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WHY COMPARE CREDIT CARDS THROUGH GOBEAR?
- 120+ cards – The largest credit card base to compare.
- Unbiased – We favour no banks and offer the highest transparency in credit card comparison.
- Personalised – Search based on your spending and rewards needs.
- Fresh offers – We list the latest promotions and best rewards credit cards.
- Easy Ranking – Rank your cards according to cashback and miles rewards.
Credit Cards in the Philippines
Credit cards are a great financial tool that allows a person to spend money without having to carry actual bills. This card, which is offered by just about every major bank in the Philippines, allows for safe and convenient purchases made in various shops, restaurants, and even online sellers. In the country, an increasing number of establishments accept credit card payment.
With one swipe, this electronic card lets you to borrow from banks to buy things or pay the bills. Of course, you need to settle those debts, but you can defer paying those to a later time (subject to some limits) if you’re willing to let the balance grow per month until the time you can manage to pay.
For an easier way to look into the terms, features, and benefits of any credit card in the Philippines, GoBear compiled and listed the details from each card, including how much cashback and airmiles you can gain on your expenses.
What are the types of credit cards
A bank or credit card provider in the Philippines usually offers between six and 16 kinds of cards, each one catering to different customers depending on their income, interests, and needs. A good way to look at the type of cards that banks offer is via their rewards system, which is usually in the form of points, cashback or airmiles.
There are other types of credit cards, like the secured credit card, which allow you to deposit a certain amount as a savings account with a bank. The deposited amount serves as collateral for the card and determines your credit limit.
There is also the idea of a prepaid credit card, which allows for cashless transactions but without the debt, in addition to other benefits attached to credit cards. The cardholder just needs to load the card with a certain amount of money, which will later be used by the card to pay for things at shops that accept Visa MasterCard and others.
Get a detailed GoBear Guide on the types of credit card rewards.
Credit card features and benefits
The main feature of the credit card is instant access to money for cardholders, who can pay in full or in installments. But card providers also offer different perks for clients of credit cards, most of which are not offered to debit card holders, such as:
What are the requirements to apply for a card?
When you apply for credit cards, your bank looks into your age, salary, employment details, and contact information. An applicant must be at least 21 years old at the time of application, though a few banks allow 18-year-olds to apply, and supplemental credit cards can be issued to people as young as 13 years old). Banks also look at your capacity to apply for a line of credit, and you can apply with an annual income from ₱120,000 for basic credit cards. There are also exclusive, premiere-tier cards for individuals with an annual income of up to ₱5 million.
Remember that the income requirement can become different depending on whether you are employed or self-employed, and that some credit cards are not available for foreigners who want to apply for a credit card in the Philippines. In addition, some banks state that the salary requirement will be up to their discretion.
An applicant is also usually required to have at least one or two years of employment or self-employment records. Other possible requirements include having a landline number, holding an existing credit card, or being near a branch of the bank providing the card.
What are the fees and charges of credit cards?
Owning a credit card subjects a cardholder to a variety of fees and charges, the most known of which is the interest charge, imposed as a percentage of the amount of debt you have by the end of a billing period. The monthly rate can go as low as 1.60% or as high as 3.64%, although most cards peg the rate at 3.50%.
Another essential credit card fee, the membership fee, is the annual payment for card ownership (although that fee is waived for the first year and can be passed over further depending on the bank). Other fees and charges include the separate interest rates for cash advance, balance transfer, and expenses on specific items such as gambling.
Do you want to see which credit card is the best for your needs? Compare credit cards with GoBear and check the specifics and advantages of cards with trusted banks in the Philippines, including:
Compare with GoBear Philippines — Asia's first unbiased metasearch engine or comparison site for credit cards.
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Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions
Have you ever wondered which credit card will work best for you or which credit card will give you the most rewards?Have you ever wondered which credit card will work best for you or which credit card will give you...
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Top 6 credit cards for first-timers
Top 6 credit cards for first-timers
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GoBear Reviews: Credit cards with highest cashback
GoBear Reviews: Credit cards with highest cashback
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GoBear answers questions on credit cards (Part 2)
GoBear answers questions on credit cards (Part 2)
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Need help on comparing credit cards?
- 1.How does GoBear Compare Credit Cards?
- 2.What is the Definition of Each Spending Category and What is Included in Your Rewards Calculation?
- 3.How Accurate are the Total Air Miles or Cashback Calculations?
- 4.There Are Other Comparison Sites, Why Should I Use GoBear to Compare Credit Cards?
- 5.What should I look out for when comparing between rewards, cashback or miles cards?
- 6.What are credit card features and benefits?
- 7.What are the requirements to apply for a card?
- 8.What are the fees and charges of credit cards?
- 9.What banks issue credit cards in the Philippines?
Compare credit cards for free and find out the highest rewarding cards today!
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1.How does GoBear Compare Credit Cards?
Our goal is simple: to show you the most transparent and unbiased comparison that suits your needs, not anyone else’s. Here's how:
1. Search by reward types
Card rewards are what you are looking for and GoBear gets it! Start your search by selecting your preferred reward type: cashback or air miles.
2. Calculate annual rewards based on your spending needs
To help you find your best credit card, simply input your monthly spending amount with an option to break them down into categories like: dining, entertainment, fuel, groceries, online shopping, shopping, etc. For details of shopping categories, refer to 'what is the definition' of each spending category and 'what is included in your rewards calculation?'.
With your input plus our unique GoBear Rewards Converter, we will calculate your estimated annual earnings on cashback and air miles based on your monthly spending over a period of one year. We convert the different credit card reward points based on average cash values or actual air miles you can redeem. Please refer to 'Which airline miles do you use in your total air miles calculation?' for more details on air miles.
3. Compare reward earnings vs other benefits, features and fees
To give an all-rounded comparison, we also showcase a directory of other features, including benefits and fees of each credit card. -
2.What is the Definition of Each Spending Category and What is Included in Your Rewards Calculation?
Dining: weekend and weekday dining (if you get rewarded at different rates, the average applies)
Entertainment: ticketing for cinemas, bars or events (or either of them)
Fuel: includes card-specific rewards such miles or cashback accumulated from spending on fuel
Groceries: grocery spending at multiple outlets
Travel: 50% overseas spend and 50% travel-related spend such as flight or hotel
Online Shopping: all spending on online shopping
Shopping: all spending on retail shopping
General: all other spending (except cash advances)
To give a clear comparison, the followings is excluded:
- Nominal discounts for fuel
- Bank-wide discounts for fuel
- Bank deals with specific merchants
- Any ad-hoc promotions, unless they are quantifiable as an annual bonus related to a minimum spend in the first year.
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3.How Accurate are the Total Air Miles or Cashback Calculations?
At GoBear we put in our best to ensure our calculations are accurate. Firstly, we constantly update our calculation engine and data collected from the credit card issuers. Secondly, your input on your monthly spending breakdown will further improve our calculation. Having said that, there are certain personal spending patterns, specific merchant deals or rewards that we do not include in our comparison because our goal is to give you an apple-to-apple comparison.
GoBear’s advice to you is to treat the total annual cashback and total air miles earned, as one of the considerations during your comparison process. Click on "More Details" to learn more about the limitations and benefits of each individual card.
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4.There Are Other Comparison Sites, Why Should I Use GoBear to Compare Credit Cards?
We are transparent, unbiased, personalised and we have you covered.
GoBear credit card comparison results are based entirely on your personal spending pattern, based on your data input. There's no advertising, pre-ranking and highlights of the card listing. We don't tell you which card to pick, it's your choice.
We currently cover largest range of credit cards, view our sitemap to access the full list of the cards available. -
5.What should I look out for when comparing between rewards, cashback or miles cards?
Firstly, you must understand what each card offers:
Rewards Cards: Reward cards earn you rewards that are specific to your card issuer (e.g. CitiDollars). These rewards are collected when you spend money on credit cards and can be exchanged for either vouchers, cash or air miles.
Cashback Cards:Cashback cards offer you a percentage of your total spending on this card. Depending on what you spend on, you could earn up to 5% cashback on your credit card.
Miles Cards: Miles cards earn you miles that are exchangeable for frequent flyer miles at selected airlines. Most Singaporean banks have deals with Krisflyer miles and Asia Miles.
When comparing these 3 card types, you should keep in mind that rewards cards may not instantly giving you “miles” or “cash” and sometimes a conversion rate applies when redeeming for these rewards. However, this gives you the option to choose your rewards or benefits at a later point of time.
Pure miles and cashback cards do not offer this flexibility but often offer better conversion rates. Cashback cards are loved by those who like instant “cash discount” from a bill. -
6.What are credit card features and benefits?
The main purpose of a credit card is an instant access to money for cardholders who can pay in full or in installments. But there are also different benefits provided for clients that is exclusive for credit card holders, such as: a. Waived membership fees on cards for the first year of use. Through this, banks are encouraging cardholders to use their cards without thinking much about fees. b. Bonuses such as free airmiles and rebates depending on how much a cardholder has spent. c. Rewards points that can be exchanged for free items and perks. d. Balance transfer you can use when you want or need to transfer your credit card debts from one card you own to another card with a lower interest rate. e. Zero-interest charges on some purchases. You usually see this offer in appliance, furniture, and gadget stores. f. cash advance is the ability to advance up to a certain cash. g. virtual credit card a card much like a credit card but it has a different 16-digit number allowing you to shop safely to different online shops h. Free travel insurance for certain cards, especially the upscale offers. -
7.What are the requirements to apply for a card?
When you apply for credit cards, your bank looks into your age, salary, employment details, and contact information. You must be: - 21 years old and above - 18 years old for supplementary cards - PHP 120,000 annual income (basic credit) - one or two years of employment -
8.What are the fees and charges of credit cards?
The most common charge is the interest charge which is the percentage of the amount of debt you have by the end of the billing period. Membership fee is an annual payment for card ownership. (Although the fee is waived for the first year) -
9.What banks issue credit cards in the Philippines?
If you find these answers helpful? Check out our FAQs for other products to learn more.