Holiday Budgeting with GCash

It’s almost the middle of November and we’re counting down the days to Christmas. And we all know what the season comes with lots and lots of eating out. The holidays are a time for reunions and get-togethers with family and friends, so the weeks into Christmas see packed restaurants everywhere.

And of course, this comes with a cost. We usually make holiday dining extra-special- we choose better restaurants than, say, our regular weekend meals or payday treats- and so we spend more.

One thing we can do to make sure we don’t break the bank is plan our spending around our eating. The best way to do this is to go cashless. Mobile wallet GCash may just be the tool you need to ensure you spend responsibly while enjoying dining out.

For instance, if you have two night-outs scheduled for the week, you can set a cap of P1,000 in your GCash account, or P500 per meal. You could cash in ahead over-the-counter at 7-Eleven branches or by linking your bank account, which could be easily done on the app.

Next, make sure you stay within the budget. Do stick to cashless, do not bring cash except for the emergency. And then choose a meal that would satisfy your cravings but is still reasonably priced.

When it’s time to pay, use GCash’s scan-to-pay, a convenient payment feature offered in over 50,000 establishments, including restaurants and coffeeshops.

To use this upon getting the tab, open your GCash app, and tap pay via QR Code. Most use this, while some, like Starbucks, use a bar code. Upon opening the screen, just scan the restaurant’s QR Code at the counter, then input the amount. Payment is instantly confirmed.

Then you can track your payments on GCash’s transaction history feature, which you will see on the page after login. You can set the period of time you wish to include in the history. Once you set this and confirm, GCash will send you an email with the file of your transaction history.

This will help you easily keep track of your spending. Whether its dining out, grocery shopping, or retail therapy, the app helped us live within our means with such ease and convenience.