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P O P U L A R E - P A Y M E N T A P P S IN MALAYSIA

These are truly exciting times in Malaysia as we are experiencing a rise in the acceptance of cashless e-payments in lieu of traditional payment instruments and along with it a veritable cornucopia of e-payment platforms to choose from. Consumers are truly spoilt for choice with the array of e-payment options available in Malaysia with some sweetening the pot with cashbacks, extra bonuses and more.

While there are a host of them available for our selection, not all of them are universally accepted by all merchants. It’s up to the consumer to get their homework done and choose the right e-payment platforms that would suit their needs or the merchants and services that they frequent the most. While when this article was written, there is no one e-payment platform that is universally accepted nationwide, here are selections of some of the most popular ones in Malaysia.

BOOST TOUCH ‘N GO EWALLET GRAB

The Boost app is an e-wallet that you can use to pay a variety of merchants across Malaysia with many of them being dining establishments in lieu of using physical cash. Not only can you pay these retail outlets via Boost, you will also get access to a variety of vouchers that you can use or even share with non-Boost users too. You can even send or request money to others. The best part? It’s the easiest way to split a bill with friends!

FAVE

This increasingly popular app lets you top up funds and pay your way through tolls with the app and purchase goods from a growing number of merchants. You’re also able to book movies, pay for flight tickets and more. Topping up the Touch ‘n Go ewallet app is exceptionally easy as you can link it to your bank account so that it auto reloads when your existing amount gets too low. Another perk is the ability to pay smartphone prepaid accounts straight from the phone.

Unfortunately, the Touch ‘n Go eWallet doesn’t directly integrate with existing Touch ‘n Go cards and is so far a separate ‘wallet’ that doesn’t allow for balance interchanges between it and other cards. Another pickle is that it can’t be used at every tollgate or LRT stop, only a selected few in the Klang Valley. The ubiquitous ride hailing app has expanded in recent years to encompass a host of other services under its umbrella. On top of getting you a ride to your intended destination, the Grab app now includes the ability to deliver food to your office or home via GrabFood, send parcels via GrabExpress, get groceries delivered from store to your front door via GrabFresh and, more importantly, the GrabPay mobile wallet that lets you easily pay for all these services with just a few presses of a button.

MAYBANK2U MY

The Fave app lets you get discounted offers at a vast variety of establishments for all manner of things from fun activities, dining, discounts on plane tickets and much more. Via the Fave app, you’re able to pay for your bills swiftly and easily and even get up to 30% cashback too. Even better, you’re able to send gifts in the form of vouchers for services under the Fave app umbrella to friends and family to make them feel extra special. The juiced up Maybank2u MY app is amazingly intuitive and easy to use. On top of the obligatory ability to manage your finances with the bank, the Maybank2u MY app also features their QRPay feature that lets you scan a QR code to make peerto-peer cash transfers and make payments instantly. Another useful feature is their My Absolute e-Wallet that lets you pay and split bills as well as send and receive money wherever and whenever you are.

M A S T E R A N E W L A N G U A G E W I T H T H E S E EXCITING LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS

Learning a new language can be a rewarding experience as it expands your horizons in more ways than one. Other than acquiring new ways of thinking and understanding, you also gain a newfound appreciation learning a new culture. Mastering a new language also leads to personal growth and more career opportunities!

Here are several acclaimed language learning apps that cover the most widely spoken languages - they are suitable for various skill levels and needs as well as those who are seeking different ways of learning.

DUOLINGO: LEARN LANGUAGES FOR FREE

LINGODEER: LEARN KOREAN, JAPANESE, CHINESE & MORE

HELLOTALK: CHAT, SPEAK & LEARN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Learning a new language on Duolingo is a pleasantly casual affair that you can pick up and drop off comfortably as your daily work schedule demands it. The app caters primarily to non-native speakers who are looking for working fluency in a given language.

The app itself allows you to learn most of the major languages including English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Italian Portuguese, Dutch and Russian. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can attempt to pick up Esperanto, Polish and Turkish too.

What makes Duolingo attractive and effective is that it gamifies the process of learning a new language. Lessons are designed in a series of minigames, allowing you to have fun while improving your vocabulary and grammar in the language you wish to learn.

Duolingo starts you off easy with basic verbs and phrases to get you started and then ups it gradually with structured sentences as it tosses new words at you everyday. Unfortunately there are a few paywalls here and there as you advance towards higher levels though serious users will find the price a pittance to the gains acquired mastering a new language.

It might look like a run of the mill language learning app but LingoDeer surprisingly offers in-depth content. Its unique approach to teaching a new language will likely appeal to more traditional learners. This is on account of the fact that LingoDeer’s curriculum and learning methodology were designed by professional language textbook creators so one can expect a structured form and method towards learning a new language in the app.

LingoDeer’s learning programme is exceptionally robust, as you would expect, and covers the fundamentals in your chosen language such as the alphabet, vocabulary, grammar, travel phrases and pronunciation before moving you up to advanced linguistic skills and native speaker level. This is particularly useful for languages that have their own unique alphabet system such as Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese. Of particular value is that the app includes audio recordings of content spoken by native speakers so you would hear and learn exactly how to pronounce it. The app includes exceptionally detailed grammar notes to explain the exact mechanics of how a given language works.

The only downside to the app is that it only has a few languages available at the moment though they’re the more important ones. You get to learn Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Vietnamese and, of course, English. It also works in offline mode which means you can get some learning done on the road or at places where you don’t have internet connection such as in a plane. Basic lessons are free and a subscription fee will be charged to access more advanced courses.

The approach in HelloTalk is perhaps the best and unique way to learn. Rather than undertaking a series of minigames, flash cards, tests or whatnot, HelloTalk throws you straight into the deep end by pairing you up with an actual native speaker who wants to learn the languages that you yourself are fluent in. In essence, the app is pairing up two language learners together to learn each other’s languages. There’s no homework per se but you will grow to appreciate the ability to practise and learn a language straight from a native speaker rather than from a textbook. Almost all major languages are represented on HelloTalk.

The interface itself looks and feels somewhat like a social media app, making it relatively easy to navigate it and relatively easy to dive into. Interactions consist of conversations back and forth in both voice and text form. There’s likely to be a lot of mistakes during the first few lessons of learning and to address that HelloTalk has a built-in real-time correction tool to help correct the other’s grammar, pronunciation and written text.

The trick here is that getting the best experience from HelloTalk is contingent on finding the right language exchange partners for the languages you want to learn and which they hopefully want to learn from you. This does take some patience but once you find a cooperative language learning partner, it’s an engrossing way to learn the practical aspects of a language. The only downside is that this app is probably more suited for moderately skilled users seeking for practical training as some level of basic grammar in the language you want to learn is required to derive a meaningful and engaging experience.

TRIPLINGO

Like many of us out there, you’ll likely need to make a trip overseas but don’t have the time to grasp the local culture or, for the matter, the local languages or dialects which can possibly lead to all manner of mishaps. Rather than a full-on lesson on reading, writing and comprehension in a given language, TripLingo has a more pinpoint focus by imparting ‘survivor-level’ language. Common phrases and local slang for important matters such as finding and ordering food, shopping, travelling around and the like are organised by categories along with a quick primer on local cultural norms to avoid a potential faux pas. The most amusing aspect of the app is that you can set a slider when translating phrases so you can alternate between formal, informal or highly localised variants depending on how chummy you want to get with the locals.

Should you not be able to find a specific phrase, you can opt for a mode similar to Google Translate that helps somewhat or, if you chunk out for the premium option, get a live translator to help out. In terms of education options, TripLingo is a bit sparse as it emphasises teaching and helping out with the practical aspects of a language sufficient to survive in a given country rather than someone looking to learn the language. It does have a basic assortment of quizzes and audio walkthroughs though most of the good stuff and important phrases are hidden behind a paywall. That said, this is still worth a look as a backup option on your phone or if you really just want to get the bare basics in a given language.