I used Freecharge's new FreeCharge Go card and it's quite the game changer

I was compelled to pick my Oneplus 2 handset yesterday when I first heard about the FreeCharge Go card launch. What would it feel like to use a virtual card, I wondered, as I downloaded the mobile wallet on my phone eagerly. Yep, I was not one of the 15 million users of FreeCharge app till yesterday and here I am using both the app and the newly launched card today. For starters, I feel merely the curiosity of experiencing a transaction using a virtual credit-like card will get a lot of enthusiastic people like me to sign up for the digital card.

What does it take to get one, after all? Just two minutes of your time. Literally!

I was astounded myself when it flashed my own 16-digit card on the screen within two minutes of my entering an MPIN.

Now, what’s an MPIN for? It’s password protection for your card so that nobody else can access it, and works the same way as your phone lock. The details of your card, therefore, will be visible or accessible only to you when you enter your four digit MPIN. No more shying away from entering your pin details in front of offline merchants or strangers!

Anyway, so here I got my FreeCharge Go card within no time and it looked exactly like a regular card we carry in our wallets today!

Nice… The next thought is now what? Let’s try to do a transaction. But, how do we exactly use this, where and how will it help to use this card over a debit/credit card? A little bit of reading first would do no harm, I felt. After the research, I decided to get onto using this new little thing for a purchase. Though I began with skepticism quite honestly, but on the way I figured that there’s no algebra or geometry behind using it. It’s in fact used the same way we have been using an ICICI or HDFC or any other bank credit/debit card for that matter. One thing to remember, however, is this card is a PREPAID card, which means your Freecharge Wallet in the phone needs to have enough balance to cover the purchase you are making using your FreeCharge Go card. So, first add money to the Freecharge Wallet and then you are good to go.

So, I headed straight to Flipkart and decided to purchase a watch for a friend who will be turning 28 this Sunday. Watch selected.. Address details added.. and now came the payment stage. I was required to choose the credit card option, copy the 16-digit card number and other details like CVV and expiry date. Now?

That’s it. At this stage, I felt reassured that its usage procedure is almost same as the other cards, and it can be used on any online payment gateway that supports MasterCard.

After the purchase, every transaction using the card needs to be verified by an OTP as a security measure, I had read up, which is sent to the registered mobile number. In about 30 seconds from the time I made the payment, I got mine too!

Once verified, as per the offer valid for 21 and 22 January, I immediately received Rs 100 cash back in my FreeCharge Wallet on the total amount I paid. Wow, not bad at all!

Another thing - The second time you use the card, the transaction merchant can ask the customer if they’d like them to take the address registered on FreeCharge, just like Facebook. So, it also does away with the problem of typing your details over and over again.

Personally, I found it an extremely effective way of making payments as its doubly secure, seamless, hassle-free, attractive due to cashbacks and discounts, and can be used on all Indian websites and mobile apps. Moreover, one can also avail its benefits at offline stores as the mobile online wallet company has also introduced offline payments a few weeks ago in partnerships with Westlife Development Ltd, owner of the Master Franchisee of McDonald’s west and south India, and Shopper’s Stop. In this case, the customers paying offline need not have to give their pin but rather a changing OTP which is available at all times with or without network on the app. The firm is looking at more partnerships with the offline merchants in the coming months.

I think it’s time folks at MobiKwik and Paytm pull up their socks, because boss FreeCharge Go card can be quite the gamechanger!