# Best way to send money to my GF



## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Hello all,

Background

New here and I hope this is the right forum for this question. 45M here from the UK, my GF is from Iloilo (39) although not in the city but about 40 mins away in a rural area. We've been going 5 years and I've had many an enjoyable trip there and to Singapore with her etc. Of course all visiting plans have gone down the drain with this dratted virus. 

Money

I'll get right to it - I want help her out with some money when I can for her food. I've used World Remit a couple of times which is very fast , excellent UK based customer service and no issues at all. But the fees are high.

Would getting her one of those cash cards be a better idea? I can just top it up? Can those be used at ATMs? Or should I head down the route of getting her to open a bank account? Is it very expensive to transfer money into those? If a bank is the best could you recommend a couple?

I'm frankly not a fan of her tootling along to those cash collection places and then waddling about with a fat stack of notes. Although I appreciate that in the Philippines cash rules the roost.

Since this is purely for food the other option is to just order it online and have it delivered to her, is this feasible? Are there decent delivery services there?

Would greatly appreciate some guidance, apologies to the mods if this isn't the right forum for all this. 

Thanks and stay safe during these times.


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## greenstreak1946 (May 28, 2017)

Katana

I have used both Zoom and World Remit. How do you think their fees are high? I find them to be very fair with the fees for sending money so quickly.

Art


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## Rwestgate (Jan 29, 2019)

we use remitly for sending to the family, US 4.99 to send, pretty much in line with the rest of them


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

greenstreak1946 said:


> Katana
> 
> I have used both Zoom and World Remit. How do you think their fees are high? I find them to be very fair with the fees for sending money so quickly.
> 
> Art


Thanks, you are right, its very hassle free and easy and for that we must pay the fair fee. I dont know why I thought it was high , it just seemed that way to me I guess. I need to research into cash cards and such. 



Rwestgate said:


> we use remitly for sending to the family, US 4.99 to send, pretty much in line with the rest of them


Thanks, yes it does seem to be a standard across the board.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Hi Katana and welcome to the forum, enjoy.
Only my opinion but I would ask her to open a bank account with a debit card if she is handy to a bank.
We have a couple of accounts with BDO, they require a maintaining balance of PHP 2K to keep the account open and fee free.
I send bulk money from Oz to these accounts either from my bank, broker and even W/U depending in the best exchange rate at the time. We then draw only what we need for bills and food for about a fortnight at a time.
As you say it's not a wise idea to hold or carry large amounts of cash here. Good luck and keep posting.

Cheers, Steve.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Hi bigpearl,
Thanks very much for that, specially the bank name. Wanted to choose a big well known branch. Once this covid19 peters out and the lockdowns end I'll get her to open an account. Thanks for the warm welcome.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Hi bigpearl,
> Thanks very much for that, specially the bank name. Wanted to choose a big well known branch. Once this covid19 peters out and the lockdowns end I'll get her to open an account. Thanks for the warm welcome.


There are quite a few big banks in PH. so best to ask your better half what is available in her area for convenience and security. Let's hope the current situation with C19 doesn't last too long.

Cheers, Steve.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

bigpearl said:


> There are quite a few big banks in PH. so best to ask your better half what is available in her area for convenience and security. Let's hope the current situation with C19 doesn't last too long.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


Good point. I should approach this from her point of view, find the closest branch. 

Yes heres hoping it doesnt go on for long. Depressing looking at the C19 status map, world is on fire. Hope the Ph can keep on top of it although their health system will take a hammering if theres a surge.

The gf told me about aggressive lockdown procedures there.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Good point. I should approach this from her point of view, find the closest branch.
> 
> Yes heres hoping it doesnt go on for long. Depressing looking at the C19 status map, world is on fire. Hope the Ph can keep on top of it although their health system will take a hammering if theres a surge.
> 
> The gf told me about aggressive lockdown procedures there.


Depressing looking at the rising infection rates worldwide. Yes the Philippines slammed the gate shut earlier than many countries, wisely so and generally most here are abiding but the infection rate continues at around 10%. 

Cheers, Steve.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Philippine Banks*



KatanaDV20 said:


> Hi bigpearl,
> Thanks very much for that, specially the bank name. Wanted to choose a big well known branch. Once this covid19 peters out and the lockdowns end I'll get her to open an account. Thanks for the warm welcome.


Welcome to the forum KatanaDV20,  Bigpearl has some good information, I've never sent remittances through a bank but one of our In-laws uses BDO from Canada and sends money to her mother this way, BDO is just about every where and I see several branches in Iloilo.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I often us Transferwise to send money to our PNB account, don't look at the fee look at the pesos recieved. I can transfer fee free from my HSBC account but often get more pesos with transferwise.


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

As others have mentioned, Transferwise are very efficient at sending funds from UK. Once you’ve registered with them and provided the details of the Philippines bank, you can then register your Transferwise account with your UK bank. This means that when you want to transfer funds, all you have to do is the following:

•	Sign in to Transferwise and complete the section to ‘send money’. This takes all of about 2 minutes.
•	Sign in to your UK bank account, pull up your registered transfers and complete the section to send funds to your Transferwise account. Again, this takes about 2 minutes. Note: there is no charge by your UK bank for this and the transfer is instantaneous. Transferwise will send you an e-mail immediately letting you know that they received the funds.

The length of time for the funds to arrive in the Ph. varies depending on the time of day that you action your transfer. Generally speaking, I find that the funds are received in my Ph. account within a couple of hours. So, from the time you decide to transfer funds from UK to Ph., to actually receiving it in your Ph. account, can take a couple of hours. All done from the comfort of your home.

Once you get familiar with Transferwise’s system, you can monitor the FX markets and try to coordinate your transfers when the £ is high. Transferwise also allow you to prepare a transfer and lock in the rate for anywhere between 24 to 72 hrs. This tool enables you to take the ‘locked in rate’ within the guaranteed period if you see the £ falling. On the other hand, this tool allows you to cancel the draft transfer if the £ rises, and create a new transfer.

Re choice of Ph. banks, BPI is also a large Philippines bank and their fees tend to be less than BDO’s. BPI do not charge anything to receive funds from Transferwise. I don’t know if BDO charge to receive funds from Transferwise but they do charge to receive other international transfers. Purely for your information.

I’ve tried to include an attachment here showing a comparison of what you would receive using Transferwise versus Barclays/ Nationwide or PayPal to send £1,000. Transferwise charge £5.36 to send £1K. But as Gary said, when looking at comparisons, it’s best to look at what you receive in terms of Pesos as opposed to fees. If the attachment doesn’t appear below, you can get the info yourself by googling Transferwise, open the website without signing up and simply insert the details to transfer say £1,000 to the Ph. (Insert Php for Pesos). Scroll down and you’ll get the comparisons. Good luck.

PS: I don't know why it says in the comparison table that Transferwise takes 2 days to action the transfer; as mentioned above, in my experience it only takes a couple of hours.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

> PS: I don't know why it says in the comparison table that Transferwise takes 2 days to action the transfer; as mentioned above, in my experience it only takes a couple of hours.


It always takes two-three day for the money to reach our PNB account, it wouldn't surprise me if the delay is at the PNB end.


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

*Using attachments on the forum*

I’ve noticed others are experiencing difficulties in attaching a document to a post, so here are my findings. I’ve just had another go at attaching a document and I think I’ve sussed out where I went wrong. I've attached the comparison table referred to in post ⋕12.

1. write up the post
2. scroll down to the ‘Additional Option’ section and under ‘Attach Files’ select ‘Manage Attachments’.
3. from the ‘Manage Attachments’ box, select ‘Browse’, which enables you to choose the relevant file from your desktop or wherever.
4. click on the ‘Open’ box if you’re using a MacBook
5. select ‘Upload’ from the ‘Manage Attachment’s box and 'Bob's your uncle'. 

I missed out item 5 before, thinking that when I selected the ‘open’ box that was the end of the matter. This may help some of you.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

There are lots of PBI, BDO, PNB, ChinaBank, & others spread around Iloilo but he said she was some 40 minutes distance so had better find out what she has local to her and work from there. Right now travel is severely restricted so may not even be able to get to a bank. The local PBI that I use will not let you even Que to go in their lobby unless you are wearing a mask and have a Coronavirus Pass from your Barangay Office.

Fred


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## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

I can also recommend TransferWise, best rates, lowest fees and very fast.
There are a couple of services they offer not so far mentioned here.
1 You can create an account with them and keep cash in the account in your nominated currency. This has the advantage that you can transfer funds directly from that balance without having to transfer funds to them. The funds will then be in your Philippine account in minutes. It also has the advantage that you can send funds directly to that account from your UK bank via your debit card, so even easier.
2 You can send funds to individuals that don't have a Philippine bank account. This is done using mobile wallet such as GCash and PayMaya. All you need is the recipients mobile number. Full info on how to do this is given on their website http://transferwise.com.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

I deal with HSBC. I have accounts in Canada and in the Philippines.

I can transfer cash between the two countries as easily as I can move it from chequing to savings accounts within a country.

Drawback is HSBC does not have a lot of branches, either in Canada or in the Philippines. Here only in Manila, Cebu and Davao as far as I know and no stand alone ATM's outside of those cities either.


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

Manitoba said:


> I deal with HSBC. I have accounts in Canada and in the Philippines.
> 
> I can transfer cash between the two countries as easily as I can move it from chequing to savings accounts within a country.


I've got Citibank accounts in a couple of different countries, they also offer international transfer to PH as a one click transfer, but you pay excessively for the convenience.

I'd bet that Transferwise would give you better rates though.


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## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

All banks, as far as I know, will give you foreign transfer services. The problem is the charges are usually sky high and the exchange rates are bad, especially if you're transferring to a different bank. That's why companies like World Remit, Xoom and TransferWise are proving to be so popular.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> Welcome to the forum KatanaDV20,  Bigpearl has some good information, I've never sent remittances through a bank but one of our In-laws uses BDO from Canada and sends money to her mother this way, BDO is just about every where and I see several branches in Iloilo.


Thanks for the warm welcome. I am glad I joined this forum as all of you have very good knowldege of the Ph which I really need at this time! BDO is looking more and more likely as the gf said shes got one not too far away from her in one of the malls 




Gary D said:


> I often us Transferwise to send money to our PNB account, don't look at the fee look at the pesos recieved. I can transfer fee free from my HSBC account but often get more pesos with transferwise.


I will check this company out thank you.



pagbati said:


> As others have mentioned, Transferwise are very efficient at sending funds from UK. Once you’ve registered with them and provided the details of the Philippines bank, you can then register your Transferwise account with your UK bank. This means that when you want to transfer funds, all you have to do is the following:
> 
> •	Sign in to Transferwise and complete the section to ‘send money’. This takes all of about 2 minutes.
> •	Sign in to your UK bank account, pull up your registered transfers and complete the section to send funds to your Transferwise account. Again, this takes about 2 minutes. Note: there is no charge by your UK bank for this and the transfer is instantaneous. Transferwise will send you an e-mail immediately letting you know that they received the funds.
> ...


Thanks very much for this detailed reply. Will deffo be checking out TW over the next few days. I like the fact that it monitors the exchange rate and zaps over the money when the £ is high, that is handy for sure. I dont think WR has that feature. Also its good advice to see how many pesos are sent rather than focus on the fees. 



pagbati said:


> I’ve noticed others are experiencing difficulties in attaching a document to a post, so here are my findings. I’ve just had another go at attaching a document and I think I’ve sussed out where I went wrong. I've attached the comparison table referred to in post ⋕12.
> 
> 1. write up the post
> 2. scroll down to the ‘Additional Option’ section and under ‘Attach Files’ select ‘Manage Attachments’.
> ...


Thanks very much for doing this 



fmartin_gila said:


> There are lots of PBI, BDO, PNB, ChinaBank, & others spread around Iloilo but he said she was some 40 minutes distance so had better find out what she has local to her and work from there. Right now travel is severely restricted so may not even be able to get to a bank. The local PBI that I use will not let you even Que to go in their lobby unless you are wearing a mask and have a Coronavirus Pass from your Barangay Office.
> 
> Fred


Thank you, she is about 35 mins journey from a BDO (walk+trike+jeepney) so that bank looks to be the most promising if just for proximity. Yes she did say that their lockdown is pretty hardcore with checkpoints all over the place. We need that kind of enforcement in the UK because we have many idiots here not caring. 



hogrider said:


> I can also recommend TransferWise, best rates, lowest fees and very fast.
> There are a couple of services they offer not so far mentioned here.
> 1 You can create an account with them and keep cash in the account in your nominated currency. This has the advantage that you can transfer funds directly from that balance without having to transfer funds to them. The funds will then be in your Philippine account in minutes. It also has the advantage that you can send funds directly to that account from your UK bank via your debit card, so even easier.
> 2 You can send funds to individuals that don't have a Philippine bank account. This is done using mobile wallet such as GCash and PayMaya. All you need is the recipients mobile number. Full info on how to do this is given on their website http://transferwise.com.


This mobile wallet sounds very interesting and I looked into it, turns out that World Remit which Ive been using all this time has a Secure Digitial Wallet also which Im guessing is a similar thing. Will check out those other apps too thank you. 



Manitoba said:


> I deal with HSBC. I have accounts in Canada and in the Philippines.
> 
> I can transfer cash between the two countries as easily as I can move it from chequing to savings accounts within a country.
> 
> Drawback is HSBC does not have a lot of branches, either in Canada or in the Philippines. Here only in Manila, Cebu and Davao as far as I know and no stand alone ATM's outside of those cities either.


Yes unfortunately I have not heard of a HSBC in Iloilo area :/



hogrider said:


> All banks, as far as I know, will give you foreign transfer services. The problem is the charges are usually sky high and the exchange rates are bad, especially if you're transferring to a different bank. That's why companies like World Remit, Xoom and TransferWise are proving to be so popular.


This is exactly true. When I first looked into this it was the banks I looked at first and the rates are horrible. I even saw a counter at the local Tesco store to send money and the fee is £10! Like. What!


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Tiz said:


> I've got Citibank accounts in a couple of different countries, they also offer international transfer to PH as a one click transfer, but you pay excessively for the convenience.
> 
> I'd bet that Transferwise would give you better rates though.


I only have the basic HSBC account and there are no fees to transfer from Canada to Philippines and back.

Major drawback is lack of ATM networks in both countries. However in Canada get reimbursed ATM out of network fees so it means that as far as cash withdrawals are concerned, every ATM in the country is in my network. I do all other banking on line so other than the rare cheque to deposit I never need a HSBC ATM.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Manitoba said:


> I only have the basic HSBC account and there are no fees to transfer from Canada to Philippines and back.
> 
> Major drawback is lack of ATM networks in both countries. However in Canada get reimbursed ATM out of network fees so it means that as far as cash withdrawals are concerned, every ATM in the country is in my network. I do all other banking on line so other than the rare cheque to deposit I never need a HSBC ATM.


Yes HSBC is affiliated with BankNet so most ATMs in the Philippines. The downside is their exchange rate is often about 0.75 pesos below the major remitters so for big amounts the drop can easily exceed to fees.

Although the transfer from the UK is fee free in the other direction it becomes a normal remittance so fees payable.

Another problem I'm experiencing and I must get around to contacting HSBC about is that my card doesn't work in PNB machines.


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## BGCExpat (Oct 26, 2015)

I have a BDO account linked with other family members who also have BDO accounts so transferring money is quick and free. I use TransferWise to top up my PH BDO account when necessary, exchanging money with them is simple, cheap, and fast. So the exchange happens with TW, then disbursement happens locally through BDO... I’ve found this to be the simplest and least expensive way to move money around the family, hell they even pay it back occasionally! 😂


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

In Canada we have a system called eTransfer. You can send money to any Canadian phone or email address from your on line banking app. The recipient gets a link that they open and then can deposit it to their on line banking and it is available immidetely.

I even use this to transfer funds between my Canadian banks.

There are limits of how much per day or week or month you can transfer but the fees are very reasonable, for small amounts sometimes free depending on the bank and service plan you have.


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## bizwizard (Jan 16, 2019)

*Use XE and a bank account*

Hi and welcome Katana,

The advice above is sound. I used Xoom for sending money from the US, it's $4.99 if from your bank account. But there's a currency exchange cost because you don't get the best rate.

I pay my rent and bought a car by using XE.com to send money directly to the appropriate bank account, which in this case would be one your gf would open at a local bank. Once I get my ACRI-card <<<<<<<<Snip>>>>>>>>> I will use this method to transfer money to myself here.

XE transmits money at the CURRENT rate (which you can see from their website, they have an excellent real-time graph), so you don't loose anything there. XE makes its money by delaying the transmission for 10 days or so, and holding your money, possibly arbitraging it.

So I just tell XE to send my rent money 15 days early. Yes, it's deducted from my account at that time and arrives later, but I don't loose 2% or so in exchange rate differential between the real rate and what Xoom gives. I'm certainly not making close to that on 10 days' interest.

Obviously this isn't useful if the need for money is immediate, but for support payments would work just fine if you plan for the delay.


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## bojo (May 10, 2009)

*Sending funds*

Hi there Katana,
I always use rationalfx for sending funds to any account pretty much anywhere.
You just open an eccount with them and they have a really userfriendly dashboard. It's a UK based company and I just checked their rate to Phillippines and it was
62482.24.....they're always pretty competitive......and there are no fees whatsoever
Cheers


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## Darby Allen (Sep 22, 2014)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Hello all,
> this dratted virus.


I've used World Remit to txfr between my Nationwide BS acct and my BPI savings acct for a long while now, and I'm happy with the service. Having said that I shall certainly be looking into Transferwise and rationalfx.

I nearly didn't read the thread, but I was riveted by the use of the word dratted; I haven't heard or read it in decades!


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## bojo (May 10, 2009)

Me too, Gonna add it to my 'must use' vocab from now on, could trend, who knows! Check the media in a coupla weeks....!


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

bojo said:


> Hi there Katana,
> I always use rationalfx for sending funds to any account pretty much anywhere.
> You just open an eccount with them and they have a really userfriendly dashboard. It's a UK based company and I just checked their rate to Phillippines and it was
> 62482.24.....they're always pretty competitive......and there are no fees whatsoever
> Cheers


As a comparison transferwise is 62.984 so including fees you will get 502 pesos more when sending £1000 with transferwise. Smaller amounts the no fee would start to win assuming the rate is the same for all amounts.


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

Katana, if your gf doesnt have a bank account with an ATM card, the first thing she needs to do is find out which money remittance places are open.

My family in Manila let me know that most of the Cebuana Lhuillier and M.Lhuillier locations in our neighborhood have closed. The ONLY place that is currently open that will allow them to pick up money is a Western Union inside of a Robinsons Supermarket.

My advice is find out first where she can physically get the money from then figure out how to get it to that place.

Good luck!


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

BGCExpat said:


> I have a BDO account linked with other family members who also have BDO accounts so transferring money is quick and free. I use TransferWise to top up my PH BDO account when necessary, exchanging money with them is simple, cheap, and fast. So the exchange happens with TW, then disbursement happens locally through BDO... I’ve found this to be the simplest and least expensive way to move money around the family, hell they even pay it back occasionally! 😂


Im checking out TW at the moment!



bizwizard said:


> Hi and welcome Katana,
> 
> The advice above is sound. I used Xoom for sending money from the US, it's $4.99 if from your bank account. But there's a currency exchange cost because you don't get the best rate.
> 
> ...


I use the XE app extensively but never thought that it had other uses like money transfer! Will sign up now and see what its like. Thanks for the great tips. The money I send is never urgent. Purely for food so if planned well in advance the delay is not a big deal!



bojo said:


> Hi there Katana,
> I always use rationalfx for sending funds to any account pretty much anywhere.
> You just open an eccount with them and they have a really userfriendly dashboard. It's a UK based company and I just checked their rate to Phillippines and it was
> 62482.24.....they're always pretty competitive......and there are no fees whatsoever
> Cheers


Extremely interesting, I didnt know about this site. Thanks very much for mentioning it. Will check it out!



Darby Allen said:


> I've used World Remit to txfr between my Nationwide BS acct and my BPI savings acct for a long while now, and I'm happy with the service. Having said that I shall certainly be looking into Transferwise and rationalfx.
> 
> I nearly didn't read the thread, but I was riveted by the use of the word dratted; I haven't heard or read it in decades!


Ive set up gf with a WR digital wallet which is a very neat feature I must say. She doesnt have to withdraw all the money at one shot like before , which is much safer. Once she gets a bank accnt it can be used to shunt money into that too. 

Haha @ "dratted" I use it a lot and mates here raise eyebrows at me lol.



bojo said:


> Me too, Gonna add it to my 'must use' vocab from now on, could trend, who knows! Check the media in a coupla weeks....!


Lol 



HondaGuy said:


> Katana, if your gf doesnt have a bank account with an ATM card, the first thing she needs to do is find out which money remittance places are open.
> 
> My family in Manila let me know that most of the Cebuana Lhuillier and M.Lhuillier locations in our neighborhood have closed. The ONLY place that is currently open that will allow them to pick up money is a Western Union inside of a Robinsons Supermarket.
> 
> ...


Thanks, she is very close to to a Palawan cash outlet (which is still open in her town) but its not ideal because its right on the street, no prvacy and everyone sees you collecting cash etc. Another member had mentioned 7 11 collection which would be nicer. Now see that WU place inside a mall would be great. I think she has access to other collection places that are safer (inside malls).


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

If at all possible I'd go with the option to0 directly deposit to a bank account then let her draw from an ATM. The email on the virus from world remit strongly recommended that because of closures of outlets and maintaining social distances.

World Remit also has the option of bank pick ups. Since AI believe most banks are open that may be a viable option.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Manitoba said:


> If at all possible I'd go with the option to0 directly deposit to a bank account then let her draw from an ATM. The email on the virus from world remit strongly recommended that because of closures of outlets and maintaining social distances.
> 
> World Remit also has the option of bank pick ups. Since AI believe most banks are open that may be a viable option.


I didnt know about the bank pickup from WR - do you have to have an account with the bank for this? (Prob a stupid question I know!)


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

KatanaDV20 said:


> I didnt know about the bank pickup from WR - do you have to have an account with the bank for this? (Prob a stupid question I know!)


You don't need a bank account for the cash pickup. I have sent cash to myself and gotten it without an account. ( I was sending more than the local LBC usually had on hand for the payout.)


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Manitoba said:


> You don't need a bank account for the cash pickup. I have sent cash to myself and gotten it without an account. ( I was sending more than the local LBC usually had on hand for the payout.)


Thats very insteresting info thank you. I have WR set up and its a good service!

>>>>>

Thank you to everyone who replied to this thread its been most helpful. I will sift through all the replies again and make some notes and then decide which bank to go with.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Thats very insteresting info thank you. I have WR set up and its a good service!
> 
> >>>>>
> 
> Thank you to everyone who replied to this thread its been most helpful. I will sift through all the replies again and make some notes and then decide which bank to go with.


Don't forget your choice must be limited to where you gf can pick up from. The selection could be severely limited and not the most efficient.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

KylieMcGrath said:


> The best way is not to send money to her friend, and teach her how to earn money, so she does not have to send it.


Welcome to the forum Kylie.

That's good advice but it's also a dream. Many of your neighbors, In-laws are sent money from their spouses, OFW's/Foreingers/bride-to-be/fiance it's the reason why the economy keeps turning even though there's very few foreign tourists left if any in the Philippines.

Once they've lached onto a foreigner they'd be shamed by their friends and family for working a hard labor job, it's accepted you need to send money so there won't be any understanding if you don't send cash, with that said they'll keep the relationship going and who ever treats the woman or man best will end up in a relationship the cheap skates will show up and she/he not available or some other excuse. "No such thing as a free meal"

Hard labor such as plucking chicken and ducks, processing salt/balut eggs, construction will require skills and if you aren't that good you won't get hired. Manicurist, barber, selling/lugging fruits and vegetables around are readily available jobs in most communities, as a worker you don't get paid well and competition is overwhelming.


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## oliverkell (Aug 5, 2021)

The best way is not to send money to her friend, and teach her how to earn money, so she does not have to send it.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

*KatanaDV20

You need to compare the transfer fee and pesos from one account to another against using a company like XOOM. It might be more convenient for her to have a bank account like at BDO. I never really found the fee to high using XOOM or another money transfer company. The only difference was with XOOM you carry all the money on you from their office and if a large amount was sent that isn't to safe. 

art*


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

To see who gives the best deal just compare the pesos then the exchange rate and fees don't matter. Trying to compare fees and exchange rates will just give you a headache.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

hey Gary,

fees do matter. I have been sending money to the Philippines for over 20 years. A lot of them really dig into the pesos amount the receiver gets. Some also will charge as a wire transfer fee. that is high, so it does matter if a person send often.

art


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

art1946 said:


> hey Gary,
> 
> fees do matter. I have been sending money to the Philippines for over 20 years. A lot of them really dig into the pesos amount the receiver gets. Some also will charge as a wire transfer fee. that is high, so it does matter if a person send often.
> 
> art


If fees matter why can I get 50,258.88 from Wise versus 48,470.20 from Xoom for a $1000 send, when Xoom charges no fee and Wise chargs a $7.28 fee? The reason is the XE rate provided by company Wise 50.6550 and Xoom 48.4702.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

art1946 said:


> hey Gary,
> 
> fees do matter. I have been sending money to the Philippines for over 20 years. A lot of them really dig into the pesos amount the receiver gets. Some also will charge as a wire transfer fee. that is high, so it does matter if a person send often.
> 
> art


For the same remittance If company A including all taxes and fees delivers 10000 pesos and company B 10050 pesos it doesn't matter if one has a better rate but higher fee or the other has a worse rate and smaller fees the 10050 pesos wins.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Research and do it again. It's your money Ralph.

Cheers, Steve.


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## amcan13 (Sep 28, 2021)

Do you have access to Xoom? it is part of PayPal. If she has Gcash you can send money to her Gcash account from Xoom From there she can spend it, pay bills,, load cel or send it to her Bank ATM account. no fee, they make money by making the exchange rate 1 or 2 peso below market. I send from a bank account to avoid any other fees.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

hey katana

I think she will find that BDO is a good service bank. I had checking and savings accounts with BDO when I lived in Tagum City. They always treated me good. They are a big bank all over the Philippines.

art


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

amcan13 said:


> Do you have access to Xoom? it is part of PayPal. If she has Gcash you can send money to her Gcash account from Xoom From there she can spend it, pay bills,, load cel or send it to her Bank ATM account. no fee, they make money by making the exchange rate 1 or 2 peso below market. I send from a bank account to avoid any other fees.


She recently got Gcash! I need to look into this. So far been with WU and she gets the full amount on that end she said. Compared to some other collection place where a fee was charged at collection. 



art1946 said:


> hey katana
> 
> I think she will find that BDO is a good service bank. I had checking and savings accounts with BDO when I lived in Tagum City. They always treated me good. They are a big bank all over the Philippines.
> 
> art


Thanks for this, BDO will keep that in mind. Had all these plans of being with her and sorting this out while I was there but of course Pandoras box was opened in Wuhan.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> She recently got Gcash! I need to look into this. So far been with WU and she gets the full amount on that end she said. Compared to some other collection place where a fee was charged at collection.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for this, BDO will keep that in mind. Had all these plans of being with her and sorting this out while I was there but of course Pandoras box was opened in Wuhan.


Katana, Gcash so far has worked out pretty well for me, I had a hick-up recently on trying to pay the utility bill after working hours and so basically when paying the electrical bill you'd want to do this with Gcash during working hours.

The grocery stores also utilize Gcash for payment, it's very handy. Yes Go with BDO, I'm also thinking about opening a bank account there, you can also withdraw cash if need be without going to the bank and if you live in a small Municipality you can withdraw cash from Pharmacies or other businesses with a small fee from the business of 40 pesos, it sure beats the costs and hassles of the long ride to the bank. From what my Daughter-in-law who lives in Canada mentioned she can send her mother money to her BDO bank account also, and so many branches everywhere.


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

If you have a peso acct you can use Wise(previously Transferwise) to send money to a local acct. Transfer fee is 1% or less. They use the mid market exchange rate at time transfer is initiated. 









You’ve been invited to Wise – Join and get a discount.


Banks sting you with hidden charges when you send or spend money internationally. But that’s yesterday’s problem. Say hello to Wise – the clever new way to move your money.




wise.com





Chuck


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## Darby Allen (Sep 22, 2014)

Darby Allen said:


> I've used World Remit to txfr between my Nationwide BS acct and my BPI savings acct for a long while now, and I'm happy with the service. Having said that I shall certainly be looking into Transferwise and rationalfx.
> 
> I nearly didn't read the thread, but I was riveted by the use of the word dratted; I haven't heard or read it in decades!


2022 I recently applied to have my RAF pension paid into Wise [formerly Transferwise, and it's a lifesaver. It costs around £5 to transfer £1,000 to my BPI account. I'm having difficulty getting my state pension paid in, but will persevere.
My problem is that the Nationwide BS will not send mail - not even an ordinary letter - overseas, and card renewals have to go to a UK relative who then sends it on signed-for, which costs about a tenner. I hope to be able to sever all ties with the Nationwide; after 35 years!


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

I have used XOOM several times with no problem in the past. 

art


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## Scoot65 (Jan 5, 2014)

Darby Allen said:


> The main problem with Nationwide is that they won’t send anything overseas, so replacement cards go to a UK address, and my sister forwards them, about £10 signed-for].


If you take a look on a thread I started :-https://www.expatforum.com/threads/british-expats-how-do-you-access-your-money-held-in-uk-banks.1516236/page-2

If you scroll down to post 29 by expatuk2016 states :- 

"I still have my UK Nationwide............with Nationwide I just informed them that my new address would be in the Philippines, which was not a problem. I can draw the cash from most ATMs here in the Philippines with a modest charge , and Nationwide send me a new card when the old one expires."

So it looks like Nationwide will send a card out to the Philippines. However in answering a question about this, expatuk2016 said that Nationwide don't use a courier, they use PhilPost. In this case you may be better off with your current arrangement if it's working OK.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

If you send money a lot to her then she should open a bank account. Use a credit card with no international fees to send money to her and pay the your card off within 30 days. I have several credit cards with no international charges.

that would be the cheapest on fees. the draw back is she has to wait a few days for the money. It is not like using Xoom or World Remit.

So do you want it to be fast and pay fees or be slow and no fees?

art


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Patricia Lopez said:


> She can open a bank account for easier transactions and better security, or she can send it through World Remit, which is a little less hassle and has fewer charges.


This is true, she already has an account but I need to find out what kind it is and whether her bank has any charges and such for incoming $



art1946 said:


> If you send money a lot to her then she should open a bank account. Use a credit card with no international fees to send money to her and pay the your card off within 30 days. I have several credit cards with no international charges.
> 
> that would be the cheapest on fees. the draw back is she has to wait a few days for the money. It is not like using Xoom or World Remit.
> 
> ...


This is a brilliant idea that I never ever thought off. I must look into this. She already has a bank account I need to find out what type. Could you mention some of the cards you use for this without fees? Thanks!!


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> This is true, she already has an account but I need to find out what kind it is and whether her bank has any charges and such for incoming $
> 
> 
> 
> This is a brilliant idea that I never ever thought off. I must look into this. She already has a bank account I need to find out what type. Could you mention some of the cards you use for this without fees? Thanks!!


One my wife uses is Monzo.


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## amcan13 (Sep 28, 2021)

The best way to move money from the USA to Philippines is bank to bank using a dollar account in the Philippines. The cost is fixed for any amount sent and there are no fees which is what the bad exchange rates basically are when going from dollar to peso. If you look at the actual exchange rate say 52 in the Philippines, then at the 50 peso rate the money services give you, it is easy to find the break even point of the fixed price bank to bank wire transfer. It is very clear to see that the 2 peso difference reaches the value of the fixed fee of $57 dollars, which is what my bank on both ends charge in total for a wire. So if you send more money less often the person in the Philippines gets more money when they do the exchange at the bank. The exchange rates are published online to know what you could get vs the rate the services like Xoom or Remit offer without the scam of no fees. As with most things in this world people with more money get better breaks, poor people pay more.


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

katanaDV20

I don't know where you are from, but here in the USA there are several credit cards that don't charge international fees. Wells Fargo, FNBO, US Bank. It just depends on what card you have with them. When I was sending money to the Philippines I used World Remit or Xoom. they charge a fee but it wasn't much. Remember when you send to a bank account in the Philippines it can take 2 or 3 weeks to clear. when you use services like World Remit it only takes about 1 day and she has the money.

If the money wasn't a must to have right away I would use my bank account here in the USA and transfer to the Philippine account. I don't think BDO has incoming charges.

Art


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Gary D said:


> One my wife uses is Monzo.


My bro in law only just mentioned this, quite the coincidence seeing your reply. Will check that out now thanks!




art1946 said:


> katanaDV20
> 
> I don't know where you are from, but here in the USA there are several credit cards that don't charge international fees. Wells Fargo, FNBO, US Bank. It just depends on what card you have with them. When I was sending money to the Philippines I used World Remit or Xoom. they charge a fee but it wasn't much. Remember when you send to a bank account in the Philippines it can take 2 or 3 weeks to clear. when you use services like World Remit it only takes about 1 day and she has the money.
> 
> ...


UK here , thanks very much. I'm currently on the interwebs reading about those kind of credit cards and the gf will get back to me about her bank account. Theres definetely no tearing hurry to get money across and I would love to be free of (or at least drastically reduce) those transfer fees which really add up.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> My bro in law only just mentioned this, quite the coincidence seeing your reply. Will check that out now thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I just sent yesterday £200 through transferwise and the fee was £1.57


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## art1946 (Nov 30, 2017)

hey katandv20
Those fees can really add up. It is better to send larger amounts of money then several small amounts. 

art


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

art1946 said:


> hey katandv20
> Those fees can really add up. It is better to send larger amounts of money then several small amounts.
> 
> art


Don't look at the fees look at the pesos.

With Wise £201.57 gave me P13021.55. Using my HSBC account free transfer £201.57 would give me P13027 so £200 is about the break point. I usually send £600 at a time so Wise would give 400-600P more than the free transfer.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

art1946 said:


> hey katandv20
> Those fees can really add up. It is better to send larger amounts of money then several small amounts.
> 
> art


Art....? Sending large amounts of money.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Gary D said:


> I just sent yesterday £200 through transferwise and the fee was £1.57


That hands down beats what I have seen on World Remit & Western Union, I need to sign up for that.



art1946 said:


> hey katandv20
> Those fees can really add up. It is better to send larger amounts of money then several small amounts.
> 
> art


Very very true. Over the years I dread to see the total!


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

worthingtonducote said:


> I know a lot of people are using crypto in such cases, as they don't have to pay commissions and things like that. However, I'm pretty skeptical about it, as sometimes the chart is way too unstable, and I want to know that I received or sent the exact amount of money. I also tried to do that through my trading account. I got one of these Best Trading Accounts, and I thought it would be a great idea to send her some money using this account. Well, bad idea, don't try that!


 If you are talking about Bitcoin its CRAZY overvalued. Inspite of it has droped from 64 000 to 30 000 usd, its 1000 times to high valued still... 
(REAL value is only 2 - 3 usd, because it was worth 1 usd 2009 when it started and it hasnt been much inflation.)


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Over the years I dread to see the total!


As Gene RIP used to say "part of the cost to live in Paradise".

As I rely on wihdrawing funds at ATMs using Debit Cards from my US accounts, I just consider the foreign account fee is basically lowering the exchange rate at the moment. One of my banks (USAA) in the states reimburses the extra fee (up to 3 times per month) but Wells Fargo won't so I have to just float with it cause I wish to maintain multiple paths to access funds in case there is a glitch, which we all know can happen and usually seems to at the most inopportune time.

Fred


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