Philippine credit cards - foreign currency transaction fees
there are many factors to consider (perks, annual fee, etc) in choosing a credit card one will use mainly for international travel. one of the most important is the foreign transaction fee - a small percentage difference between cards will be significant after numerous swipes.
below is a list of the foreign currency transaction charges of credit cards issued by Philippine banks. notes:
- some banks have different rates for different card types while others have a single rate for all cards. listed here are the lowest rate for each bank. i have included the links so that the type of card can be checked.
- most of the reported rates are the total expected fees (eg assessment plus service fee, or percentage of conversion rate). exceptions are noted. details of fee breakdown can be found in the linked sources.
Bank | Rate | Source :-- | :-- | :-- AUB |1.50%* |https://www.aub.com.ph/creditcards/feesAndCharges BDO |2.00% |https://www.bdo.com.ph/sites/default/files/Fees%20and%20charges%20VISAx.pdf BPI |1.85% |https://www.bpi.com.ph/personal/cards/credit-cards/rates-and-fees Chinabank |2.50% |https://www.chinabank.ph/credit-cards-fees-charges EastWest |1.70% |https://www.ewbanker.com/info/ewcc_featuresandbenefits.asp HSBC |3.50% |https://www.hsbc.com.ph/content/dam/hsbc/ph/docs/credit-card-fees-and-charges.pdf Landbank |2.00% |https://www.landbank.com/cards/landbank-credit-card Maybank |1.75% |https://www.maybank.com.ph/en/personal/cards/credit-cards/visa-infinite.page? Metrobank |2.50%* |https://www.metrobank.com.ph/articles/credit-card-rates-and-fees PNB |2.50% |https://www.pnbcards.com.ph/images/forms/Applicable_Fees_and_Charges.pdf RCBC |3.50%** |https://rcbccredit.com/card-fees-and-charges Security Bank |2.50% |https://www.securitybank.com/personal/credit-cards/ Union Bank |2.00% |https://www.unionbankph.com/cards-fees
*Bank service fee only. Provider assessment fee not specified. ** 1.68% from August 15 to November 15, 2023.
A6 notebook + mechanical pencil are an indispensable part of my travel kit. i always worry that i will lose my phone at some point so important addresses are written there.
pen and paper can be very useful in places with a different language/writing system. there was a time i looked for a specific product that i had a difficulty describing. fortunately, i met a local who can speak english and asked him to write down the local name of the said product. it can be done on the phone but i find that older people are more comfortable writing with a pen and paper.
for everyday, i use my phone s native notes app for quick jots but still carry with me a notebook and pencil.
glad to answer your question s, as i too had many doubts with with method.
yes, it was a full sized towel provided by the hotel.
i did one shirt at a time. did the burrito twice per shirt. the towel was a bit moist afterwards but i think i could still have dried another shirt. i am a very small person though so it could be different for bigger shirts.
travel towels are on the thinner side so am not sure if they can take as much moisture.
thanks. and totally agree. i meant to use these shirts exclusively for travel (which i dont do too often) so i think wringing wont do much damage. those shirts were very cheap too (~ 3USD). glad i tested this method- i was always doubtful about this (dripping clothes, time, ease) but now i see that it is completely doable. no dripping at all and no need for a hanging line if there are (nonwood) edges in a room. the next night i tried to lay a shirt on a tables edge and it still worked.
went on a trip to Taipei. not one bag, brought multiple bags because I planned to buy a lot of food to bring back to family. Taipei in July is very hot and humid, had to change my shirt around mid afternoon. i havent tried the towel drying method yet, figured it was a great time to test it. hand washed the 2 shirts I used, then rolled them up one by one. by the time i hung them up, they were no longer dripping. after ~8 hrs, they were completely dry and wrinkle-free. steps I took:
- skipped the stepping on the towel part. instead, i wrung the shirt to remove excess water.
- rolled the shirt-towel into a burrito and made sure that the roll is very tight then wrung it again.
- flipped the towel and also flipped the shirt. made sure that the opposite side of the shirt now makes contact with the fresh side of the towel.
- repeat the rolling and wringing.
- flicked each shirt with a strong wrist movement (snapped to reduce wrinkles).
- hung them on the backs of plastic chairs.
these were ordinary cotton shirts (Hanes, to be specific), i did not use travel shirts with specialized blends.
i can almost hear Maria trilling in the background. that is the Earthsea collection, right? lovely volume. my favorite among them is 'the tombs atuan'. thought i would not like it because of the single setting but the character development is superb.
how about taking a leaf out of the Vietnamese's book? they put basil in almost everything.
experiment, my dude. having soup? dunk some basil on it. making a sub/burger? put some leaves on it. preparing a wrap/roll/burrito? crushsomebasilandmixitin. pizza? basil. fita? basil and something.
i am constantly on the lookout but have not bought anything for years. serious travel bags are expensive and id hate to be disappointed. my current rotation of thrifted and gifted bags have plenty of room for improvement but they suffice for now.
is there a tipidpc equivalent for used cameras? beem looking at carousell but the sony a6000 and fujifilm xt100 are overpriced (at least 5k difference with postings of pawnshops).
or do you have any go-to sellers i can check out? preferably within manila/quezon city area.
i have long wanted to try photography but want to start with a used camera instead of buying a new one.
posted photo is auto-rotated 90 deg. any tip how i can prevent this from happeninh?
as seen from my seat at the bus (last Sunday)
back of the drivers seat. found it mildly interesting.