1/30/14

I upgraded my bank account earlier. It wasn't something I planned but I figured that I should do it while I'm not busy.

It took longer than expected because of my situation. I tried to deposit a check into my savings account before but they told me my account was only allowed for a cash deposit. I could do it if I updated my account but I needed to present valid IDs which I didn't have during that time. This was around 2-3 years ago where my passport was still expired and I didn't have any other IDs. Since then I have been strictly making cash deposits only and any checks I've received is encashed which would take extra effort just because I had to do it in the bank where the check came from.

But now that I have a renewed passport and a couple of IDs, I am eligible to update my account. I also took the opportunity to deposit some money that I have been safekeeping just to add some money into my account.

During the update process, they also had to change some data, specifically my name. My bank account used to indicate only one of my first name plus my middle initial and my surname. The account was created when I was very young and the bank was under a different name so I couldn't remember why they decided to shortcut it. I've never really had problems with it anyway. But now they had to put my full name. I was worried that they have to change my debit/credit cards as well but they didn't have to anymore as they told me the number is the important detail when it comes to the cards.

The lady who assisted me was really nice and even explained to me how to use the credit cards that I currently have. In the past 2-3 years, my bank has been sending me different cards which I have never used because I didn't know how the procedure works and I felt more secure with cash transactions. It turns out that one of the cards is a "rewards" card where I could earn points from making purchases in any SM Malls.

I also had to inquire about linking my account to Paypal since I am interested in opening a personal account in case I find a job that pays through that method. I have been trying to search for online jobs but still unsuccessful at this point. All I've found are scams but let's save that for another post. The tellers that I have talked to were not really sure if my account can be connected but one suggested that I connect it through my credit card. I would probably try that but I realized after that  she could be talking about using Paypal for paying instead of receiving money. I'll have to ask around first in the meantime.