Real Thrills: Putting the 'merry' in Christmas shopping

MANILA, Philippines - With Christmas just around the proverbial corner, have you started your Christmas shopping yet? You better not cry, you better not pout because here’s a cool tip: Save with BPI and savor the Real Thrills — the real deal in Christmas shopping — on your savings and checking accounts.

Of course, it’s the thought that counts, but make that thought count by gifting your loved ones — or yourself — with a dream vacation, the most-coveted luxury items, and the most-desired gadgets as only the Real Thrills’ fine catalogue of gifts can offer.

Here’s the deal: Deposit at least P75,000 in fresh funds to a qualified savings or checking account at BPI. And then choose from a wide selection of Real Thrills gifts according to your deposit. Naughty or nice, you get the thrill of a lifetime choosing your own gift —whether you want to fly off to a favorite local or international vacation spot, shop at the finest stores, or get your hands on the latest gadgets on the market.

The participating products include Express Teller Savings, Maxi-Saver, Get Started, Jumpstart, Maxi-One, Regular Passbook, BPI Direct Savings, Express Dollar Savings, US Dollar Passbook Savings, Third Currency Passbook Savings, BPI Family Bank Dollar Get Started Savings, Express Teller Checking, and BPI Direct Checking.

This Christmas, BPI makes your wishes come true. And you can have it delivered right at your doorstep, too. So, what would you like to see underneath your Christmas tree?

Get Cebu Pacific gift certificates so you can fly to over 30 local destinations or 13 international destinations that include Hong Kong, Bangkok, Macau, Osaka, Shanghai, and Singapore. Or you can choose to shop at Stores Specialists, Inc. boutiques that carry luxury brands like Jimmy Choo, Burberry, Tod’s, YSL, Marc Jacobs, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Prada, A/X Armani Exchange, Cartier as well as the more affordable brands like Nine West, Diesel, DKNY, Beauty Bar, Lush, Bass.

Pamper your inner techie with a Samsung digital camera or a Canon SLR camera kit; Acer laptop with external hard drive or Nintendo Wii and DS Lite game consoles.

Endow your home with Samsung 32” LCD TV with DVD player entertainment bundle; La Germania gas range and Whirlpool chest freezer bundle; Lazy Boy seat recliner; LG microcomponent or LG personal refrigerator; Kolin split-type aircon or Abea Mix and Match Furniture.

Doubly thrilling is the fact that the deal is flexible, based on the client’s preference. Like gifts for the P1 million deposit can be broken into two P500,000s so you can avail yourself, for instance, of two Dowell Air Coolers etc., to give as Christmas gifts.

“With the Real Thrills, you are not subjected to a game of chance, raffle or rewards points,” says Marie Josephine “Jojo” Ocampo, Bank of the Philippine Islands senior vice president and chief marketing officer, whose charm and ready smile make you feel it’s Christmas already. “The partner establishments were chosen based on an understanding of the client’s behavior and lifestyle. Being a BPI client, you can be sure there’s a real thrill for you. This is open to everyone, whether you are an existing client who put in fresh money with us or even a non-client who would like to start a banking relationship with BPI.”

A remitter from abroad wanted to avail herself of the promo so she opened a BPI Direct Account via the Internet. It was her relative here who chose the free product.

Jojo asserts, “The bottom line is, banking with BPI is more than just transactional. It’s really a rewarding, thrilling experience. In fact, the Real Thrills is just one of them. Banking with BPI means getting the financial empowerment coming from advice that BPI, the frontliners, can give you about wise money management. That kind of advice can run from very basic advice for first-time bankers whose needs are not very sophisticated to the more sophisticated clients, where the advice is given one on one by our Relationship Managers. On top of that, coming into a BPI branch with a new look is also, we hope, a good experience for the client, not only with our new branch look but with the way we handle transactions, the way we relate to our clients.”

Yes, you can bank on BPI. Jojo notes, “BPI is the only one where proactively we get customer feedback. Once you transact with us, we give you a Smiley chip. If you’re not happy, you put it in the box with a non-Smiley face. At the end of the day, the branch manager evaluates if the service rendered by his/her staff is acceptable, meets expectations or falls below expectations.”

Certainly, BPI lets you reap your just rewards on earth. How rewarding is “rewarding”? Jojo points out, “It is a rewarding experience because we try to make sure we give you the best value. The value comes in the form of certain attributes, features, and benefits that are unique to BPI. For instance, even your most basic Express Teller Account is more than just a savings or a checking account. It gives you access to all our 24/7 banking channels so you can transact at your own time and at your own pace. By 24/7 banking channels, I am referring to the widest ATM network, Express Online, so you can transact via the Internet, check your balance, transfer funds, pay your bills, etc., or our 24/7 BPI Express Phone 89-100 hotline.”

Jojo adds, “Furthermore, we have recently launched a newer and better BPI Express Mobile. Our mobile banking service is now available to all subscribers, whether Globe or Smart. Clients can actually check their balance on their mobile phones, do funds transfer, load their G-cash, reload a pre-paid phone, maintain their account or pay their bills all through their mobile phones.”

And hear this, all ye shopaholics: The latest feature introduced by BPI is you can go shopping using BPI Express Mobile. Jojo elaborates: “To date, BPI Express Mobile has three merchants. The first merchant is Ayala Cinema Sure Seats. You can book your movie tickets and pay for them all on your mobile phone.   You don’t have to fall in line. All you have to do is to claim your tickets. All this you can enjoy if you have a deposit account with BPI. But if you still want to go to a branch and transact in your branch of account, only BPI makes any of its over 600 branches your home branch. Traditionally, if you were supposed to encash a check, apply for a manager’s check, request for a checkbook, you would normally have to go to your branch of account — the branch in which your account was opened. For example, you studied at Ateneo and opened your account at the BPI Loyola branch. Now, you’re working in Alabang. In the past, if you request for all these services, you will have to go all the way to Loyola, your branch of account to ask for it.   Today, BPI allows you to do what they call inter-branch transaction seamlessly and so effectively in any branch — each of the over 600 branches of BPI and the over 100 branches of BPI Family Savings Bank becomes your home branch.”

Here’s another real deal: If you’re paid a BPI check, especially for businessmen come this very hectic holiday season, you don’t have to wait for three days to clear the check. “It’s same-day clearing,” Jojo emphasizes. “This is a boon to the small businessmen who have their own negosyos during Christmas time and want a quick cash flow. It really pays to have a BPI account.”

How does one get started?

“We have the Get Started Savings Account that gets you started on thinking about your future” Jojo describes. “It comes with a free life insurance coverage equivalent to five times your account balance. So if you have P20,000, you get free P100,000 in life insurance. No medical checkup, no premium payment is needed.”

Now you know why it’s a real thrill banking with BPI.