Note: This is an old post from another blog of mine. I'm just transferring it here. 

Part of adulting is paying bills and paying them on or before their due date. Electricity. Cable. Water. Credit Card. Mobile Phone Plans. Internet. As I racked up years working, I also racked up bills to pay and every payday, I would find myself in line at the SM Centers so I could pay those bills on time. It's what I disliked the most about paying bills - the long lines I had to endure because I'm really not the most patient person.

That part of my life's in the past though after embracing the power of technology and going digital. I started with enrolling in online banking after my cousin talked me into it. Just input a few details with the amount and voila! Bill paid! Amazing! Ever since then, that's how I paid for my bills. No more lines.

Recently though, I've discovered another digitally cool way to pay those bills without having the need to fall in line for so long. The secret lies with Coins.ph!

What is Coins.ph

It's a digital wallet that you can use to pay for stuff like bills or load and buy digital currency such as Bitcoins. I've never tried to use it for the latter but it is already an amazing app that has helped me a lot!

What I use it for

Bill payments

Coins.ph will help you pay over 80+ different types of bills. Personally, I use it to pay for cable, Internet + landline, my mobile plans, electricity and water all just by logging in on the app through my smartphone!

Buy prepaid load

I've long said goodbye to the prepaid life but I discovered there were still a number of people in our neighborhood, including my mom, who still needs load. With Coins.ph, I now have a way to supply them with load when they need it.

Check balance and buy Beep card load

There was a time when I was a frequent user of Beep card because I took the MRT to work and then the bus to McKinley which both required the use of Beep card. While I no longer have the need to use Beep as often, I still find myself from time to time using it like the time I had to go to a friend's house in Mandaluyong. Despite the long lines and the crowd, MRT was still my best bet in getting to her place the faster way compared to EDSA traffic.

Because it had been awhile since I last used Beep, I wasn't sure how much balance I had in it and if I needed to buy load for me to be able to use it. With Coins.ph, I was able to do both! I simply had to open my NFC, tap my Beep card at the back of my phone and I was able to see my balance. Turned out, I needed to load it up so I could use it so I selected load card, bought Php50 worth of load and I was ready to ride the MRT! Again, skipped the long lines!

What I love about Coins.ph

There are three things I love about using Coins.ph.

1. So convenient to use

No more long lines. Check! Access it anytime, anywhere (you just need a strong Internet connection). Check! Even cashing in is so easy to do because there are plenty of ways you can do so like Touchpay, 7-11 and GCash are just some of them. Some of them have convenience fees though. If you're cashing in a high amount like Php1000 and above and want to avoid add on fees, cash in at Unionbank or UnionBank Online Banking as they offer 100% fee rebate. Luckily, there's a branch near our office.

2. So many uses

I love that there are a lot of things I can do with Coins.ph such as pay bills, load beep card and buy load. You can even pay Traveloka and Philippine Airlines through the app. For the gamers, you can also buy game credits through it like Steam Wallet, Garena Shells and Level Up!

3. Cashbacks

This is the number one reason I love using Coins.ph. I get cashbacks for my transactions. For every bill I successfully pay, I get Php5.00 back and if I pay 4 unique (meaning I've not paid for it yet for that month) bills in a week, I get Php100 rebate. I also get Php10% back whenever I buy load - be it Smart or Globe. It's not a promo by the way! It's all year long that you can get these cash backs from Coins.ph.

It's seriously an awesome mobile app and I'm glad I discovered it. Want to try it out for yourself? Download Coins.ph through Google Play Store or Apple Play Store. Use my referral code: if2vrm so you and I can both get Php50 after you complete your account verification.

If you want to know more about it, you can visit their website.

Do you do online shopping? You probably do now, right? It is so convenient to buy items online! You can be at home or anywhere else and you can buy an item with the press of a button. With the pandemic and ongoing lockdowns, online shopping has become a norm. Businesses who didn't have e-commerce had to adopt in order to reach more of their customers. In fact, the pandemic has driven growth in the e-commerce industry. 

Personally, I've been enjoying shopping for things online even before the pandemic when most of my friends were still iffy about the idea of buying things online. I would consider myself an early adopter of online shopping. The secret was to find trustworthy online vendors like Zalora, Shopee and Lazada which offer different payment options and have return and exchange policies. 

And because I loved online shopping, I found it very appealing to install an app called, Shopback. 

What is Shopback? 

It's an online site that "helps you get the best deals and discounts on 300+ stores, plus cashback!" When you shop online through Shopback, you will receive a portion of the amount you purchased online back as cashback. Learn more about Shopback here. 

Scam or Legit?

Of course any app that promises I'd earn some cash from using it also makes me wary somewhat.  Was I actually going to get money from it? Well, I tried it because what had I got to lose? I was going to do some online transactions anyway.

After a year and two cashback withdrawals later and I am happy to report that yes, guys! It does work!

How I Used Shopback

This is the mobile app interface. Shopback has a website but I'm always on my phone anyway so I use the mobile app more. Since the lockdowns, I've seen more brands partnered with Shopback. 

Before the lockdown, I used to shop for clothes at Zalora, one of the many brand partners of Shopback. For my online transaction to be credited for some cashback, I simply had to open Shopback app first and from there, click on Zalora. I even used Lazada instead of going to a physical store before to purchase beauty products which I found was cheaper due to their bundled offers. When I had travels whether local or international, I'd book through Booking, Airbnb or Agoda and I would course it through Shopback for cashback. 

I found that some cashbacks took awhile before it got credited to my account like Agoda while some you'll get in a day like Grab (when it was a partner merchant).   

You can see the status of your cashback on the dashboard. As you'll see in the photo above, my available, pending and withdrawn balances are reflected so it's actually easy to keep track.

This was one my total earnings after using Shopback for sometime. You can withdraw your balance once it reaches P200 and you can get it via Paypal or bank deposit. I've been able to withdraw from Shopback multiple times already.  

I love using Shopback because I get some savings from my online shopping. It's extra money I can use for whatever!

Try it out for yourself!  Use my affiliate link to get Php100 cashback bonus for yourself. 

 

Note: this is an old post from another blog of mine from 2019. Transferring it here. 

My favorite workout in life is walking. I could walk for long periods of time. Those who know me in real life know this about me. I'd make you walk to get to a place if I could. I once did that even to my boss! LOL! 

Even when I was actively going to the gym, my favorite workout is still walking. And that’s how I discovered Sweatcoin. Just out of curiosity I searched it online one day – apps that pay you to walk – not expecting that there’s actually such a thing now! 

With a little more research online, you know to make sure it’s not some kind of scam or a virus – I downloaded Sweatcoin via Google Play and Apple Store and I’ve been using it for about a month now.

Now I’m doing more than just walking because I’ve actually managed to keep going to the gym but even until now, if you ask me what my favorite workout is, I’d say walking. And that’s how I discovered Sweatcoin. Just out of curiosity I searched it online one day – apps that pay you to walk – not expecting that there’s actually such a thing now! 

With a little more research online, you know to make sure it’s not some kind of scam or a virus – I downloaded Sweatcoin via Google Play. 

What is SweatCoin? 

SweatCoin is an app that will pay you to walk outdoors. It’s basically designed to motivate people to live a healthier lifestyle by encouraging you to get off the couch and move. For every 1,000 steps you take, the app will convert it and pay you a virtual currency that they call SweatCoin. The virtual currency can be used to redeem products such as gadgets (an iPhone XS or a Samsung TV) or if you’re feeling humanitarian, donation to various charities. If none of those appeal to you, you can also exchange your sweatcoins for USD$1000 cash.   

How Does It Work?

Ever since I made it a point to keep track of my spending, my wallet had always had a receipt or two in it so I could note down my expenses at the end of the day. Now, those receipts have another purpose before getting thrown out in the trash - I snap a photo of them for cash rewards. 

Allow me to introduce you to Snapcart! 

What Is It? 

It's a mobile app where you can snap receipts - any kind of receipt - and be rewarded with coins. The coins can in turn be used to earn cashbacks and vouchers. 

How Does It Work?

It's simple really. When you have a receipt, just open the app and take a photo from there to upload it. You'll get your coins reward instantly which as mentioned can be turned into vouchers or cash. 

Staying updated on news and current events is very important. You can make better and informed decisions when you are aware of what's happening around you. In this day and age of technology, we have more than one way to keep informed. While we can still get the news from newspapers, radio and TV, we can now also get it online!