Thursday, June 19, 2008

Being a good friend

There is no dearth of OFWs here in the US. I have some very good friends here who are like me. I mean they miss their families, friends and of course, the home land. Most of these friends live nearby. So communicating with them happens most of the time. Last evening, some of my friends threw a party for me. These friends have helped me out to relocate and I am forever indebted to them for making me feel at ease. So when a new member entered our group I thought of following my friends and helping this guy out.

He is Ike, an OFW who moved to the US last week. He reminded me of the days gone by when I used to be a shy fellow with very little knowledge about the US. Like most of us, his first concern was his family and he asked me about remitting money back home. I was happy to offer help because with Remit2Home my doubts regarding remitting have been cleared. I told him to register with them. Ike registered and not only did he come to know about some great schemes and easy payment options but also got a 25 mins free calling card which was like a bonanza. I am really happy that I could help!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Saving time

I’ve been put on a new assignment. It’s a rather different and challenging project but the problem is that it involves extensive research. I might have to travel for days and there’s no way I can escape. Anyways, work wise I am not too worried because I love challenges what’s troubling me is the fact that staying away from home means facing problems while remitting money especially when it comes to bank account verification and all that. I am certainly not in a mood for all that. So what’s my back up plan? Remit2Home, of course. Remit2Home’s Online ACH which is completely web based is what’s going to keep me relieved. A paperless service, in the United States it is carried out via the Automated Clearing House (ACH) facility whereby one directly debits his/her existing US bank account and credits the Remit2Home account. It is an instant facility with Remit2Home which saves time on waiting for the US bank account verification for transferring money. I simply provide my bank account details and book a transaction. The moment my account gets verified, money will be transferred automatically, thus saving both valuable time and effort. Thanks to this, I won’t have a difficult time away from home.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Happy birthday Vilma!

My sweet little friend Vilma is celebrating her birthday today. She turns 22 this year and like always has thrown a big party for all her friends. She mailed me last night to invite me. This, despite knowing that I wouldn’t make it to the party because she’s in Manila while I am here in the US. Her point is that distances should not keep friends apart. I agree with this notion and I promise I would never let distances come in between me and my friends or family.

So what’s my plan for the party? Well, I am going to surprise her this year. I’ll send some cash for her and I am sure she wouldn’t expect it. My plan is quite simple. I’d take help from Remit2Home which supports direct deposits to receiver accounts with leading banks in the Philippines. Since Vilma has an account with one of these banks the money will be deposited to her account as soon as Remit2Home receives the remittance. Hope to surprise Vilma this year!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

My worries are put to rest

My old grand uncles and grand aunts are very close to me. Expectedly, I need to send money for them on their anniversaries and other special occasions. But since most of them don’t have a bank account sending money to them is a difficult task that takes up a lot of time and effort. But not anymore! With Remit2Home’s cash pick up facility in place problems like these are practically non existent. The cash pick up facility that is provided at various bank branches across the Philippines. Hence the receiver need not have a bank account to receive the remittance. The receiver simply needs to provide IDs as proof of identity and that’s about it!

Now sending money for my dear ones having no bank account is simple and convenient. Great, isn’t it?

Saturday, June 14, 2008

On a referral spree

I’ve gone crazy! No, seriously, I mean it. Ever since I found myself getting lucky I’ve been going overboard with a new interest that has caught my fancy. I am talking about the referral policy offered by Remit2Home which is making remitters like me richer by a few dollars. When I came to know of it I thought of referring a friend of mine who has recently shifted base. I didn’t pay attention to this later and comfortably forgot all about the referral. But when I found myself richer by $5 three days ago, I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t believe my luck and that’s when I thought of earning some more bucks. With this idea in mind I started referring other friends too and now I am a richer man! What I really like about this plan is that it’s very simple. All you need to do is refer a friend and think of ways to spend the money you get from Remit2Home. It’s easy and convenient and certainly a great way to win some quick cash.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Tracking my transaction

Last night when I was flipping through my photo album I happened to look at an old picture of mine with my college buddies. One of them was a very close friend who was quite dear to me. Suddenly, I stood up and recalled that his birthday falls today. I had nearly missed it but thank god! I wasn’t too late. I immediately switched on my PC and logged on to my Remit2Home account. Whenever I am in a hurry like this I fall back on Remit2Home which helps me to stay in touch with my family and friends. I remitted some cash for my friend and got to track the status of my remittance online very conveniently. This was made possible by the Status Tracker power tool which lets me track the status of my remittances online which in turn helps me to know exactly when the beneficiary has received the funds.

The status tracker also lets me check the history of all past transactions, just like a bank passbook. This is what being customer friendly means, right? I am sure my buddy must have got a pleasant surprise and I hope to stay thoughtful for the rest of my life.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Break from jotting down

One of my friends in Davao is relocating to Manila. He mailed me last night and informed me this. I have asked him to send me his new address as soon as he reaches Manila because he’s a dear friend and apart from staying in touch I need his address to send him cash on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. He promised he would mail me his address once he shifts to his new house. I said I’ll wait. The best part is that once he sends me the new address I would need it just once for sending remittances. No, I don’t mean to say I would remit him just once, all I am trying to say is that once I get the address I’ll enter it in the address book and use it subsequently to send the money. This has been made possible by Remit2Home which has this great Address Book facility that saves the time on filling in the beneficiary’s details every time I need to remit money. Once I enter the details I get to use them for all my future remittances. Isn’t this great? I finally get a break from jotting down every thing.

Found a quick solution!

Last week I sent some money for my niece who’s attending the university this year. I thought of sponsoring her education and given the kind of facilities banks offer these days it didn’t seem too difficult as well. But with my memory playing spoilsport all the time I was worried if I’d remember the dates when I need to send the money for the Education loan EMI. This was an important task and there was no room for error. I was thinking about this when I stumbled upon Remit2Home’s Standing instructions facility which is designed to allow remitters like me to schedule in advance the monthly and quarterly payments online.

It’s an automatic service that helps me to place the instructions just once and forget about the transaction completely. The transfer is made on time and I get timely updates on the status of the transaction. This is what I call piece of mind.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

New work on its way

My boss hinted at a new assignment for me later next month. My friends at office have been telling me that the boss is indeed happy with my work and I can certainly look forward to a promotion or at least a salary hike. Anyway, getting back to the new assignment I was talking about this one is probably going to take me to different cities where I’d be spending a few weeks.

Travelling is not an issue with me, what the issue actually is that I am not sure about what to do with the regular remittance that I send back home sometimes, even on daily basis. I was thinking about this when my friends told me to relax. They said Remit2Home has a mobile alerts service that keeps the remitter and his beneficiaries posted on the status of the transfer. They also told me that I’d get regular updates on the new products and services that are being offered by the company. I heaved a sigh of relief once I came to know of this. I am confident my journey would be pleasurable now.

Glued to the phone

For a talkative person like me the telephone is a boon. It helps me to communicate with my near and dear ones and also to keep in touch with old time friends. But the call charges are so high these days that talking over the phone is getting rare. So when a plan like getting a 50 mins calling card free for just transacting comes by I find it hard to resist.

Yes, that’s right. Getting a 50 mins calling card free for simply transacting on Remit2Home, an online money transfer service provider which has several other promotional plans up its sleeves is all you got to do. For OFWs like me who make transactions too frequently this is like a cherry on top of the cake. I am sure people who cringe at the thought of paying huge bills to the telephone company must be rubbing their eyes in disbelief. But it’s true.

So the next time I feel like talking to my friends or colleagues for a little longer I know what to do.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Remitting minus banking

I just received a call from my aunt in the Philippines. She had a great news for me, my cousin delivered twins last night! The mother and kids are doing fine and it’s celebration time for my family. My cousin had problems in conceiving and there were little chances of her conceiving a child ever. The family was very careful and took her to Manila to deliver the kids. But they’ll soon go back to their native village. I am really very happy and I can’t wait to hold the babies. But there’s still time for that. In the meanwhile, I am going to be the good uncle and send some money for my cousin. When my mom came to know of this she asked me how this was going to be because my cousin doesn’t have a bank account. I told her with Remit2Home’s Cash delivery service sending money to those who don’t have a bank account is very simple. Remit2Home provides cash delivery facility across the length and breadth of Philippines. Even if the receiver does not have a bank account in the country, he can receive the remittance. I hope my dear cousin likes this gesture!

Starting off on a positive note

Some people say that if you have something good to share with the world you should always go ahead. I don’t know if the ramblings of a Filipino living away from home in the USA would interest many but I am starting out because I guess I have learnt quite a lot here and there’s no harm in sharing some of my experiences with nameless and faceless people.

To begin with, I am an OFW living in the US for the past 3 years. My folks back home in the Philippines are my near and dear ones. I am deeply attached to my family and despite being away for so long I’ve never felt the distance. This has to do with my long and joyful association with Remit2Home which has solved my problem of sending money back home on time. I’ve never had to trust any other name because Remit2Home has not given me any reason to complain. It offers best exchange rates, fund transfer by Citigroup, has an extensive delivery network in the Philippines and has a 24hour Live Help service which takes care of everything related to remittances. Besides, I get to avail some really cool offers which are like bonus. From my long association with them, I can safely say that my problems are always taken care of by them and my family too prefers Remit2Home over others.

Enough of my useful insights now. I think I should save some for my next posts. Catch you people later.