The Bank of the Philippines Islands issues a large family of credit cards -- including BPI Blue, BPI Edge, BPI Family Credit Card and BPI Gold -- to make shopping, borrowing and money management easier. Applicants must provide some personal information either online, over the phone or in person. For some cards, the bank also sets income requirements and charges an annual fee.
Age and Income Limits
BPI sets down various requirements for each type of card. The minimum age to apply for a card is 21, for example, for the Express cards: Amore Visa, Blue MasterCard, SkyMiles MasterCard, Petron-BPI MasterCard and the Edge MasterCard. In addition, applicants for one of these cards needs to show a minimum fixed monthly income of 15,000 pesos, the equivalent of about $334 as of June 2015. For the Gold MasterCard, the monthly income requirement rises to 40,000 pesos. Applicants must live within 30 kilometers of a BPI branch and provide a contact number, for their business or their residence.
Supplementary Cards and Fees
The minimum age for applicants for a supplementary card is 13. These cards are available for the use of the primary cardholder's relatives -- such as a spouse, children, siblings, parents or in-laws. The bill goes to the principal account holder. The bank often charges an annual fee for the use of these cards. In the case of an Amore Platinum, for example, there's no fee for the first supplementary card, and a 2,500-peso fee for the second through sixth supplementary card.
Specialty Cards
BPI also has teamed up with retailers service providers, such as Ayala Malls and Delta Airlines, to offer "privilege cards." These cards offer rebates, discounts, points and miles for purchases at participating stores and companies. For the BPI-Ayala Malls Amore Visa Platinum, for example, there is a minimum annual income requirement of 1 million pesos, and the card's annual fee is set at 5,000 pesos. The eCredit card is designed for Internet shopping, and is provided free of charge and fees to ExpressCredit holders.
Applying for a BPI Card
Anyone seeking to open a BPI credit card account must fill out an application. The bank makes an online application available through its website. This form requires full name, mother's maiden name, birthdate, gender, marital status, number of dependents, vehicle information, citizenship status, billing address, mortgage or rental amount, years spent in the residence, e-mail address and a home and mobile number. There are non-mandatory fields for information on employment, financial status and family members. On its website, the bank explains that completing these areas can increase the chances for approval.
Customers may submit the application online or file the document via e-mail to [email protected] or by fax to 845-5738, routing code 20022. If you prefer to visit a branch to apply, consult the bank's handy online branch locator, which gives the name, address, phone number and business hours of each BPI branch, as well as a list of the services provided. You also can set an appointment to visit the bank through Express Assist Online.