eWallet Comparison: Grab vs Touch ‘n Go vs Boost

eTunai Rakyat, which is the government’s initiative to boost eWallet usage in Malaysia, is kicking off starting 15th January 2020. Only three eWallets are selected – Grab, Touch ‘n Go eWallet and Boost, and each has its own unique features.

If you don’t have an eWallet or wondering which one you should go for, here’s a brief comparison of the top three eWallet platforms in the country.

Grab

Grab which is better known for its ehailing service is also one of the top eWallet players in the country. It’s a super app where you can use to order almost anything on-demand including GrabCar, GrabFood, GrabMart and GrabExpress.

With the GrabPay eWallet, you can also use it to make QR payments at merchant stores, pay for bill and purchase prepaid reloads. Grab also has in-app payment integration with Kaodim, OYO, Agoda, SOCAR, JomParking and more. Every spend on GrabPay allows you to earn GrabRewards points which you can use to redeem vouchers or discounts for your next purchase.

Grab doesn’t disclose its actual user and merchant numbers, but they told us that they have 20 million app downloads in Malaysia.

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Touch ‘n Go eWallet

The physical Touch ‘n Go is often associated with toll payments and parking, but the eWallet offers so much more. The eWallet allows seamless payments for the RFID toll system and if you don’t have an RFID tag, you can also enable PayDirect which allows you to deduct your toll charges from the eWallet instead of using the physical card’s balance. With the auto-reload feature, you won’t have to worry about manual top-ups for RFID and PayDirect usage.

Apart from paying for tolls, you can also use it at retail merchants via QR code. In the app, you can also use it to pay for street parking, book movie tickets, pay bills and purchase prepaid reloads. Touch ‘n Go eWallet is also supported on third-party platforms such as MULA and even Lazada. Unlike the other two, Touch ‘n Go eWallet has no reward point system but occasionally they do offer cashback promos for selected merchants.

At the moment, Touch ‘n Go eWallet has 7 million users and it is supported at over 120,000 merchant touchpoints nationwide.

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Boost

Boost first started as an eWallet that provides cashback for mobile top-ups. Now it is a full-fledged eWallet that you can use extensively at retail merchants. The app also allows you to pay bills, parking and also book movie tickets.

[ UPDATE 18/5/2020 10:00 ] Boost no longer offer transfers from eWallet to bank account. More details here.

Most recently, they have introduced a Cashup feature which allows you to get cashback from retailers. On top of that, Boost also has its own reward system that’s called Boostup where you can earn coins for redemption. Boost is also the only eWallet among the three to allow money transfers to your bank account. There’s a 2% fee, up to a maximum of RM2 for each request.

Boost has 5.1 million users and they have over 125,000 merchants touchpoints.

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How do you redeem the RM30 eTunai Rakyat?

The eTunai Rakyat program is offered to all Malaysians aged 18 years old and above, with an annual income of less than RM100,000. To redeem, you’ll need to have a verified eWallet, which requires an IC and selfie verification.

Once you’ve verified your eWallet (Grab or Touch ‘n Go or Boost), you can redeem via a link in the app from 8am on 15th January 2020. Do note that each Malaysian can only redeem RM30 once even if you have all three eWallets.

The RM30 credit will be valid until 14th March 2020. It isn’t transferrable and any unused amount will be forfeited on 15th March.

Which is your favourite eWallet? Let us know in the comments below.

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