Metro.Style People section editor Grace Libero-Cruz at Paper Moon in Hong Kong

GCash Dash in Hong Kong

Innovation and tradition meet at the Ngong Ping Village, one of the top tourist destinations in Hong Kong that you can reach via a cable car.

Ngong Ping Village

While I was in Ocean Park, I tried buying a drink from the vendo machine using GCash for the first time.

Ocean Park 1

I've played at these booth games in Ocean Park before, but I didn't know they accept Alipay+ and that I could pay via GCash.

Ocean Park 2

I've always wanted to try the restaurants in Ocean Park. During this trip, I tried the posh Thai restaurant Ginger Grill and ordered mango sticky rice for snacks.

Ginger Grill at Ocean Park

I was looking forward to having lunch at Paper Moon, an Italian restaurant, and it did not disappoint. Not only does its food taste great but the interior and ambiance here are also impressive.

Paper Moon in Hong Kong

I'm always on the lookout for interesting coffee shops when traveling. I got excited upon seeing Ralph's Coffee and its luxurious, eye-catching design. I recommend visiting the place for post-lunch coffee and dessert. I bought the Sea Salt Dark Chocolate bar and I regret that I did not buy some more to bring home to Manila.

Ralph's Coffee

You can use GCash whether you want to dine, play, or shop at the souvenir shops in Ngong Ping Village. The Lucky Cat character is so iconic I just had to buy some keychains from this store.

Shops at Ngong Ping Village

The arcade lover in me couldn't resist trying my luck at the claw machines at a store in Ngong Ping Village. Sadly, I didn't get to win any item, but I was pleasantly surprised to know I can buy arcade tokens using GCash.

It was my first time at the Citygate Outlets and it certainly won't be the last.

Citygate Outlets 

While going around Citygate Outlets looking for restaurants, we chanced upon the Food Opera which has food stalls offering different types of cuisine.

Food Opera

Grace Libero

<div><em><strong>New travel hack, unlocked! We just found a new travel companion that allows us to shop, dine, and experience a destination hassle-free! Here’s a travel chronicle that will empower you, too, to embark on a travel journey anew.  </strong></em></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733055771417Metrostyle people editor grace libero cruz.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Metro.Style People section editor Grace Libero-Cruz documents her recent Hong Kong trip in this travel chronicle. Here she was enjoying the view of the Victoria Harbour from Paper Moon restaurant.</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>I recently went on a quick escape in <strong>Hong Kong</strong>. I’ve been to Hong Kong before, but this trip was different because I traveled cash-free. Whenever I traveled, exchanging money was part of my pre-trip routine so I could be equipped with enough cash on hand as soon as I reached my destination. There were times when I’d be too busy to prepare ahead, though, so that was usually my agenda upon landing at the airport, where the rates are typically higher. </p><p>Since I was in a hurry packing this time, it was a relief not to think about exchanging money and conversion rates before flying and upon arriving. In Hong Kong, specifically, my family and I would even allocate time to head to Tsim Sha Tsui where we found the best place for currency exchange. </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733057657425ocean park facadea.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Whether you&#x27;re with family or friends, Ocean Park is a must to check out in Hong Kong. For a more hassle-free trip, you&#x27;ll be glad to know that you can pay with GCash enabled by Alipay+ when you shop, dine, or play in the theme park.</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733058283946paper moon interior.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">If Avenue of Stars is part of your itinerary, you might want to visit the nearby Harbour City Mall, where you can find Paper Moon, an Italian restaurant with a sea view and a terrace overlooking Victoria Harbour.</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733066251817pop mart harbour city mall.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">While we were at the Harbour City Mall, we also checked out Pop Mart for the trendy Labubu dolls and other covetable toys.</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733066331358ralph&#x27;s coffee.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">The cute Ralph&#x27;s Coffee is located next to Ralph Lauren&#x27;s store in Harbour City Mall.</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>With that aspect of the trip as one less thing to worry about, it was such a delight that I could explore the destination hassle-free right away. I only had to make sure my <strong>GCash</strong> e-wallet was loaded. It was so convenient because I used GCash as a mode of payment at merchants that accept <strong>Alipay+</strong> and <strong>AlipayHK</strong><strong></strong>一from retail stores and food establishments to grocery and convenience stores (with <strong>zero service fees</strong>, at that).</p><p>I loved that I didn’t have to worry about the conversion of the Philippine peso to the Hong Kong dollar because I could view my wallet balance in the local currency of my current destination and get <strong></strong><strong>real-time, low forex rates</strong>.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733058824087la vache interior.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Hong Kong is a popular destination for food trips. On your next HK trip, we recommend you check out French steakhouse La Vache in Tsim Sha Tsui. It&#x27;s one of the best places to satisfy your steak-and-frites craving.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><br/><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733059139130citygate outlets adidas.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Traveling to Ngong Ping Village? Allocate some time to check out the nearby Citygate Outlets where world-renowned premium brands offer amazing discounts of up to 90 percent year-round! At Adidas, for instance, I scored two pairs of sneakers for only 699 HKD (approximately Php5,200), and I got pay with GCash enabled by Alipay+.<br/><br/></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733059814570cupping room.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Tired from a full day of shopping and exploring? Pause for a coffee break at the award-winning Cupping Room, also in Citygate Outlets. Coffee enthusiasts will be thrilled to try high-quality coffee from this small-batch specialty coffee roastery.</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733060104652bakehouse in citygate outlets.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Looking for <em>pasalubong</em>? On your last day in Hong Kong, stop by a nearby branch of Bakehouse for its famous egg tarts. In our case, we checked out its Tsim Sha Tsui branch at night, so the egg tarts were, as expected, sold out for the day. Thankfully, the next day, we were at Citygate Outlets and got to buy them, using GCash enabled by Alipay+, at the branch there.</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Whether you’re the on-the-go or the take-it-slow kind of traveler, you’ll find that GCash seamlessly fits into your travel journey without the need to compromise. Even for someone like me who was new to using GCash abroad, I found it easy to use. There are two ways to pay: <strong>show your Global Pay QR</strong> or <strong>Scan to Pay the merchant’s QR</strong>. In Hong Kong, most merchants would have you show your Global Pay QR.<strong></strong></p><p>What’s more, you can even enjoy <strong>exclusive promos and discounts </strong>when you check <strong>A+ Rewards</strong> on the GCash app. GCash is accepted in <strong>over 80M+Alipay+ merchants worldwide</strong>, such as the following go-tos in Hong Kong: 7-Eleven, McDonald&#x27;s, Wellcome, Circle K, Sports House, Sasa, GU, and Uniqlo, among many others.  </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><grammarly-extension data-grammarly-shadow-root="true" style="position:absolute;top:0px;left:0px;pointer-events:none" class="dnXmp"></grammarly-extension><grammarly-extension data-grammarly-shadow-root="true" style="position:absolute;top:0px;left:0px;pointer-events:none" class="dnXmp"></grammarly-extension><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733060664291mccafe airport.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Sure, we also have McDonald&#x27;s in Manila, but its branches abroad usually have different offerings. So, as part of my last-minute shopping agenda at the airport, I dropped by McCafé to take out the Japanese-style chicken katsu burger and Shake Shake Fries in a themed McShaker bag from the Dragon Ball Daima limited-time collab. And since Manila is just about two hours away from Hong Kong, I thought this was the best <em>pasalubong</em> for my manga-loving husband. </span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733055691703Gcash HK Map.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Scroll through the gallery below to check out where else we used GCash in Hong Kong:</strong></div><div><strong></strong>[[PHOTO ALBUM]]</div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Watch our experience in Hong Kong below:</strong></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-6" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDbyJIsSiB1/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=810&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A6%2C%22os%22%3A32356373%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="857" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-6" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>As I was about to wrap up this trip, it was nice that I didn&#x27;t have to spend unnecessarily to use up my spare Hong Kong dollar notes and coins like I used to before heading to or at the airport. Whatever amount I didn&#x27;t get to spend from my allocated budget for the trip stayed in my e-wallet. I didn&#x27;t have to worry about exchanging them for Philippine pesos later on, too. This might seem trivial but it&#x27;s details like this that make using GCash abroad all the more convenient.</p><p>As someone who used to be scared of doing online transactions especially abroad, I’m glad to have discovered a new travel companion that offers an easy and rewarding way to explore and experience a destination. </p><grammarly-extension-vbars data-grammarly-shadow-root="true" class="dnXmp" style="display:contents"></grammarly-extension-vbars>

<p>New travel hack, unlocked! We just found a new travel companion that allows us to shop, dine, and experience a destination hassle-free! Here’s a travel chronicle that will empower you, too, to embark on a travel journey anew</p>

New travel hack, unlocked! We just found a new travel companion that allows us to shop, dine, and experience a destination hassle-free! Here’s a travel chronicle that will empower you, too, to embark on a travel journey anew

Editor’s Diaries: How We Traveled Cash-Free in Hong Kong | ABS-CBN

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Editor’s Diaries: How We Traveled Cash-Free in Hong Kong

Editor’s Diaries: How We Traveled Cash-Free in Hong Kong

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Published Dec 11, 2024 05:40 PM PHT

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Updated Jan 30, 2025 11:30 AM PHT

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