PayMaya (a subsidiary brand of PLDT and Smart Communications and regulated by the Central Bank of the Philippines) is a free smartphone app available on iOS and Android that provides a prepaid virtual Visa or MasterCard and can be used to make online payment at almost the same convenience that a regular credit card offers. A physical card can also be purchased and linked with the PayMaya app.
Since market release couple of years ago, PayMaya virtual credit cards have received consistent positive user reviews mostly on convenient load up methods, security features, efficient and real-time transactions, bills payment services, and other growing opportunities.
Honestly, I haven’t had a credit card, and getting one remains far beyond decision. Yes, you couldn’t be more right. Like many earning professionals, I was also once (probably many times) tempted getting one, but as soon as I became satisfied with the traditional payment solutions and convenience of regular debit cards, I discarded the idea.
Notwithstanding the promising benefits of credit cards, cash transactions make the tracking of personal cashflow more realistic and lower the risks of unmanageable debts. Now, that’s my standpoint.
In this article, I’ll try to detail out how I built iMillennial with the use of PayMaya MasterCard. You might be interested as well in blogging, but the thought of needing a credit or debit card for domain and web hosting services dissuades you. Try virtual credit cards then. I strongly recommend PayMaya Visa or MasterCard (whichever applies to your mobile service provider).
When I returned to blogging after my now-defunct SyndicaEduc.blogspot.com, I had a major experiment with a WordPress.com blog that cost me around $20 for a domain name, only to find out later that I still couldn’t monetize the project.
Frankly, I just couldn’t trust online payment systems because of the high risk of sensitive information being compromised in a data breach. Whenever I shop online, say at Lazada, I always opt for cash on delivery (COD).
Whew! It was my first online payment transaction. Shelling out a few dollars from a DBP Visa debit card challenged my confidence in security measures, hence made me restless for the next two days until I secured a balance transfer to another account.
I told myself I won’t do it again. So, I tapped the potential of virtual credit cards and paid a domain and hosting service for this self-hosted blog with a PayMaya virtual MasterCard.
How I Used PayMaya Virtual Credit Card for SiteGround Hosting Service
If you are a serious blogger trying to make blogging an income-generating career, then it is recommended that you choose a self-hosted WordPress.org platform. However, if you do not care much about monetizing your hobby, then go with WordPress.com. I tell you, a self-hosted blog, not to emphasize much the advantage over the other, is not as expensive as what most beginners think.
When I finalized my decision about building this blog, I had to spend $86.35 (around P4,000) for a Start Up hosting package with SiteGround. The one-year package comes with a 10GB web space, a free domain, domain privacy protection, SG Site Scanner, and other essential features.
SiteGround is a leading web hosting company servicing over 500,000 domains worldwide with major data centers across United States, Europe, and Asia. Highly recommended, it receives positive expert reviews generally about excellent customer service, incredible average uptime, page loading speed, and other add-ons.
SiteGround services can be availed through convenient payment methods, and I had and probably will still have them with my PayMaya virtual MasterCard.
After downloading PayMaya app, I loaded up my virtual credit card at the nearest 7-Eleven convenience store. Take note that you cannot use the app online without sufficient balance. With cash on hand, no need to worry much because there are already several ways of loading up the virtual credit card, along with the growing number of load up stations. You can check the FAQs on the official website of PayMaya for the most convenient method for you.
How I Boosted Facebook Posts with PayMaya Virtual Credit Card
Surveys on social media use surfacing on the web reveal that there are over 50 million Facebook users in the Philippines. Local bloggers, especially the beginners, tap the potential of the statistics to drive more traffic to their sites, hence boosting shared posts and campaigns.
Getting aggressive after launching a few blog posts in the local language, Tagalog, I blew off the remaining few hundreds in my PayMaya account on Facebook ad campaigns. Well, it was a gentle public intro!
A Facebook boosted post is a customized paid campaign from a business page, usually a blog or website that appears higher up on target audience’s news feeds. If you want to boost a Facebook post about your blog, you need to pay based on estimated number of audience you want your post to reach within a specified duration. Normally, allocated budget is stretched across post impressions and valid clicks.
Other Blog Improvements Made Possible with PayMaya Virtual Credit Card
- Linking PayMaya virtual credit card with PayPal account.
- Purchasing premium WordPress themes
- Purchasing premium plugins for your blog
- Funding ad campaigns with Google AdWords
- and more possibilities awaiting your discovery
Final Thoughts
PayMaya Philippines, Inc. keeps on forging partnerships with financial institutions and business establishments and on addressing points of convenience, affordability, and security. In this article, I have affirmed the viability of PayMaya virtual credit card as a blogging solution, a solid alternative to a regular credit or debit card, as I have experienced firsthand securing an online payment for web hosting service and Facebook post boost. Truly, PayMaya makes building and monetizing a blog easier.
Disclaimer: The author is not directly affiliated with PayMaya Philippines, Inc., SiteGround Web Hosting, and Facebook, however satisfied with their products and services. Please take this as an article purely grounded on the beliefs and experiences of the author, and not a sponsored one. You can also share below your PayMaya reviews and testimonials.
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