Opening Bank Account - No Acr I-Card

[boring]

Looks like I have 2 viable options.

1. BPI as suggested above. My gf uses them and recommends them. My understanding is that you can't do interbank transfers online though. Eg from BPI to BDO. I haven't verified it yet, it's just what I heard. I rent 2 places in Eastwood and my agent uses BDO...which was why I'm leaning to BDO. My staff can then open salary accounts in BDO which is fairly painless for them.

2. My agent has offered to open a joint account with me in BDO. She has done that before for another foreigner client as she does have some leverage with the branch manager. While I would prefer not to have someone else on my account, she someone I do trust there. When we first started business there she actually paid the bond for me from her own money until I could put up the balance. Top quality individual...and we only move money in and out of the account (half of it is hers for rent anyway) and no savings are held in it so the risk is really low for me of anything going wrong.

:)

[samatm]

perhaps it would be really simple if your agent opened a BPI account? problem solved ?

[boring]

perhaps it would be really simple if your agent opened a BPI account? problem solved ?

Totally agree, but her opening a BPI account isn't really her problem...

I expect the problem will be resolved now one way or the other though :)

[boring]

Bank account now opened at BDO with my agent as a co-signer. Nice and easy when you have someone to help! :)

[Call me bubba]

You can open a bank account WITH OUT AN ACR card ,however some places INSIST on the ACR-I card,

 since reading this post a few weeks ago, I have asked a several banks,

Have asked mostly at the various BPI(express banking centers) and 2 main branches,

YES you can open ACCOUNT

if you have the ID's required,,, it would help .at least to bring w/you a "current"customer of that branch to be a "FRIENDLY FACE"..

 only a "savings account" can be opened at 1st, ,  i did not ask about checking or credit cards.

[Will]

I've gone to two banks with my wife. If my wife wanted, she could open an account no problem. Soon as we asked about me, " we need an acr1. Both times I just politely said thank you and stood up and walked out. I don't believe a foreigner can open an account without it, even joint account with a spouse. Forget it, I'll just keep letting the bank back in the states make interest with our money, at least they're friendly.

[boring]

You can open a bank account WITH OUT AN ACR card ,however some places INSIST on the ACR-I card,

 since reading this post a few weeks ago, I have asked a several banks,

Have asked mostly at the various BPI(express banking centers) and 2 main branches,

YES you can open ACCOUNT

if you have the ID's required,,, it would help .at least to bring w/you a "current"customer of that branch to be a "FRIENDLY FACE"..

 only a "savings account" can be opened at 1st, ,  i did not ask about checking or credit cards.

 

 

I had no luck with my inquiries in terms of not having the card. It would be interesting whether they actually do open the account without one. What they say and do in large businesses there are often two different things.

 

If you do manage to open an account, do let us know which branch you did it for my own future reference.

[boring]

I've gone to two banks with my wife. If my wife wanted, she could open an account no problem. Soon as we asked about me, " we need an acr1. Both times I just politely said thank you and stood up and walked out. I don't believe a foreigner can open an account without it, even joint account with a spouse. Forget it, I'll just keep letting the bank back in the states make interest with our money, at least they're friendly.

 

I was able to do it with my real estate agent as a co-account holder. That was the BDO branch in Eastwood, Manila. 

 

The simple things in Australia are a bloody nightmare over in the Phils :)

[earthdome]

I was able to open up a USD and peso savings account with BPI 4 days after arriving in San Fernando City, La Union. All I needed was the paper BI issues that you are a person in good standing on your visa extension. So I extended my visa to get that piece of paper and BPI let me open the account. I did have my girlfriend with me during this process.

[i am bob]

If my memory serves me correctly, sometime over the last year and a bit that I have been a member here, I read several posts where the consensus was that opening a bank account without an ACR card would be denied at one branch and then ok'd at another branch of the same bank.  One post stated that there were 2 branches of the same bank kitty-corner from each other at an intersection and that was the case there - denied at one and ok'd at the other.  So if you really want to open a bank account before you can get an ACR card, just keep trying the different branches until one says "Right here, sir!"