Credit card companies may use mobile messengers for payment notices

Credit card companies will be able to send payment notices to customers via mobile messengers, a change that may save up to 3 billion won ($2.7 million) a year, officials said Thursday.

The Credit Finance Association said that it has revised the standard clauses concerning mobile text messages, allowing credit card operators to use mobile messengers such as KakaoTalk, Line and WiBee Talk.

Credit card service providers have been using text messaging to notify their customers of their card usage, payment cancellation, scheduled payment, automatic transfer and other credit card transactions -- a service requiring the user to pay about 300 won in monthly fees.

While conventional text messages cost companies 10 won per unit, notices sent via messenger platforms are expected to cost about 7 won. As a credit card company sends about 1 billion notices on average per year, the change is likely to save up to 3 billion won per business.

Companies will be prohibited from sending advertisements along with the notices unless there prior consent has been given by the customer.

Reflecting the revised set of rules, individual card companies are currently realigning their notification system, most of them starting with the country’s most used mobile messenger platform KakaoTalk.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)