07-24)[4]
Current statusActive

Background

Before the formation of e-wallet service, Touch 'n Go provides contactless payment card that will allow users in Malaysia to make payment at toll roads, public transportation, retail stores and parking lots.[6]

Touch 'n Go previously entered into mobile payment through partnership with Maxis to allow Maxis customers to make payment with Touch 'n Go integrated into mobile phone via FastTap in 2009. The payment system utilizes near-field communication (NFC) which allows users to make payment by tap the mobile phone into the card readers which also supports physical credit, debit and Touch 'n Go cards. Only one mobile phone device is supported by far, Nokia 6212 Classic.[7] According to SoyaCincau, the service are not widely adopted by customers, hence the poor reception causes the service to become unsuccessful.[8]

On 2012, Touch 'n Go collaborated with CIMB and Maxis to create NFC-based online transaction service which can be used on near-field communication (NFC) enabled smartphone to allow users to make payment via NFC. It was announced on July 2012, and is expected to release in two months time, despite not many details regarding the development of the NFC-based online transaction service are available.[8]

History
Touch 'n Go merchant touchpoint. Touch 'n Go relies on QR code to make payment.

Prior to granted partnership with Ant Financial, Touch 'n Go previously had released its own existing e-wallet application on February 2017 which were simply called Touch 'n Go wallet at that time. It utilizes the QR code technology to make payment instead of relying on near-field communication (NFC) technology which are widely used by major players such as Samsung Pay. The first version of the application allows users to reload prepaid mobile service, pay bills, purchase movie tickets and flight tickets, send and receive money from friends and family, and make payment at stores and restaurants, although initially only supported in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. The e-wallet balance can be reloaded through JomPay, debit cards, credit cards and Touch 'n Go reload PINs.[9] The reception of the initial release of Touch 'n Go wallet app were well received by users, especially during pilot test at Taman Tun Dr Ismail.[4] Despite this, the additional function inside the app, reload balance to physical Touch 'n Go card, was criticized for inconvenience by many users due to when it was reloaded, the balance didn't channeled into the physical card automatically. It was instead channeled into Touch 'n Go kiosks which users had to walk to these kiosks in order to complete the process within 24 hours after reload, or else the balance which were not reloaded will sent to their e-wallet account instead.[10] The heavy criticism of this feature resulting in Touch 'n Go temporary suspending this feature.[11]

On 15 November 2017, Touch 'n Go has granted approval from Central Bank of Malaysia to partner with Ant Financial, a Chinese-based financial company that operates AliPay,[5] to form a joint venture that will bring the technology and platform used in AliPay to be adopted in Touch 'n Go e-wallet service.[12]

In June 2018, it was reportedly that Touch 'n Go is pilot testing the uses of Touch 'n Go eWallet in rapid transit, as the ticketing system were enabled in Kelana Jaya line.[13] The pilot testing of Touch 'n Go eWallet are only applicable to stations in Kelana Jaya, KL Gateway–Universiti, Kerinchi, KL Sentral, Dang Wangi, KLCC and Ampang Park.[14] The test was reportedly successful as of February 2020 and was slated to be fully deployed in LRT and MRT in the future.[15]

On August 2018, Touch 'n Go announces that it will begun the pilot test for the RFID-based payment on toll booths at toll roads for selected drivers from 3 September 2018 onward, before gradually rolling out to public in January 2019.[16] Concurrently, Touch 'n Go discontinued the sales of SmartTAG in favor with RFID-based payment.[17] On 2 November 2018, a second round of pilot testing were rolled out to allow even more drivers to sign up for testing before the public availability of the RFID system.[18] Initially, the installation of the RFID chip into the car can only be done by the Touch 'n Go staffs at the RFID fitment center,[19], however, as the RFID program exited the pilot testing and make it available to public on 15 February 2020, it now allows users to install RFID chip on their own starting from 15 May 2020, which the chip itself can be bought at Lazada and Shopee.[20]

Support for taxi hailing mobile apps was added in November 2018 when Touch 'n Go partnered with EzCab and Public Cab allowing users to make payment via QR code.[21] This was later expanded to support MULA on 7 January 2020[22], and later MyCar on 4 April 2020.[23]

On 12 August 2019, Touch 'n Go hired former CEO of Firefly and group chief revenue officer of Malaysia Airlines, Ignatius Ong as the CEO for the Touch 'n Go Digital, while Syahrunizam Samsudin will become CEO for its parent company, Touch 'n Go.[2]

On 1 October 2019, some e-commerce website owned by Alibaba Group supports Touch 'n Go eWallet payment, although initially only available on TMall and Taobao,[24] with support for Lazada added on 29 October 2019.[25]

Touch 'n Go was one of the three e-wallet services in Malaysia (the other being Boost and GrabPay) that was eligible for its users to receive RM 30 stimulus plan as part of the E-Tunai Rakyat program under Budget 2020 plan which encourages the adoption of cashless and mobile payment in Malaysia.[26] Unlike its competitors, GrabPay and Boost, where their P2P transfer functionality were completely disabled until users has completely finished RM 30 which were received from stimulus plan, Touch 'n Go eWallet, on the other hand, do not show up additional RM 30 from their user balance when users attempt to perform P2P transfer, hence P2P transfer functionality are still usable despite the balance from stimulus plan still remain inside their account.[27]

Touch 'n Go eWallet joins DuitNow, an electronic transaction ecosystem in Malaysia which allows the funds from Touch 'n Go eWallet to be transferred to another competing services and vice versa, and allow to make payment in a merchant that uses only one unified DuitNow QR code, which this QR code can be used by competing e-wallet apps as well. Announced on February 2020, it is slated to be operational by July 2020.[28]

Japan become the first country outside Malaysia to support Touch 'n Go eWallet payment via Alipay Connect.[29]

From early 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the enforcement of movement control order, Touch 'n Go eWallet and other competing e-wallet services has seen the surging of the usage of cashless payment as many users rely on these services to make payment for takeaway and donation to Zakat organization. The adoption of the cashless would also hope to thrive the small and medium-sized enterprises to do business and sustain during the pandemic period.[3]

Services

Touch 'n Go eWallet is used in smartphones with their Touch 'n Go eWallet app. It utilizes QR code technology as the payment methods for the local in-store payments.[9] The Touch 'n Go eWallet app also provides features such as utility bills payment, debt collection, court fees payment,[30] car parking payment,[31] P2P transfer,[32] prepay mobile phone top-up, airline ticket booking[33] and movie tickets reservation.[34] Auto-reload feature allows users with low balance to be automatically reloaded from their credit cards which were added into their app.[35] In addition, the app do allow users to view the balance remains inside their physical Touch 'n Go cards, although users are not able to reload the balance into their physical Touch 'n Go cards.[36]

The service also integrates with physical Touch 'n Go cards via PayDirect feature which allows card users to make payment with Touch 'n Go card at toll booths by deducting the balance stored in eWallet app instead of balance stored inside physical Touch 'n Go cards.[37][38] In addition, the RFID-based payment also allows cars with RFID chip affixed in their car to make payments at toll booths and petrol station with RFID payment systems,[37] with Royal Dutch Shell being the first petrol station company in Malaysia to fully accept payment via RFID.[39]

Touch 'n Go eWallet also allows online check-out on e-commerce websites owned by Alibaba Group including TMall, Taobao and Lazada,[24][25] as well as Apple's iTunes Store, Apple Music, iOS App Store and Mac App Store.[40]

Several chain tenants, franchises and restaurants accepts Touch 'n Go eWallet payments, with the notable brands including Tesco, all retails owned by Dairy Farm International Holdings (Giant Hypermarket, Cold Storage, Market Place by Jasons), Watsons,[41] KFC[42] Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.[15] Several chain convenient stores companies, including 7-Eleven[43], myNews etc. have successively supported Touch 'n Go eWallet payment.[15] FamilyMart is the most recent convenient store to fully support Touch 'n Go eWallet in 14 May 2020.[44] In addition, Touch 'n Go eWallet are also supported on taxi hailing mobile apps including EzCab, Public Cab, MULA and MyCar,[21][22][23] and food delivery services, DeliverEat.[45]

Fundraising

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the enforcement of movement control order in 2020, Touch 'n Go introduces the charity fundraising program that allows users to make donation via Touch 'n Go eWallet. Notable charity organization that participates in Touch 'n Go eWallet fundraising program includes Tzu Chi Foundation, Make A Wish Foundation, Malaysian Red Crescent Society, Rotary Club and Malaysian AIDS Council.[46] As of 1 May 2020, Touch 'n Go eWallet has facilitated donations to 22 non-governmental organization in Malaysia with amount worth more than RM 280,000.[47]

Reception
User base for Touch 'n Go eWallet
Period Number of users Ref
June 2019 4 million [48]
July 2019 4.3 million [2]
January 2020 7 million [49]
February 2020 9 million [28]
April 2020 10 million [3]
User base for RFID usage
Period Number of users Ref
April 2019 100,000 [50]
May 2019 200,000 [51]
February 2020 1.2 million [20]
Touch 'n Go eWallet merchants
Period Number of merchants Ref
July 2019 50,000 [2]
October 2019 100,000 [52]
January 2020 120,000 [49]
February 2020 135,000 [28]
gollark: Wait, that actually works? Weird.
gollark: Like they *said*, it's probably better to just use a table.
gollark: You'd need to `tostring(channel)`.
gollark: Actually, no.
gollark: I mean, in a sense.

See also
  • vcash, one of the earliest defunct mobile e-wallet in Malaysia

References
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