Maids can get paid, shop, remit with new app

Domestic workers in Hong Kong can now receive their salaries, shop online and send money home using a new mobile application launched on August 16.

The Ecdlifes mobile app, co-developed by Peccoin Limited, Rich Credit Finance Limited and LayDBug Technologies Limited, allows domestic workers to manage their finances with their own Easy Card account – a MasterCard prepaid card that allows cardholders to make online purchases and withdraw money from ATM machines in Hong Kong, the Philippines and other countries.

Rich Credit Finance is a Hong Kong-based money lender established in 2014 and has served more than 30,000 domestic workers in Hong Kong. LayDbug Technologies is the Ecdlifes app’s developer.

Dennis So Wing-tung, the chief executive officer of Peccoin Limited, said employers can pay their domestic workers through the app’s payroll function. The function allows employers to easily track and record the transfer of their worker’s salaries and allowances.

The mobile app will soon allow domestic workers to pay their bills, such as electric, water, cable and internet, in their home countries through the Easy Card account, as well as remit money to their families. Peccoin Limited will be partnering with PLDT, formerly known as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, and other remittance companies.

“We will enrich the platform to continue to bring convenience to our clients and be an important tool for them to have an easier and better life,” So said.

The Easy Card is a prepaid card that can be used for credit card transactions online. Peccoin Limited opened an online shopping portal where Easy Card account holders can purchase products such as mobile phones, jewelry, bags, clothes, gadgets and cosmetics.

The mobile application can also help domestic workers and employers match with each other. Employers can communicate with prospective domestic workers before hiring them to have a better understanding on their backgrounds and skills.

Once an employer agrees to hire a domestic worker, the case will be referred to a licensed employment agent.

“We aim to help the domestic workers to adopt the living and working environment in Hong Kong, as well as improve their quality of life and elevate their living standards in their home countries,” So said.

At present, the application is only applicable for employment in Hong Kong. Employers and domestic workers can communicate easily as the application is available in Chinese, English and Bahasa Indonesia.

The mobile app is available for free at Google Play Store. Peccoin Limited will launch an iOS version of the app as many employers use iPhones.

Robert D. Quintin, the Vice-Consul of the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong, attended the Ecdlifes and Easy Card Launch Conference in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island on August 16.