Uzbek payment service Payme has offered users a premium Plus subscription for 44,990 soums per month. Subscribers get card-to-card transfers without commission within a limit, advanced expense analytics, and access to Setanta Sports broadcasts.
What Payme Plus Includes
The subscription combines financial and entertainment features. Users can transfer money between Humo, Uzcard, and Visa cards without commission, but within a monthly limit—the size of which the service does not disclose.
The second part of the offer is detailed expense analytics broken down by categories and periods. The third is access to sports broadcasts from Setanta Sports directly in the app.
The basic version of Payme remains free. It offers commission-free payment for services, transfers at standard rates, QR payments in stores, and a loyalty program with points.
How Monetization Works
Payme offers a monthly subscription with a free 30-day trial period. After the trial ends, money is automatically deducted from the linked card. The subscription can be canceled at any time through the app.
Judging by reviews in the App Store, some users face unexpected deductions after the trial period. The company explains this by the user’s consent to auto-renewal when activating the trial.
Why It Matters
Payme is the first among major Uzbek payment services to launch a premium subscription. The main signal here is that the market is ready to test new monetization models, going beyond transaction commissions.
The integration of sports content looks unusual for fintech, but it can help increase time spent in the app and reduce subscriber churn. For Uzbekistan, where the popularity of football is high, this can work as an additional incentive to purchase a subscription.
The model resembles Western super apps like Revolut Premium or bank subscriptions with extended limits and additional services.
What’s Next
The success of Payme Plus will show whether Uzbek users are ready to pay for the advanced functionality of payment apps. If the model proves profitable, similar subscriptions may appear from competitors—Click, Apelsin, and other local services.
The key question is the size of the limit on commission-free transfers and users’ readiness to change habits to save on commissions. In Uzbekistan, card-to-card transfers remain one of the most popular operations, and reducing their cost could become a serious competitive advantage.