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| The Baon Comparison: How Sending Money Has Changed over Time |
As a lanky probinsyano, I was sent to Manila for college, like many kids my age in our town. My parents were adamant that I get a good education—and I did. But being far from home, I was not just dealing with being homesick, I was also dealing with the challenges of getting my allowance on time.
Remittance centers on the fringes of my university were my safe haven. My mother sends my allowance from a remittance center in our town, and I wait at least two days to make sure the instructions are received properly so I could cash out a month’s worth of allowance.
On bad days, my allowance does not get replenished immediately for one reason or another, and I would have to be creative to stretch my four-week budget to cover six to seven weeks. I have learned to anticipate any troubles that Mama would encounter in sending me money.
Over the years, I realized that the remittance system was not as dependable as it is now, and so my parents decided to shift their allowance-giving system from remittance centers to banks. My experience there is a story for another time.
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| GCash App |
Fast forward to now. Kids today have everything at their fingertips. Asking money from parents for their school work or weekly allowance is not half as hard as I had experienced it, and it really is good for them.
See Also: Celebrate Special Moments with GCash
I have seen how children in high school and college turn to their mobile phones for everything— getting their allowance, watching movies, chatting with friends abroad, buying gifts, shopping for clothes, reserving tickets to a movie. They do it all via the GCash app.
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| Bank Transfer |
Noting how easy life is for the younger generation, I decided to adopt their mobile wallet-driven ways. I downloaded GCash on my smartphone, linked my payroll and savings accounts to my GCash account, and I can now send money to whoever I want—my family, godchildren, officemates in dire straits, and even an online seller I recently discovered. GCash’s Money Transfer feature is a far cry from what I had known back in my days. How I wish GCash was available in my younger years—I would have had money for dates!
Anyway, that’s all in the past. At least I get to experience the GCash convenience now. In fact, I’m learning about another nifty feature in the app called Save Money. I hear it’s a digital savings account with high interest rates. I cannot believe the things people come up with, but I’m excited to try them all.
Note: This is a brand content.