Meet Filipinas Online The Easy Way

So you wanna meet Filipinas online, do you?

Welcome to the world of dating Pinays, some of the most beautiful and caring women on the planet. I’ve been married to a Filipina for 2 years now and life has never been better. In fact, several of my friends have decided to come to The Philippines in search of their own Filipina girlfriend within a few months of meeting her when I took her home to meet the family.

I’ve tried to taper their enthusiasm with a healthy dose of caution – not every woman here is the same as my wife! There are good and bad girls in The Philippines, just like anywhere.

Thinking about how to best advise them and answer their questions about how to meet a Filipina got me wondering – why don’t I just write an article explaining the top points of what I’ve learned after 10 years of dating in Asia?

So, that’s exactly what I did. Here are 5 tips to give you the greatest chances of success when dating Filipinas online.

Meet Filipinas Online – 5 Crucial Tips

1. Take Your Time

This might be stating the obvious, but you’d be surprised how many men sign up for a dating website to meet Filipinas online, who ticks all their boxes, and dives right in without a thought for the morrow.

Love is love, and when it strikes there’s very little you can do. One thing you can do, however, is let time do what it does best and give you some perspective.

The reason for taking your time are twofold.

First, those crazy brain chemicals that have you all over the place, eager with anticipation to fly directly to the Philippines and meet your new lady friend will calm down and level out and think about things clearly.

Second, you need at least 6 months to get to know someone well. I think this rule applies to dating anyone, anywhere.

The rules of online dating are the same as the rules of dating in the real world. Remember the old saying when dating Filipinas online – ‘Wise men say, Only fools rush in!’

2. Be Realistic

If you’re 58, have a pot belly and a few missing teeth, albeit with more than a smattering of charm, recognize the warning signs when a 19-year-old model caliber lady is interested in you. You must be honest with yourself and honest with the woman you will talk with while trying to meet Filipinas online.

Sorry to take away your ego enhancer, but if you go down this rabbit hole you’re entering a world of hurt. Why is she interested in you when she could easily take her pick of younger men who know the name of Bieber’s latest hit song? You’ve got to be aware that there are lots of very poor, very desperate girls in this country who will do almost anything to survive, including rinse a sucker like you.

Let me be clear: NOT ALL FILIPINA GIRLS ARE LIKE THIS – FAR FROM IT! I’m not being a racist, a misogynist or a prick for saying it. It’s a sad fact of life and I’ve known guys who have been taken to the cleaners in a haze of love and emotion. I don’t want the same happening to you, dear reader.

Set realistic expectations for yourself and always ask ‘What’s in this for her?’ Understanding her intentions is a key part of successfully dating.

3. Look at Her Profile History

Before I settled down and got married I admit I to was interested in finding out how  to meet Filipinas online. During this period of my life, I learned to spot the girls who lingered for a little too long on those sites, and I began to learn that this meant one of two things: she is a serial dater or she has problems and moves from one guy to the next rapidly.

This is another reason for taking your time and getting to know both the site you are using and any ladies you talk to on there.

Be especially aware of ‘Off-On’ profiles. These are ladies who repeatedly delete and reopen their dating profiles. This should ring alarm bells in your head and cause you to ask yourself ‘What’s she up to?’

3. Meet Her in The Philippines

When you do find a fantastic woman who you really could fall for (oh, you will, believe me), at some stage, you will need to meet her to move things forward.

Start with video chats on Skype. This is much better than texting when it comes to getting to meet Filipinas online.

Eventually, however, you’ll want to meet face to face. Coming to The Philippines is a great idea in and of itself. This is one of the most beautiful countries you’ll ever visit, and coming to meet a love interest is just the icing on the cake.

Meeting your lady friend in The Philippines is also a good idea because it will allow you a great insight into her, who she is, and her culture. There are actually many different cultures within The Philippines, so getting to know her city, her island, family and individual quirks is best done here in her home country.

Besides, you coming to The Philippines is much easier with regards visas, travel costs, and other associated factors.

You’ll be glad you did, whether you decide to move things forward or not!

5. Give Her the Benefit of the Doubt

Dating Filipinas online is no different to dating any woman from a totally different culture. You’re going to have misunderstandings and assign meaning to things where there is none. This can lead to communication problems and a breakdown of the relationship.

Always give her the benefit of the doubt and try to see the best in these situations. What you think her actions mean could be totally different in reality.

Of course, there are blatant warning signs (such as asking you to send large sums of cash to her), but there are lots of little cultural mannerisms, expectations, and norms which it would be a shame to let get in the way of a burgeoning relationship.

The best way to deal with these is to seek to understand. If something doesn’t seem right to you or has you scratching your head, try talking to your love interest and asking her about it.

Opening direct lines of communication and seeking to understand one another can only help you decide whether you’re right for each other or not. This is especially true in cross-cultural relationships.

Dating a Filipina Summary

If you meet the right Filipina online you’re in for what could be the most rewarding relationship of your life. I’ve never met a woman as caring, attentive and genuinely happy as my wife, and I would love everyone to find the same in their partner.

Remembering the 5 tips above will set you on the right track and let you go in with your eyes open.

Best of luck in your quest to meet Filipinas online!

Meet Filipinas Online The Easy Way

Banking in the Philippines

You have now made your move and decided to relocate to the Philippines. You will obviously want to have easy access to your money which is almost certainly paid into your bank back home. To do that, you will want to open a bank account here in the Philippines. Which bank should you choose here? A large, reputable bank is preferable.

All the major banks here all have slightly different rules and processes to open that bank account. There are many types of bank accounts including foreign currency deposit accounts. It falls outside of my expertise to advise you on which type of account you need so I suggest you research that and seek professional advice.

Opening an Account in the Philippines

The general principles in opening an account are that you will have to show proof of ID and provide residence details. Many banks will refuse to open an account if you are on a tourist visa without the ACR card. Once you have that card, then there should be no difficulty opening an account. The process at the bank can take as little as 30 minutes or so and you usually have to wait several business days before you revisit the bank to collect your new debit card. Again, the rules differ from bank to bank, but generally you have to be a customer of the bank for at least 6 months and have a land-line in your name before you can apply for a credit card. I would suggest checking the web sites of all the major banks in the Philippines before you visit your local branch in order to open your account.

Keep your Bank and Credit Cards Back Home

The solid advice from the experts, which I endorse, is to keep your current primary account back home. It’s also a good idea to keep one or two of your home country’s credit cards active too. What about your address back home? Find a good friend or family member who is willing to receive your bank and credit card statements at their address. You can always check your statements online.

So what are the reasons for keeping a “financial footprint” back home? Simple really! You never know what the future holds in store. What if you decide to move back home, or are forced to because of reasons totally out of your control? Your accounts back home, whether bank or credit cards, will ensure you maintain your credit score. It’s a good idea to use your cards now and again for say online purchases, as it doesn’t matter where you now live but shows you are “financially alive and kicking”. In the event of a repatriation, voluntary or otherwise, this should ensure you encounter no problems with items like mortgages, car loans and almost anything else that requires borrowing money.

One of the advantages I found with retaining my home country issued cards was when I was dealing with the Apple Store. I discovered that using a Philippines issued bank card, whether debit or credit, locked me out of certain features of the store. Purely as an aside, it’s also worth considering a VPN to change your location to your home country to further ensure you benefit from features with online retailers that apply to citizens of the United States and the United Kingdom for example, but not to citizens of other countries. Yes, I know that’s discriminatory but please accept that I don’t make the rules!

A further consideration is this: there will be occasions you need to send money to friends or family back home and it’s far easier and cheaper to do this if both parties, you and the recipient, have accounts in the same country. Forget checks! A check drawn on foreign banks can take a long time to clear and it’s not unheard of for such checks not to be accepted at all by banks in the United States or the United Kingdom. Yet another advantage is that your U.S. or U.K. card also has a far greater chance of being accepted at any ATM wherever you travel in the world.

Online Banking

It’s not difficult to track and manage your home based accounts in this digital age. The days of trusting a close friend or family member to take care of your finances back home in your absence have long gone. Using any established bank or other financial institution, enables you to pay any kind of bill from your home country online and schedule money transfers to any individual or organization you wish in the same country as your home account. All it takes is a few clicks on the bank website after you go through the security log in procedures.

But to return to your Philippines bank account – the best advice is to keep sufficient in your new account for your regular payments in your new country. It’s also wise to have a separate savings account with the same bank as your “rainy day” money or “slush fund”. However, it’s also the wise man that keeps the substantial part of his savings in the financial institutions of his home country owing to the enhanced stability of the banking system in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. There are better protective measures in place for savers in the more financially stable countries of the world. Another reason to keep more of your nest egg back home is to do with stable currencies and interest rates. Historically and over the long term many western currencies have been far less volatile than some third world countries. Many savings vehicles back in your home country pay a rate of interest even on some checking accounts.

International Money Transfers

You still need to transfer your home based money to your Philippines account. By far the easiest way to do this is by using one of the many companies that specialize in international currency transfers. Like your online banking, this is also done with a few clicks of the mouse. If you shop around you will find out which are the most reliable, speediest and cheapest. You should closely examine the fees that are charged in conjunction with your actual rate of exchange. It’s no good transferring say $1000 for only a flat fee of say $2 then finding out you are not receiving a competitive exchange rate. Of course, these companies have to make a profit but make sure it’s not at your expense!

I’m sure these tips will save you a few dollars if implemented correctly. If you bump into me and that is the case, then buy me a cold beer!

Banking in the Philippines