Enterprise
Mastercard updates policy regarding subscriptions with free trial [Updated]
A pro-consumer move
Whenever there’s a free trial, it’s tempting to try out and enjoy the offer. Although, sometimes we forget to unsubscribe and end up being charged even if we don’t want to continue.
Thankfully, it’s time to say goodbye to surprise charges from your credit card, because Mastercard‘s new pro-consumer move is happening. In a posted statement on the company’s blog, Mastercard has outlined additional rules regarding automatic subscription after free trials.
Merchants will now have to send an email or SMS confirmation to their customers once their free trial ends. The message must contain info about the subscription price, payment date, and the merchant’s name. It should also include instructions on how to opt out of the trial, just in case the user doesn’t want to continue.
Additionally, service providers (like the bank or any digital payment apps) will be required to send a receipt for each succeeding transaction which contains the monthly charges, merchant’s contact details, and instructions on how to unsubscribe.
Free trial offers benefit both the users and the company. However, there are sneaky merchants that pull money out of unsuspecting users — especially those who were tricked into signing up. Hopefully, this move will save them from wasting hard-earned money.
Update: Mastercard updated the blog post to clarify that the new policy applies only when you subscribe to physical products, like vitamins and snacks, not digital services like Netflix or PlayStation Plus. The article has since been updated.
SEE ALSO: Netflix knows what you want and lets you watch without buffering
Enterprise
ACMobility Launches ChargeFleet: Seamless solution for businesses
B2B solution for corporate fleets and transport groups
Ayala Group’s ACMobility has launched ChargeFleet, a new B2B digital solution for corporate fleets and transport groups.
The new service introduces a shareable digital wallet that streamlines charging expenses, reduces manual tracking, and improves cost control.
As more organizations explore electrifying their mobility operations, many continue to face operational challenges — including fragmented payment systems, reimbursement delays, and limited visibility over charging usage.
ChargeFleet addresses these gaps by introducing a centralized, shareable digital wallet. Here, fleet managers can allocate and monitor charging credits across multiple drivers across a single platform.
The system is a seamless process designed for long-term usage and easy deployment across any organization.
Once integrated, ACMobility assigns charging credits to the client’s fleet manager. The manager then can distribute these to multiple drivers. Meanwhile, the latter will be able to see and use their assigned credits via the Evro app.
ChargeFleet is available as a prepaid product through the ChargeFleet Store. Users can buy offers via GCash or credit card. No application process is required.
Looking ahead, ACMobility will continue to enhance the ChargeFleet experience with exclusive value-added perks integrated through Evro and Power on Wheels.
The upcoming features highlight ACMobility’s ongoing push to provide a future-proof support system for the evolving needs of their customers’ businesses.
Enterprise
Sony teams up with 13 companies for sustainable global supply chain
Sustainability through introduction of renewable plastics
Sony, along with several companies, have established the world’s first global supply chain for the production of renewable plastics that can be used in Sony’s high-performance audiovisual products.
The supply chain consists of 14 companies across five countries and regions. The various plastic materials manufacture through this supply are slated for use in Sony’s products that will launch worldwide.
High-performance products such as audiovisual equipment involve a wide variety of plastics. The result is a complex supply chain that makes it difficult to visualize and manage the entire flow.
Additionally, plastic components that require high performance in terms of flame resistance and optical properties cannot be fully replaced with plastics from material recycling.
To address these challenges, these 14 companies have collaborated to visualize the existing supply chain for Sony’s products:
- Sony Corporation
- Mitsubishi Corporation
- ADEKA CORPORATION
- CHIMEI Corporation
- ENEOS Corporation
- Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corporation
- Hanwha Impact Corporation
- Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
- Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
- Neste Corporation
- Qingdao Haier New Material Development Co.
- Ltd., SK Geo Centric Co., Ltd.
- Toray Industries, Inc.
- Toray Advanced Materials Korea Inc.
Sustainability through renewable plastics
The new supply chain created will enable the production of multiple types of renewable plastics from biomass resources with a mass balance approach.
This allows Sony to proactively source raw materials for its products with quality, as well as properties equivalent to virgin fossil-based plastics.
Defining the supply chain also helps the companies track and document GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions data in a verifiable way.
This allows participating companies to leverage the data to advance efforts to reduce their carbon footprint going forward.
Sony’s initiative with a wide range of global partners is part of the “Creating NEW from reNEWable materials” jointly launched by the electronics giant and Mitsubishi.
It aims to achieve zero usage of virgin fossil-based plastics through the introduction of renewable plastics.
Enterprise
realme is reportedly going back to being an OPPO sub-brand
All scheduled phones will still launch on time, though.
A popular story among Chinese smartphone brands is whenever a sub-brand spinning off into its own independent entity. A less common one is when an independent entity suddenly merges back into the main entity. And yet, that’s the story we have today. realme is reportedly going back to being a sub-brand of OPPO.
If you don’t remember realme’s time as a sub-brand, then it’s hardly your fault. It’s been a long while since realme was considered a sub-brand. In 2018, the brand spun off on its own to form one of the most popular names in the Chinese smartphone space.
Today, via Leiphone, realme will return to OPPO as a sub-brand. Current realme CEO Sky Li will still retain his responsibilities heading the brand. Plus, all products on the current release schedule will still come out as planned.
However, starting this year, realme will start reintegrating back into OPPO, particularly through the latter’s after-sales programs. OnePlus will also follow the same structure going forward.
Currently, realme has not officially announced the move. That said, we also don’t know how the brand will address the reported change. It’s possible that the shift is just internal and has no effect on how the brand faces the public. For now, only time will tell.
SEE ALSO: realme C85 with 7000mAh battery, 5G connectivity officially launches
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