VerPay
Completing transactions telephonically has always been difficult due to the high risk of fraud and the potential for dispute around terms and conditions.
The VerPay service allows merchants to make a sale while speaking to a customer. The merchant informs the customer of the amount owing over the phone, and the customer then enters it into the VerPay mobile web app. This generates a shortcode on their screen, which the customer reads to the merchant, allowing the merchant to verify the relevant transaction details. The customer reviews and accepts the T&Cs assigned by the merchant, before selecting a payment method to complete the transaction. Both parties are notified once payment is processed.
“We wanted to introduce a secure solution that facilitates over-the-phone payment for orders, deliveries, reservations, deposits, call-out fees, debt collection and more,” says Dana Buys, CEO of VerPay.
Customers do not share their confidential payment details with the merchant, instead, they make use of VerPay to complete the telephonic transaction, using payment methods like Stripe, MasterPass, NetCash, Snapscan and Zapper.
Platform: Android and iOS
Expect to pay: A free service
Stockists: Visit VerPay here to sign up.
Go to the next page to read about FlySafair’s new mobile app, MTN and Mastercard’s virtual payments, an app to calculate your carbon footprint, and King Price’s Code Red emergency app.
FlySafair mobile app
FlySafair’s new mobile app has been built to simplify its customers’ experiences with the airline. It brings all booking details into one place and allows most of the arrangements to be controlled on a smartphone.
A user profile is created with seating preferences, and payment details are securely stored for regular passengers.
Boarding passes are kept on the device and the app includes No Touch functionality and live updates to keep customers abreast of any possible schedule changes.
Platform: Android and iOS
Expect to pay: A free download
Stockists: Download the app for iOS here and for Android here.
Go to the next page to read about MTN and Mastercard’s virtual payments, an app to calculate your carbon footprint, and King Price’s Code Red emergency app.
MTN and Mastercard virtual payments
Mastercard and MTN have extended their virtual payment method, first launched in 2018. MTN customers with a Mastercard virtual payment solution linked to their MTN MoMo wallets can now make payments to global online merchants through digital payments on websites and mobile applications. The service is now available regardless of whether or not the customer has a bank account.
“Consumers are no longer limited to local businesses, but can now also shop at well-known global e-commerce brands and securely pay for their items,” comments MTN Group Chief Digital and Fintech Officer, Serigne Dioum.
In addition, business owners now have the option to purchase from suppliers abroad and pay with the virtual payment solution.
Platform: Android and iOS
Expect to pay: A free service
Stockists: Download the MTN MoMo app here.
Go to the next page to read about an app to calculate your carbon footprint, and King Price’s Code Red emergency app.
Aurora environment sustainability quiz
Cape Town-based Aurora is a platform that calculates an individual’s carbon footprint in various categories through its sustainability quiz.
Founder Danielle Laity says that, in the early research phase, the team found that even though people were aware of the climate crisis, they didn’t know where to start when it came to lowering their impact.
To begin the quiz, users input country and age. They are then asked questions ranging from how far they drive, to the number of rooms in their house. to what their weekly meals consist of in terms of animal and dairy products. Once completed, users need to log in with a Google or Facebook account to receive their CO2 results. From there, the service offers tips on how to better offset their carbon footprint.
“We have been able to help the average person lower their footprint by 28kg of CO2 a week,” says Laity. “Across our 35,000 users, that’s over 50,000 tons of CO2 or the equivalent of 83,333 loads of washing and 238,095 Kms travelled in an Uber.”
The team has recently launched Aurora for Organisations. which not only empowers people within an organisation to reduce their carbon footprint in an informed way, but businesses are also able to implement company-wide initiatives to lower this footprint and measure the impact.
Beyond companies, Aurora is also working with municipalities to analyse the impact of their people. Cities can gather data like where people are using public transport, how many people have renewable energy sources, and even their eating habits. Aurora gives an overview of how a city is doing from a human sustainability perspective and provides insights for planning new initiatives. It also challenges and helps citizens to lower their impact in a quantifiable way.
Platform: Any device with an up-to-date browser
Expect to pay: A free service
Stockists: Take the Aurora online quiz here.
Go to the next page to read about King Price’s Code Red emergency app.
King Price Code Red emergency
With crime spiralling in South Africa, just about every citizen in formal housing has some sort of home alarm, ranging from beams and electric fences to cameras and sensors, usually linked to an armed response company. In addition, many have mobile security apps like as Namola, CrimeSpotter and Tracker CareGuard (featured in the last AppDate) for additional peace of mind.
Now, in an already saturated security app market, King Price has announced its Code Red emergency response service.
Code Red links into a network of more than 280 armed response companies, which connect to thousands of responders across all nine provinces. Should an emergency occur, a user taps the code red button, upon which their GPS location is made available and the closest armed response car is sent. While in transit, Code Red operators contact the user to find out what the emergency is, and additional vehicles like fire engines and ambulances may be sent.
Code Red is a King Price partnership with Secura, a representative of a network of hundreds of armed response companies who are all registered with PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority).
King Price clients can register for Code Red on the King Price app at a monthly cost.
Platform: Android and iOS
Expect to pay: R25 per person per month
Stockists: Visit King Price here for downloading instructions.