Manila

[Goferring]

I'm only able to withdraw 10,000 pesos a day on my debit card. Is that just for Australian cards because we are so poor or does that limit apply to American and British cash cards as well? Kinda sucks when I need to pay my hotel bill in cash (for obvious reasons) and I've got to a find a money changer at the last minute.

Per transaction or per day?

Per transaction limits depend on the bank who owns the ATM. Even within the same bank network, provincial atms may have lower limits than major city ones.

https://blog.payrollhero.com/2015/04...lippine-banks/

PI banks have never limited my daily withdrawals. It's always been my home bank. Let them know you are travelling so you don't trigger fraud alerts and get your cards blocked. Also, daily limits can be adjusted, often online by the account holder, without the need to go into a bank branch. I think the default is AUD1000 or PHP 30 k. Obviously this takes 3 transactions and 3 sets of bank fees so maximised your individual withdrawals.

Enjoy. G.

[Franga]

I'm only able to withdraw 10,000 pesos a day on my debit card. Is that just for Australian cards because we are so poor or does that limit apply to American and British cash cards as well?

You do not have a 10,000 peso limit on your Australian debit card. You have a limit based on what your limit is according to your Australian bank. For most it is $1000 aud. This means that you can withdraw around 35,000 pesos daily in the Philippines.

Most philippine banks limit each ATM withdrawal to 10,000 pesos. So you can do multiple withdrawals up to your bank limit. One after the other. You could do three 10,000 peso withdrawals in one 24 hour period.

If you have a travelcard, then the limit is much higher. One time I withdrew ten times 10,000 pesos. So 100,000 pesos. Ten withdrawals one after the other.

[Mr Enternational]

I'm only able to withdraw 10,000 pesos a day on my debit card. Is that just for Australian cards because we are so poor or does that limit apply to American and British cash cards as well? Kinda sucks when I need to pay my hotel bill in cash (for obvious reasons) and I've got to a find a money changer at the last minute.

LOL. Depends on your bank. My Charles Schwab has a US$1000/day limit.

[PilotPaul]

I'm only able to withdraw 10,000 pesos a day on my debit card. Is that just for Australian cards because we are so poor or does that limit apply to American and British cash cards as well? Kinda sucks when I need to pay my hotel bill in cash (for obvious reasons) and I've got to a find a money changer at the last minute.

I believe that is P10,000 per transaction. You can make multiple transactions up to your daily Australian bank limit.

I believe that the PH banks decreased it to P10 k, so that they get more international transaction fees. The P280/ trx is a complete rort.

I use ING with rebated fees.

PP.

[Engine Driver]

Go online and submit a travel request for each card you bring, or you may find yourself locked-out from ATMs with non-functional Credit Cards. I agree, bring two cards. Some ATMs intake your card during the transaction, onlike in the US where they are mostly swipe. With jetlag, an anxious erection and a few beers, I've walked away with my ATM card in the machine before.

I leave my CC in the safe when I go out. With free international withdrawals (thanks, Schwab!) I don't need to carry a lot of cash, either. ATMs are everywhere.

I'm only able to withdraw 10,000 pesos a day on my debit card. Is that just for Australian cards because we are so poor or does that limit apply to American and British cash cards as well? Kinda sucks when I need to pay my hotel bill in cash (for obvious reasons) and I've got to a find a money changer at the last minute.

[Engine Driver]

I am first timer to Phil and will be there in January during the Chinese New Year. Is every place going to be more crowded than normal? I have 10 days there and have not made many plans yet, only a hotel near the airport for first night then off to AC for 3 nights, after that not sure.

Christmas and Holy Week (Easter) are when it's a bit busy with people going home to the provinces.

Just stay away from lobbies, restaurants and pool areas of the big 5-star hotels in Makati during CNY. The Chinese-Filipino kids will be running amok there with no parental control and the staff will be too scared or too polite to do anything. It will drive you nuts. All the big Chinese restos will be packed, but that's unlikely to affect you or your hookers.

You're good to go.

[Sammon]

Although I am a newbie on this forum, I am a senior member in my local area, with over 100 posts, so I have contributed much to my hometown.

I will be in the Philippines early next year and in preparation, I have not only RTFF, but cut and pasted many, many report excerpts for future reference. Having said that, it doesn't mean I don't have a stupid questions or three. Mainly because I can't find the specific answer to the question I have. Hopefully you guys can help.

Although I have never been (yet), I have a feeling that I may want to try working towards retiring there if I can make it happen, but I have much to learn and only 3 weeks to absorb as much info as I can while I am there.

Among the several questions I will be posting in the near future are:

1. Suggested itinerary.

I am not only going there to monger, but would like to be able to supplement my sightseeing itinerary with it. I have a mind to fly out from Manila the day after I arrive to Palawan, where I plan to visit El Nido, Port Barton and one or two other island in the area I haven't decided on yet. I am not sure how much time I should allocate to this.

From there to Negros to see White Beach and maybe a few other spots, then to Bohol, Cebu area and Sirgao. I will fly back to Manila with the plan to spend several days of pure mongering before flying back to Georgia.

I would like to know what itinerary you experienced guys would suggest to a newbie arriving on a Monday in Feb on a 3 week stay?

2. Time allocation /'winging' it.

I know that some areas of the Phil specifically want you to submit your itinerary before boarding a plane for that destination, but I want to be able to 'wing it' per se. I may fall in love with a certain area and decide to stay a little longer (or leave earlier if I don't like it). I may also want to change my itinerary spur of the moment as fresh info comes to me, and fly to a different island I hadn't thought about before when originally planning the trip in my cold basement back home.

Is it possible to purchase one-way tickets from island to island on a whim? Would enough seats be available to allow me to do this, or is this even allowed? Are some islands more flexible with this idea than others?

3. 'Girlfriend' availability.

I am sure this varies from island to island, but how doable is it to find a non-pro girlfriend on each island that will join me in my adventures without a dating app? I am in my early 50's, but I look much younger, as I have never been married and am not raising any kids. I am average height / somewhat fit build (w / a small gut), a "cute" face (according to my female coworkers), and I am a tad bit shy, but do have some game, (though not much, admittedly).

And if I need to use an app, then I don't want to spend too much effort on one that will not yield results. I am leaning towards PL, Tantan and DIA. Also, should I start working on this now, or do as I have read once or twice to not worry and just turn on the app when I am in the area locally and available?

4. Phone suggestion.

My Samsung Note 8 takes great pics and vids, and I know I need to get a burner with swappable SIM card when I arrive in-country. I would like to be able to take good quality pics / vids with whatever phone I get. Any ideas on this?

5. "Arrival announcements" thread.

Is this for meeting up with a wingman when you arrive in country? I believe I can trust a fellow monger even if I had not yet met them before, but the concept is odd to me. I could see setting myself up for trouble or possible robbery if I were to meet up with the wrong person. Am I again being strange? Maybe the monger community is far more of a brotherly fraternity than I would otherwise believe, and a forum member is a brother and a friend.

5. Safety and theft.

I may purchase a Pacsafe travelling bag for securing my goods in the room, because I am paranoid about staff being able to open the safe when I am away. Am I too paranoid? Have any of you guys had an issue with room safes, or do any of you use the Pacsafe bags? Do any of the cheaper places NOT have room safes, or is crooked hotel staff not something I should even bother worrying about?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated and I thank you all in advance for your replies.

Philippines is one of the most widely reported forums on this website. All the info is there if you care to go through many pages.

Girls, scams, hotels, sightseeing places, nightlife, bars, phones, security, travel, food=you name it it is there.

Have a good time!

[Blanquiceleste]

I am first timer to Phil and will be there in January during the Chinese New Year. Is every place going to be more crowded than normal? I have 10 days there and have not made many plans yet, only a hotel near the airport for first night then off to AC for 3 nights, after that not sure.

If you are there for mongering, there is no impact of CNY on your interests. Its BAU in all places in the Philippines.

[Jbj64]

I am first timer to Phil and will be there in January during the Chinese New Year. Is every place going to be more crowded than normal? I have 10 days there and have not made many plans yet, only a hotel near the airport for first night then off to AC for 3 nights, after that not sure.

[Free2]

I am concerned also about either losing my wallet or it being stolen. I plan to keep another card separately stored from where I keep my main wallet as a precaution.

What kind of backup emergency funds plan do you guys have? Will the ATMs allow access to any bank in the world, wherever I have money stored, or would it be worthwhile to open an account in Manila, or whatever.

Why not trust us fellow-mongers?! .

Well, I mean just me. Send me your $ and I will safe keep it for you and distribute it to you as you need. !!

[SaltyPete]

Use a money belt which goes under your shorts. Do not carry a wallet in your pocket.

Do not use hotel safes as staff can skim banknotes stored there. Unless you use a pacsafe in the safe. Better to put all your valuables into your suitcase and then lock it. Hotel staff will not tamper with your bag.

Some ATMs are only on certain systems like Visa. Depends on your card. Take at least two different bank debit cards with you. No need to open a bank account in the Philippines. No problem to get cash from banks with your foreign card, like from Metrobank, or BPI, or others.

Go online and submit a travel request for each card you bring, or you may find yourself locked-out from ATMs with non-functional Credit Cards. I agree, bring two cards. Some ATMs intake your card during the transaction, onlike in the US where they are mostly swipe. With jetlag, an anxious erection and a few beers, I've walked away with my ATM card in the machine before.

I leave my CC in the safe when I go out. With free international withdrawals (thanks, Schwab!) I don't need to carry a lot of cash, either. ATMs are everywhere.

[Franga]

I am concerned also about either losing my wallet or it being stolen. I plan to keep another card separately stored from where I keep my main wallet as a precaution.

What kind of backup emergency funds plan do you guys have? Will the ATMs allow access to any bank in the world, wherever I have money stored, or would it be worthwhile to open an account in Manila, or whatever.

Use a money belt which goes under your shorts. Do not carry a wallet in your pocket.

Do not use hotel safes as staff can skim banknotes stored there. Unless you use a pacsafe in the safe. Better to put all your valuables into your suitcase and then lock it. Hotel staff will not tamper with your bag.

Some ATMs are only on certain systems like Visa. Depends on your card. Take at least two different bank debit cards with you. No need to open a bank account in the Philippines. No problem to get cash from banks with your foreign card, like from Metrobank, or BPI, or others.

[Goferring]

Although I am a newbie on this forum,

Any and all help is greatly appreciated and I thank you all in advance for your replies.

If you are newbie to the Philippines then I'd recommend keeping your plans as flexible as possible. You, or anyone else making suggestions here, don't yet know what areas you will like and want an extended stay and those that you will not enjoy and want to leave the next day.

The beaches around the Visayas can be very nice and are easy to get into and out of. If you dive, just google for scuba options. There are many.

One way air tickets are readily available and, outside of peak seasons, are not that more expensive than prebooked ones. I prefer to do this and retain the flexibility vs saving $10 per airfare. DG is correct that all the airlines have websites that are very useful for research and actually booking flights.

There was a time that it was very rare to find a combination of girls and beaches on Philippines and everyone would recommend BYO. The internet has changed this and with a little prework to can find girls in towns that you want to visit or use the Tinder like apps for immediate hook ups. Don't forget FilippinoCupid as it has location search options that drills down to individual towns vs only to provinces.

Don't get the cheapest phone as its memory will fill quickly and become useless. Upon arrival you will want to download numerous chat, taxi and hook up sites. They all take storage space. No need for a top of the line model but I'd expect to pay $150.

I've advertised and met other mongers via the Announcements thread. None have been dickheads and several have been very helpful. It depends on your personality: would you enjoy a wingman or prefer to do your own thing?

Yes you are being paranoid. LOL. Just take reasonable precautions and you and your cash will be fine. The few times I have had issues it's where I didn't take the most basic of precautions. Room safes are common as are ATMs that accept foreign cards. I bring two card for different accounts in case I do get anything stolen and leave one in the room. Add internet banking on your phone. Be aware that regional ATMs do go down due to weather or connectivity issues so always have enough cash in your room to cover a couple of days. On your person just have what you need that morning or evening.

Enjoy. G.

[BrainDrain]

2. Time allocation /'winging' it.

I know that some areas of the Phil specifically want you to submit your itinerary before boarding a plane for that destination, but I want to be able to 'wing it' per se.

I haven't heard of this. You can roam.

3. 'Girlfriend' availability.

I am sure this varies from island to island, but how doable is it to find a non-pro girlfriend on each island that will join me in my adventures without a dating app? I am in my early 50's, but I look much younger, as I have never been married and am not raising any kids. I am average height / somewhat fit build (w / a small gut), a "cute" face (according to my female coworkers), and I am a tad bit shy, but do have some game, (though not much, admittedly).

I would be deciding if a constant girlfriend is the way to go. When I went on an extended holiday I had a pre-arranged girl meet me at MNL and travel with me. Then I always had her on call. If you haven't been before, you don't want to waste a few days interviewing and testing out. Maybe you could use 3 days in Manila while sightseeing there, if you find a good one, she will join you. If ot, then a week later spend a few days in Cebu trying for another for the second half.

As I write this, I know that if there is a monger and money offering flights and travel for three weeks, then the girl will find you. I suggest one girl will bore you.

Enjoy your journey.

[Dg8787]

I am concerned also about either losing my wallet or it being stolen. I plan to keep another card separately stored from where I keep my main wallet as a precaution.

What kind of backup emergency funds plan do you guys have? Will the ATMs allow access to any bank in the world, wherever I have money stored, or would it be worthwhile to open an account in Manila, or whatever.

Thanks in advance.

I suggest you set up a money transfer account on Remitly.com prior to arrival. You will be able to send money to yourself in Ph via online.