HOW TO SAVE (part 2)

1UTANG and GASTOS

-          Pay off debt

Credit cards, Loans and Utang sa kaibigan... Piso man yan or thousands, you have to prioritize getting it off your Credit list. Anong silbi ng  kumikita ka pero di nababawasan ang utang mo?

I borrow money from my friends sometimes.. but I make sure to pay them ASAP. Joke ng iba, di sila bangko o lending institution. You have to understand that like you, they have other expenses as well.

Offering installment may help you pay off your debt. Although some won’t accept installment payments (their reasoning is because they could spend it easily), you can still save a percentage of your debt in your “Saving wallet” until you could pay your debt in full.

-          Wag bilangin ang manok na di pa napipisa

My Uncle always tell us not to Buy stuffs if you don’t have money yet.

Sample:

You have Php 50 in your wallet

Your company will pay you Php 50 tomorrow for your salary

You saw a discounted Php100 shirt (original price is Php300) in the store and promo is valid only for today.

Would you buy the shirt?

Don’t. Never spend the money you still don’t have. Stay Calm, Keep your money and tell yourself “sige, next time nalang pag kumpleto na yung pera ko”. There would always be promotions like that in the future. This is the reason daw why some of the seafarers that he’s been with end up having more debt that savings.

-          Stop with the “trending”

“Ay! Uso ang nude sneakers! I have to buy one”

“Sosyal pag may Rayban or Gucci bag, bibili din ako”

“I’m addicted to makeup.. I have to buy this new matte lipstick”

I am not a fan of trendy stuffs. So hindi ko masyadong issue to. But I just can’t understand why people love buying new stuffs that are waaaay beyond their budget… Tapos magrereklamo sila na short na sila. Like, it’s okay to buy a new bag or glasses on your payday. But ask yourself first:

“Do I need it? or want it? or I’m just saying that I need it because I want it?” Di mo maloloko sarili mo because you know the truth.

This is all about being honest with yourself and deciding not only for the moment but for your future. Buying the item would give you joy.. but think about what happens after few months pag patong-patong na yung utang mo.

-          Once in a lifetime moments

Maybe the best excuse that I get is “Minsan lang to, sayang ang experience”.

Walang masama sa gala, outings or travel, as long as you know na di ka mababaon sa utang. My aunt once told me that she doesn’t regret spending a lot for the vacation as long as it makes her and everyone around her happy. I agree with her at that point. 

Wala naman kasing masama because knowing her, she is very industrious, she has a permanent high earning job and a lot of part-times. It may be contradicting with my point on “Wag bilangin ang manok na di pa napipisa” but I think it is okay if you would negate it with your personality… kung hahayaan mo bang kulangin ka ng pera or you will look for more sources of income to make for financial status stable. Again, depende naman kasi sa pagiging responsible ng tao yun.

-          Ang langgam at ang tipaklong

We all know this famous fable about the ant who saved up food for the rainy season and the grasshopper who just played around. We should remember to be the simple little ant and save as much as we can until the right time comes. We should be wise enough to make decisions like this.

When I went to U.S. last summer, I don’t have any savings. Pumunta ako on a vacation and left the money I saved at home. My mom, my aunt and uncle gave me some money as a gift but it was not even 20% of what my cousins have… (lol I don’t even think it is even 10%). It was ‘kinda sad and nakakapanglumo at some point. But my subconscious keep telling me “Relax, you made a good decision. At least pag-uwi mo ng Pinas, di butas ang bulsa mo”.“hayaan mo na.. bata pa kasi sila. They still don’t know the value of money and how hard it is to earn for yourself”

It's okay na magtiis, to limit yourself at some point... rather than wasting everything now and have nothing next week.

-          Be responsible before it’s too late

They say, experiences are the best teacher. My question, Aantayin mo pa bang you are #BrokeAF before mo ayusin ang finances mo?

Mas mahirap lumangoy sa 6ft deep na part ng ocean kaysa sa 2ft deep part near the shore. Why would you even wanna go deep into the sea of financial debt and credits if you have the chance to get off the water in the first place?

HOW TO SAVE (part 1)

First, You need something to put your savings into. For me, I have bank accounts (yes.. plural), Coinboxes and wallets.

-          WALLET:

o   First is my Personal wallet – I place here my food allowance for the day and extra money for personal stuffs I wanna buy, groceries, etc.

o   Coin purse – I place here extra coins and my transport fare allowance for the day.

o   Saving wallet – this wallet is where I keep the money that I have to deposit in my bank accounts (Savings or Investments) & where I put the money for paying bills (Philhealth, Pag-ibig, Insurance, Debt, etc.).

Every time I get my allowance/money for the week (Usually Sundays, I start to organize my budget by separating the amount needed for each bill, saving account, daily allowance and place it in their respective wallets. I use post-its to keep the money organized)

-          COIN BOXES:

o   I have this square container (Tupperware) where I keep all the coins at the end of every day. I make sure to empty my coin purse at night and get the amount I need for my daily fare (plus some extra coins) in the morning before leaving.

As much as possible, spend first the one peso coins and keep the Php5 or Php10 coins in the coin box. Sometimes, I can save up to Php100 worth of coins at the end of the week and use it to reward myself for budgeting wisely. Or if not, I use it to pay any liabilities I have.

-          SAVINGS ACCOUNTS:

My friend laughed at me after knowing I had 4 accounts in 4 different banks. Some even only have the “minimum amount” requirement kasi I admit, I love shopping online, I love staying at coffee shops and gala. But now I’m telling you that having these accounts are effective for me because slowly, I’m able to save.

o   Deposit Account – First I have is a BPI Easy savers account. It was my first bank account with no minimum balance. Most of you think it is a good idea because it is easy to maintain (that was I thought when I opened up the account), but in the long run, I realized it was not. Every time I inquire my balance, I get charged Php5 and Php10 for withdrawals. The interest rate is not even high enough to balance the amount I am charged of. In short, hindi talaga ako nakakapagsave.

After 4 years (nang mamulat ako sa realidad na wala akong pera to get me started after college), I decided to open an account (Syempre with BPI padin) I chose BPI Family Savings Bank’s Regular Savings Account (1k minimum) 0.50% interest rate and no charges for withdrawals.

Why BPI?

§  Because I can deposit real-time thru their machines, mas madali kong naipapasok ang ipon ko for the week

§  Depositing money over the counter is free. Plus their BEA machines is convenient (you just have to input in the computer what you want to do (e.g. deposit, pay for bills), the account number, amount and it will give you a queue number.

This ATM Account is the primary account I use, I save money in here and withdraw it anytime I need it. Di ako nakakaipon dito to be honest kasi there are lots of expenses and madalas short ako. This serves as my reminder na “Stop buying stuffs you WANT kasi minimum balance na ang account mo!”. At leaset, I get to limit myself pati hindi ko naiisip umutang kasi I know wala akong maipangbabayad.

About my Easy savers account, it is still active today. (5pesos lang yung laman to be honest) I kept it kasi dun dinedeposit yung freelance earnings ko. I seldom use it though.

o   Investment Account – My investment account is BDO ATM Debit Savings (2k minimum). This account is primarily for the purpose of Investing money and actually saving up. I’ve been studying UITFs for months now by reading about them and BDO is one of the leading bank to get started with investing because of their good performance.

Why BDO?

§  Easy Investment Plan – This program lets you invest in their UITFs with starting amount of 1 thousand pesos per month. I subscribed in this program and chose their UITF Balanced Fund to try out investing money. I chose the minimum amount to save kasi wala naman akong source of income but my allowance. So every month, I am push myself to save one thousand and BDO automatically debits it in my account and invest it. I can track my Investments Online thru their online banking facility.

§  Depositing in BDO is free for your home branch area (there are 4 branches in our city and 3 of it is near our home) I always choose the branch with the least number of clients so I get to deposit fast.

§  BDO is open until 6pm (I can still go their straight from school to deposit) and they are open even in SATURDAYS!

§  Their UITFs (from Money Market to Equity) are among the best performing UITFs in the country.

o   Emergency Savings Account – Here I have the money that I intend to save in the long run. It is a passbook savings account because seeing the savings I have in the passbook motivates me to save more. Bawal iwithdraw unless super duper emergency. I have the Security Build-up savings account (5k minimum)

Why Security Bank?

§  Some branches are open until 5pm (I can still go their straight from school to deposit) and they are open even in SATURDAYS!

§  Easy to open an account ONLINE through their website. They even offered to visit me in my HOME to deliver my card and passbook. But I declined and told them that I will just visit their branch. The transaction was very fast, my Debit Mastercard was released immediately (around 20 minutes or less compared when I opened up an account in BDO that took an hour…Plus my BDO card was only released after 2 weeks after account opening)

§  They have variety of savings accounts offered. I first wanted the “Money Builder” where you could get bonus interests (up to 1%, comparing that to regular banks with 0.10-0.25% p.a.). These accounts are designed for you to limit your withdrawals which is helpful para makapag-save ka talaga.

§  UITFs!!! Their Equity Fund Investments are among the best performing in the country lately. 3 out of 4 of their Aggressive Funds ranked in the top 10 according to uitf.ph site. Plus looking at their performance, marketing strategies, I could see that this bank would really perform great in the next few years.

§  Few customers. A friend told me that it is better to get a bank with few customers because you will be their priority. I agree because it only takes minutes for me to deposit in their branch compared to lining up in BPI’s over the counter. Plus I get to talk more to the bank tellers and ask for financial advices and inquire more about their products.

Having more than one account is effective for me because through this, I can save money. I am also learning and training myself to be responsible in my finances, yet balance the savings and enjoyment.

D-I-Y Gayuma

Gayuma

- a love charm, potion.- According to Filipino folk belief, gayuma is a love potion that is used to attract a mate. The potion's magical property is said to work best when taken by the potential partner, often mixed in a drink. As with any other mystical folk item, the effectiveness of a gayuma only works if the caster believes in its power. -from WikipilipinasI created a new site dedicated to share some of my gift ideas for your loved ones to give during special occassions like birthdays, Valentine's day and Christmas seasons.This blog would include tutorials, D-I-Y guides for customized gifts and Inspiration for future projects to give your boyfriends, girlfriends, sweethearts, best friends, parents and your loved ones on every special occassion. (no need of making them drink actual love potions to keep them in love with you) *winks*The aim of this page is to share some knowledge and help everyone think of the perfect gift for their loved ones to keep their relationship healthy and last longer

Hence the name D-I-Y Gayuma.I'm really excited to share all of my ideas!
Click the DIY Gayuma tab above or Click here to view my homepage. Click here for a shortcut to the gift idea galleries

Be inspired on Facebook

Here are five FB pages that you should Like (and Follow!)

Goalcast

I follow the page for motivational words and videos from iconic persons. Influential speeches and words of wisdom that will truly strike your heart and instantly change your mindset.

Soul Sparks Inspire

For some motivational words and cute printables that you could design on your room for little reminders in life.

Project Happiness

Positivity along the way. The page share pretty posts about positivity and little insperation to start your day happy and lively.

Oh Inspiring Stuff

Sparks of Hope

I follow these pages on facebook and i makes a lot of difference! Whenever I feel down, these posts just randomly pop up on my newsfeed and I could do nothing but feel inspired as well. I highly suggest following them as well. :)

How to meditate? (C2's POV)

So I will just share some tips based on what I do when I meditate. Usually after meditation, I listen to Christian songs or write down my thoughts in my journal. It just depends on how you want to relax. I do that for a healthier mind, body and spiritual health.

First I start with having a refreshing bath, wear my comfortable clothes, clearing my bed and turning on the air conditioner to have a relaxing temperature and environment

I log off my facebook and other social media accounts for a while so I could focus more on myself and my meditation (Seriosly, the sound of the facebook chat will just ruin your concentration).

I look for meditation videos on Youtube. These videos are usually accompanied by voices instructing you on what to do (best for first times).. You just simply follow what it says. Sometimes, I find it difficult to close my eyes. Imagination plus being scared of ghosts are not good combination specially if you are alone in the room. So what I do is keep my eyes awake fut focus on one point or object and continue to listen. Once you get the hang of the meditation, you could just simply listen to relaxing music (Spotify is the best) and meditate.

I also take that moment to reflect on life. I ask myself questions, sometimes I cry just to let go of all the negative feelings that I have inside. "Let it go" kumbaga. And afterwards, I would feel better again, stronger and more motivated than before.

WHAT?

Here are the questions I usually ask myself first.

• "How have you been since last week?"
• "What do you feel right now? Are you happy? sad? Feeling lost?"

these questions are about being mindful of the stuffs that stresses you out. Enumerate the things that stresses you and do not be shy to cry them out. It is about admitting to yourself what was wrong and never denying them. In science, it is all about "Identifying the problem".

WHY?

The Second focuses on the Root of the problem.

No matter how sad you are, you have to dig in into the main cause of your stress. As if when dignosing, you have to understand the cause of the pain.

• "What have you done wrong that it lead to that?"
• "Why did it happen?"
• "What caused that problem?"

Is it something you had done? Is it because of someone? Is it because of an event in your life? It s okay to put the blame on someone at first.. but try to be honest to yourself and admit what you have done wrong so you will know excatly how to prevent it or what to do to solve it.

HOW?

How to solve the issue. We try to ask and seek advice from our friends. That I helpful, I know. But It is best to think about it first. Pretend that someone is bearing exactly the same problem and would ask you for an advice. What will you say? It may be hard at first but I believe that you know exactly what to do. You may just be not sure or scared enough to do it. It depends on you if you wanna push yourself. Just keep in mind that I have to do at least something to solve your problem. Kahit paunti-unti.

Never let it pile up. there are lots of motivatonal sayings to accompany that one.. But in my point of you, If you still can't, just do what you can kahit paunti-unti.

This is the time I start writing what I should do on my journal. It may not work for some kasi the tasks would look very long. So it depends on you. It just serves as my guide. You would be powered up by this time. Very motivated to start on the task and ready to finish up all the work. But I do not recommend starting yet. This is your time to be stress-free and to take a rest. Seryoso. DO NOT START WORKING YET. Your mind and body needs time to relax after the emotional outburst. 

What I do after that is to write down on my journal. You could write down anything. What you have learned, how the meditation made you feel, How motivated you are, How positive you are. Accompany that with a happy music (Swear, Spotify is really helpful because you could just pick songs depending on your mood). Sometimes I would fall directly to sleep feeling blissful.

Tho sometimes the motivated feeling just wouldn't go. Kaya minsan di padin ako mkatulog. You could prepare what you need to start your work tomorrow so you would have the feeling of achieving something that would help you fall to sleep at ease.

These are the stuffs that I do whenever I meditate and reflect. I hope these tips could help and motivate you to practice this stress-reliever. 

Lovelots, C2

Healthy mind (plus Buddhism's virtues on health and life)

Disclaimer: I haven't talked to the religious affiliation and  these stuffs I will be discussing are just based on my own views and opinions. I learned about the stuffs from the internet and thought these would help motivating people to have healthier life.

Wanting to learn more about other culture's point of view towards a healthy life, I tried researching for the eightfold path.

The Picture above is the Buddhism's Eightfold path. It is the basis for Buddhist practice. Here I found a picture which summarized all:

Embracing other culture's views as long as it helps you get a better life is good. I am raised as a Roman Catholic but I am open towards other's beliefs like what Adventists believes in.. especially when it comes to health. For I believe they all just have one goal, to have a healthy overall lifestyle.

Right effort talks about positivity. Giving that effort to remove the bad thoughts your have in life. Have you encountered the saying "Positivity attitude attracts positive things?" lol. gawa gawa ko lang yung words na yun pero I know once in your life you have encounterd something similar with that. Law of attraction yata yun? Anyways, The lesson there is sticking to the concept and having only the right mental attitude. Keep the negative thoughts and emotions away and embracing positivity.

Right Mindfulness and Meditation I am having hard time defining the best explanation for the two but I believe they interrelate with each other..

Months ago, I have read the importance of meditation, personally,  At least once a week (either friday or saturday night), I engage myself to a mind-power up which includes meditation. I try to look for videos on youtube (you just simply search for "meditation" videos) and listen to it. There are lots of variety, but majority are to prevent anxiety and stress. It works for me that is why I encourage my friends to spend at least once a week to that kind of activity. It eases anxiety, helps you become stress-free. It keeps me relaxed, calm, positive and happy. And have the feeling of refreshed and motivated as well.

Click here on my post about how I meditate.

PayMaya app review 2017

For months, I kept looking for a prepaid card that I can use for Paypal and other online transactions.Obtaining a credit card is not one of my choices 'cuz I don't have my own source of income yet (still a dependent student here!).
So I tried Globe's Gcash Mastercard Beep card before but was very disappointed by their service.
I was actually eyeing for either BPI's Prepaid card or the BPI-Ayala Amore Card (The Amore card looks really cute kasi). But BPI's fees are too much considering my budget for account maintenance and such.

I badly want an item online but it was only available from suppliers from outside of the country. I've searched Ebay, Amazon and other sites but AliExpress gave me the most "sulit" deal so I decided to try it. But one major problem blocking me was the Payment options.

Usually, we use my mom's credit card when paying for online transactions like when buying tickets from Cebu Pacific Air during their Pisofare promos. And knowing my mom, she doesn't trust other online stores because of the fear of being charged/billed more than the correct amount needed (scared actually to get scammed by fake online stores). So even without telling her the idea of ordering from AliExpress, I could already smell rejection from her :(.

But this Item is what I've been looking for for months now and they aren't available in the wonderful pasilios of divisoria. So I tried researching for something I could use for that PayPal credit card payment part. And I discovered the PayMaya App.

I've heard about PayMaya before and their Beep card. A friend of mine got his after applying from a kiosk in LRT2 last August but I dismissed the fact of applying as well since PayMaya isn't really famous that time.

PayMaya: The safe and easy way to pay online

PayMaya is an app that lets you pay online so you can buy the things you'd love to have, without a credit card. The app could be downloaded in Google Play and from the Apple store. Upon signing up, It gives you a virtual credit card which you could use instantly.

To sign up, you just need your PHONE NUMBER (they will use his to contact and update you for every transaction you do when using PayMaya and its services) The number could be from ANY network providers (Globe,Smart,Tm,etc.) as long as it is active. (Not to worry 'cuz PayMaya DOESN'T charge anything for every sms they sent to you).

Why having a PayMaya is a major "YES-YES" today?

1. ONLINE SHOPPING!!!

With the app, you could buy stuffs online by giving you your own visa prepaid card that you could load up and fund easily. You just have to input your card details and you're good to go. (just make sure that your account is funded.) 

you could:

• Shop at Zalora, Amazon (and anywhere--thanks to the credit card *winks* )
• Book flights at PAL and other booking sites (CEB, AirAsia, etc.) by using your visa (credit-card-like) card to pay
• Book accomodations in AirBnB and other booking sites.
• Buy tickets from TicketNet, TicketWorld or SM Tickets
• Buy credits from GooglePlay, Apple store and Playstation network. (Finally! I could buy lots of awesome apps <3)
• Purchase Steam credits (don't really know how that one works. haha!)
• Get Discounts on Deal sites like Ensogo, MetroDeal or DealGrocer (much of my addiction.. really. 'cuz I could get discounts especially on entrance tickets of some attractions here in the country)
• Get Discounts in restaurants, concert ticketsa and events - thanks to VISA
• Get Spotify premium! and enjoy the music-all-you-want wherever you go even without data
• Easily order Food from FoodPanda 
• Subscribe to Netflix! (and watch movies, documentaries, series and more)
• and finally, Link it to PayPal! (my main reason actually for using PayMaya) 
• To link your Paypal, you just have to simply sign up/register for a PayPal account.
• Make sure to load at least 1 dollar in your paymaya account (In my case, I loaded up Php100 )
• In the Paymaya account page/dashboard, Click Add a credit card, You have to provide your Virtual Card Number (Visa), Expiry date of the card and the CVV2 (the three digit code)
• Once approved, you will receive a SMS notification in your phone deducting 1 dollar (Php50.88-based on current rate) on your account. This will also be given back to you after few minutes (Mine took only 2 minutes)
• These transaction will also be reflected in your mobile app. You may now use your Visa for Paymaya :)

2. LOADING UP IS SUPER EAAASY!!! (and fast!)

You could load up in 7-eleven connect kiosk which I find super duper hassle-free. (No queue numbers and long lines). Aside from that, you could cash-in from other stores:

• Robinsons Department stores
• SM business center
• SMART money
• SMART padala Centers
• BDO
• 7-eleven stores with Cliqq Kiosks
• (soon) MiniStop
• (soon) FamilyMart

Click here for instructions how to load up your account. 

note: Some loading methods requires you to pay service fee up to worth 15 pesos. but when I tried loading up Php400 at 7-eleven.. there is no service fee! (Yey!) 

3. LOTS (and lots and lots) OF PROMOS AND FREEBIES

Click here to see the list of PayMaya's current promos. Never miss out 'cuz there are lots of freebies like Loads, products and huge discounts specially for  PayMaya app users.

4. BUY LOAD (AT DISCOUNTED RATES!!)

You heard it right.. with discounts! You could use their app and buy eLoad & Call and text promos at cheaper rates. Php 18.40 for a regular 20 pesos load and as save as much as Php80 pesos when loading up worth 1,000 pesos!! come on! that's a huge discount considering most of the retail loading stations are adding up one to three pesos for every load transaction you have.    Update: You can now buy load for both Globe and SMART

5. SEND MONEY TO ANYONE (but you need to upgrade your account to have this)

hmmm.. maybe try this next time. I will just update you guys if i have tried it.

Update: Since I have upgraded my account last 2016, I had the advantage to try sending money. It works pretty Easy! I tried sending Php 14 to another account and it was successful (Plus you could send simple message together with the money you are giving.

6. PAY BILLS 

Yey! Paying Bills online would make my life waaaaay easier!!!

Update: As of January 2017, Paying Bills is now accessible thru Paymaya (Even if your account is not upgraded)

In the "Pay Bills" tab of your mobile app, wou will be required to fill in details such as:

1. Biller
2. Acount Number
3. Exact Amount

You could pay bills to the following companies:

• ABS-CBN Mobile
• AEON
• Bayantel
• Cignal Mediascape
• Destiny Cable
• Finas Wide
• Fortune Medicare
• Globe Telecom
• Home Credit
• Innove Communications
• Laguna Water
• MERALCO
• Manila Memorial Park
• Manila Water
• Manulife
• Manulife China Bank
• Manuplans
• Maxicare
• Maynilad Water
• PLDT
• PLDT Ultera (Smart MyBro)
• Paramount Insurance
• PhilamLife
• Sky Affiliates
• Sky Cable
• Smart Communications (Bro)
• Smart Communications (PostPaid)
• Sun Cellular (Digitel)
• Sun Life Canada
• Sun Life Plans

MY EXPERIENCE:

After downloading the app from the apple store (was using my iPad that time and downloaded it in my android phone after realizing that this app would be so useful), I signed up. Received the verification code via sms after few minutes and entered it in the app. Activated the virtual visa card and received another sms confirming that my visa card is now activated.

I went to the nearest 7-eleven store to load up my account. here are the steps on how to cash-in:

1. Visit the 7-eleven store and proceed to the Cliqq Kiosk.
2. Select e-money
3. Then choose PayMaya
4. enter the phone number you wish to load up and the mobile number you used to register on PayMaya (the good thing is, you could load up for someone else's PayMaya account) make sure to double check the number!!
5. Enter how much you want to cash-in
6. The kiosk will issue a receipt and pay it in the Cashier. 
7. Once completed, PayMaya will send you an SMS confirming the transaction and updating you how much credits you still have in your account. 

I signed up for PayPal also, paid my orders from AliExpress and paid using my Paypal.

Every time I made payments, PayMaya sends me an SMS and is reflected also on the app.

  

left: (using other camera) shot of the PayMaya app on android after loading up at 7-eleven

right: screenshot of the PayMaya app on iOS showing complete history of my transactions.

comparing the Android and apple PayMaya apps:

Android PayMaya app requires you to enter your password everytime you open the app and wouldn't let you screenshot the app.  (Security features) 

Apple PayMaya app also requires you to enter your password too (or you could just simply use your UserID fingerprint to sign in). Also, you could screenshot the app. 

note: if you are using an iPad, make sure to change the settings from "iPad only apps" to "iPhone only apps".

ISSUES:

I have been using my Paymaya for my online transactions (buying from AliExpress) and as a payment methods for my online shop. It was working pretty well buy I had one issue wherein one of my Clients loaded up Php900+ pesos. It was reflected on my account but to my dismay, 7-eleven deducted the same amount. In other words, they took back the money! I tried contacting Paymaya(thru landline and FB messenger) The FB service wasn't really good but the hotline works well. The customer service instructed me what to do and confirmed that the transaction wasn't successful-so they told me I have to go back to the 7-eleven branch. It was a hassle considering that my client had to go back again. In the end, I let the issue go (leaving a loss of almost a thousand :( And did not consider Paymaya as a mode of Payment for my online shop again.

Another issue is that I LOST MY PHONE!! and the FB customer service isn't really helpful. but I tried looking into their FAQs and discovered I could still access my account (provided that I know the number and password). I forgot my password as well so I had to recover it with their "Forget password" feature.

What happens to my account if my phone is stolen/lost?

If you linked a post-paid mobile number to your PayMaya:

• Report it to your mobile network
• Once you recover your mobile number
• Install your new SIM into a new device
• Download the PayMaya app and log back into your account.

If you linked a prepaid mobile number to your PayMaya:

• Use a different smartphone (Android, iOS) to log in to your account
• Change your password
• Use up your balance if you have any
• If your account is upgraded and you have the physical card, withdraw any remaining balance or send it to another PayMaya account
• Create a new PayMaya account using a new mobile number

What I did:

I made a new account (with my new number), retrieved my password in my old account and since I my old account is upgraded, I was able to send the remaining balance to my new account. I tried linking my old physical card to my new account but it doesn't work. I could contact Paymaya again but for now, 

I ain't considering updating my new account anymore. My plan is just to use my new account (virtual visa) for my online transactions (buying items online) and consume all remaining balance by buying Load.

............

CONCLUSION:

Weighing my experience, Paymaya has both pros and cons. But I still like how they try to improve their services. In my year of using the app, I have seen improvements in their customer service and types of product offerings.

PayMaya is still useful for simple transactions like loading, online shopping where visa is accepted, paying small bills because of the easy access & convenience. But I really don't advice using Paymaya for transactions worth around a thousand pesos and above.

For more details, visit their site , follow them on facebook and read the frequently asked questions here as a guide. 

The PayMaya services offers great solution for our everyday needs (and WANTS!! I mean it. those little obsessions of ordering cute and wonderful and amazing stuffs online). and the best part is.. 

IT IS FREE!!! no registration fees, monthly subscription fees,etc. and by looking at it, PayMaya is expanding more of its services to make our lives easier. More power PayMaya! :D 

...........