Maxis now adds support for direct billing on the Google Play Store

Customers on the telco who have Android devices without those plastic cards in their wallets and purses have in the past had no other option but to get one, if they wanted to buy anything on the Play Store. Though now, any Maxis/Hotlink customer can easily purchase apps, in-app purchases, Google Movies, E-books and newsstand content through Maxis direct billing – credit/debit card not necessary.

Users on the green-loving telco can now pay for any Play Store purchase through their monthly billings. Prepaid lines aren’t left out either with just two prerequisites you’ll need to fulfill. Maxis hopes that through the direct billing it’ll open doors to those with no credit/debit cards to now make purchases on the Play Store.

We’re seeing this trend from other organisations; Digi being another telco that started this initiative in September last year. The limitations of these plastic cards are something that companies are starting to realise with WhatsApp also doing away with the need to pay for their service because of not many people having a credit/debit card.

For postpaid, direct billing will be available to all customers except those using Corporate lines. Any purchases will be billed in the next bill cycle. On the other hand, prepaid users will need to make sure they are subscribed (at least) to a Monthly Data Plan of 1GB to be eligible – obviously, they’ll also have to ensure they have sufficient prepaid airtime balance as the billing is instant.

These are the steps to set it up:

Remember when setting up the first time, you’ll have to make sure you’re connected to a Maxis/Hotlink data network (3G/4G) and you’re able to receive SMS. That’s the only way they can detect if you’re on their network in the first place. Any purchases/downloads that follow can utilise WiFi networks without hindering your direct billing. After doing so, you won’t have to repeat the steps as Maxis direct billing will now be your default payment method for anything on the Play Store.

When purchasing it’ll look something like this:

It was a nice touch that they added the SMS notification for any purchase that you’ve made. There will also be an added e-mail from Google and a purchase history in Google Wallet for extra documentation. Carefully reminding you of all the money that’ll be flying away. It won’t be that bad, Maxis sets a cap of RM 200/month by default for postpaid users, ensuring that you don’t spend too much on the Play Store.

In the scenario that you want to increase your limit, you can do so by contacting their customer service for help. Only principal line holders can readjust purchase limits – some useful info for users on supplementary lines.

Interestingly, when using Maxis direct billing for Google Play Store purchases, you’ll be charged an additional 6% GST – added to the amount shown on the Google Play Store. But we’re not sure how this will work for users on prepaid as GST is supposed to be rebated back to you if you’re a Malaysian – you can read about it all here.

Since you’ll have to pay GST while using Maxis direct billing, it makes more sense for users with credit/debit cards to use the regular card billing method, since you won’t be hit with the tax.

Refunds are the typical as per Play Store policy, giving you a window of two hours to request a refund. You’ll be able to do that by going back to the purchased app and select “Refund”. If you missed the two-hour period, it’ll change to reflect “Uninstall” instead. Any late request will have to be directed to app developers, and it’ll be up to them to decide if your excuse is valid. Users will be notified via SMS if they’ve successfully got a refund.

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