New Digital Gift Card Experience: A Glimpse into the Future of Payments

Roger Smith Managing Director epay Group New Zealand states together, Centrapay and Epay are revolutionising gifting with the launch of the new Gift Station wallet app, making it faster, easier and more secure than ever to buy, store and use a gift card. We are transforming payments and security for all gift cards in the market while giving consumers real time information on transactions card balances and expiry dates of all Giftstation Gift cards allowing more flexibility and transparency for all.

Consumers can now easily purchase a growing range of digital gift cards from participating retailers through the Gift Station website www.giftstation.co.nz and send them to friends and family instantly via text message. The recipient downloads the gift card to the Giftstation wallet app on their phone. This provides 24/7 access to the card and the ability to view balances at any time.

The security features of the user’s smartphone ensure that the digital gift cards remain safe.

Greg Beehre, CEO of Centrapay, explains, “The beauty of this solution lies in its simplicity. The new gift card offers additional value such as real-time balances, online accessibility and eliminates the hassle of remembering a PIN, plus filling up your wallet with another piece of plastic.”

There is a growing list of brands getting behind digital gifting with this new text-to-mobile solution including Farmers, Events Cinemas, Star Group (formally JoyLab) and Hospitality New Zealand’s KOHA card, which can be redeemed at hospitality outlets around the country.

Through Centrapay’s merchant acceptance network, these new digital gift cards can be accepted through most EFTPOS terminals without needing to upgrade or swap out the hardware.

Digitising cards not only offers convenience but also addresses environmental concerns by reducing the plastic waste footprint of the payments industry.

The increase in digital payment options is set to continue as New Zealand’s financial institutions ready themselves for Open Banking. Centrapay has been at the forefront of shaping these new Open Banking experiences by supporting financial institutions in the adoption of the technology.

Greg states, “Open Banking will transform the way Kiwis pay, moving us beyond our traditional habits. It will also enable the transfer of richer data between parties. This advancement means retailers can offer consumers a wider array of options at the checkout.

Retailers will have more affordable ways to accept payments and access valuable data to offer consumers more relevant deals, ultimately improving customer loyalty.

What we’re seeing in the gift card space is just the beginning. It’s an exciting place to play.”