How BPI Penalized My Checking Account

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I committed the gravest blunder that any BPI Checking Account holder could ever do. That blunder is forgetting to fund the BPI Checking Account.

I issued checks to a real property developer as payments for our PagIBIG Housing Loan. Each check were dated to be cleared or encashed every 15th of the month. Unfortunately, because of busyness of my daily life, I forgot to fund the check prior to the clearing date. I only realized this on the day of the check’s clearing date so I immediately transferred funds using my BPIExpressOnline account.

My effort was too late. The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) immediately penalized me with a whopping 2,200 pesos, which they called as “Unfunded Check Service Charge”.

I was furious. I wanted to call the BPI hotline and shout at their call center agents.

Good thing that I didn’t do any of that because a little Internet research revealed that it was not BPI’s fault. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which is the country’s central bank, issued Circular No. 681 that requires banks to return unfunded checks or checks with insufficient funds to the Philippine Clearing House Corporation by 7:30 the next day after the day when the check was presented for clearing.

This only means that banks have no choice but clear on the day indicated on the check. This also means that BPI and other banks had to penalize the checking account holder.

I learned from this grave mistake so I make sure that my check is always funded. I’m also thinking of applying to BPI’s Check Protect to prevent another unfunded check incident to happen.

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4 Easy Steps in Paying Bills in BPIExpressOnline

I previously said that I’m very lazy when it comes to paying my bills, specifically my Smart Bro bills. I find it a big hassle going to Smart Center or to any bayad centers. This laziness of mine prompted me to look for an easy way pay my bills. That easy way is by paying my Smart Bro bills through BPIExpressOnline.

Paying bills through BPIExpressOnline requires enrolment. So I enrolled my Smart Bro bills first before paying my last month’s due with Smart. For easy steps in enrolling your bills please read my post How to Enroll Bills in BPIExpressOnline.

Step 1: Log-in to your BPIExpressOnline online.

Step 2: Initiate bills payment by hovering the mouse cursor over the “Payments & Reloading” link then click “Bills Payment” and click “Pay Bills Today”. See the image below for details.

Step 3: Put in your BPI account details, merchant details, and amount to be paid.

This page also allows you to input remarks. I suggest that you type in remarks on this page so you can have a reminder when receive the confirmation email for this payment.

Click the “Submit” button after you checked that the details you entered is correct.

Step 4: Check the details of your transaction on the pop-up window that appeared. Click the “OK” button if everything is correct.

A confirmation page will appear, which confirms that you’re done paying your bill in BPIExpressOnline.

Just follow the steps written here for every bill that you need to pay.

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For steps in enrolling your BPI account in BPIExpressOnline, please read my post How to Enroll at BPIExpressOnline.

Images for this post were screen-grabbed from BPIExpressOnline.

How to Enroll 3rd Party Accounts for BPIExpressOnline Fund Transfer

Transferring funds between your BPI accounts is easy with BPIExpressOnline. All you need is to enroll your BPI accounts and then transfer funds in the "My Portfolio" page of your BPIExpressOnline. For detailed steps for transferring funds between your BPI accounts, please visit my blog post How to Transfer Funds in BPIExpressOnline. If you are yet to enroll your BPI account, please read my post How to Enroll at BPIExpressOnline.

There are times that you need to transfer funds to a BPI account that is not yours. Transferring funds to a 3rd party account is not easy because BPIExpressOnline requires enrollment.

Here are the steps when enrolling 3rd party accounts for BPIExpressOnline transfer.

Step 1: To initiate 3rd party account enrollment, go to "My Portfolio" and hover the mouse cursor over the "Funder Transfer" link. Click on the "Enroll Third Party Accounts" link on the drop down menu.

Step 2: The next step is selecting the method of enrollment that is most convenient to you. There three methods that you can choose from. These methods are: "Print, Sign and Mail"; "Print, Sign and Submit Form to Your Branch"; and "Visit Your Branch". Please click the image below for a larger view.

I selected the "Print, Sign and Submit Form to Your Branch" method in this case. You can select the method that you want by clicking the radio button beside your selected method.

Step 3: The next step is that you fill out the details of the 3rd party account enrollment. Please click the image below for a larger view.

Select your BPI account that you want to be source of the funds. Type in the joint account indicator (JAI) number. Then you should type in the account name and account number of the 3rd party account.

Check if you typed in the correct info then click the "Continue" button.

Step 4: Verify the correctness of your data on the "Third Party Funds Transfer Enrollment Form". Click the "Submit & Print" button if you see no error in the form. Please click the image below for a larger view.

A confirmation page will appear after you clicked the "Submit & Print" button.

Step 5: The last step is submitting the "Third Party Funds Transfer Enrollment Form" to the branch where your BPI account is based. The BPI branch staff will process the enrollment. All you need to do is wait for the 3rd party account to appear to your BPIExpressOnline account.

Reminders for BPIExpressOnline Fund Transfer Enrollment

1. Please take note that only 20 is the maximum number of accounts that can be enrolled in a BPI account number. Meanwhile, 140 is the maximum number of accounts that can be enrolled per client. "Accounts" in this case bills or merchants and government institutions enrolled in bills payment, Express Cash or Express Money Order cards enrolled for reloading, prepaid mobile numbers enrolled in Prepaid Cellphone Reload facility and all third party account enrollments.

2.The third party accounts that are eligible for BPIExpressOnline fund transfer facility are the following: Express Teller Savings or Checking Accounts (individual account), Passbook Savings Account (individual account), Maxi Accounts for Individuals, Platinum Savings or Platinum for Kids, BPI Direct Savings and Checking Accountd, and Pangarap Savings.

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Images on this blog post was obtained from BPIExpressOnline. 

How to Enroll Additional Savings Accounts in BPIExpressOnline

You can have many accounts in the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI). You can have a savings account, a checking account and a Dollar account or any account in other foreign currencies. The good thing is that you can enroll all of your different BPI accounts in BPIExpressOnline.

Enrolling your accounts in BPIExpressOnline is very useful because it allows you to see the transaction history of your account through the Internet. You can also transfer funds or pay bills on BPIExpressOnline. This is handy when you don’t have time to go a branch of BPI.

Take note that BPIExpressOnline only allows up to 20 BPI savings account and 20 BPI checking account to be enrolled in their system. I don’t know if anyone have plenty of savings and checking accounts.

Enrolling additional accounts in BPIExpressOnline is very easy. I will teach you how but first you must learn how to register in BPIExpressOnline.

Now, let me teach you how to enroll additional accounts in BPIExpressOnline.

Step 1: Initiate Account Enrollment

Log-in to your BPIExpressOnline account. Hover the mouse pointer over the “My Portfolio” button to make some options to drop down. Click the “Enroll Additional Accounts” button.

Step 2: Selecting Account Type to Enroll

A new page will appear where you will be asked to select the account type that you are enrolling.

In my case, I selected the “Savings and Checking Account (with ATM card or Info Card)” option since the BPI account that I’m enrolling is a BPI savings account.

Click the “Select” after you chose the correct account type. The “Reset” button may be clicked if you made incorrect selection.

Step 3: Input Your BPI Savings Account Info
Clicking the “Select” will take you to a new webpage where you will be asked to input your BPI savings account number and the Joint Account Indicator (JAI).

Joint Account Indicator (JAI) is the 2-digit number located at the lower right of your ATM card. See the image below for details.

Click the “Submit” button once you input your BPI savings account number and the JAI correctly.

Step 4: Confirmation

A confirmation page will appear.

Just take note of the transaction date and time, and the confirmation number. All you have to do now is to wait for your new BPI saving account or BPI checking account to appear in the portfolio of your BPIExpressOnline account.

How to Transfer Funds in BPIExpressOnline

There are times when you need to transfer money from one of your BPI account to another BPI account. In the past, you can only do this money transfer by going to a branch of Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI). It was inconvenient and takes up a lot of your time.

Good thing that BPI already has an online resource, named BPIExpressOnline, where you can do a lot of thing including transferring funds from one account to another.

Last week, I had a sudden need to transfer money from my checking account to my savings account. I almost asked the BPI teller to do the transfer when I realized that I can do it by using the BPIExpressOnline.

You can follow the steps that I outline in the succeeding steps so you can successfully transfer funds. I can say that transferring funds using BPIExpressOnline is really easy. I am sure that you can do it too.

Step 1: Initiate Fund Transfer

Log-in to your BPIExpressOnline account and go to “My Portfolio”.  Hover the mouse’s pointer on the "folder with magnifying glass icon" of the account where you want to transfer your funds. The icon may be found under the “More Options” column. See the image below for guidance.

Click on the “Funds Transfer” to initiate the transfer of money between your BPI accounts.

Step 2: Transfer Funds

You will be taken to a new page where you’ll be asked to fill-up the details of the fund transfer.

Input the amount that you want to transfer. You should also select the BPI accounts that will be the source of funds and then the BPI account where you want to transfer the money.

You can also type-in a remark so as to help you recall the details of the fund transfer. Take note that BPIExpressOnline will send a message to your registered email address once the fund transfer is complete.

This email message from BPIExpressOnline is very useful because it will provide you records of the transaction. Another thing is that it can alert you if someone hacked your account and transferred funds without your knowledge.

Click the “Transfer Now” button after you finished filling up the details. I suggest that you double check the details of the fund transfer before you click this button.

Step 3: Confirm Fund Transfer

A pop-up window will appear once you clicked the “Transfer Now” button.

The pop-up window contains details of the fund transfer transaction. Click the “OK” button if the details are correct. If the detail is incorrect or you don’t want to proceed then you should click the “Cancel” button.

A new page will appear once you click the “OK” button.

The page will just show you the transaction date and time, confirmation number and the fund transfer details.

Your fund transfer is finished once you see this page.

In just three easy steps, you finished transferring funds at BPIExpressOnline without going to any BPI branch.

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Looking for info on how to enrol your BPI account to BPIExpressOnline? Then you should read my article, “How to Enrol at BPIExpressOnline”.

Images used on this article was screen-grabbed from my BPIExpressOnline account.

BPIExpressOnline Announcemet: ATM Fee increase

I received an e-mail from the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) last September 27, 2012. The e-mail announced the increase of service fee for using Bancnet, ExpressNet and Megalink Automated Teller Machines (ATM) with any BPI ATM card.

Here are the details of the said ATM service fee increase:

1. ATM withdrawal using Bancnet ATM increased from 10.00 Pesos to 15.00 Pesos.

2. ATM withdrawal using Megalink ATM increased from 10.00 Pesos to 15.00 Pesos.

3. ATM withdrawal using ExpressNet ATM increased from 10.00 Pesos to 15.00 Pesos.

The increase of the service charge will be effective on October 22, 2012.

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Take note that withdrawal using any of the BPI ATM is still free of charge. So, it is better to use BPI ATM if you are a holder of a BPI ATM card.

The use of ATM cards issued by BPI, BPI Direct and BPI Family Savings Bank at Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals through the Express Payment System (EPS) is also remain free of charge.

Do you want to know more about the service fees charged by BPI on your transactions? Please visit this page for more information.

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Do you already have a BPI account but not yet enrolled to BPIExpressOnline? What are you waiting for? Visit my blog post about enrolling to BPIExpressOnline so you can enroll now!

Do you have any question or comment about the Bank of the Philippine Islands? Please feel free to tell me about it by leaving a comment.

How to Enroll Your BPI Trade Account to BPIExpressOnline

I said in a previous post how a book authored by Bo Sanchez convinced me to invest in the Philippine Stock Exchange. The name of that book is “My Maid Invests in the Stock Market…”

I discovered that I am not the only one who is interested in the stock exchange. Many of my officemates are already playing in the stock exchange. Some of them chose the risky trading in exchange for short term income. The other group of Philippine Stock Exchange players wants minimum investment risk. The latter group of investors thinks more about the long term benefit. I joined the “minimum risk” group because the money that I will earn from my investments will go to my retirement fund.

Fortunately, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has a website that is for exclusive use of those who play in the Philippine Stock Exchange. This website or portal is the BPI Trade. The good thing with BPI Trade is that it can be connected to a BPIExpressOnline account. This makes funding my BPI Trade account easy.

Connecting or enrolling your BPI Trade account to your BPIExpressOnline account is easy. Here are the steps:

1. Log-in to your BPI Trade account. Go to your “Portfolio” and copy your “Settlement Account” number.

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2. Log-in to your BPIExpressOnline account.

3. Click on “My Portfolio” and then click “Enroll Additional Accounts”.

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4. Choose “Other Accounts” and click the “Continue Button”.

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5. Check “Other Deposit Accounts” and type in your BPI Trade Settlement Account number on the number “1” field.

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6. The Confirmation Page will appear. Just wait for the email message that will be sent out by BPI Trade confirming the activation of your enrollment.

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I just finished the enrollment of my BPI Trade account to BPIExpressOnline. It is easy! I am so excited to invest some of my savings.

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Don't you still have a BPIExpressOnline account. Read my post on how to apply to BPIExpressOnline.

How to Retrieve Your Lost BPIExpressOnline Username and Password

I wrote about how to retrieve your lost BPIExpressOnline password in the last two articles (Part I and Part II). The process is easy and has no hitch. But what if you lost both your BPIExpressOnline username and password? What should you do?

I mentioned that I lost my BPIExpressOnline username and password for three times. Thus, I was forced to retrieve both of my username and password three times. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way, which I am now sharing to you.

Steps to retrieve your lost BPIExpressOnline username and password

Step 1: Go to a BPI branch and request for a summary of your account. You need this because the BPI call center agent will ask details from your BPI account. The usual questions are the current balance of your account and information on latest deposit or withdrawal.

Step 2: Call BPI Express Phone by dialing the following numbers: 89-100 (if you are within Greater Manila Area) or 1-800-188-89100 (if you are outside of Metro Manila). See the list of international toll free numbers that you can use if you are outside of the Philippines.

Step 3: Once you are connected to BPI Express Phone, just Dial 0 (For Other Products and Services) and then Dial 0 (For Other Concerns). Wait for the BPI call center agent.

Step 4: Talk to the BPI call center agent and follow her instructions.

The last thing that you must do is to remember your BPIExpressOnline username and new password. If you forgot those things again then you are back to Step 1.

Is your account not yet enrolled? Read the procedures how to enroll your account at BPIExpressOnline.

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How to Retrieve Your Lost BPIExpressOnline Password – Part 2

I talked about the process of retrieving your BPIExpressOnline password through BPI ATMs in the previous post. Now, I will talk about the second way, which retrieving your BPIExpressOnline password through BPI Express Telephone. Here is the step-by-step process:

Option 2: Retrieve your BPIExpressOnline password through BPI Express Telephone

Step 1: Go to BPIExpressOnline website. Click on the radio button beside the “Forgot Your User ID or Password” (as shown in the image below).

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Step 2: You will be directed to another web page. Click on the radio button beside “Activate your nominated password by calling BPI through Express Phone” (as shown in the image below).

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Step 3: You will directed to another webpage. Fill up the required information then click the “Submit” button.

Step 4: Call BPI through their Express Phone service by dialing the following numbers: 89-100 (if you are within Greater Manila Area) or 1-800-188-89100 (if you are outside of Metro Manila). See the list of international toll free numbers that you can use if you are outside of the Philippines.

Step 5: Once you are connected to BPI Express Phone, just Dial 0 (For Other Products and Services) and then Dial 7 (To Reset Your Internet Banking Password).

Step 6: Follow the succeeding instructions to finally activate your new (or nominated) password.

You can now access your BPIExpressOnline account using your new password on the next banking day up to the second banking day, if you are successful in activating the new password.

Read my next post on what to do in case that you lost both of your username or password of your BPIExpressOnline account.

Is your BPI account not yet enrolled? Know how to enroll it at BPIExpressOnline.

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How to Retrieve Your Lost BPIExpressOnline Password – Part 1

I am such a forgetful person that I forgot a lot of important things. My forgetfulness is so much of an inconvenience because I occasionally had to return to my house just to get my celphone or my coin purse that I left behind when I leave for work. My forgetful mind also caused me to forgot both of my BPIExpressOnline username and password for three times!

Thus, I have no choice but to retrieve my username and password three times, which made me a sort of veteran in username and password retrieval in BPIExpressOnline.

What if it’s your turn to forget your username or password in BPIExpressOnline? What are the things that you need to retrieve your password? No need to worry because I will outline the way in retrieving your BPIExpressOnline username or password. So, read on.

How to Retrieve Your Lost BPIExpressOnline Password

Retrieving your BPIExpressOnline password is easy. Users of BPIExpressOnline are given two ways to retrieve or reset their password. You can activate your new (or nominated password) through any of BPI ATMs. The second way is to activate your new (or nominated) password through the Express Phone.

Option 1: Retrieve your BPIExpressOnline password through BPI ATM

Step 1: Go to BPIExpressOnline website. Click on the radio button beside the “Forgot Your User ID or Password” (as shown in the image below).

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Step 2: You will be directed to another web page. Click on the radio button beside “Activate your nominated password in any BPI Express Teller ATM” (as shown in the image below).

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Step 3: You will directed to another webpage. Fill up the required information then click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the page.

Step 4: Click “OK” to a window that will pop up.

Step 5: You will be directed to “Password Reset Activation Confirmation Page”. Please take note of the confirmation number because you will need it when you activate your new password at any BPI ATM.

Step 6: Go to any BPI ATM within 20 banking days after you requested a new password via BPIExpressOnline.

Step 7: Insert your BPI ATM card.

Step 8: Then select "Special Services" -> "Activate Enrollments" -> "Express Online". Your new password is now activated. You can use access your BPIExpressOnline account using your new password on the next banking day up to the second banking day.

Read my next post on how to retrieve your BPIExpressOnline password through the BPI Express Phone.

Don't have an account yet? Know how to enroll your BPI account at BPIExpressOnline.

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Which Merchants Can You Pay Using BPIExpressOnline?

In a previous post, I taught how to pay bills using BPIExpressOnline. I mentioned in that post the many advantages if you use BPIExpressOnline. An advantage is the hassle free payment of your regular bills because you don’t have to leave your house or your office because you can pay through the Internet. You also avoid the very long lines at the payment center that wastes your time and adds stress to your life. Another advantage of using BPIExpressOnline when paying bills is that you can use the “Scheduled Bills Payment Facility” that allows you to schedule your regular payment. This facility prevents you from missing payments even if you forgot about it.

The next question is what utilities or companies are eligible to be paid using BPIExpressOnline? The good news is that there are hundreds of merchants or companies that are eligible to be paid using BPIExpressOnline. Eligible merchants includes associations, cable companies, country clubs, credit cards, foundations, insurance companies, loans, marketing, pharmaceutical companies, properties, schools, telecommunication companies, Internet service providers, transport companies, utility companies and other companies.

Visit the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) website for the complete list of merchants or companies that are eligible to be paid through the BPIExpressOnline.

Still not enrolled at BPIExpressOnline? Know how enroll your BPI accounts at BPIExpressOnline.

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How to Pay Bills Using BPIExpressOnline

One of the reasons why I like banking with Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is because it allows me to pay my purchases in flexible ways. Whenever I go shopping, all I need to bring directly to the cashier is my BPI ATM card. My BPI ATM card is as good as cash.

Another advantage with banking in BPI is that it allows me to pay my bills through BPIExpressOnline. This flexible way of paying bills helps avoid the hassle of going to payment centers. It also helps me avoid my time to be wasted on waiting on long lines. Bills payment with BPIExpressOnline makes my life easy.

So how can you enjoy this easy way of paying bills? It’s easy. All you have to do is to apply your BPI savings account in BPIExpressOnline. The next step is to enroll your bills.

How to Enroll Your Bills in BPIExpressOnline

1. Log-in to your BPIExpressOnline account.

2. In the “Payments and Reloading” menu, choose “Bills Payment” then “Enroll Other Bills.”

3. Fill out the enrollment form by providing the required information. Click “Submit” button when finished.
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You will know that you successfully enrolled your bill in BPIExpressOnline if you see a confirmation page after you clicked “Submit.”

How to Pay Bills Using BPIExpressOnline

1. In the “Payments and Reloading” menu, choose “Bills Payment” then “Pay Bills Today.”

2. Choose the enrolled merchant (i.e. MERALCO, Manila Waters, PLDT) that you will pay. Then enter the amount that you will pay.
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3. Select your BPI account where the payment will be debited from.
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4. Click the “Submit” button then click “OK” to confirm your payment. You will know that you successfully paid your bill if a confirmation page appeared.

So easy, isn’t it? That’s why it is good that you apply for an account in BPIExpressOnline if you are a depositor of BPI. Online payment through BPIExpressOnline removes all the hassles when paying bills.

If you are a forgetful type of person, then BPIExpressOnline can help you more because of its Scheduled Bills Payment Facility. This allows you to schedule, in advance, all the recurring payments. Scheduling is one-time only and can easily be done in BPIExpressOnline. This facility prevents you from missing the payment of your bills.

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How to Enroll at BPIExpressOnline

BPIExpressOnline, or BPI Express Online, is the online service of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) that allows depositors to access their accounts 24/7. With BPIExpressOnline, depositors can check balance of their BPI accounts, pay bills, transfer funds and more.

If you are a BPI depositor, then it is highly recommended that you enroll your account in BPIExpressOnline. Here is a step-by-step procedure for enrolling your BPI account at BPIExpressOnline.

Please note that this procedure is only for those who already have Deposit Account or Credit Card account with BPI.

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1. Go to the BPIExpressOnline website and click on the "Enroll Now!" located on the right side of the screen.

2. Select the "Not yet enrolled..." radio button. A window will pop out. Just click on "Continue."

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3. Choose your account that you will enroll for BPIExpressOnline. There are four options depending on the BPI accounts; which are ATM-based BPI deposit accounts, Passbook-based BPI deposit account, BPI Europe account and BPI Credit Card Account. Click on "Continue" after selecting your BPI account.

4. Select your place of residence. If you are living within the Philippines, you are required to visit any BPI Express Teller ATM (for ATM-based accounts) or any BPI branch (for Passbook-based accounts) within 20 banking days to activate the BPIExpressOnline enrollment. Those who are residing outside of the Philippines are required to print, sign and mail the duly accomplished form available from the BPIExpressOnline website. Click on "Continue" after selecting the correct option.

5. Read the "Internet Banking Service Agreement" and click "I Agree" at the bottom of the page to continue.

6. Fill out information regarding your account like the Account Number and type of your BPI account. Click "Submit" to continue.

7. Fill out the BPIExpressOnline registration form. Click "Submit" after you are done filling out the form.

8. The last window shows your BPIExpressOnline confirmation number. All you need to do now is to activate you BPIExpressOnline enrollment. ATM card holder can activate their enrollment through any BPI ATM. To activate, insert the ATM card of your enrolled account and enter the PIN. Select: Special Services, then Activate Enrollments, then Express Online. 

Note that the activation of BPIExpressOnline enrollment for ATM-based accounts has cut-off time until 10 pm (Manila local time) during banking days. If you activated your account before 10 PM, you can access your BPIExpressOnline account the following day. If you activated after 10 pm or during weekends or holidays, then you can access your BPIExpressOnline account 2 days after the day of activation.

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