Cross-border gifting made easy: we tested out the revamped GrabGifts by sending our colleague in Bali a surprise!
Missing your friends and loved ones abroad? Us, too. Less social outings may mean more me-time, but the people we care about feel more distant than ever – especially if they’re living overseas. Thankfully, Grab has launched a new GrabGifts experience that allows you to send a little surprise to whoever’s on your mind with brand new card designs.
It’s available for loved ones across five markets in Southeast Asia, so send away to make some’s day! Here’s how you can do so:
1.Open your Grab app and click on ‘Gifts’.
2.Select your recipient and choose the country that they are located at.
3.Choose from a range of gift options, including Grab Transport, GrabFood, GrabMart, GrabExpress and more. You can select and offer up to three options in the same transaction for your recipient to choose from.
4.Select your gift value and add a note to accompany your virtual card!
We tried out this feature by sending Louise, our Honeycombers Bali editor, $100 worth of vouchers as a fun surprise. Here are her thoughts on this special gift…
GrabFood: Rainy season saviour
It was rainy season in Bali when I received a bright yellow “Cheer Up” sunshine gift in my Grab app, loaded with a $20 food voucher. With the rain pouring down outside, it couldn’t have come at a better time: I could order my favourite dishes from my favourite Bali restaurants, all while staying dry at home! I was able to use the voucher for absolutely every restaurant in the Grab app: I chose to feast on a big juicy burger from 2080 Burgers. The food arrived within 30 minutes (still hot!) and the gift vouchers meant I didn’t have to hand over any soggy notes in the pouring rain. The next day, even though the sun was now shining, I decided to use GrabFood (and my vouchers) again, because who doesn’t want delicious healthy cafe food delivered to their door?!
GrabMart: Great for grabbing those last minute ingredients
Keeping the cupboards stocked with fresh ingredients in Bali isn’t always easy, so when I wanted to whip up a healthy take on fried noodles, GrabMart came to the rescue. I was missing a few key ingredients: namely paprika, Himalayan salt, coconut oil, and even the noodles. So instead of heading out to the supermarket (and having to turn off the oven!) I simply opened up the GrabMart section of the Grab app and searched for my missing ingredients at local stores. I found everything I needed at a nearby health store called He’enalu, and within just 20 minutes, the ingredients were delivered to my doorstep. I paid for everything using my gifted GrabMart vouchers, so I didn’t need to worry about coming up with the exact cash either!
GrabCar: Smooth transport to Bali’s best new restaurants
After receiving a “Lucky Tiger” GrabCar Gift notification on my phone, I decided to make a date at the grand opening of Bonito, a hot new restaurant in Bali. I was able to easily book my GrabCar in advance, and the friendly driver arrived at my door to whisk me away. The GrabGifts voucher was automatically added to my bill and visible on the driver’s phone too, so as soon as I arrived at the restaurant I could hop out of the air-conditioned car and head straight to the event – no time wasted counting coins! After the event, I ordered my return GrabCar and the driver was outside waiting for me within a matter of minutes, ready to take me home.
Now, GrabGifts was a seriously easy way to treat Louise to delicious eats and convenient rides without being in the same country. One thing’s for sure: this will be our go-to function on the Grab app when we’re looking to send a quick mood-booster to an overseas friend.
If you’re looking for another instant mood booster for loved ones across the border, try out Grab’s 100+ Cities Delivery (beta) feature, which allows you to order from a selection of food options from GrabFood or popular gift sets from GrabMart and have them delivered to your recipient within an hour.
Wanna put a smile on someone’s face? Check out GrabGifts via your Grab app today!
This post is in partnership with Grab.