Using Dialog eZ Cash
YAMU has started paying writers and translators, but making payments is usually a pain. As a once freelance write, one of the bigger issues I’ve had was just getting paid. Even for like Rs. 2,000, you have to travel to their office, go to a bank, and then wait. So not only do you have to spend time and resources to work, you have to also spend time and money to just get paid. We’ve tried to make that easier for our writers using Dialog eZ Cash.
eZ Cash is mobile money. You dial #111# and it’s activated. Then you can top up (deposit) and any shop with Dialog eZ Cash stickers or Laugfs, Dialog Outlets, Singer, Abans, etc. In theory. In practice we tried four kades in Wellawatte (the first time) before we found one that would take our cash. Once there it’s simple, just give them your phone number and cash and you get an SMS that your account is updated. So, yesterday I put 4,000 in, bringing my balance to 6k.
Then, also yesterday, I sent that money to a phone number in Ampara, to pay our translator Irshath. I’ve paid guys in Batticaloa before, through bank deposit, but that still involved finding their bank (in that case Sampath), standing in line, doing paperwork, and then them having to do the same on the other end. In this case I still had to go somewhere (a kade), but they’re getting more aware all the time. This time I was just walking by a kade (in Wella again I think) and they took the money without a fuss.
So how was it to get the money out? I think Irshath is in more of a village than Ampara town and he said he had to try three kades before he found someone interested in paying. That part I did find a bit confusing. Any number of people would want to take money in, but taking 6k out might drain a village kade. Irshath said the employee said he’d have to wait till the boss came back. When the boss came back he did authorize the withdrawal, so that translator is paid. Here’s what he said about the experience.
Communication owners interested in “selling” ez cash but Not interested in paying. Coz they are not ready to dump sum money on paying it and wait couple of days (it may b the case in remote areas) Dialog agent to collect it (ie they set off against their purchase).
May be we need to identify reliable outlets. Easier then withdrawing from Bank counter, bit more work then using an ATM. But one thing for sure, its not that easy as they advertise..
I think that pretty much sums Dialog eZ Cash up. It’s not insanely convenient yet, but it works. For our purposes (paying writers without wasting time or petrol) it works pretty well. It’s faster than checks, less annoying than going to the bank, and far simpler than going to Ampara. So that’s my experience with Dialog eZ Cash. Better than the status quo, but still not quite as awesome as it could be.
Note: YAMU is paying freelance writers to do reviews. We pay about Rs. 500 for original posts, with a few photos preferably, and Rs. 300 for translations. Contact savan@yamu.lk if you’re interested. We’re especially looking for original content in Sinhala and Tamil.
Posted on Tuesday, September 18th, 2012 in Business, Tech, YAMU.
Mohsin Hamid, author of How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia, has a nice 
I’m happy to be featured in Echelon magazine’s 40 Under 40 feature, profiling young people who contribute to the economy in some way, mainly in business but also in terms of innovation and thought leadership. It’s an interesting article not just in that I’m in it (mainly for work on indi.ca and 
I won’t add too much commentary, but just read I guess. The youngest Rajapaksa, Rohitha (Chi Chi) has given an amazing interview to the 
In 2009 this strange character appeared on the Sri Lankan Internet scene, getting angry, flaming, trolling whatever. Then he started naming anonymous bloggers, posting comments as people’s kids, nasty stuff, for which I removed him from 
Why don’t you just transfer the money to his bank account from your account. You can do the transfer online through your bank’s site and he can withdraw with his ATM. I know for a fact that HSBC allows you to transfer to another HSBC bank immediately and for HSBC to another bank it takes a day.
I transfer money from Australia to people in Colombo by simply transferring to a money broker here and the money is received in Colombo on the same day.
I don’t know if he has a bank account, there’s certainly no HSBC in Ampara, the transfers are instant on the mobile, there are more eZ Cash outlets than banks, and
my horrid business bank (Nations Trust) doesn’t do online transfers. And I don’t want to use money brokers. This works. I can just pay people through my phone, and it’s faster than using online banking.
Doing small micro payments for freelancers are not practical through online banking any more. It used to be sampath bank when third party transfers (transfer to non sampath bank accounts) were free. but not any more.
Now sampath bank change 150/= per third party transaction. Most other banks including HSBC charge similar amounts. Imagine paying a 150/= charge to transfer 300 rupees for a translater. To make it work you will have to wait until freelancer reach a higher payout level (at least 20 times the transaction cost).
This is one reason why sri lanka need paypal receiving capability. Imagine how much people who make various handcrafts can make through places like ebay.
This is where regulation needs to come in for the banking sector. Or better competition driven by state banks like BoC.
Btw is Dialog doing this like free of charge?
If I ever heard an oxymoron it has to be “competition driven by state banks like BoC.” The massive distortions in the banking market in LK are caused by the monopolistic power of the state banks and the government tilting the scales in their favor.
I hope Dialog is levying a fee. Why should they provide a service for free?
Yeah, I don’t see the BoC driving anything. Competition from the state banks really is an oxymoron.
It’s not free, there’s transaction charges (http://www.dialog.lk/personal/mobile/ez-cash/), but I think these are waived right now.
Mobile money obviously has benefits over banks, and the banks here really really suck.
Mobile money is definitely the answer for a scattered rural population, I really hope it catches on. The fact of the matter is that rural SL is still under banked and most still keep their cash under mattress. That is another problem (mainly for the central bank), but with over 80% mobile penetration (cant remember the exact number, but its high) m-banking certainly bring a great way to franchise and extract services from the many that live outside the country’s few urban centers link Indi pointed out. Cheers to Dialog (their service still needs improvement)! If the value of the transfer is an issue during receipt, can that be broken into smaller chunks across different kades?