Based on assets, revenue and coverage, Citibank is the oldest and largest foreign commercial bank operating in the Philippines, and is placed among the top 10 banks in the country. The bank has been operational in the Philippines since as far back as July 1902 when the International Banking Corporation (which later became Citibank) opened a branch in Manila.
The services offered by Citibank include corporate and investment banking, consumer banking, transactional banking, as well as treasury and trade services.
In terms of Citibank personal banking, here are some of the most helpful pieces of information.
Citibank Philippines Online
You can monitor your account and perform transactions, anywhere and at any time. Customers can access the Citibank Online service even more conveniently via the Citi mobile app available for Android and iOS, which it promises greater flexibility.
Enrolling for Citibank Online
Bank customers with existing checking or savings accounts can use their debit card details to sign up, while credit card customers can use their card details. Along with filling in personal information, you’ll need to create a suitable username and password.
Possible issues in creating a username and password
You may run into some issues in the process of registering a username and password for Citibank Online banking if:
You enter a wrong card number or PIN
You enter an account number not associated with the card number
Your card or account is not active
The username you’re choosing is already taken by another user
The username or password don’t meet up with the laid out rules
Your records are not updated in the bank’s system
What can you do with Citibank Online?
With Citibank Online, you can:
Manage account details: Once you login to Citibank Online, you can monitor and manage your accounts 24/7, all in one place. You can view your transaction details over the past three months to help you analyse your personal finances.
Pay bills: Skip the queues and pay your bills online. Charge them to your credit card or directly to your account.
Transfer funds: real-time local and international funds transfers are possible without visiting the bank. Once you register and activate your payees with the Online Activation Code (OAC) sent to your mobile number by SMS, you can transfer funds between your accounts, to another Citibank account, to another local Philippines bank, or to a bank account abroad.
View global accounts: If you have other Citibank accounts abroad, you can also view them on Citibank Online, along with your Philippines account.
Order checkbooks: You can order a personalized checkbook online to be delivered to your mailing address within 1-2 weeks. Checkbook fees (PHP300/USD10 per book) apply.
Open new accounts: You can make the request to open an account on Citibank Online. Bank representatives will give you a call to follow up the request.
Nickname your accounts: Label your accounts as you like to distinguish them from one another.
Update your contact details.
Change ATM PINs without going to a branch or ATM.
Citibank Hotlines
To reach Citibank for Citiphone Banking, you may call the following Citibank hotlines:
Metro Manila: 8995 9999
Metro Cebu: 234 9999
Other Provinces: 02 8995 9999
From Abroad: +63 2 8995 9999
The Citigold Wealth Management Hotlines to help you learn more about offers, services and financial products, arrange a free financial check-up, or open a Citigold account are:
Metro Manila: 8995 9888
Metro Cebu: 234 9888
From Abroad: +63 2 8995 9999
Types of Accounts at Citibank
Citibank offers several deposit products that you can choose from, all with various purposes and benefits, including:
Transactional/Checking Accounts
Citibank Peso Everyday Banking Account: Enjoy free and unlimited withdrawals from ATMs nationwide.
Citibank Dollar Everyday Banking account: Withdraw or deposit checks in US dollars.
Savings Accounts
Citibank Peso Bonus Saver: Build up your savings beginning at PHP 50,000, with up to 2.04% gross interest per annum.
Citibank Peso High Rate Saver: Enjoy a generous interest rate without locking up your funds in fixed deposit.
Citibank e-Savings: Earn high interest rates and bank at your convenience with Citibank Online.
Citibank Dollar Saver: Save your US dollars at an attractive interest rate.
Citibank Foreign Currency Account:
Transact conveniently in seven different currencies.
Citibank Time Deposits:
Earn a high fixed interest rate on peso, dollar or euro savings for a term of your choosing.
To open a Citi deposit or investment account, you can complete the online form and the bank will contact you at a suitable time to complete the process.
You are eligible for a Citibank credit card if you are up to 21 and have an annual income of at least PHP 180,000 a year for existing credit card users or PHP 250,000 for applicants with no credit card. You don’t have to have a deposit account with Citibank to apply.
After answering a series of questions online, you’ll be required to fill in your personal information.
If you already have another Citibank credit card, all you’ll need is government-issued ID. Non-cardholders, in addition to the ID, will need a:
proof of income (like a payslip or ITR),
bank statement of payroll account to show one-month salary
signed certificate of employment
How to Redeem Citibank Credit Card Reward Points
Citibank provides a generous credit card reward points system for you to take advantage of. Here’s how to ensure that your points don’t go to waste:
After you transact with your Citi credit card, you’ll get an SMS with a link to redeem points or miles.
Click on the link and choose how many points or miles you wish to redeem.
After confirming point redemption, a statement credit will show in your next statement of account.
Each Citi credit card has its own unique perks and privileges. Nonetheless, here are four impressive ones consider to be some of the best Citibank credit cards:
Citi Simplicity+
This is most likely the simplest credit card you’ll find anywhere. With this credit card, you can enjoy a permanent annual fee waiver. There are also no late or over-limit fees, and so we can say that this is a credit card that is completely free to own. In fact, instead of a fee, there is an incentive to encourage you to pay the minimum due on time. When you pay at least the minimum due on or before the due date, you get 10% back on interest charges.
Citi Prestige MasterCard
The top-class benefits on the Prestige Card Make it the best card for businesspeople, especially those that have to travel a lot. Enjoy VIP airport assistance and lounge services, as well as complimentary concierge services.
Mercury Drug Citi Card
If you spend a lot on health and wellness, this is a card to give you benefits for all your spending at Mercury Drug, as well as at clinics, hospitals, spas, gyms, and salons. You also get access once a year to a 24/7 ambulance service worth PHP 10,000 within Metro Manila.
Shell Citi Card
If you own a car, you’ll surely appreciate 5% rebates on fuel purchases, toll fees and auto repairs, as well as access to 24/7 emergency roadside assistance.
Citibank Credit Card Promos
There are several credit card promotions for you to take part in as a Citi credit cardholder. These promos are frequently updated, but fall into the following broad categories:
Metrobank, one of the Philippines’ most prominent banks, prides itself on its innovative banking services, and the culmination of this is Metrobank Direct, an online banking provision for all Metrobank account holders to enjoy.
Online banking has the advantage of being convenient and fast. So, if you have a Metrobank account and wish to enjoy online transactions, here’s all the information that you need to help you optimize your Metrobank Direct online banking experience.
Enrolling for Metrobank Direct
As stated in the FAQs on the Metrobank website, all individual customers who have deposit accounts (in peso or foreign currencies) or a Metrobank credit card qualify for Metrobank direct online banking.
However, the only option provided on the enrollment page is the ATM card, meaning that you will not be able to register if you don’t have an ATM card for your account. In such a case, you will have to visit a nearby branch and enroll Metrobank Direct for your deposit account without an ATM.
What’s the enrollment process like?
In comparison with BPI and BDO, Metrobank offers the most stress-free online banking enrollment. You can go through the entire Metrobank Direct enrollment in a single sitting, and there’s no need to visit an ATM for activation, unlike BPI and BDO.
For activation, you simply need to put the one-time password (OTP), which will be sent to the mobile number that you register with, into the activation link emailed to you. The bank will inform you when it approves your enrollment, and then you can move to the Metrobank Direct login page.
Enrollment problems you may encounter
Here are some issues you may run into during your Metrobank Direct enrollment process.
1. Breach in security?
Strange as it may seem, Metrobank requires you to provide your ATM PIN while enrolling. Isn’t that supposed to be confidential? Yes, it is. Yet, this is Metrobank’s requirement for some reason. If you’re uncomfortable with this, then you cannot go through with the registration.
The bank does not explain why it requires clients to provide their ATM PINs. Nonetheless, it provides an on-screen keyboard for entering the PIN, which is relatively safer than using a physical keyboard and lowers the risk of hacking.
2. Errors during activation
There is a limited time of 20 minutes for completing the Metrobank Direct online registration, beginning immediately you click on the activation link. If you don’t work within that time, a “session expired” message will come up. At this point, you’ll have to do it all over from scratch. You may also receive an “invalid temporary password” message when you enter an incorrect OTP.
Metrobank Direct Demo Page
A key feature provided by Metrobank Direct is the demo page. This gives you a virtual tour of the whole system. Whether you have an account or not, you can explore the demo page to gain a better idea of how the Metrobank Direct service operates.
Major features and options available on Metrobank Direct
Metrobank Direct allows you the ease of managing your account, paying bills, trading stocks, paying taxes, and lots more. Metrobank Direct online banking services may not be as far-reaching and diverse as other banks, but it compensates for this with its amazingly functional features.
1. Managing your account summary and statements
There’s a window to show you how all your accounts are faring and all your balances. You can also conveniently get a rundown of your transaction history for a selected duration, apply for a Metrobank credit card, or orders a new checkbook on Metrobank Direct.
2. Transferring funds
Metrobank Direct allows you to transfer funds to third-party or personal accounts, whether they are registered with Metrobank Direct or not. Prescheduling transfers for up to three months or scheduling them to be paid repeatedly for up to three years are also possible.
3. Paying bills
Metrobank Direct allows you to pay your bills – such as water, power, credit card, and mobile carrier bills – online, like most other Philippine online banking facilities. What distinguishes Metrobank Direct is that you don’t need to monitor any due dates. You can select a one-time bill payment pre-scheduled up to three months ahead or schedule payments to recur over three years.
4. Personalizing your account
Users can customize their homepages for quick access to their most-used services. For instance, if your most frequent use of Metrobank Direct is bill payment, the ‘Pay Bills’ page can be set up as your homepage to make bill payment faster for you.
5. Opening new accounts
You also get to open a new Metrobank account right on your dashboard and make an initial deposit from your existing account. All that would be left is to get a proof of deposit from your branch for the transaction to be complete.
6. Paying taxes
You no longer need to queue up at any office to get your taxes paid. Once you enroll your tax invoice number (TIN), you can begin to pay your taxes online with Metrobank Direct.
7. Trading stocks
You can invest in stocks using the First Metro Securities program. Sign up any of your accounts via ‘Manage Accounts’, and download, fill and submit the required forms at your Metrobank branch.
Online security on Metrobank Direct
To ensure the safety of sensitive information, Metrobank has put several technologically sound security features in place. Here are some of the key security details provided for Metrobank Direct:
1. Encrypted transactions
Metrobank Direct encrypts every online transaction with 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL). This is one of the strongest fortifications for protection against unapproved access to your personal information.
2. Notifications and alerts
You get email or SMS notifications every time requests or transactions are made from your Metrobank Direct account. This enables you to respond immediately if you were not responsible for the transaction. You can also personalize your alerts according to the service you require so as not to miss anything concerning your account or money.
3. User verification
In addition to passwords, your Metrobank Direct account is secured with a challenge-response authentication method and Verisign digital certificates for verification of user identity.
4. Programmed logout
When your Metrobank Direct personal page stays inactive for up to 20 minutes, your account will be logged out automatically to avert unauthorized access.
Bottom line
Although there are security risks associated with online banking, especially in the Philippines, Metrobank Direct is definitely a convenient and fast way to transact online and manage your account on the go.
