The New Year has got off to a revving good start for a 71-year old pensioner from Mokgopong township in Limpopo Province, as he drives off in a brand new Ford Fiesta, courtesty of Absa.
Never for one minute, did informal settlement resident, Mr Makotoko Motoa, imagine he would win a car when he simply registered for cellphone banking with Absa in September last year.
Appearing at the Absa branch in Mokgopong to take possession of his prize, a jubilant Mr Motoa, who has never owned a brand new car before, said that he would take his wife Elizabeth "out visiting", but would not allow any of his seven children to drive the car, "just in case they crash it". "We`ll drive to church and back," said Mr Motoa.
When asked what he uses cellphone banking for, Mr Motoa said: "Sometimes I wake up at 3am, and want to check whether my pension has come into my account. Cellphone banking makes it so easy for me."
The prize forms part of Absa`s drive to encourage people to try anytime, anywhere banking using their cellphones.
Says Daphne Motsepe, Managing Executive: Absa Group Flexi Banking Services: "We`re the only bank to offer free banking on cellphones until March 2006, as we want to spread the good news of convenience banking to all our customers, particularly to those in under-banked areas, such as the Mokgopong area where Mr Motoa comes from."
"My heart is swollen with pride about the car," said the retired Eskom electrician. "I never ever thought I`d ever win a prize in my whole life."
Thirty-one Absa cellphone banking clients also benefited from Absa`s cellphone banking campaign having won the following Samsung products just by registering for the free service: 1 x 26" LCD TV; 5 x 72cm Plano Flat TVs; 5 x home theatres; 5 x 20GB MP3 players; 5 x Digital camcorders; 5 x D500 cellphones and 5 x DVD recorders.
Free cellphone banking means that Absa customers can check account balances; view mini statements; top up prepaid airtime; make payments; do inter-account transfers; request fax and email statements and send proof of payments at no charge.
"People in rural areas no longer have to travel miles to the nearest ATM or branch just to get an account balance or to check if a payment has been made.
"With cellphone banking you don`t even have to get out of bed," says Motsepe.
"It`s also extremely easy to use. Our offering is a step-by-step menu-driven service, which is aligned to existing cell phone menus. In other words, the look and feel of Absa`s cellphone banking menu is similar to those already on the handset.
"To do a balance enquiry you don`t need to go into a branch to register for the service. You simply download the cell phone banking menu," says Motsepe.
Because the demographic profile of cellphone users cuts across economic and social groupings, it is a channel that can deliver banking services to the previously unbanked portion of society.
"Everyone from the baker to the CEO has a cellphone. You don`t need access to a landline, Internet, ATM or branch to make payments or check your financial details. Our free offer is our way of encouraging people to use their cellphones as a bank," says Motsepe.
Absa currently has over 100 000 cellphone banking customers making it a leader in the market. Cellphone banking has experienced customer growth of more than 60% in recent months.
"We expect this growth to continue as customers start realising the value of cellphone banking", says Motsepe.
Absa`s cellphone banking customers made payments in excess of R1billion in 2005. This reflects the confidence and trust our customers have in cellphone banking.
"Let`s face it. The future is clear - it`s a bank in your pocket," says Motsepe.
The offer of free cellphone banking is available immediately to all new and existing Absa Cellphone Banking customers on the Vodacom and MTN networks.
Absa was the first to bring cellphone banking to the market in August 2000,enabling clients to transact securely via SMS.
Absa was also the first in the industry to launch pre-paid across all networks and the first to launch statements and proof of payments via fax or e-mail.
For queries on this service, phone the Absa contact centre on (0860) 111 123.
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