Swipe an ‘M-Pass’ and see a movie

MyAyala.com, a 50-50 joint venture between Ayala Land Inc. and Azolea Technologies Inc., has launched the Sureseats Multi-Pass, the country’s first online prepaid ticket reservation card.

The Multi-Pass, or M-Pass, allows moviegoers to reserve and pay for their tickets in advance through Sureseats.com, an online movie ticket reservation system pioneered by myAyala for Ayala Center theaters in 2001.

Teodoro Limcaoco, myAyala chief operating officer, said M-Pass introduces moviegoers to the country’s first "ticketless" movie experience. As Sureseats.com subscribers, moviegoers can check movie schedules at certain Ayala Center cinemas and make seat reservations.

With M-Pass, subscribers can pay for their tickets online using their credit cards or prepaid cards purchased at Greenbelt 3 cinemas. The prepaid cards are priced from P200 to as much as P2,000 and are valid for three months from the date of purchase.

The credits can be used up to six months from the time they are loaded into the account. myAyala charges an additional fee of P10 per person for Sureseats service.

To experience the fully "ticketless" service, users only have to show up at the screening time and swipe their M-Pass card at a Cisco-powered terminal located at the cinema entrances. Cisco’s wireless system immediately validates the screening schedule and the number of reserved seats. Moviegoers no longer have to queue for their tickets or pick up their Sureseats reservations 45 minutes before the screening time.

According to Limcaoco, M-Pass offers patrons of Ayala Center a unique movie-going experience that complements other mall services and facilities.

Moreover, he said the new service illustrates how Filipinos can develop and make use of wireless applications for commonplace activities such as movie-going.

"The M-Pass is, to my knowledge, the first service of its kind in the world. It opens up possibilities not only for Sureseats but for other ideas and products using wireless technology," he added.

The M-Pass can only be used at Greenbelt 3 Cinemas, but Limcaoco said it is ready to be implemented in other Ayala theaters. It may eventually be used for musical concerts and sporting and theater events.