Problems Arising In The Philippines That Can Only Be Solved in The USA! 

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If you’re a veteran then open a Navy Federal Credit Union account. I have USAA and NFCU accounts and use capital one credit cards here in the Philippines and I still have my T-Mobile number and use it here in the Philippines. USAA and NFCU will send your mail to your Philippines address so if you need a replacement card you can get it that way. I’ve been here for two years with zero issues.

I lived in SE Asia from 21-23. I used T-mobile with a vpn(Surfshark) and home internet. Used a local sim when I was away from the apt or condo. My Schwab account always worked. USAA credit card never worked. BofA credit always worked but charged fees for using it. I used anytime mail but the address was a problem sometimes because of the PMB number at the end. The best address to have is one that imitates a residential address. A lot of expats use South Dakota as a residence. No taxes. Mail services that cater to expats. Drivers license and residence in one day. I moved to Florida for three months before I left to get these things completed.

Here are some tips Gio. I have had a t-mobile number for years. When I go overseas. "Philippines" I go form monthly rate to $3.00 a month for texts only. just call customer servicebefore your return to Philippines. Works great. Of course I am married to a Filipina. You can write out checks to your wifes bank. We usually write $9,900.00 into a Philippine bank USD account. keep below $10,000.00 so the feds don't get excited.There is a $5.00 fee. After it clears you can withdrawal, I usually withdrawal $5,000.00 from USD account. Your wife is the key for so many savings. I have not used ATM for years. Good luck. Just wanted to send you some ideas. Dan

I have a VPN, I renewed my drivers license prior to coming to the philippines, also renewed my credit and debit cards, I have a T Mobile account but didn't get the international account but as long as I am on a wifi network I still receive all my text messages and turned on wifi calling in case I have to make or receive a phone call, so there are walk arounds to the international phone plan as long as you have an available wifi network Gio.

FYI: The USPS will email you photos of the mail you’re about to receive. I scan my email on the regular and have the fortune of having my daughter living in my house in MD. I know this does not help everyone but maybe some of you in a similar situation. I also use dual esims on my phone with my US number I’ve had since the yr. 2000 and added a Globe local number and that seems to be working pretty well. I’m in Cebu metro area.

Good video Gio...I'm from the US, and I'm fully retired from my job. I'm planning to visit the Philippines next month for the long-term

Used Mint Mobile ($15/mo) for my recent 2 mo recon trip to PH. Perfect/free wifi calling or text to/from USA or anywhere. USA contacts including banks just use your regular phone # to reach you or send texts or VMsg so they don't identify it as international. Uses "e-Sim" so you don't need a dual sim phone. In other words, you use your regular SIM card port for your local PH # and easily switch to the e-SIM (Mint Mobile SIM) for USA calls or to pick up your vmsgs/texts when you are near Wifi. Moving to BGC Manila in Feb and I will keep Mint.

Advice!!! You should have kept your American phone (Verizon,AT&T or T mobile) because the secret code has to send to your phone for verification., and just get an extra cheaper Philippine phone .Also keep an American address, wether it is your parents home address or sibblings home address for your important mail

I have a Charles Schwab account. One of the CS agent told me that if I lived in the PH they would close my account. The only solution they told me is to keep my home address. Basically, that's what I did and kept all of my financially info using my US phone.

You might be able to get a Charles Schwab account but they won't let you keep it living in the Philippines. The account with reinversment benefits is for "travelers". It has a 3 months time limit on it and you need to let them know when you are traveling. As soon as you go over that 3 months or fail to inform them of your travel plans they can shut off your access. They told me this when I opened my account 7 years ago. They also told me that they know people are abusing it by living overseas but they were not enforcing the rules. From what I'm hearing now.... the rules are being enforced and a lot of accounts are being closed.

Hey Gio I was recently in the Philippines. T-Mobile works well. I was able to stay in touch with my family with IG, and WhatsApp. As far as banking Wells Fargo worked perfectly fine. If you come back to America I recommend you to set an appointment with your DMV and book for a Real Id. During Covid19 I had to renew my ID online however when I received it by mail they marked it as a non real ID which could be frustrating explaining it to the PH authorities.

These issues can really be a pain in the ass over here. Lessons I learned over here on my first 3 year visit; I have a T-mobile line/number I retained, I use Facebook messenger or Viber to talk to the states, I have a VPN, have a ATM, and credit card, I have a photo in my phone gallery of me my Texas DL, and passport. This will be the year of the retirement visa as I am currently in Texas, and will get my retired documentation apostlized while I am here. I am determined to win this battle by God!!! lol..

I recommend that you contact your embassy in the country you are in. For Swedish citizens, the Swedish embassy charges SEK 800 in fees, about US dollars 80 for consular services such as having your bank send a new credit card through the Foreign Ministry in your home country so that you can collect that credit card at the embassy in the country you are in.

T-Mobile is the way to go especially if you are over 55 or military affiliated. Best international plan for the price. Definitely have at least 2 credit cards and two debit cards from different companies/Banks.

I have Vonage, it is a VOIP plan but you can have it ring your cell phone at the same time of set call forwarding. You can use it any place that has internet. It should work as long as the bank is willing to call you instead of texting, and many will do that.

I had the same issue. Your solution sounds good. I intend on getting an e-sim compatible phone with a low-cost MintMobile plan and setup a mail-forwarding service when I return to the states.

Schwab has been great. I opened an account before I came to the Philippines and Thailand June 2023 and perfect. MAKE SURE YOU GO ONLINE AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT COUNTRIES YOU WILL BE TRAVELING. Have my phone service through Spectrum (cable and Internet)< I think it is Verizon rebranded my text and calls worked fine. Both countries, minimal fees. Forget Western Union awful and if that is your money transfer service you may get locked for no reason. It is an awful feeling to need money and they cut you off for no reason, and they wont tell you why. Being in Manila with no money is stressful.

Not your mistake, usa is just doing deligence, I'm going through that same thing. One thing in my behalf is my son carries my name a without a suffix of Jr. I've gotten away with some items but Capital one is playing hardball . Even though I know my password and username Capital One still does not recognize it so I have to go through the telephone prompts of Capital One and do everything that entails for me to speak to a customer support individual is lengthy but not every month but I do and I am able to make my monthly payments through the Capital One app. It's funny that a junior/senior family does has its advantages and it can also be disadvantaged if one of the parties are not playing by the rules of credit responcibility.

Thanks Gio - you learn your lesson thanks for the information - and everyone who watches this video will prepare them self not to make mistakes. Good luck with your trip back to USA - Greeting from Sydney Australia 😎👍💪

I setup all my stuff with Schwab and Capital One in the US with my US number while I was there then added my Google Voice as a secondary number. Then I switched Google Voice as my primary number on both and canceled my US mobile account. Everything has been working here in the Philippines so far and I hope I don’t have any problems. I may get a cheap mobile plan next time I’m back in the US as my secondary just in case. If you have an iPhone I recommend getting the Apple credit card. It has a lot of features that make life easier in the Philippines.

Yes I had the same banking problems, an yes was a pain in the a&&😞 block out of bank, I now have both of my Pinches in a bank here in the Philippines direct deposit! It took two Mo's for my S.S. done in the Embassy here, and 10 Mo's for my military 😢 been working fine for the last year now😅 I tryed all the different internet #s 😢, have no intention of going back to the USA . Been here a little over 5yrs now an 70yrs old now, an not too computer savvy so doesn't help much😢

I'm from the UK I have a HSBC bank account and in Cebu where I am retiring to there is a branch in Ayala, also it's in Manila, if I open up a global account I will get a bank card I can use in any HSBC bank, my pension will be paid into my UK branch and I transfer money to my HSBC branch in Philippines as I need it, not only that, I will not be charged any ATM fees if withdrawing my money from an HSBC bank ATM

Gio, I am going through the same thing. I was with AT&T but they don't have a Southeast Asia phone plan. I've used them since October 2023 in the Philippines but they are making noises about charging $10.00 per day for "roaming". I got online with T Mobile and set up the account with no problem. But, T Mobile has to send "their" Sim card to put in my phone as I am keeping my old phone number and phone. The problem is that they won't ship the Sim card out of country. I had them ship to my brothers house which I use as a US home address. Then my brother mailed it to me. I am waiting right now for the Sim card to arrive. I don't have much confidence in it arriving anytime soon. The Philippine mailing system "boggles" the imagination. No addresses ?just a building name ? No Street name ? I don't know how a society can function like that ! And like yourself I am preparing to fly home if necessary. Having to spend 12/1300 dollars to get a new phone number is about to make my head explode !!! Good Luck To You !! Terry

I recently applied for an account with PNC AND used my Google Voice number in the application. It was rejected, but they couldn't tell me why. I applied again with my wireless carrier number and the application was accepted.

I used Schwab debit card in Philippines at many atms and never notified them about my traveling. Been to Europe previous weeks and use to pay everything with it. Again, no issues there. Biggest issue is atm machines running dry in Philippines. No idea how they didn’t figure out they need to load more cash in tourist locations like Moalboal.

I have savings, credit, debit and checking account with USAA. Can I use the debit & credit and handle banking on line as I do here in the states?

I agree with you about the use of credit card for being safe. I have one card with a very low limit only $500. It keep everything safer

Hi Gio, I have retired in the Philippines recently. I kept my T-Mobile number and bought a cheap unlocked phone from Amazon with dual SIM. So, I have a US number and a Philippines number. Through Remitly, I send funds to my PayMaya account without fees and have been using it for purchases at restaurants, supermarkets and other facilities. When I need cash, that is when the fees will apply. One day soon I'll open a bank account.

Very good warning. Its funny I already had everything you mentioned and did not realize it would be important, it is just so that I do not fall short in the philippines from verifications in the US or accounts I maintain in the US. The key is want to appear you are still living in the US and traveling. Nice video.

With Skype you have to make 3 different payments to them. 1) buy phone number. 2) buy plan to be able to call u.s.a. 3) buy an extra plan, so you can send text messages to u.s.a. Did you buy the text messages plan?

I flew back to the USA from the Philippines a week ago. Philippine immigration wanted to see the most recent receipt of my tourist visa extension. I didn’t have with me, luckily the guy was nice and let me go on my way.

I've been living and traveling overseas for 11+ years. I have USAA, Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, and 20+ other active banks and brokerages accounts. I've never told a bank even once that I'll be abroad. No issues. Never been locked out of any account. Also, I've been getting $10,000+ per year in bank bonuses simply by opening bank accounts and depositing money in them. Banks pay you to open accounts with them. I've been able to continue opening US bank accounts while abroad with little issues. Its a fun and profitable hobby.

I closed both discover cards because I couldn't receive texts on my US phone because I suspended it. they refuse to allow me to verify myself thru my e-mail.

Great info! Maybe you've gave info already on direct deposit in a BDO bank for social security. I'm thinking of doing that and leaving the bigger part in my American bank. What do you think of doing the BDO direct deposit?

Gio you can get a USAA credit card with a score of 680. If you have been doing business with them for a while you will have a decent internal score with them which makes it even easier. They have different cards to chose from. Also I use Navy Fed, same deal. I use them in the Philippines all the time. No foreign transaction fees.

So my wife and I live in the PI part-time. We use the mail forwarding service you mentioned and it works well. I do use Google phones, and no problems with that as far as verification. I also use Tracphone when I'm in the states. I like pay as you go and not the monthly bill. I also get texts while I'm here in the PI.It's probablyy because I use a VPN. Also have a CS account. But I'm hearing that CS requires a stateside address and won't accept the online type mail boxes. So, in your case, I'm not sure if they will allow. Good luck.

Gio, signed up for Traveling Mailbox. Very easy and simple. Thanks.

Please forgive speech to text I have t mobile I've been in the Philippines 2 years but what I have found On all these major network carriers in the US is that if you use your phone longer than 6 months outside of the country they can close the account. so after about 3 months I shut it down and only opened it app to get OTP's when needed or emergency messaging to family. otherwise I use Facebook Messenger

my wife went Ph for family visit for 3 months, she has her USA phone with her free text to USA and can call using wifi / or International plan just to use for verifications 1x charge, seem more logical i guess but idk about years there , but we pay online

I find it surprising that a passport is not viewed as a more, if not the most, trusted form of identification. So I guess just get a t-mobile, or whoever is cheapest, international plan and just keep paying the monthly fee to maintain that US number is what you are thinking is the way to go?

Super Video Gio...I got Mint about a year before I came here to the Philippines, and it's ONLY $15 a month and is perfect for the Philippines...Been here now almost 2 years and staying permanently...You seem to have the most informative videos for expats...Thanks for everything my friend...

Hi Geo, great video very informative, I have a Google Voice No. and they offer to "port" your USA regular number to them , do you know how this works? will this resolve the issue of receiving calls to regular No. even if you are out of the USA? I'm planning to move very soon to Philippines very soon and I want to make sure that I check all the boxes, thank you.

Its always good to hear from you Gio... Thanks for all of the advice over the years.

I use Navy Federal Credit Union and Charles Schwab and many Credit Cards while in USA open as many accounts with credit unions I use Barksdale FCU as well and Pentagon Federal Credit Union. I will be coming to the Philippines in February and would like to meet you.

Charles Schwabb ATM fees if you use it too much they will close your account.

Gio can you let us know what kind of cost you see on the us phoneyou get from t-mobile once you are back in Philippines

Hello Gio, Should we change our drivers license to our traveling mail address? thanks. We really like your videos.

yes, all of those are good ideas except my suggestion would be to keep your states driver's license up to date because like me I go back and forth to the states and Philippines for doctor and to pay taxes. I would say watch the credit cards because the payments each month will take away from your budget in the Philippines.

Planned to move to the Philippines to simplify my life and stretch out my fixed income! So many small things can become major catastrophes there. It aint cheap to fly 3 from Cebu to the USA east coast and back. Can you imagine what you'd do if you were on lock down! Thanks for some more first hand info Gio! Thumbs up.

Hi Gio,I haven't heard from you in a while thanks for the invaluable information and insight Happy New Year to you and your wife.😊

T Mobile works on 5G in Manila. T-Mobile also has a call center in Manila. T-Mobile is hit and miss in the province and it's 3G at best. I don't know if they still do it but T-Mobile offers a secondary phone number that works over the internet and as long as you have internet accessibility on your phone it will work also. My phone worked immediately when I got off the plane. You have to get the add-on for the international plan and it includes the Philippines.

Question for you, I was there July through the middle of August. When I needed money I would use Western Union to send money to my girlfriend/myself and we would pick it up. Do you see problems with doing this while I live there? I’m moving there in July of this year. Thank you for all the other information in this video. I will go to T-Mobile and get a phone with an international number.

do they have places in the Philippines that you can rent something like a PO box?

Tmobile works over there?

Navy Federal credit union & pentagon federal credit union are better banks. Navy federal refunds ATM fees & will also finance carss & houses/property in the PH with much better rates than the PH banks.

Awesome video I'm switching back to T-Mobile before leaving and opening a USAA account cause I got insurance thru them. I just need the Mail forwarding you use for sure. How do you receive the credit card once it gets to Philippines ?

Can we all use a remit service to get the money instead for our needs?? Use Sendwave Remit. No fees and a favorable rate of conversion and just pick up money at usual places like Cebuana, LBC etc….. Did try to use the Bank ( Metro Bank) and that was a nightmare. But sometimes (rarely) has communication problems. But guess getting any type of mail can be a major problem there in the PI. Glad my kid helps me if I should be able to have such need for forwarding things like CC and other mail.

Very interesting. I got along for 12 years in Russia, Vietnam and Thailand (and many short trips to other countries) with just my USAA atm and credit cards; no US phone (I get local SIMs and immediately inform USAA); and no mail forwarding (everything is online). What mail I get goes to my daughter. Every two years I came back to the US and got new cards. But diring the last two years fraud detection has gotten overly strict such that USAA has been shutting me down, decining payments, and making me call them to get reactivated-almost every month! So I think the international living thing has simply gotten more troublesome now, and we just have to cope.

The RAO in Cebu was located a short distance from SM Cebu (North Reclamation Area / near Mabolo) in year 2020. When I departed the Philippines.

When in states get google fi cell service. Have dual sim phone. Use Google fi for data while in states and turn off data and use Phil sim for data while in Phil. Still able to get texts and calls while in Phil from USA. No problem. $20 a month

I informed Charles Schwab I was moving to the Philippines and they closed my account.

Hi Gio. I’m Canadian living in Japan. As far as a credit card, can you not simply apply for a credit card (Visa/MasterCard/American Express, etc.) with a local bank or any number of providers in the Philippines? Is credit a problem since you are not Filipino? I have perfect credit and no debt, but I’ve been rejected when applying for credit cards several times in Japan, so I finally gave up. Very annoying at times. I’ve been limited in terms of making purchases or making payments without a credit card.

Might be a good business for some in the US to do all these things for expats. There are a bunch of personal assistants online I bet would be willing to handle some of these things.

I have been able to get two factor authentification using my Google Voice number and use Skype to call home (US). I have been in SE Asia for two years. Do you think a T-Mobile number is still necessary? Thanks.

Been here almost 2 years and I still use my T-mobile phone here. Works just like back home except with less Internet usage. Receive text from US just like there and all is super.

Very good info. Thanks Gio. Long time subscriber here.

GETTING AN HSBC PREMIER account is the way to go. Although of course there is no HSBC in the Dumaguete. HSBC Premier has a high account minimum balance $75K ( you can also qualify if you have a total of $5k of direct deposits/month). HSBC allows you to have a foreign address, and has no foreign exchange fees. They are the most expat friendly bank. The only thing is HSBC Philippines are located in Manila, Cebu and Davao regions only….Once you open an account by providing a real residential address, you can change your address afterwards to any Mail forwarding address. The initial process will require proof of address but then once that your account is created, you can now change your home address and mailing address with that of the mail forwarding address. They also allow your checks to reflect the mail forwarding address underneath your name

I've used google voice in Asia for 2 years. No problems with text verify for banks or anything.

I use my Tmobile phone also, when u are on a laptop many USA websites will be blocked. Like govt sites, and many other websites. I got a VPN for around $10 a month. Now all of my websites in the USA work online.

Not sure what the problem is with Google voice. Working ok for me. I go home every 6 months or so for a checkup and to take care of business. My Medicare advantage plan reimburses emergency medical internationally.

150 work/ 218 Calendar Days until Retirement: I'm switching to T-Mobile [Senior International Plan] before I come out in Nov/Dec 2024. My Existing Dual Sim Phone will get Globe & Smart SIMs. Banking, still working on that.

About your phone. I have a magic jack that gives me a USA phone number. I use the app on my iPhone so I receive call and call back to the states. You can receive text, but my T-Mobile give text and data as part of the plan so I use it.

Can you use the mail forwarding address as your U.S address? Looking to select a state that has no state taxes for tax purposes. Or maybe this doesn’t matter for tax purposes if in the Philippines as a permanent residence.

Good luck with everything back in America Gio yeah things here in the Philippines can be very difficult

First of, thanks for sharing your dilemma/situation, Gio! The past three years I’ve been planning on my upcoming retirement. And one of the things I immediately realized is that I would need to keep a US telephone number if I want to eliminate potential complications of only having a foreign phone number while still keeping my US-based financial accounts. Dealing with US government services (Social Security, for instance) also necessitates a US phone number. Now, as far as why ones US passport can’t be used in certain situations with practically all US financial institutions is that passports don’t have ones address on it. So, I think it’s worth keeping a US drivers license up to the point when one is fully prepared to transfer ones financial assets out of the US and into ones current domicile. Forgot something: before permanently moving out of the US, close all accounts you don’t need anymore, ask for new credit cards be issued to you (that updates the expiration date), and have all statements be electronically sent to you. That way, you don’t have to worry about not getting any important mail (which, I come to realize, mostly revolves around money matters.)

Gio, those are all great points. Before I moved here in the Philippines in April 2021 I pretty much did exactly what you mentioned with the exception of having a forwarding service. I renewed my driver's license, credit cards and whatever else I needed. I'm good to go for a couple of more years at least. I also have T Mobile as my home phone service basically just to keep my American number. Thanks for sharing your story and I'm sure this will be helpful to your viewers

Thanks for the information. I plan to relocate to the Philippines later this year.

Your passport was refused because it doesn't specify a home address, whereas driver licence and state identity card specify an address.

I don’t think you’ll be able to rent a car in USA without a current drivers license. But, you should be able to drop into a DMV to get a temporary DL certificate and use your passport for ID.

Gio, You are 100% correct about limiting the use of your debit card. In the event you are skimmed, you are at the mercy of the bank to refund your missing funds in a timely manner due to fraud. Secondly, always have a least two credit card accounts….Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) is a good one to have overseas. Lastly, things will become exponentially more difficult for expats once CBDC’s are the norm.

hey Gio thanks for touching on this issue with phones. question, can i buy one of those travel bags you sell if i am here in the philippines

I switched to Citibank which has a branch in Manila. I was surprised Wells Fargo isn't in the Philippines anymore. It used to be all over. I have 3 credit cards just in case and my daughter will forward mail here in the Philippines and has power of attorney

Do I need to bring a laptop from here in America? Plus do you receive VA disability check each month and if you are how do receive their notice or mail their for appointments. At the VA in Manila

In Australia, it is IMPERATIVE to notify your bank of any overseas travel. I always maintain at least one prepaid SIM that roams. I have no problem receiving one-time-passwords on my Australian number when in the Philippines.

it would be great to get a video that covers 1st time international travelers like my situation... usa citizen, have American Express & visa credit cards, Verizon iPhone, and a passport. What will or will not work when getting off the plan in PH? Can I use my Wells Fargo bank and paypal to do everything that my 2x credit cards can't? and about needing to change SIM cards will my phone number still be the same etc etc?

Get motorcycle insurance on a cheap bike stateside and keep it around 100 a year. If not You come back and find your insurance rate is crazy high because they won’t consider insurance on a car in Philippines as having insurance. It’s like your a teenager again with rates

Many companies are rejecting or denying opening new accounts. I have 2 friends had that issues.vand they are located in the u.s. and financially well of. Still happened.

This is very informative. I will retire soon and am considering living in the Philippines.

I do not have a credit card after a serious medical life situation ruined my credit for now, if/ when I travel or rent a car, I have a specific visa logo card, I will put enough cash on so when they hold funds on that card, it will not affect my main banks other accounts!! This is the only way I could do it and it has worked for me thus far!! If not, car rental places will have to seek business elsewhere!! It is what it is!

Hey Gio. Skype was acquired by Microsoft a long time ago. Microsoft has since shifted from Skype to MS teams. Skype while still working is no longer supported or upgraded. It will eventually be phased out.

Get a good lawyer in both countries for notary services to avoid needless overseas travel. I’ve been getting screwed too with a phone that won’t receive texts! It’s a bad situation

Schwab International hasnt supported the Philippines for a few years now. Interactive Brokers does.

So where did you buy your SIM card and which carrier did you end using?

Magic Jack not work for the phone service?

Does it make sense to open an account in the USA at, say, HSBC bank, that has branches at least in Manila? Then isnt your account, the number, the same in either place?

AT&T and Verizon has international plan for $10 any day u use it 1 txt or 100 don’t matter they charge by the day. I still have Verizon with no problems. I use navy federal and USAA for all my banking. Setup my wise while stateside with face recognition direct link to my bank account. If you are prior military join navy federal credit union can do business online, over the phone 24/7. They have branches in Guam, Japan, Korea and probably other places close to PI. If you need new atm card they can issue at the branch. Might be something to look into.

I got the Charles Schwab thing covered. Looking for suggestions on the cheap Phone service from the USA.

if you can get a Arizona Driver's license as they allow you to have your license for 25 years, up to a certain age

Wells Fargo Bank works well here in Phil and the phone get Majick Jack or /At&T prepaid. Passport is only for International ID. Driver license is the most valid ID just for US is like National ID here in the Philippine.