SMART Money: Time and Energy Saver for Busy Moms

Technology has truly become my best friend. I’ve written about how technology has allowed me to fulfil my different roles and responsibilities on a daily basis and how it allows me to be accessible at all times from wherever I am. Being in touch, having access to information online, our social media accounts and blog, really just multiplies the potential to be productive many times over.Another useful online solution I use often is online banking. We maintain accounts in several banks but I’ve now limited it to just two major banks that have an extensive network of branches, provides proactive customer service in our home branch, and important is that it provides online banking facilities even for corporate accounts. I monitor cash flow, manage disbursements, do our payroll all online. For my personal accounts, I monitor my accounts, make payments, and transfer my boys’ allowances all online as well.Recently I also just discovered the many convenient uses of electronic facilities such as SMART Money. I know many of our online mompreneurs utilize Smart Money to receive payments from customers so it was a nice surprise to learn the many different ways Smart Money can help make life easier for many of us who are busy moms with hectic lives.SMART Money is basically an electronic wallet, similar to a bank account, the most basic difference is in that you won’t need to maintain any balances. You’ll just need to pay a one-time processing fee of P100 for the card, (or P100 fee for a personalized card). It also has functions that are similar to credit cards, except that there are no annual fees and applying for one will not require you to present any financial documents.usesAll you need to get a SMART Money card is a Smart mobile number, and an application form which you can fill out online as well. First step once you receive your card is to link your mobile phone to your card.So what are the uses of SMART Money? Here are just some I've learned about and have started to use:Shopping- RetailIt was too much to resist. I was in the mall for meetings and saw the ZARA SALE sign. It was the first day. I’m sure you can relate with me if I tell you there was like a magnet drawing me in. But I didn’t want to charge my purchase so in cases like this, I use my debit card or now I use my SMART money card which acts the same way. It’s good to be a “smart shopper” and use cash (instead of credit) the paperless, electronic way.Shopping- OnlineI also use the same card to shop online like when I recently bought a dress for Reese’s American Girl doll.We have a balikbayan box waiting to be filled at my brother-in-law’s place in Jersey so when I saw that AG was on sale, I took advantage and got her doll a dress. Ssshhh, she doesn't know yet!:)For those without credit cards, Smart Money is their solution to satisfy their online shopping impulses. But one thing that makes SMART Money even better than a credit card is that it has a lock/unlock function which protects you from fraudulent purchases.Before each transaction, the user needs to unlock the card through the Smart menu in your smartphone.Without doing this, the transaction will be invalidated. As added protection, you'll receive an SMS message to notify you of all transactions made using your account.Pay billsWhen I was newly married I relied heavily on my checkbook. I guess it was the old school in me who wanted hard copies to keep files of and record payments. But when I realized the time and resources you can save by going paperless, I now only use my checkbook when there is no other option.Paying bills online or via mobi;e saves tons of time. SMART Money has a payment facility for most major utilities like Meralco, PLDT, SMART Gold, SMART Bro, Maynilad, Skycable, Cignal.Send and receive moneyYou can also send funds from your Smart Money to another Smart Money account via Smart Money padala.I have not been able to try this function for myself but I can appreciate the convenience of transferring and receiving funds through SMART Money plus the transfer charges are lower compared to most remittance options.Both our yayas at home send all their pay to their families in the province every payday, and they have to go to these specific pawnshops to remit, and they have to pay such big fees. SMART Money may be a better option for them because charges are much less, and also they don’t have to go out every payday just to send money. They can do it I told them that I can just deposit their pay to their accounts then they can remit to their loved ones via mobile phone or bank deposit. All they have to do is ask their family in the province to get a SMART Money account or they can get one for them here and send the card to them.SMART Money is also a convenient and less-costly way to receive funds from abroad!Perhaps I can remind my brother who lives in El Salvador that he can send his angpao birthday gift for me via SMART Money. Heehee.Pass on loadI now use SMART Money to send load to the prepaid phones of my son Zach, Kuya Andy, our driver, and also to load up our Smartbro pocket wifi.To load up cellphones, I used to use Pasaload, but then there is a ceiling to the amount you can pass for the month.For the pocket wifi, I have to ask the yaya to go to our neighbor who sells load, or I use Pasaload as well.Now I use SMART Money and it is so much more convenient. Couple this with SMARTbro’s new online dashboard where you can easily manage credit in my SMART Bro account, everything is hassle free.Use as an ATMHow to get the funds from your SMART Money account? You can just go to any ATM and get cash from there.SMART Money also offers solutions for SMEs and mompreneurs:FOR MOMPRENEURS: Business solutions and opportunitiesThese are questions I had when I first started using SMART Money.1) I don’t have a SMART Menu in my phone.Answer: I use an iPhone 5s- and this is where you can find the SMART Menu: Settings / Phone / Sim Applications2) How do I load up my SMART Money besides the SMART Wireless Center?Answer: via Bank deposit through any BDO branch, SMART Wireless Center or SMART money center. To find the nearest SMART Store, text SWCTR to 386. To find the nearest SMART Money Center , text SMCTR to 386.For all my other questions, I found the answers here: http://www1.smart.com.ph/money/faqs/It's super easy to apply for a card. You can take the first steps to apply here:http://smart.com.ph/apply/money/apply.aspxI'm a busy mom who, like most people, values my time and energy, so whatever is there to make things easier, more convenient and less time consuming, I am an automatic fan. SMART Money provides a lot of options for convenience so I give this a big thumbs up!For inquiries on SMART Money, call 15177 for FREE using a SMART mobile phone, or call +632 845 7777 using a landline.