[This is a sponsored article with BigPay.]
UPDATE June 1, 2021: The campaign has officially launched and you can now claim your RM150 eBelia credit with BigPay. They have also revealed a few extras for anyone who picks them as their wallet of choice. Some users seem to have trouble understanding the eBelia credit mechanism as well, so we’ll explain that in more detail.
Personally, I find the number of e-wallet choices that we have at our disposal in Malaysia intimidating. You may feel the same way too, even more so if you’ve never used one before.
Each time the government tries to increase digital payment adoption by offering incentives to Malaysians, it leads to the age-old question, “Which e-wallet should I pick?”
This time, the initiative is called eBelia, and you’re eligible if you’re:
- A Malaysian citizen between 18-20 years old in 2021 (born between 2001 and 2003), OR
- A full-time student at Diploma level, SKM4 or above, at a registered local higher educational institution.
If you fall into either category, you can claim RM150 with BigPay from June 1 until July 22. Why BigPay in particular? Well, let’s break it down for you.
1. It comes with a free physical card (and soon a virtual one too)
Signing up for a BigPay account automatically grants you a physical blue card. In short: you don’t have to look for a QR code or a specific partner merchant to pay. This gives you a lot more freedom than any other e-wallets.
Whether it’s online or offline, your BigPay card works just like a debit card. You just need to top it up. So if you’re a student or between 18 and 20, you could use your RM150 eBelia credit to:
- Order food at McDonald’s or KFC
- Buy clothes at H&M or on ZALORA
- Take a Grab to hang out with your friends
- Purchase a week’s worth of groceries
We mentioned accessibility via BigPay’s card, and the proof is in the fact that it can be used in 800,000 locations in Malaysia alone, both online and offline, without being restricted to specific merchants.
If a store doesn’t take e-wallets or the BigPay e-wallet in particular, it’s no problem. Wherever Visa or Mastercard is accepted, the BigPay card would be too. BigPay has also just launched virtual cards for its new users. You’ll basically have two numbers—one for your physical card and one for your virtual card. This is great to keep your online transactions safe and it also means that you can start using your BigPay account without having to wait for the physical card to arrive in the mail.
Some users have posted on social media to say that you need to top up BigPay with RM150 in order to claim your RM150 eBelia credit.
Here’s a clarification: you do not need to top up BigPay with RM150 in order to claim your RM150 eBelia credit. This is how it works instead:
- Let’s say you successfully claim your RM150 eBelia credit with BigPay, but your BigPay balance is RM0.
- To pay for a meal of RM20, you’ll need to top-up RM20 and pay for the meal with the RM20 balance first.
- Once we’ve checked that it is an eligible transaction, we’ll transfer RM20 from your eBelia balance to your BigPay balance.
- You now have RM20 you can spend anywhere you’d like or even withdraw it.
Why does BigPay ask you to top up first?
We checked in with the team and this is their clarification: “BigPay gives you a card that you can use with 800,000 merchants in Malaysia and anywhere in the world in any currency, we first need to check the eligibility of your transactions. Once you’ve made an eligible transaction, you will automatically be reimbursed from your eBelia credit and you can use that money on anything you like.”
In short: it’s a tradeoff. If you claim your RM150 eBelia credit with BigPay, you have more freedom to spend anywhere you like but you need to top up first to use it.
2. It provides an added layer of security
Even after the eBelia initiative, you can continue using the card for your purchases.
It’s nice to note that the BigPay app comes with an added layer of security that most other banks don’t have. If you’ve lost your card, you can simply freeze it and have it replaced. With a traditional debit or credit card, you’d be spending time on the phone trying to cancel a lost card, while it could be potentially racking up more spending.
3. It’s got money-tracking features
Many students and fresh grads are just starting out with personally managing spending; those who are still studying may not be earning much, if at all, anyway. As a frequent BigPay user, you would also be able to do away with other budgeting apps taking up space in your phone since the e-wallet has inbuilt tracking and analytics features.
Your spending is categorised for easy viewing so you can see at a glance where you’re spending your money, whether it’s on health and beauty products, food and beverage, etc. The analytics then help you identify your spending trends, allowing you to keep a tighter rein on your money.
4. There’s a bonus RM20 if you’re new to the app
To give an extra welcome to first-time users of the app, BigPay is adding a RM20 bonus upon signup. This is applicable to everyone regardless if you qualify for the eBelia initiative.
If you’re a new user, you can claim the RM20 through the promo code PCEBELIABP when signing up.
5. Exclusive deals on the airasia super app and more
Editor’s update: The following section was updated on 1 June 2021 with further details of the promo upon release.
BigPay has now revealed the additional exclusive bonus’ they’ll be giving to users who successfully claim their eBelia with them. You basically receive another RM100 worth of deals to use on the airasia super app—from food, fresh and beauty deliveries to flights and SNAP combos.
Details of the deals are as follows:
- 4x RM3 OFF on airasia food
- RM4 OFF on airasia fresh and RM4 off on airasia beauty
- 2x RM20 OFF on flights (Malaysia domestic only)
- RM40 OFF on SNAP
*T&Cs apply.
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Once you’re signed up:
- Open your BigPay app,
- Go to Payments and tap on eBelia,
- Tick the box and tap on Apply now,
- Fill in your details and submit,
- Wait for the confirmation.
Top up your BigPay and when you spend, all eligible transactions will be automatically reimbursed with your RM150 eBelia credit.
While the RM150 eBelia credit can be used for many purchases, do note that there are certain transactions it doesn’t apply to though. These include:
- Peer-to-peer transfers or cash-outs
- Utility bills or government-related fees/payments
- Telco postpaid bill payments/prepaid top-ups
- Games purchases
- Overseas merchants
- E-wallet top-ups (ShopeePay, GrabPay, etc.)
- Check BigPay’s frequently asked questions about the eBelia initiative for more details.