Getting Western Union-Adsense payments at BPI
February 28, 2009
Yesterday, I got my Google Adsense earnings via Western Union. For a change, though, I opted to pick up my payment at a branch of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI).
Yes, for those who do not know it yet, you can go to BPI or any other local bank to get your Western Union payments.
The requirements are the same. You need to show valid IDs and you need to fill up the same “Receiving Money” form.
However, in the case of BPI, you need to wait for several hours before you can get your money. That’s because the branch still has to send a communication to the head office where your Western Union payment request will be verified and then processed.
Of course, I was not willing to wait at the bank yesterday so I just instructed the staff to directly deposit it to my savings account. After two hours, I got a message from the bank staff that the transaction is complete and my account has been credited with the payment.
Like in other Western Union branches, there are no fees to receive the money except for the 0.15% documentary stamp tax.
Was it worth it? Not for me. I don’t think I’m willing to wait that long just to get my payment. In other Western Union branches, I only have to wait for around 10 minutes before I can get the money.
This was the first and probably the last time I’ll use BPI to get my Adsense earnings. Next time, I’ll just go to a WU branch near me to pick up the payment.
March 1st, 2009 at %I:%M %p
Thanks for this information James. I think getting adsense payment thru BPI is ideal only for those huge adsense earners.
March 2nd, 2009 at %I:%M %p
Why is that so, Tyrone? I think even if you claim only $100, it’s still OK to use BPI. However, because of the time lag between your request and when you actually receive the money, it’s a hassle to use banks to claim Western Union payment. No wonder they don’t advertise this much even if they offer the service.
March 2nd, 2009 at %I:%M %p
Hi James,
I called at BPI and was informed that they only accept Western Union transactions until 11:00 AM only. But if you trust BPI enough, then it ain’t so bad to have your adsense earnings go straight to your BPI account 2 hours or so. I might go to BPI tomorrow to claim my first Adsense payout. I’ll probably instruct them to deposit the earnings to my savings account. Thank you so much for this helpful information James. :D
March 5th, 2009 at %I:%M %p
@SoNn, I’ll probably try them again if ever I can’t find a Western Union branch near me. I still prefer to just line up for 10 minutes or so in a WU branch then get my cash soon afterwards rather than wait for hours for BPI to complete my transaction :)
November 2nd, 2009 at %I:%M %p
“I think getting adsense payment thru BPI is ideal only for those huge adsense earners.”
I beg to disagree. Because WU exchange rate are very low. If you are receiving huge aadsense earnings, that will costs you huge loss in terms of exchange rate. It is better to get your payment on WU in dollar currency and look for a better xrate money changer.