What Maya is and how merchants accept it

What it is

Maya is a Philippine wallet and digital bank, previously known as PayMaya. It combines an e-wallet with banking features, so customers can hold a balance, save, borrow, use a card and pay by QR code or online checkout. It operates in the Philippine market alongside GCash and shares the same regulatory environment under Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. For merchants, Maya appears as a QR code for in-person payment, a payment link, or a wallet option inside an online checkout, and it offers its own business solutions for Philippine merchants. Merchants therefore reach Maya users through the same wallet acceptance layer they use for other Philippine wallets.

• Maya is a Philippine wallet and digital bank, formerly known as PayMaya.
• It combines wallet balance, savings, credit, cards, QR payment and online checkout.
• It operates under the regulatory framework set by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
• Merchants see it as a QR code, a payment link or a checkout wallet option.

Where it is used

Maya is domestic to the Philippines and settles in peso. Its users are Filipino consumers who keep a wallet balance and increasingly a full digital bank account in the same app, which makes it popular with younger urban customers and with small businesses that use it to get paid. You will see it in retail, food, transport, utilities and ecommerce. For merchants it is the second wallet to add after GCash, and in some customer segments it is the preferred one. It also appears in transport, utilities and online gaming, where customers pay small amounts many times a month.

• Maya is available only in the Philippines and denominated in PHP.
• Users often keep both a wallet balance and a digital bank account in the app.
• It is common in retail, food, transport, utilities and ecommerce.
• It is usually the second wallet merchants add after GCash.

Which businesses it suits

Maya suits merchants selling to Filipino consumers online or in person, particularly ecommerce, gaming, digital content, food, retail and services. It also suits small Philippine businesses that want a single app for accepting payment and managing money. It suits less well for customers outside the Philippines, since the wallet is domestic. It is also a weak sole method for very high-value orders, because wallet and account limits cap how much a customer can move at once. It suits subscription and recurring billing, because a wallet with bank features supports steady repeat payments better than a cash-based method would.

• It suits ecommerce, gaming, digital content, food, retail and services.
• It suits small Philippine businesses that want acceptance and banking in one app.
• It does not serve customers outside the Philippines.
• It is a weak sole method for very high-value orders.

How merchants usually connect

Philippine businesses can work directly with Maya's business arm, which provides QR acceptance, payment links, online checkout and settlement to a local bank account. Cross-border merchants normally use a payment provider instead, since direct onboarding from abroad is uncommon. Providers active in the Philippines include dLocal and PayMongo, both of which offer Maya alongside GCash, cards and bank transfer. Using a provider means one integration covers several methods, and it removes the need to negotiate directly with each wallet. Ask whether the provider supports both online checkout and in-store QR, since Philippine capability differs by provider.

• Philippine businesses can work directly with Maya's business arm.
• Cross-border merchants usually use a PSP such as dLocal or PayMongo.
• Providers bundle Maya with GCash, cards and bank transfer in one integration.
• A provider removes the need to negotiate separately with each wallet.

Cross-border merchant notes

Maya is a wallet and bank rather than an acquirer, so it does not onboard foreign merchants as a rule. Acceptance depends on a licensed Philippine partner, which means working through a provider or establishing a local entity. Funds settle in peso to a Philippine account before repatriation, so conversion is part of your cost. Local KYC, business category rules and transaction limits apply and can change, so treat compliance as an ongoing review rather than something you finish at launch. Ask how the provider handles category screening, because restricted industries are often refused late in the process.

• Maya does not generally onboard foreign merchants directly, being a wallet and bank.
• Acceptance needs a licensed Philippine partner or a local entity.
• Settlement is in PHP, so conversion affects your net revenue.
• Local KYC, category rules and limits change, so review them periodically.

Fees, settlement and refunds

Public pricing is only a first filter. Actual pricing changes with country, industry, volume, settlement currency, integration method and contract terms, so confirm against the provider's official pricing page or a written quote before you go live. Wallet acceptance in the Philippines is usually priced at or below card rates, but your provider sets the final number. Confirmation is fast, and settlement to a Philippine bank account commonly runs within about one business day. Refunds are separate payments through the provider rather than reversals. Chargeback exposure is low, because the customer authorises payment in their own app.

• Published pricing is only a starting filter, since real pricing depends on country, industry, volume, currency, integration and contract.
• Confirm final pricing on the provider's official pricing page or in a written quote.
• Wallet acceptance is usually priced at or below card rates, set by your provider.
• Settlement to a Philippine bank account commonly runs within about one business day.
• Refunds are separate payments through the provider, and chargeback exposure is low.

Alternatives and complements

GCash is the essential complement, because it holds the largest share of Filipino wallet users and many customers have both apps installed. Bank transfer and the local instant rails help with larger payments and with customers who keep money in a bank. Card acceptance remains useful for higher-value and international orders. Over-the-counter cash and remittance networks still matter for unbanked customers in smaller cities and provinces, particularly for bill and top-up style purchases. Treat wallets as the everyday layer for small purchases and bank rails as the layer for anything above a typical wallet limit.

• Add GCash to cover the largest share of Filipino wallet users.
• Add bank transfer and instant rails for larger payments.
• Keep cards for higher-value and international orders.
• Consider over-the-counter cash networks for unbanked customers in provinces.

Questions to ask before you integrate

Ask how Maya is delivered: QR, payment link, wallet button or all three, and which suits your flow. Confirm whether you can onboard without a Philippine entity, and what the alternative is. Ask for the settlement bank, payout cycle, cut-offs and conversion route in writing. Ask how refunds are initiated and how long they take. Finally, ask about wallet and account limits, because digital bank accounts and wallets apply different caps that can affect your order values. Ask whether refunds can be initiated from your side, because manual refunds become a bottleneck as volume grows.

• Confirm whether Maya is delivered as a QR code, a payment link, a wallet button, or all three.
• Confirm whether you can onboard without a Philippine entity and what the alternative is.
• Get the settlement bank, payout cycle, cut-offs and conversion route in writing.
• Confirm how refunds are initiated and how long the customer waits.
• Confirm what wallet and account limits apply and whether the two differ.

Questions merchants ask

Public sources

• Maya Philippines
• Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas