More and more banks have now upgraded its services. A very good example is the bank machines which we can withdraw, deposit, pay bills, update passbook and more.
Gone are the days when we have to get a priority number and wait for hours before we can make a transaction with a bank staff. Though in some areas in the Philippines, they’re still practicing the old style of banking some banks are now starting to upgrade its services.
In our modern world, banking has improved in a lot of ways. One of which is the ability to do transactions online.
The Philippine bank I use ever since is from BPI or Bank of the Philippines Island. I am happy with BPI because it has an online platform which is very easy to use especially since I am working abroad. It is definitely more convenient than the traditional banking.
BPI Online Banking Page
BPI Mobile App
ONLINE TRANSFER
In my previous post, 3 Possible Ways of Earning Money by Working Online, I mentioned that I am working as a part time online teacher in a company in the Philippines. My salary is deposited in my BPI bank account every month. What I usually do is transfer the money online to the BPI bank account of my mom for payment of some of their bills or payment of some of my investments.
At the moment, transferring money online to other banks in the Philippines is not possible. They only allow transfer from BPI bank account to another BPI account.
Fund Transfer through BPI Online Banking
PAYMENT OF BILLS
Another advantage of using BPI online banking is that you can pay your bills. There are tons of companies or merchants connected to BPI which makes payment easier and less hassle.
All you need to do is enroll the merchant which can also be done online. Click here for the list of merchants associated with BPI.
Paying Bills Online through BPI Online
GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE (Over the phone)
BPI Customer Service
My experience of BPI customer service is satisfying. I called an agent because I wasn’t able to log in online and it was telling me to contact the support for BPI. Maybe, it was because of a wrong password which I guiltily always forget. The agent helped me reset the password but she verified my account meticulously first since it was a phone call. Make sure you know information about your bank accounts like the account number, branch of the bank account and even the amount you have in the bank or the last transactions you did. These questions can be annoying but understand that they do this to make sure you are the true owner of the account.
DOWNTIME & MAINTENANCE
There were quite a few times when I try logging in to my online account but I was getting an error message.
I had to wait for a few hours before I’m able to log back in.
Another big incident that just happened this year was when some money was added and deducted to random BPI accounts of some customers. It’s very concerning to know that the money you worked hard for will just be gone for reason that you didn’t do. But, I think it was all settled now and hopefully, incidents like this will not happen again.
BPI Advisory Message
For the past years since living abroad, my BPI banking has been a great help for me and my family. It’s convenient and fast as long as they are not doing frequent maintenance. =)
Every year, there are changes that make everything easier. I don’t want to compare the services in the Philippines and here in Thailand but I can’t stop noticing how hassle-free and fast banking or online banking in Thailand is. I am confident that given few more years, changes will be made to the banking system that banks will provide to my fellow Filipinos.
Note: This post is not written to promote BPI and its services. What I wrote is purely based on my experience with BPI to this date. I respect everyone’s opinions about what banks to use. I only hope that everyone is aware of the option to do online banking if your banks have one.
What bank account do you have?
Do you do online banking?
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