GCash in Hong Kong: How to use GCash in Hong Kong?

GCash is owned by Mynt and offers a range of services including mobile wallets, mobile payments and branchless banking. You can sign up for GCash if you’re a Filipino national - you’ll also need a Philippines phone number and address to register and verify your account.

Once you have your GCash account up and running you can use it when you’re abroad. This guide walks through how to use GCash from Hong Kong - and how you could save when topping up your account in HKD, thanks to Wise.

Is GCash available in Hong Kong?

To activate and verify your GCash account you’ll need to be a Filipino national, have a Philippines address and an active Philippines mobile number. However, as long as you have those things, you can open and use your GCash account in Hong Kong. You’ll be able to top up your account in your preferred currency, thanks to GCash global remittance partners, and can then use or save your balance, or send payments to loved ones at home.¹

Need to cash-in to GCash from a foreign currency? Try Wise

If you need to send an international payment to top up your GCash account - or simply to send money home to your friends and family directly, choose Wise.

Wise transfers always use the real mid-market exchange rate and low transparent fees, which means you pay less - and your recipient could get more in the end. Send from Hong Kong dollars to your PHP GCash account and get the best available exchange rate every time with Wise.

How to register on GCash?

GCash is a digital wallet, which means you can open and operate your account from your smartphone or any other mobile device. You’ll be able to apply for an account whenever you like simply by downloading the app and entering your details. To get full functionality you can then verify your details, which may take a few days due to high numbers of applications.

Here’s how you can get started with GCash - we’ll cover verification in just a moment:²

• Download and launch the GCash app
• Enter your Philippine phone number when prompted
• You’ll be sent a 6 digit verification code to the phone number you enter - make sure your phone is on roaming and able to receive messages
• Add the verification code when requested by the app
• Click next to add and then confirm your personal details to set up your account
• You’ll be prompted to set a mobile PIN for security - once this is done you should get a confirmation of your account, and can log in

GCash verification

To be able to use your GCash account to its fullest, you’ll need to get verified. This is a legal requirement to ensure you’re a genuine customer before you start using your account.³

To get fully verified you’ll need to:⁴

• Upload an image of the front and back of your government issued ID document
• Complete a selfie scan as prompted by the app, simply using your smartphone camera as you would to take a regular selfie
• Confirm your personal details, and agree to the GCash terms and conditions

Once everything is submitted you’ll get a status notification within a few days. Once your account is verified you can access the full range of GCash features.

How to load money to GCash?

You can cash in to GCash in a few different ways, including:

• Cash in via banks in GCash
• Cash in via bank/EMI apps
• Cash in via Payoneer
• Cash in via PayPal
• Cash in via international remittance
• Cash in using cash over the counter

Different processes, fees and limits may apply depending on the cash in method you prefer. Adding cash when overseas using an international remittance service is only available to fully verified GCash users.⁵

We’ll take a look at a couple of convenient ways to top up your GCash account in a moment.

How to transfer from bank account to GCash?

You can transfer money from a bank to GCash either using banks in GCash or a bank/EMI app. If you have a BPI or UnionBank account and want to use that to add cash into GCash, you can do so using the banks in GCash option.⁶ Otherwise, you can choose from a broad range of other options using the Bank/EMI app process.⁷ There’s a full description of how to load money to your GCash account, based on the partner service you choose to use, available on the GCash website FAQ section.

It’s good to know that adding money to your GCash account from a foreign currency may mean you pay conversion fees and transfer charges. We’ll cover how you might be able to cut the costs of sending money to GCash in a foreign currency with Wise, a little later.

How to transfer money from Alipay to GCash?

One common way to top up GCash is using a linked Alipay account. Let’s walk through how to do that.

New to Alipay? Learn more about paying money into your Alipay wallet in this handy guide.

Top up GCash from Alipay using the following steps:

• Log into Alipay Hong Kong
• Tap More and then Remittance
• Choose New Remittance and GCash as the destination for your remittance
• Add the details of the GCash account you want to add cash to
• Check, confirm and click to send the payment

It’s important to note that the beneficiary name you add into Alipay must match the beneficiary name on the GCash account, and the account number should be the recipient’s registered GCash mobile phone number in the correct format.

Of course, if you want to top up GCash from Hong Kong and don’t have an Alipay account yet, you could choose to send the payment with Wise instead. Because Wise low cost international transfers use the real mid-market exchange rate every time, you could even find you save.

How to withdraw GCash money?

Withdraw money from your GCash account by using your GCash Mastercard, and your regular PIN. Or you can choose to go to a GCash partner outlet to make a withdrawal in cash there instead. Different GCash partners have different processes for this, but you’ll need a valid government issued ID to make a withdrawal.⁹

GCash can be a handy way of making mobile payments, holding a balance and sending money to family and friends at home and abroad. Use this guide to get the best from your GCash account, and remember to check out Wise if you need to send payments or add cash to your account across currencies.

Sign up now and save with Wise ✨

Sources last checked on 14-Sep-2021