FREE NOW Partners with Paypal.Docx
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FREE NOW partners with PayPal to offer passengers a new digital payment and cashless tipping option in Ireland ● FREE NOW passengers can now pay for their taxi journeys using PayPal – which has 1.8 million active accounts in Ireland ● Growing consumer demand for cashless transactions since the pandemic - 10% increase in cashless payments among FREE NOW passengers. ● Study shows 42% of Irish consumers believe cash transactions will no longer exist by 2023 Dublin, 31st May 2021 – FREE NOW, Ireland′s leading ride-hailing app, today announced that it has added PayPal as a new digital payment option for Irish passengers on their mobile app. FREE NOW customers in Ireland can now pay and tip for their journeys using PayPal* – which currently has 1.8 million active accounts in Ireland. This additional payment option, coupled with the fact that FREE NOW has Ireland′s shortest waiting times for a ride-hailing app, helps to deliver a seamless and convenient travel experience for FREE NOW users. This move is also reflective of market trends, with recent PayPal research** showing that Irish consumers are increasingly moving away from using cash. Almost half surveyed (42 percent) believe there will be no cash transactions by 2023. This trend has seen cashless payments rise by 10 per cent on FREE NOW since January 2021. Cashless payments are expected to grow even more as Ireland’s restrictions continue to lift in line with government announcements. “We are delighted to add PayPal as a payment option. In an increasingly cashless world, this convenient payment option is a win-win for our customers and drivers by providing a simple and secure way to pay and tip for rides whilst enabling both to maintain their social distance.” said Niall Carson, General Manager of FREE NOW Ireland. “As Ireland’s leading ride-hailing app, we are constantly looking at ways to innovate our service to ensure we are providing the most seamless experience possible for our users.” "2021 has accelerated the adoption of digital services all-round. As a leading technology player globally, and in the region, we have a role to play to improve digital experiences and make it simple, safe and secure for people in Ireland to hail rides. Our collaboration with FREE NOW is a step forward in our goal to help deliver delightful experiences to our customers,” highlighted Anthony Rafferty, Senior Director, Global Merchant Services, PayPal. Users can simply and quickly add their PayPal account as a payment method via the FREE NOW app on their smartphone. PayPal can be used as a payment option across the full range of FREE NOW services available in Ireland. These include its Eco fleets which are helping to pave the way for a more sustainable future, its Taxi + Screen option which enables passengers to book a vehicle with a partition screen between them and the driver at no extra cost, and its Prebooking service which enables users to book trips up to four days in advance. Notes to editor: * Passengers would need to have a PayPal account **Source: a survey of 1,008 members of the general Irish population, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of PayPal in November 2020. About FREE NOW FREE NOW is the multi-service mobility joint venture backed by BMW Group and Daimler AG. Next to ride hailing, FREE NOW also offers micro-mobility services and car sharing. It consists of the services FREE NOW (10 European markets) and Βeat (5 Latin American and 1 European market), Summed up, those services currently attract 50 million users in 15 markets and more than 150 cities and 30,000 corporate clients. FREE NOW is therefore the biggest multi-service mobility provider in Europe and the fastest-growing ride-hailer in Latin America. FREE NOW works with various third-party providers to offer their customers an even wider range of options to get from A to B. In total, more than 2,200 employees in around 35 offices work for the services of FREE NOW, which is led by CEO Marc Berg. Further information is available at free-now.com About PayPal PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering more than 392 million consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit www.paypal.com/ie..