Top-up platform Ding releases its inaugural Ding Global Prepaid Index (GPI), which finds that 83% of respondents in the Philippines are among the biggest users of prepaid mobile contracts.

This behavior is not limited to mobile usage but also in other prepaid products such as utilities, gift cards, and prepaid debit cards. There are power distribution companies, especially in the provinces, started offering prepaid electric accounts to those who either wanted to manage their power consumption or those who don’t have the means to pay in postpaid.

“The Ding GPI reveals that the Philippines, along with, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Indonesia, are the countries where consumers show the strongest preference for prepaid mobile contracts with 89% saying they are consumers in this space,” said Mark Roden, founder and CEO, Ding. “With more than half of Filipino respondents also saying they have two or more prepaid products, we believe there is a significant growth potential for the broader prepaid market in the Philippines.”

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The survey finds 61% of respondents said that they have either sent or received load top-up at some point, most commonly among family members. In terms of frequency – 84% say they have sent load top-up to family at least once if not more often each month, and 78% state they have received load top-up from family once or more a month.

Family and finances

The Ding survey examined attitudes to prepaid services and reveals that Filipino respondents place a high priority on family in financial decision-making, particularly when compared to other countries.

The survey further finds that 43% of Filipino use a SIM-only contract and 84% of those who use a prepaid service said they do so out of choice, with half stating that it gives them better control over their budget and expenditure.

Ding was founded in 2006. Today, Ding’s users have sent over 450 million top-ups globally, via the app, online at Ding.com, and in-store at over 600,000 retail outlets worldwide. Ding delivers a top-up every second, through its more than 550 operators, across 140 countries.