Ukash, the world's largest prepaid cash-issuing
estate, has announced that it can now offer consumers 24/7 access
to vouchers in 80,000 Telefónica phone
booths across Spain, to be redeemed at any of the thousands
merchants where Ukash is accepted.
Through a deal with Telepay, consumers can now
purchase 'open-loop' vouchers at thousands of phone booths and ATMs
in Spain and shop online with the simplicity and security of cash.
This is in addition to the convenient methods of purchasing Ukash
vouchers online and in over 5,000 retail shops across the
country.
Telefónica is one of the world's leading global
integrated telecommunications companies, with a presence in 24
countries and headquartered in Spain. Ukash has already been
available from thousands of Telefónica phone booths since
October 2008, but the vouchers were limited in terms of where they
could be spent.
Now in Spain, consumers can purchase Ukash vouchers 24 hours a
day from phone booths, ATMs and through online issuance, making it
the most easily accessible e-cash offering in the country.
To purchase Ukash via Telefónica phone booths, users
follow the prompts on screen and deposit coins for the voucher's
value. Customers immediately receive their Ukash 19-digit unique
code via SMS, which can then be used to pay online in a similar way
to a credit/debit card number however without the need to reveal
personal details, eliminating the risk of identity fraud.
Consumers can obtain Ukash vouchers at any time of the day from
phone booths in fixed denominations of €5 and €10, and
they can be split and combined for a more convenient form of online
purchasing, by registering the voucher code at www.Ukash.com.
Commenting, Mark Chirnside, Chief Executive Officer, Ukash,
said: "We are delighted that our partnership with Telepay continues
to grow as we pursue our strategic plan to enable cash consumers to
shop online anywhere in the world. Opening up the availability of
Ukash vouchers across Spain 24 hours a day means that our virtual
cash is one of the most widely available, innovative alternative
payment systems offered to consumers in the country."
Commenting, Patrick Becker, Managing Director, TelePay: due to
the massive number of phone booths in Spain Ukash now allow cash
consumers to purchase Ukash almost everywhere in Spain. So it is
practically impossible to be excluded to participate and transact
in the e-commerce. We are confident that this new distribution
network will help Ukash to grow even faster.
Globally, Ukash is available at more than 320,000 physical
issuing points and spans 30 countries.