Credit Card Alternatives for Pinoy Freelancers With No Fixed Income

Having a credit card is a heaven-sent to individuals who work at home — freelancers, like bloggers, graphic designers, web designers, freelancer writers and those who work outsourced at home. A functioning credit card allows them to:

• Verify Paypal account for receipt of payments and salary.
• Buy tools (like software, WordPress themes and plugins) and other products (like hosting or domain) online to work and improve their craft.
• Verify online identity.

There is one problem, though: in screening credit card applicants in most companies in the Philippines, freelancers are almost always characterized as “ambulant vendors” who are high risk individuals who are not employed nor have their own business to be considered as someone with fixed income. They are always declined no matter how fat their income is.

No worries, here are some credit card alternatives that you can use while working freelance in the Philippines. You can use these like a normal credit card and have the same function as such and you can use them to purchase stuff online and to verify your Paypal account.

Union Bank EON Debit Card

Many freelancers swear by the functionality of Union Bank’s EON Debit Card. Union Bank’s EON is basically a credit card that uses the balance of your existing Union Bank savings account as balance. As long as you have money in your account, you can use it to purchase stuff.

Union Bank EON is one of the earliest ways you can confirm your Paypal account without a real credit card.

Here’s more information about Union Bank EON Debit Card

BPI ePrepaid MasterCard

Probably the first prepaid credit card in the Philippines, BPI ePrepaid was one of my first credit cards when I started working online. It works like a charm and can do any MasterCard credit card can do including online purchases and verifying my Paypal account.

Funding the card works a lot like loading up a cellphone: you pay the amount you want at your local BPI branch (or through online, if you have a BPI Express Online) and then you can spend the sum in your card.

Here’s how to apply for BPI ePrepaid MasterCard

Paymaya

One of the newcomers in this list is Paymaya, which was launched only in 2016. Paymaya is an iOS and Android app that offers virtual, prepaid Visa credit card, which you can load up on your nearest loading center like 7-Eleven, BDO, 2Go and SM or though Smart Money.

It holds the same functions as a tangible credit card without the physical card which cannot be misplaced or stolen. You can also apply for the physical card, if you want, so you can use it for physical store payments.

Get Started with Paymaya through their website.

Metrobank Yazz Card

Another relatively new service in this list is Yazz Card, which is another prepaid credit card, which was launched only in 2015. This time, it is a Visa card hosted by Metrobank.

It does not require you to have a Metrobank account and you can do the reloading at the partner stores like in SM, Save More Supermarkets and CD-R King Stores.

Here’s how to get started with Yazz Card.