How to use GCash: How to register and link accounts

Disclaimer: This is NOT a promoted or paid post. A few people asked me how they can pay for stuff online but they didn’t have a debit or credit card, so I did some research and found out about GCash. I decided to try it myself and write about it here.

Tagalog Version (Click Here)

I don’t know about you, but I hate waiting in line. If I need to pay bills or send money, I have to walk all the way to a Bayad Center branch or a service provider’s store, grab a form and write on it, and spend a long time waiting behind a dozen or so people all paying their bills and stuff. When I need to buy some prepaid load, I have to look for a shop that sells it, pay for the load PLUS a small fee. It’s really such a hassle.

Thankfully, there’s an easier and FASTER way to do all that. No need to wait in line. If I need to pay bills, buy load, or send money, I can do it at home or while I’m sitting around in a coffee shop reading. Ever since I started my GCash account, I used it to pay our family’s bills, my SSS contributions, and buy prepaid load. Since there’s usually no line at the TouchPay machine, I just add money to my GCash account whenever I need to pay for something later on.

If you want to pay bills, send and receive money, buy load, shop online, and do a lot of other stuff from the comfort of your own home using just your smartphone or tablet, then read this guide to learn how to use GCash!

What can you do with GCash?

• eWallet for shopping.
• Pay bills using your phone.
• Send money and receive money.
• Pay for online purchases.
• Use PayPal.
• Save and invest money.
• Use GCredit like a credit card.

Note: You need to verify your GCash account using a valid ID and a selfie to use most of these services.

What do you need to use GCash?

• Smartphone with the GCash app installed.
• Internet connection on your phone (Mobile data or WiFi)
• Working cellphone number (Preferably Globe, but you can use other networks).

How to Register for a GCash account:

1. Connect your phone or tablet to the internet (WiFi or Mobile data).
2. Install the GCash app and launch it.
3. Click “Register” and type your cellphone number.
4. Use the One Time Pin you will receive through text/SMS.
5. Type your information like your name, birthday, and email address. If you received a referral code from a friend, use it here.
   • Here’s my referral code if you want to try: https://gcsh.app/r/YUMF9fr
6. Set the mobile PIN (MPIN) you will use to login to your GCash account.
7. Congratulations! You now have a GCash account!

NOTE: MEMORIZE your MPIN and don’t share it with anyone.

Next, get verified!

You’ll need to get your account verified to use the most important features.

1. Login to your GCash app using your MPIN and click “Verify now.”
2. (For full verification) Choose an ID and type the required information. Take a photo of your valid ID (driver’s license, UMID, passport, etc.) using the app.
3. Take a selfie using the app.
4. Type some required details like source of funds (where you get your money), address, middle name, and more.
5. You’ll receive a text when they start processing your account, and they’ll send you another text when the verification process is done.

“Cash-in” – How to add money to your GCash account:

If you want to use GCash, you need to add money to your account. One of the quickest and easiest ways to do that is through a TouchPay machine.

1. Go to any active TouchPay machine.
2. Click the GCash icon.
3. Type the cellphone number you use for your GCash account and press “Next”.
4. Type how much money you want to add to your account and press “Next”.
5. Insert cash into the TouchPay machine and press “Pay” once you put in enough.
6. You’ll receive a text message when it’s done and you should see the money in your account.

There are, of course, other ways to cash-in and add money to your account. For example, when “cashing-in” using SM Store, you have to generate a QR code on your app, have the teller scan it, and then give them the money. Anyway, just check out their partners here for more info.

How to link GCash to your PayPal account:

PayPal is perhaps one of the most convenient and widely used payment and money sending system in the world, so if you want to receive money from someone from abroad and they’re tech savvy, chances are they’ll do it through PayPal. You’ll usually need a credit or debit card to use it, but if you don’t have one you can receive PayPal funds and withdraw it using GCash. Here’s how to link your GCash account to PayPal.

1. Login to your GCash app.
2. Open the menu on the top left and click “My Linked Accounts”.
3. Choose PayPal, enter the email address you use there, and click “Link”.
4. Login to your PayPal account to complete the link. 

You’ll receive an email as confirmation. After that, you can “cash-in” to transfer the money in your PayPal account and put it into your GCash account. You can then “cash-out” or withdraw the money at GCash partners (such as certain Bayad Center branches), or withdraw it at an ATM using a GCash Mastercard linked to your account.

For online shopping – GCash Mastercard:

While you can link PayPal to GCash and use GCash to withdraw your PayPal funds, you can’t ADD funds to PayPal or pay for online shopping (e.g. Amazon.com, eBay, etc.) using GCash just yet (as of this writing). You’ll need a GCash Mastercard for that, and it works like a debit card that uses your GCash balance. You can get it for around P150 by:

1. Ordering one using your GCash app.
2. Using the online order form.
3. Buying one on certain stores (Ministop, Lawson, All Day, Robinsons, 7-Eleven). It’s not available in all branches though, so ask around.

After you get one, all you need to do is link the card to your GCash account.

1. Login to your GCash app.
2. Open the menu using the top left button and click “My Linked Accounts”.
3. Click on GCash Mastercard and click “Link Card”.
4. Type the card number on your GCash Mastercard and click on “Link Card” again to use your new debit card.

To link your GCash Mastercard to your PayPal account:

1. Login to PayPal.
2. Go to “Account Settings” on the upper right (the gear icon).
3. Click on “Money, banks and cards” and scroll down to click on “Link a new card”.
4. Input the necessary details to link your GCash Mastercard to PayPal.
5. If you need to confirm it, click “Edit” and click “Confirm your card”. PayPal will charge you P100 and send you an SMS with a code that you will use to confirm your card.
   • The text message will look like this:
     “You have paid P100.00 GCash to PP*1234CODE on (Date and time). Your new balance is P###.## Ref. No. #############.”
   • Aside from that message, you can also find the code in your GCash transaction history or you can ask the GCash customer support for the code.
6. Input that 4-digit code in “PP*####CODE” to verify and confirm your GCash Mastercard in PayPal.

Pay at shops using GCash

Finally, you can use GCash to pay at certain shops and restaurants. You’d either use the QR Code or Barcode method, and their protocol may differ depending on the store. You can ask the cashier for help if necessary.

Anyway, for a certain local coffee shop, here’s what I had to do:

1. Login to my GCash account.
2. Place my order to know how much I need to pay.
3. Scan the shop’s QR code using the GCash app.
4. Type the exact amount of how much I needed to pay and confirm it in the app. I showed it to the cashier.
5. After that, the cashier received a notification that I paid on GCash and then they gave me my order.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Do you have any more questions about it? Ask us in the comments section below!