GCash accounts are usually tied to only a mobile number. Once you create an account, you can then tie this account to a person via verification of KYC (Know-Your-Customer).
Now some questions you may have about this are: can I create multiple GCash accounts? And how does this work with GCash? Is this legal? Anyway, let’s dive into it and explore how we can use this to our advantage.
Table of Contents
Can I have more than one GCash account?
Yes, because a GCash account is initially just tied to a mobile number. When you create an account with GCash, your personal information is not linked to that account as long as you haven’t gone through full verification.
In the Philippines, there are a lot of SIM cards that can be bought anywhere, unlike in other countries that tie up mobile numbers with their respective national IDs. Recently, we just had a similar law ratified, but while the law still has no implementing rules and guidelines, the only way GCash can fundamentally work as it is right now is it should be flexible enough to accept multiple numbers while limiting the users via verification.
How many multiple accounts can I create?
According to the GCash Help Center, you can create up to 5 accounts. Linking of accounts to a certain user happens whenever you go through full verification; so in short, the account limit for a certain user should be 5 fully verified accounts.
If you go beyond this, customer support will be contacting you to choose only 5 accounts to maintain.
Should I also have my other accounts fully verified?
Verification is not mandatory. However, you cannot access a lot of features without going through verification. Here is a list of features you can access depending on verification level:
| Basic | Fully Verified |
|---|---|
| Offline Cash-in | All Basic Features |
| Pay Bills | Send Money |
| Buy Load | Request Money |
| Pay QR | Cash Out |
| Purchase GCash Mastercard | Amex Virtual Pay |
| Online Payments | Linking a GCash Mastercard |
| Book Movies | GSave |
| GCash Forest | Transact using GCash Mastercard |
| GlobeOne Linking | ATM Withdrawals |
| GLife | Send to Bank (Instapay) |
| Online Bank Cash-in | |
| GCredit | |
| GInvest | |
| International Remittance | |
| Paypal Cash-in | |
| Payoneer Cash-in | |
| GInsure | |
| GLoan | |
| GGives | |
| GCash PO | |
| KKB |
Here are the features you share between accounts, meaning there can be only one instance between all of the existing accounts:
Aside from the wallet balance, here are the features that are different between accounts — meaning there is a different instance per account.
An example is if you already have a GSave account created with a GCash account, when you create another GCash account, you can create another GSave account given you’ve provided a different email when you signed up.
The features that are shared, usually, these are linked to a primary account. If you have any reason to transfer your primary account to an alternate one, you would need to request it from Help Support.
What are the benefits of having multiple accounts?
Having multiple accounts helps categorize your wallets. As in real life, we can have different wallets for different purposes, this can also be applicable to GCash accounts. You can have a different account for work and for paying bills.
Some features like GSave and GInvest help you categorize your savings and investments as well. Think of the benefits of having a different GSave savings account per GCash account.
Also, all of the things you do with your accounts count towards your singular GScore. This can help you avail of more GCredit, GGives, and GLoan amounts.
Can I verify another GCash account using the same ID I used when I verified the main one?
Yes, you can use any valid ID to verify your account. You will then be linked to the other accounts you have.
Can I make another GCash account using the same number?
No, because the main identifier of a GCash account is the mobile number, so this should be unique per account.
How do I switch between other GCash accounts?
You can log out from GCash from your current device. Then from the login screen, click on the “Change Number” link to change to your alternate number. Take note that you need to enter the OTP sent to that number. A new feature called Double Authentication would eventually ask you to take a selfie to be able to switch to your other account on other mobile devices.
What is Double Authentication?
Double Authentication is a security feature in GCash that prevents account takeovers by getting your selfie and comparing it with the selfie you provided during verification. This feature is still being released in phases and currently, not everyone has this in his GCash account.
This is a result of a glut of scams perpetuated in social media and SMS. Alongside the masking feature for Send Money, this heightens the account security for all users moving forward.
This facial recognition only triggers when you log in from a different phone you’ve used previously. If the recognition fails 5 times, you will not be able to access your account. You will need to file a ticket to Help Support to prove your identity.
This step goes between the input of OTP and MPIN during the changing number.
How do I register another GCash account?
Similar to switching to another account, you need to log out from GCash, then from the login screen, change your number to your new mobile number. After inputting the OTP, the next screen should be a registration screen. You need to input your basic information and MPIN to finish the registration.
Other Questions
Can I link my BPI, UnionBank, PayPal, and Payoneer to multiple accounts?
Yes, you can link your accounts with all of your GCash accounts if you need it. Take note though that some accounts, like PayPal, are strict with linking.
Why do I have different GScore and GCredit amounts on my other accounts?
For some old accounts, there is no linking and merging done yet. As such, the “single-instance-between-accounts” rule is not necessarily followed. However, this policy will change as account merging can happen anytime.
This also applies to transaction limits — that is why for some old accounts, sending to your alternate account is a workaround for bypassing limits.
For new accounts, strict merging is done so that only one account (your main one) has the GScore, and GCredit linked. This also goes for any other loan products like GLoan and GGives.
A side-effect of this is if you ever lose your main account, you would need to request from GCash Support to transfer your GCredit and GScore to your new nominated number as your “main account”.
How can I delete my account?
You can request it in Help Support. They will be requiring you to settle all outstanding balances regarding your account and to send them an accomplished deletion form.
Take note though that due to data retention requirements of the BSP, the actual deletion can only be done after 5 years. Basically, your account will be inactive until that time.
If you change your mind, you can always activate it before the 5-year limit is up.
Can I sell my alternate account?
Definitely no, as this is tied to your identity. Any selling of accounts will open you to possible abuse as any bad actor can impersonate you and do illegal things. Also, you may be liable to legal proceedings once your account was used to defraud someone.
Can I create a new account when my alternate one was suspended?
This depends. If you suspended your account voluntarily, creating a new account should have no issues. However, if your account was suspended due to violations, you may need to resolve the violation first before you can verify the new account. Please reach out to Help Support to resolve any account issues.
If your account was suspended due to a police report or a similar sanction, you will not be allowed to verify yourself in any new account. Essentially you will be banned from the GCash platform itself.
Summary
We talked about the benefits of having multiple GCash accounts. There are certain features that are shared between accounts like GScore, GCredit, GLoan, and Transaction Limits.
However, if you have an old alternate account, there may be little to no restrictions in terms of sharing accounts. For new alternate accounts, account linking is now strictly done during full verification so it’s less likely for this to happen.
If you’d like to learn more about GCash, I created a how-to on the basics of GCash.
Here is a list of links if you’re interested in the main GCash features:
Fund Transfers:
Payments:
Other Services:
Cashing In/Out:
Financial Services:
