Hiring a helper in Singapore? JiPay helps to organise your household expenses.
If you’re new to Singapore, you’ll quickly discover how common it is for families here to hire a helper. Having a helper at home to look after children and handle the household can free up valuable time at home. For many expats, however, the concept of hiring a live-in helper in Singapore can take some getting used to. You’re responsible for setting up your helper’s insurance and medical checks, for one thing. It also might take some time to get a system going, especially when it comes to household expenses. If your helper does the groceries, keeping track of her spending and collating receipts can be a messy process. You might also have difficulty trusting someone new with large amounts of cash. The JiPay app, with its expense tracker feature and paired pre-paid card, offers a solution to save you time and help develop a trusting relationship with your helper.
How the card and expense tracker app works.
The JiPay card helps take cash out of the equation when it comes to household expenses. To top up the card, simply make a FAST transfer with your banking app, or use PayNow. Since it’s issued by Mastercard, the card is accepted in all major stores. You can also order multiple cards if you have more than one helper. Of course, helpers in Singapore will often need to shop at places like wet markets where it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to pay using a card. It’s for this reason that the app also supports PayNow, so your helper can pay at market stalls and other places that don’t accept card payment.
Expenses made through the card show up in the app instantly. You can view all transactions filtered by merchant or transaction size. Through the app, you can also freeze the card instantly should it be misplaced.
A key feature is that you can invite your helper to the app. This allows her to see the balance or check past transactions on her app. It’s also easier for her to budget and keep your money secure by blocking the card if it’s ever lost or stolen.
To make handling your helper’s weekly expenses even easier, the app also has an expense tracker feature that generates a weekly spending report. This helps you monitor your spending over time and makes it even easier to understand your household expenses. It can also help you make better decisions on where to shop.
Your first card is free, with each additional card costing just $3 a month.
Designed by expats in Asia
The app was created by expats Dayana Yermolayeva and David Linsey. The two are high school friends who recently moved to Singapore to run the business together. Dayana was first exposed to the world of domestic work while at university in Hong Kong.
“When I first moved to Hong Kong, it was difficult not to notice just how many helpers there are in the city. I also noticed how marginalised they were, especially when it comes to financial services. But, as time went on, I noticed a less obvious fact: the lack of structure in the domestic work sector is a problem not only for helpers, but also their employers. It’s this total lack of modernisation in the industry that causes bad relationships between helpers and employers. In my opinion, the solution is a product that addresses the needs of both sides – and we’ve got multiple features under development to make this happen,” says Dayana.
After graduating from Oxford, David ran a medical charity in Southeast Asia. Naturally, he jumped at the opportunity to create a company that could make a lasting positive impact on the lives of employers and their helpers.
Written in collaboration with JiPay.
Buying groceries online is also an option with this list!
Dinesh Ajith
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