Unionbank EON Debit Card

I'm surprised that some Filipino netizens are still unaware of this very invaluable piece of plastic especially for those who want to purchase products online but doesn't have credit cards. I just had my EON card renewed 3rd quarter of last year and will probably still keep it for years to come since I only have a Mastercard via my credit card and this one has the Visa Electron logo.

Currently there is only one way to apply and that is to go directly to the bank. Before 2009, you can apply online but they have since disabled that. So better put on your smiling face and prepare to talk to a grouchy personnel. Bring photocopies of two valid I.D.'s such as:

1. Passport.

2. Driver's license.

3. PRC I.D.

4. TIN card.

5. Voter's I.D.

6. SSS I.D.

7. Postal I.D.

8. Current Company I.D.

9. Current Student I.D.

You only need to pay for the card and there is no maintaining balance. However, it has a yearly 350-peso fee much like a credit card, albeit much much lower than the usual 1500-peso a year fee for classic credit cards. Also, if you withdraw funds through the counter, there will be a 100-peso fee and in your third Unionbank ATM withdrawal, there will be a 10-peso fee, and a straight up 10-peso fee per transaction on non-Unionbank ATM withdrawals. So, they're basically saying this card is designed as a prepaid credit card and encourage you to use it as such. Don't worry though because it's accepted in all establishments that bear the VISA logo.

Prepare at least 700 pesos, 350 for the card fee and the rest for your deposit so your card already has funds when you pick it up it in a couple of weeks. This is important because when verifying your card in your paypal account and registering it as your primary card for your google wallet account, these two services will need to withdraw a certain amount each from your account to verify your cards. About $2 or 100 pesos is the magic number so make sure you have that amount in your card when you verify. But don't worry, they will refund the amount and this will be back in your account in no time or in my experience in about a couple of days.

But before verifying this card in your paypal account, it is best to enroll it in Unionbank's online banking facility first. This will only take at least two days to activate and there is no need to go to the bank to fill up some forms unlike in other banks. I'm looking at you Metrobank and BDO. This way you could verify your Paypal account quickly because you could see your transactions online where you will find the four-digit EXPUSE or Expanded Use number that you will use to verify your card in your paypal account. You could also call the customer service to ask for the EXPUSE number if that's your thing, but I like to do things privately. One word of advise, make sure your billing address in your EON account is exactly the same with your billing address in your paypal account.

Also, having an online account, you could easily track your funds and your transactions so you don't need to check your balance in the ATM, which unfortunately also has a fee and quite inconvenient if you ask me. How much though, I'm not sure because never once did I check my balance through the ATM machine, but I'm sure there is because I always read the fine print.

Registering your EON account as your primary card in google wallet is fairly easy. Just register it like a regular credit card and it's all done. No more verification numbers to think about.

After verifying with paypal using the four-digit EXPUSE found in your transaction detail, you can now register and use your account in any online shopping sites that accepts this as a form of payment (i.e. ebay) and shop till you drop, of course I mean as long as you have funds in your EON account. And with your google wallet/checkout account, you can now purchase apps in the google play market for your android device.

Some disadvantages though are you cannot book hotels online, you cannot pay airline tickets, and you need to go to the bank and deposit funds before you could purchase things online, but at least you can.

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So let's summarize.

1. Go to your nearest Unionbank to apply for an account.

2. Pay 350 pesos for the card together with a deposit (For convenience of course. You can always deposit more funds when you pick up the card).

3. Wait two weeks to pick up the card.

4. Enroll your EON card to the online banking facility and wait for it to be activated.

5. Verify your card in your paypal account.

6. Check your transaction details and look for the description with PP or Paypal in it with four numbers and enter those four digits as your paypal verification code.

7. Register it to your Google wallet just like a regular credit card (No verification number needed).

8. Enjoy your online shopping freedom.

Homer

Today, I was reminded by a website that I used to visit, dogster.com, that it's my dog's birthday. His name was Homer. Yes, he died last month, February 23. He's supposed to be nine years old today. Goodbye my precious Homer. I love you and miss you so much.

Odesk

A few years ago, I was quite fascinated by the idea of working at home because of the perks like the things I mentioned in my previous post and decided to register at Odesk. I was a bit frustrated with the service though because in order to have a great chance of getting a project, you should either be an old timer with a very high review rating or is willing to provide slave labor. So I looked for my opportunity outside of that system and was very fortunate enough to find some work with some steady cash flow.

I decided to search for a job there again today because I think I currently have a lot of free time in my hand and I felt I could be using that time in very productive ways, you know, like earning more money. This time though I think I now have built a particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people with the same particular set of skills. But if I get a job at Odesk, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for more. I will not pursue more work. But if I don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you. Wait, that didn't sound right. Oh well. Fingers crossed.

Why I Love Working Online

1. Because I can wake up as early as 4:00 a.m. and have more free time in the afternoon or as late as 12:00 pm and have more free time in the morning to start my work.

2. Because I wake up, get up, relieve myself, brush my teeth, and wash my face then I'm ready to go. I could take my baths in the afternoon or earlier if I plan on working outside like in a cafe or something.

3. Because if I suddenly feel the urge to play with my dogs or my nephew or spend time with my partner, I just pause what I'm doing and go on ahead.

4. Because I don't have to pay for travel expenses or extra food.

5. Because if I want to go out of town and spend my money saved from travel expenses I'd just bring my trusty portable computer and my mobile internet with me and off I go.

6. Because if I want a longer weekend relaxation, I'd just work additional hours for the first few days of the week.

In short, because I could do what I want.

Samsung Galaxy Note

What can I say? I just love everything about my Galaxy Note. I know the quad-core smartphones are just right around (HTC One X) the corner but the Galaxy Note is still an incredible device. What I really love about it is, of course, the HD 5.3-inch screen. It's just gorgeous.

I've owned the device since December but I just can't put it down. I find myself sometimes reaching for it and just looking at the screen, swiping around, doing just nothing. I just want to see the colorful, bright, and gorgeous screen.

And boy oh boy, I can't wait for ICS. Not like there's something wrong about it now, it's just that if this thing is fast now, what more with ICS.

I've seen some posts about screen issues though, which I honestly think is just nitpicking. It's not like I'm using my phone as an HDTV replacement. A few years ago I was playing snake on a pixelated black and white Nokia screen so yeah, I'm pretty grateful with the technology now even if it's not perfect.

And the S-pen is really handy. I find myself jotting down notes like peoples' phone numbers, grocery lists, things to do, and using it in a little game called Draw Something. I read some people complaining about it having a stylus but it's not like the device would be rendered useless without it. It's just a bonus feature, which I think is really useful. You either take it or leave it but the good thing is it's still there.

Oh well, this is not a review. It's just an appreciation so there.

Paying Credit Card Bills Online Through Metrobank Direct

I just had my first statement of account for my Metrobank Classic credit card and had already set up an online account since I also have a savings account in Metrobank. But when I was ready to pay up I was stopped on my tracks by a little thing called the reference number with an asterisk. One thing I know about an asterisk next to an input box in the internet is that it means you are required to put something in it. I did see reference numbers beside each of my credit card transactions in my statement of account but I had to make sure. So I searched and I searched and didn't find any answer for my query. I e-mailed customers service but I had to wait a couple of days since it was Friday night and so I also posted this question in a forum about Metrobank credit cards just to make sure and immediately got my answer, that you don't need to indicate any reference numbers. Indicating what bill you want to pay for with the account number is enough and you could put whatever amount you want to be billed. Well, I'm just posting this so if anybody out there run into the same dilemma here's your answer. Oh, and a couple of days later Metro's customer service said the same thing so there, you can go ahead and pay your bills without indicating the reference number in the Pay Bills section.