Pubic offices embrace mobile payments
In the view of many people, Polish public administration have not quite cash up with the modern world yet. However, this is soon to change, at least in one respect. Public offices will soon enable mobile payments.
Dealing with public administration way too often means standing in long queues, tons of red tape, and time running oh so slow. It might run a little bit faster, though, as there are plans to led Polish institutions into the 21st century, at least when it comes to payments.
Few things in life are free and getting a copy of an official document will never be one of them. Registering your car, getting a birth certificate or an identity card – all these call for a stamp duty of some sort. Settling a payment in an official institution so far has been associated with one thing: hard cash.
Usually, this means an applicant has to leave the counter he/she is standing at, go to a separate counter for payments, and come back with a payment confirmation to continue with their matters. Saving people’s time is definitely not a top priority here.
But new days are coming. According to the information given to the media, state officials are working on equipping clerks with tools and skills needed for accepting mobile payments. This means in the not-so-distant future any person will be able to pay state fees using their smartphone.
Officials will use the BLIK system, a system of mobile payments already available to many Poles through their banks. A smartphone app which enables cashless payments may be found on the mobile devices of the customers of Bank Millennium, Alior Bank, Bank Zachodni WBK, ING Bank Śląski, mBank, GetIn Bank, and the biggest Polish bank: PKO Bank Polski. BLIK does not only enables customers to pay for their groceries at brick and mortar shops. It may also be used for cash machine withdrawals and for online shopping.
Mobile payments are not greatly popular in Poland, but the number of users is growing. Currently, the app is used by over 700,000 people. Developers are trying to enlarge this number through various special offers and discount for buyers. BLIK has forged cooperation with PKN Orlen petrol stations, Tchibo store, NextBike bike rental service, Polski Bus bus transport company, and Multikino cinema chain.
The new payment method is to be quick, safe and user-friendly.
