Online banking has really brought so much convenience to depositors these days.
I remember what it was like in the 80s. If you walked into a bank’s branch, the first thing you’d notice is that the area allocated to backroom operations was so much larger than the area for its depositors. Signature cards were contained in several, long metal file containers; deposit slips were filled out in duplicate or triplicate and different types of checks (on us, local, regional, out of town checks) would require different, color-coded deposit slips; and perhaps the biggest inconvenience was that you could only transact from Monday to Friday and oftentimes, only till 3:30 pm. Clearly, banking processes then were designed more for the banking institutions rather than for the depositing public.
Fast forward to today and we see all banks having some kind of online presence. But even then, not all banks are the same. More banks are better at bringing greater convenience to its depositors than others. In my personal experience, having banked with several banks over my lifetime, BPI’s 24/7 online banking channels are among the best, if not the best.
ATMs
Not many may know this but BPI was probably the first local commercial bank to introduce ATMs in the Philippines. I was then working in the Computer Audit Group of SGV and was a witness to this as I had a chance to look into BPI’s IT systems including ATMs (by saying this I am dating myself, haha). It was a challenge then. BPI not only had to ensure its ATM software and processes were airtight so that everything was balanced and accounted for daily but it also had the pioneering task of changing the mindsets of depositors who were quite reluctant to deal with a machine, especially when it came to dispensing money.
But look where we are today. ATMs are everywhere. And BPI’s ATMs can be found in any nook and cranny, within bank premises, in malls and even in some schools. An ATM’s 24-hour convenience has become part of the Pinoy’s daily life.
EXPRESS ONLINE BANKING
So far this is the one I use a lot. I never have to leave home because I can pay bills (immediate and scheduled), load my mobile phone (and that of my kids), check my investment and credit card accounts aside from my bank accounts, and even get a queue number before I go to the bank, all right from my laptop. Did you know that last one? It’s an option available inside BPI’s Express Online Banking website, right after you log in. Just identify which branch you’re heading for, choose date and time, and it gives you a queue number! This, to me, is a killer feature of BPI’s online banking as it saves me so much time.
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| Look for this button inside your BPI Express Online account |
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| Screenshot of appointment page of BPI Express Assist Online |
BPI Express Mobile App
The latest addition to BPI’s 24/7 banking channels is the BPI Express Mobile App for iOS and Android.
This is really a convenient alternative when I cannot go online on my laptop. On-the-road checking of my balances, being able to pay bills on the fly and even loading up our mobile phones is so easy. In fact, the mobile app allows you to transfer funds to any 3rd party account (as long as you have activated this feature) — something you can’t even do yet via the Expressonline account on the web.
Like me, you can enjoy the painless convenience of BPI’s 24/7 online banking channels. In these times of busyness and traffic, being able to do all these banking transactions from wherever you are truly cuts time, effort and cost for BPI depositors.
BPI Expressonline homepage: www.bpiexpressonline.com
