General Info

Yes, HSBC is the best with regards to ATMs. I've been able to withdraw 34 k in the past. Never tried more than that. As a general rule, international banks are good and Filipino banks are not good. As another data point, I've taken 30 k out of Standard Chartered bank ATMs as well.

[QUOTE=Sympalogy;1843399]I have been able to get up to 25 k php at each withdrawal from HSBC ATMs in Manila (I tried many: Rockwell, Ortigas, Makati etc). I may have gotten more, but I didn't want to try because I have tried on first time using my foreign ATM debit card in HSBC in Manila, I tried to withdraw 40 k php, and my bank blocked my card and called me wondering what is going on (I have informed the bank I am traveling, but they told me to not bother, if they have a problem they will call me, and so they blocked my card on first use and called me internationally making it cost me more, anyway, banks be banks).

The second best place is Citibank (I tried in Aura Premier etc), and I can get there up to 15 k php. I tried for more but it tells me (15 k is the limit).

When I had emergency need for cash and no HSBC or Citibank were near, I used Banco de Oro. It seems their ATMs have a limit for filipino cards of 15 K php but for me it did not allow me more than 10 K.

The hoops exist because ATM withdrawals almost always give better exchange rates than cash changing of foreign currency, no matter the favorable rate. Yet, Philippines has some tax / fee of 200 php for using a foreign Debit card on their local ATMs, so to make this a good deal, got to take the most possible so it's worthwhile.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Hutsori;1843190]. SNIP ... why then send a "Hey, it's me message" knowing the recipient will have no idea who the number belongs to? [/QUOTE]I must have lost allot of friends that way. Text from an unknown number: Hai how are you.
Fine, thanks! Who's this please?
it's me!
Yes, hello! What is your name please?
It's me, you don't remember?
Yes, what is your name please? What city are you in please?
You don't remember me?
Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I do not have magic power, I can not guess who belongs to every number in the Philippines.
Fine then! Goodbye!

[QUOTE=Sympalogy;1843399]I have been able to get up to 25 k php at each withdrawal from HSBC ATMs in Manila (I tried many: Rockwell, Ortigas, Makati etc). I may have gotten more, but I didn't want to try because I have tried on first time using my foreign ATM debit card in HSBC in Manila, I tried to withdraw 40 k php, and my bank blocked my card and called me wondering what is going on (I have informed the bank I am traveling, but they told me to not bother, if they have a problem they will call me, and so they blocked my card on first use and called me internationally making it cost me more, anyway, banks be banks).

The second best place is Citibank (I tried in Aura Premier etc), and I can get there up to 15 k php. I tried for more but it tells me (15 k is the limit).

When I had emergency need for cash and no HSBC or Citibank were near, I used Banco de Oro. It seems their ATMs have a limit for filipino cards of 15 K php but for me it did not allow me more than 10 K.

The hoops exist because ATM withdrawals almost always give better exchange rates than cash changing of foreign currency, no matter the favorable rate. Yet, Philippines has some tax / fee of 200 php for using a foreign Debit card on their local ATMs, so to make this a good deal, got to take the most possible so it's worthwhile.[/QUOTE]Well if your entire Phils experience is limited to Makati or Metro Manila you could get by with foreign Banks I suppose but good luck finding them in the rest of the country. If you are there on business and limited to the financial areas the branches may seem plentiful but in 99% of the country no.

I have had a few BDO accounts and one RCBC account. In general yes Phils banks suck and they will eat you up in fees with small accounts but so do banks in my country. They don't charge fees on ATM withdrawls if you use their branch and its better than walking around with your entire trips budget in your moneybelt. They have never stolen my money or lost it. If you go to a branch its always a time consuming experience. But its like everything else in the country. In the provinces the chances that your banks ATM will be down that day may be 1 in 3. BDO has a 10 K limit per withdrawl and its actually higher than the other Phils banks which have a limit of 4 k or 5 k. If you are withdrawing your home bank if they are on the network the low limit per transaction + fees will eat you up.

Here is how I make having a Phils account work for me. Occasionally I will do a latin american business transaction which will involve a wire transfer not big enough to alarm anyone but still some real money. The phils bank won't convert it at the best rate into a peso account but its tax free money so who cares? Another avenue is Paypal. I have a Paypal account which is based nominally in the Phils and I can withdraw money directly into the Phils bank. I set it up years ago maybe the rules have changed but it was real easy. That can only be done to a peso account not a dollar account BTW. Then the money is there waiting for you and available all over the country. At BDO its 10 K per wthdrawl but you can do I think 2 or 4 per day if I remember its been a while since I needed that much.

My first account was with Equitable PCI bank which later was gobbled up by BDO. Somehow it remains under the old rules so they don't fuck with with fees for a low balance as my other subsequent accounts in thiers and other banks which ultimately led to them all closing by thier own accord due to fees. Phils banks online banking systems are a nightmare. Enter your password wrong like my clumsy fingers combined with my bad memory and they always lock my account and say go to a branch. Since I don't live there I'm screwed until the next visit.

If you travel throughout the country for the combination of branch availability plus the 10 K per transaction I would 'reccommend' BDO. They still suck don't get me wrong but its a land of the blind one eyed man perspective. They don't have a BDO in Calbayog so once I ended up with a RCBC account if I remember right their per withdrawl was 4 k or 5 k.

Someone from ISG turned me on to the Schwab checking account a year ago, and it has been great. No foreign transaction fees and they reimburse the ATM fees that most Filipino and Thai banks will charge you. I can use any ATM and take out as much or as little as I want. I don't need to withdraw 20,000 just to avoid paying an ATM fee, at the cost of feeling like a mugging target. I transfer funds from my regular bank to this one a few days before my trip. If, heaven forbid, I happen to get scammed by an ATM skimmer, the damage is limited to what I have in this smaller account. Like most banks, they require a heads-up before you use the card overseas. And it does take a few days for them to credit a transfer to the account. But there are no fees.

My thanks to whoever tipped me off to this.

[QUOTE=Pantot;1843486]Well if your entire Phils experience is limited to Makati or Metro Manila you could get by with foreign Banks I suppose but good luck finding them in the rest of the country. If you are there on business and limited to the financial areas the branches may seem plentiful but in 99% of the country no.[/QUOTE]HSBC ATMs are all over Asia and Philippines, you can even find one in Davao, Mindanao.

But yeah, if your needs take you to smaller parts of the PH, then BDO is recommended as the best of the ones that suck. I'm not "permanent" enough in PH to make a bank account.

Good information on banking. I was told you must have residence in Philippines to open a local account. Is that the case?

Looking at the retire in Philippines info, you must have a certain amount of money in the country. Isn't that a contradiction?

Where I live the HSBC has a very high minimum. Pantot, I remember the original Schwab info but never followed thru. I'll have to look at that again.

[QUOTE=Sympalogy;1843979]HSBC ATMs are all over Asia and Philippines, you can even find one in Davao, Mindanao.
[/QUOTE]As a long-term depositor with HSBC and a frequent traveller to other parts of SE Asia, I must challenge your assertion that HSBC ATMs are "all over" the Philippines (and elsewhere).

I respectfully suggest that HSBC ATMs are only in Makati (inc Rockwell and Enterprise Center) and Ortigas in Manila, near Ayala Mall in Cebu and in Davao; nowhere else (unless I can be enlightened).

There are none in Lao PDR (Vientiane). They are here and there in Hanoi and HCM in Vietnam, and I couldn't find one in Phnom Penh (Cambodia).

Note that all HSBCs, though an international bank, are franchise operations in each country, so it's HSBC Philippines, with all of the Philippines regulations and minimum depositis / insurances etc.

The good thing about HSBC cards though is that you can use them in most ATM machines pretty well anywhere (if you check the bank logos on the front of the ATM).

[QUOTE=XMan;1844021]Good information on banking. I was told you must have residence in Philippines to open a local account. Is that the case?

Looking at the retire in Philippines info, you must have a certain amount of money in the country. Isn't that a contradiction?

Where I live the HSBC has a very high minimum. Pantot, I remember the original Schwab info but never followed thru. I'll have to look at that again.[/QUOTE]I am not promoting the Phils banks as a place to park your serious money. Unless you have huge money, nobody gives you any interest in any stable world currencies. I am just trying to offer my experiences in parking my cash in a safe place while traveling the Phils as opposed to attaching it to my money belt. Thats it. I go there 3 to 4 times a year for a fortnight for meeting gfs and new girls and draining my balls. I have zero business earnings there.

For me its been strictly about having a safe place to put my money to sustain my travels while I'm there. My first account they didn't have rules but now you are right they require a local address. I think still they don't really give a shit in reality. You could use your hotel address frankly. Its all a game last time I opened an account. If I had to open one today I would use my small friendly hotel in AC address. They store my bag and the manager is a trusted friend. Its not like they send monthly statements. Its all a pretense. Before when I used my GF addresses they never sent them statements. Maybe its changed in 2016 as my experiences are a few years old and world bankers tighten the screws on pathetic phils banks to gather info on foreigners.

I just park cash there while I'm there so I can suck it out from ATM's. If you try to suck it out from your bank, they will cream you with fees.

As I said if you rely on associated bank ATMs they are very unreliable in the provinces and offline.

If you retire there not close to a foreign bank branch you will have to establish some local banking account. Not to park serious money but to have fee free access to your money.

[QUOTE=RedKilt;1844086]Note that all HSBCs, though an international bank, are franchise operations in each country, [/QUOTE]My reason for originally opening an HSBC account was so I would not be charged for using their ATMs abroad. Well I would always get charged for using their ATMs in Colombia and Peru. I could call them later and they would refund the fee but what a hassle. Then whenever you called them they would want you to remember mundane stuff like the date you opened the account or the amount of your last ATM withdrawal as security measures before they would help you. The final straw was when they said you would have to use some kind of device that would give you a code each time you wanted to pull up your account through mobile banking. I closed that account and moved to Charles Schwab where any ATM fees that I incur are automatically refunded at the end of the month.

P.S. I opened both accounts online. I am from the US so the HSBC address was Buffalo, New York. The Charles Schwab address is Reno, Nevada. Neither account required a minimum balance.

[QUOTE=DonaldSucks;1842487]Bcs, and I said this many times, my GF has only the same pussy. I crave new pussy as I easily get tired poking the same one (after a week or two). I am lucky as I travel extentively (like 250-270 days a year) so new pukie isn't much of a problem. Going back home my GF pussy seems like a new one.

That beeing said; you are obviously right in what I should be doing. But I am a schwein and never in my life have I been able to stick with only one pukie. Thats my problem and also the one thing eventually will lead to my downfall (I guess its pretty much like alcoholism).

Another obvious reason i am in a mongerforum is i like to share and most importantly i learn many things sticking to this forum and others. Life is in constant motion so i do pick up something from designated BM's like Huts, Westie, Good Enough(mostly them have something useful to share)which i find interesting. From that i can get new angel on things and even if we might not hunt from the same pale of girls at times i would say surprisingly a lot of their info have been useful to me. To speak about phils section of this forum i am more active here and even if it seems that way to BM's reading my posts i do have a Makati based daughter here as well and she is as valuable as my daughter back in Norway. The problem so far, beeing the big cheater i am, is that the Makati one has to be a "hidden" daughter. But one day i will come clear as i would prevent by all my recources a girl with my blood beeing educated in the rather floppy phil system. When she gets like 6yo its time to move her to my country. Atleast BM knows why i go that much to visit phils. Bcs i hate the country and the girls here are nothing special from girls all over. But due to the hidden daughter it is convenient to me to go here so i can nurse her and see her..

I hope this give u some idea why i stick to the mongerforum..[/QUOTE]Skoggy what gives with the New "Donald Sucks" handle LOL.

PC out.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1844095]<SNIP> The final straw was when they said you would have to use some kind of device that would give you a code each time you wanted to pull up your account through mobile banking. I closed that account and moved to Charles Schwab where any ATM fees that I incur are automatically refunded at the end of the month.
[/QUOTE]You're making it sound way more complicated than it is Mr E.

The small device is no bigger than a thumb drive and is simple to use. If you lose it or forget to bring it then you can use 2 passwords already registered instead. I find the small device quite ingenious and carry it with me at all times when travelling I keep it with my passport).

I like the added security HSBC have added for internet banking. There are a lot of very smart hackers out there who would love to get into anybody's accounts. I also don't pay fees because of the way my account was originally set-up.

[QUOTE=RedKilt;1844146]You're making it sound way more complicated than it is Mr E.

The small device is no bigger than a thumb drive and is simple to use. If you lose it or forget to bring it then you can use 2 passwords already registered instead. I find the small device quite ingenious and carry it with me at all times when travelling I keep it with my passport).

I like the added security HSBC have added for internet banking. There are a lot of very smart hackers out there who would love to get into anybody's accounts. I also don't pay fees because of the way my account was originally set-up.[/QUOTE]I agree RK. I have small devices for the HSBC account I have worldwide and they are always traveling with me. While you can use the password route f needed, if you want to transfer cash between accounts and / or pay bills I find you need them. You can do via the phone but this can be tedious.

The only 'pain' I have is when it insists sending me a verification text message but won't do so to my roaming number. This has caused untold grief in the past especially in the CIS states and led to the blocking of my credit card. Dealing with HSBC's CS was not easy at that time.

[QUOTE=RedKilt;1844086]
I respectfully suggest that HSBC ATMs are only in Makati (inc Rockwell and Enterprise Center) and Ortigas in Manila, near Ayala Mall in Cebu and in Davao; nowhere else (unless I can be enlightened).[/QUOTE]It seems there is an HSBC ATM in Davao city.

Address: G / F Luisa Building, Emilio Jacinto Ext, Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Philippines.

I'll check it out on the ground soon and report.

Also, I don't have an HSBC account, where I am, it has the worst customer service of all banks. But it's the bank that gives the most money in the ATM in most countries, so I use it.

[QUOTE=Sympalogy;1844338]It seems there is an HSBC ATM in Davao city.

Address: G / F Luisa Building, Emilio Jacinto Ext, Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Philippines.

I'll check it out on the ground soon and report.

Also, I don't have an HSBC account, where I am, it has the worst customer service of all banks. But it's the bank that gives the most money in the ATM in most countries, so I use it.[/QUOTE]No need to check it out. I use it frequently and can withdraw up to Php40,000 per single transaction. Its ATM is quite reliable amd I don't think I've ever seen it out of service.

GE.

That's a lot of blue paper. Do you go to the bank with a wheelbarrow?

[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1844496]No need to check it out. I use it frequently and can withdraw up to Php40,000 per single transaction. Its ATM is quite reliable amd I don't think I've ever seen it out of service.

GE.[/QUOTE]