I have been using Paypal for quite some time. It was in 2008 when I was forced to open the account to receive payments for my online writing jobs.


Since I want to share some of these earnings, without a fee, to some relatives in the Philippines, I also encouraged my aunt to open an account. In fact, it was I who processed everything only putting her information in the Paypal form. My aunt stays in the Philippines that time and I was in Italy. I could use a great deal of funds even without verifying my Paypal account there in Italy. Of course, I could not withdraw the funds but I could still use that amount to send to anyone, to buy online or for any other purpose as long as it is within the limit: around €1.500,00 or €1,500.00 and without my account verified. This amount is not so small to be a limit in Paypal for someone like me who has only a regular account. Another limitation for not verifying my account is the €300 receipt and payments/sendouts per month.

I did make the account of my aunt. We tried to verify her account using her GSIS card, supported by the Union Bank of the Philippines, because it is like a debit card but she can also view the account activity, similar to statement of accounts. In short, we were able to verify her identity and account allowing her Paypal account to send out some amount of money. In order to withdraw her PayPal fund (which I sent to her), I added a bank account for her. This is not the same as the card (whether debit or credit card) we used to verify her account. I setup a bank account, added and linked it to her Paypal account, and that was the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI). In short, she used both the debit card and the bank account itself. The former to verify her account identity and the latter to put her withdrawn funds.

I always process for her withdrawal at the BPI and although it states 5-7 days in withdrawing, more often than not, the money arrives in her account earlier. In short, I use Paypal now most of the time when I have to transfer some amount to her. I have my verified account now here, and I am out of Italy now but still within Western Europe area, and it is very convenient although at times, some amount of time should pass before the cash can be received. But all the same, the exchange rate that Paypal offers is good, almost fair for everyone and this is another thing that makes me glad. The only thing is, aside from Paypal Fee, when the withdrawn amount is lesser than their minimum, or even more, the bank itself (BPI in this case) makes an additional charge. But it total, all in all, it is still lower than the amount one has to pay if moneygram or Western Union is used.

I would like to note that in Philippines, no credit limit is provided unlike here in Europe. if one account is not verified, there is no way that such account may send an amount outside/to other Paypal accounts. Thus, to be able to use the Paypal account in Philippines, verification is a must. To withdraw the Paypal fund, a bank account or the credit card/debit card can be used.