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Topup
Topup, often referred to as Real Time Replenishment, has been in the
works for a few years and is the next evolution of replenishment
products. So what is it? It's basically the
elimination
of the PIN.
What's so interesting about that you might be asking
yourself.
What it means is that instead of having to deal with
redeeming a
cumbersome PIN printed on a card or receipt, you simply have to give
the clerk your wireless phone number in the store. The clerk
will
enter your number into the terminal and the amount/denomination you
want to add to your account, and presto, the money is on your account!
It sounds simple enough, however, making real time technology work is
actually no small feat. More details on this later.
For now
lets review the various benefits:
Customer Benefits:
- No messing around with PINs on cards or paper receipts.
- No need for a second redemption step.
- Money is available immediately on your account without any
extra steps.
- Typically allow you to add any amount, in dollars
and cents. In other words, you're not restricted to just a
few
fixed amounts/denominations.
Store Benefits:
- No card inventory management and related costs.
- No security/fraud exposure with electronic PIN products.
- Lower support costs by helping customers with PIN related
problems.
- Ability to better serve customers by offering you access to
open range (you can add any amount you want).
Carrier Benefits:
- Better customer experience by eliminating the two step
purchase-redemption process.
- Decreased operational costs by eliminating card printing
and distribution.
- Decreased fraud costs by eliminating electronic PIN
management.
- Decreased customer care costs from handling PIN related PIN
problems.
It's fair to conclude that Real Time Reload is an overall win-win-win
for all involved. As a customer, you should seek out real
time replenishment locations for the best experience.
However, keep in mind that topup is not yet in wide
distribution, although you should see it becomming more and more
popular in 2008 and 2009.
Return from Topup to Adding Money

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