EcoCash automatic bill payments, they have finally done something really cool

Zimbabwe’s biggest mobile money service EcoCash has introduced a Bill Manager, a new service that it says will bring more convenience for its users and simplifies how EcoCash customers manage their bill payments to different service providers, directly from their phones. 

EcoCash has brought about a number of things over the years that have been hit or miss. The one thing they were slacking on was a way to make bill payments a lot easier. We are all using EcoCash for one thing or another even with the charges… But the USSD was super friction-filled when it came to making payments.

One would imagine that the guys running the country’s biggest mobile money operator would invest more time into improving the user experience ages ago.

This is actually pretty cool

You can access EcoCash Bill Manager by dialling *151*100# on any type of phone. The new feature will allow EcoCash customers to make real-time, multicurrency (ZWL or USD) bill payments and allow for (and this is the best part) automatic monthly bill payments.

“They will also be able to set recurring bill payments for auto-collection by the service or utility providers, straight from their mobile wallets, on a monthly basis.

EcoCash Chief Operating Officer Mr Munyaradzi Nhamo

All you’ll need to do is authorize the payment; EcoCash says the Bill Manager will automatically fetch the bill from the service provider and show it to the customer for payment authorization. You can do this through the aforementioned *151*100# USSD which will allow you to make your bill payments like the conventional USSD.

You can then save your “Favourite transactions” (Option 3 on the *151*100# USSD) from some of the billers on the EcoCash Bill Manager which include ZESA prepaid tokens, Harare City Council,  Edgars, ZINWA prepaid tokens, Liquid Home (ZOL), First Mutual Health, Jet Store, Bulawayo City, Council, Econet post-paid, PowerLive, Celfre Energy, CIMAS, Doves, Nyaradzo, Fidelity Life Assurance and FBC Microplan Services, among others. 

“EcoCash Bill Manager puts the power into the customer’s hands. They will have the convenience and flexibility to make one-time payments, or to automatically schedule mandates for recurring payments to their utility or service provider,”

EcoCash Chief Operating Officer Mr Munyaradzi Nhamo

Additionally, EcoCash says customers that use the EcoCash Bill Manager online (via the link here) will get an instant email notification, with proof of payment, once they pay their bills. They will also be able to access and download EcoCash statements on demand.

What do you think about this?

I think this is a step in the right direction from EcoCash. The one thing I’d like to see is this feature put on the mobile money operator’s application. This would make it a whole lot easier for those who aren’t fans of USSD.

That being said, starting with USSD is probably the smart thing to do. Many Zimbabweans are using feature phones and prioritising the app would have excluded a lot of their customers.

Anyway, let me know what you think about this EcoCash feature in the comments below.