From the 18th, existing payment app Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate can be transferred to 'Seoul Pay Plus'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will start a service on the 18th that allows consumers to transfer the remaining balance of gift certificates held in existing Seoul Love Gift Certificate payment apps (24 apps), such as Moneytree and Beeple Zero Pay, directly and all at once to Seoul Pay Plus.

Earlier this year, the sales agency for Seoul Love Gift Certificates changed from the Korea Simple Payment Promotion Agency to the Shinhan Consortium, making it possible to purchase gift certificates only through Seoul Pay Plus and others. Payments could still be made through existing apps if there was a remaining balance, in addition to Seoul Pay Plus.

However, if gift certificates were held separately in the existing apps and Seoul Pay Plus, users had the inconvenience of having to select and run one of the multiple apps each time they made a payment. To improve payment convenience for users and minimize confusion by consolidating balances into Seoul Pay Plus at once, the city explained that it decided to proceed with the balance transfer service.

From the perspective of merchant store owners, once payment information is transferred, they can manage past gift certificate payment histories through a single app, Seoul Pay Plus, making it simple without the need to use multiple apps for sales record management.

The transfer of balances and payment information is done directly by consumers if they wish. If not transferred individually, the remaining gift certificate balances in existing apps are scheduled to be collectively transferred to Seoul Pay Plus and others within this year. If a balance transfer is not needed, immediate refunds are possible regardless of the usage amount. Besides Seoul Pay Plus, balances can also be transferred to T-money Pay, Shinhan SOL, and Moneytree, where gift certificates can be purchased.

The gift certificate balances eligible for transfer include ‘Local Love Gift Certificates’ issued by autonomous districts, ‘Special Gift Certificates for Local Business Recovery’ issued by autonomous districts, and delivery-only ‘Himkok Gift Certificates.’ The ‘e-Seoul Love Gift Certificate’ is not included in this individual transfer target.

To transfer the Seoul Love Gift Certificate balance to Seoul Pay Plus, first download ‘Seoul Pay Plus’ from the Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS) and sign up. Then, run one of the previously used apps, and by clicking the notification banner on the main screen or the transfer menu, the transfer process will be completed. Even if balances are scattered across multiple apps, it is convenient as all balance details held in one app can be pulled together and transferred all at once, in full.

The ‘Seoul Pay Plus,’ the purchase and payment platform for Seoul Love Gift Certificates, currently has over 920,000 users, with an average of about 5,700 new users joining daily. The number of affiliated stores reaches 280,000. Especially earlier this month, the app was revamped reflecting user feedback, including shortening app launch and payment times and improving the user interface (UI), significantly enhancing convenience.

Kang Nam-tae, head of the Small Business Platform Division at Seoul City, said, “Integrating the scattered Seoul Love Gift Certificate balances into Seoul Pay Plus makes payments easier and allows payment histories to be managed all at once. We will safely transfer balances to Seoul Pay Plus and expand the services provided, establishing it as a trusted financial and lifestyle comprehensive platform for Seoul citizens.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.