Why GCash and Maya matter for merchants
Most online and in-store payments in the Philippines do not start with a card. They start inside a wallet app. GCash, operated by Mynt, is used by tens of millions of Filipinos for person-to-person transfers, bills, and shopping. Maya, the digital bank and wallet from the Voyager group (linked to PLDT and Smart), is the other wallet most shoppers carry. If you sell into the Philippines and your checkout only shows international cards, you are turning away a large share of buyers who either have no card or simply prefer to pay from a balance they already control. For a cross-border merchant, wallets are also the fastest way to feel local without building a full local card stack on day one. A small merchant can begin with a wallet and add cards later through an aggregator. The key point is that GCash and Maya are not the same product family: both run consumer wallets, but each also sells merchant tools, QR acceptance, and online gateway features. Understanding the difference helps you pick the right starting point and avoid paying for capabilities you do not need yet.
- GCash is the largest wallet by active users and is regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
- Maya combines a consumer wallet with a digital bank and a merchant payment suite.
- Most Filipino buyers keep a wallet balance and expect to pay with a QR scan or a tap.
- Wallets are a practical first step before adding local cards and bank rails.
GCash for Business: what you can accept
GCash for Business lets a merchant accept money through several routes. The simplest is a static or dynamic QR that a customer scans in store. For online stores, GCash offers PayOnline and integrations where the customer approves the payment inside the GCash app and is sent back to your confirmation page. GCash also sells payment devices such as PocketPay, which turns a phone into a point-of-sale terminal, and SoundPay, which confirms payments out loud for cashiers. Merchants are placed in tiers (Starter, Premium, Pro) that change wallet and transfer limits. A Starter account can be opened with a fully verified GCash account, while higher tiers raise per-transaction limits and unlock bulk payouts. For cross-border sellers, the important question is whether GCash alone reaches your buyer. It does for millions of local customers, but GCash does not by itself solve international cards, so most merchants pair it with an aggregator that also supports Visa, Mastercard, and bank transfer (InstaPay/PESONet).
- In-store QR and online PayOnline cover the two most common checkout moments.
- PocketPay and SoundPay turn a phone into a card and QR acceptance device.
- Business tiers set wallet limits and per-transaction transfer caps.
- GCash settles to your GCash merchant balance, then to a bank account.
Maya Business: wallet, QR and gateway
Maya Business covers the same ground but adds a fuller gateway story. Through Maya (formerly PayMaya) you can accept cards, QR, and the Maya wallet on a website or app, and you can send payment links or digital invoices without a website. Maya promotes next-day settlement to a nominated bank account and a dashboard for sales and transaction reports. For a merchant who wants one provider to handle both wallet and card checkout, Maya's gateway is attractive. The trade-off is document load: business verification asks for registration proof, tax documents, and bank details. Maya also supports scan-to-pay QR at partner merchants. If your buyers are already Maya users, showing the Maya logo at checkout removes a step. As with GCash, Maya alone does not replace an international card acquirer, so plan the rest of your stack around it rather than assuming it covers everything.
- Accept cards, QR, and the Maya wallet through one integration.
- Send payment links or digital invoices when you have no website.
- Next-day settlement to a nominated bank account is commonly advertised.
- Onboarding requires business registration, tax, and bank documents.
How to get started
Onboarding for both wallets is built to be self-service. For GCash, you open a GCash for Business account through the business portal or app, verify the business, and choose the payment product you want. For Maya, you register on the Maya Business Manager, complete your profile, and activate the solution you need. In both cases, have your business registration, tax identification, and a local payout bank account ready. If you are a foreign company without a Philippine entity, you usually cannot open a direct wallet merchant account in your own name; you either work through a local partner or use a payment aggregator that already holds the wallet connections and gives you a single integration. The aggregator route is common for cross-border sellers because it bundles GCash, Maya, cards, and bank transfer behind one contract and one settlement report.
- Open a business account on the provider portal or app.
- Prepare registration, tax ID, and a local payout bank account.
- Foreign sellers without a local entity typically use an aggregator.
- An aggregator bundles wallets, cards, and bank rails in one integration.
Fees, settlement and what to check
Pricing for wallet acceptance in the Philippines is usually shown as a percentage per transaction, sometimes with a small fixed fee. Published rates are a starting point only. Public pricing is only a first filter. Actual pricing changes with country, industry, volume, settlement currency, integration method and contract terms. Confirm against the provider's official pricing page or a written quote before you go live. Beyond the headline rate, ask about settlement timing (wallet balance versus bank), payout cut-off times, refund handling, chargeback or dispute process, and whether cross-border or foreign-currency sales change the rate. Also confirm the exact documents needed for your business type, because wrong paperwork is the most common cause of a delayed go-live. Finally, check the dashboard and reporting: you want to reconcile wallet sales against bank deposits without a spreadsheet marathon.
- Wallet rates are usually a percentage plus a small fixed fee.
- Confirm settlement timing and payout cut-off windows.
- Ask how refunds and disputes are handled and priced.
- Check the dashboard before signing so reconciliation is easy.
Common mistakes to avoid
The first mistake is treating a wallet as a full payment stack. GCash and Maya cover local wallet buyers well, but not international cards, so pair them with an aggregator if you sell cross-border. The second mistake is skipping the sandbox: test a real QR and a real online flow before launch. The third is ignoring limits; a Starter tier may cap how much you can receive per transaction, which blocks large orders. The fourth is assuming logos alone convert; make the wallet button prominent and explain it in the local language where you can. Last, do not rely on a sales chat for pricing. Get the written quote and the official pricing page side by side before you commit.
- Do not treat a wallet as your only payment method.
- Test QR and online flows in the sandbox first.
- Watch business-tier limits on per-transaction amounts.
- Get pricing in writing, not just from a sales chat.
Questions merchants ask
Can a foreign company sell to the Philippines using GCash or Maya directly?
Usually not under your own name. Direct wallet merchant accounts expect a local business and a local payout account. Cross-border sellers normally use a payment aggregator that already holds the wallet connections and gives one integration and one settlement report.
Should I offer GCash, Maya, or both?
Offer both if you can. They reach overlapping but not identical audiences, and showing the wallet your buyer already uses removes a checkout step. An aggregator lets you turn on both without two separate integrations.
How fast do I get my money?
Wallet payments land in your merchant balance quickly, then settle to a bank account based on the provider's cut-off times. Maya commonly advertises next-day settlement. Confirm the exact window and any weekend holding in your written quote.
Do I need a local entity to accept Philippine wallets?
For a direct merchant account, yes, a local entity and bank account are expected. Without one, use an aggregator that accepts international merchants and settles to your offshore account where allowed.
Are wallet payments safe for me as the merchant?
Yes, within the provider's rules. The main risks are onboarding delays from wrong documents and limits that block large orders. Use the official portal, keep credentials safe, and reconcile every settlement against your dashboard.