Cebu Pacific launches GetGo Peso+ Prepaid Visa Card

Cebu Pacific has been on a roll, launching a number of credit and debit cards in partnership with Union Bank for their rewards program GetGo. Now, they are launching a pre-paid Visa card that earns GetGo points and can store multiple currencies for foreign travel as well as a virtual card for online shopping! Find out, if the prepaid Visa card is worth getting!

Cebu Pacific Airlines has been aggressively adding partners and ways to earn points in their rewards program GetGo. I compared the available credit cards to earn GetGo points and now, Union Bank and Cebu Pacific are adding the GetGo Peso+ Prepaid Visa Card.

A prepaid card is not a credit card, so you don’t need to have “good credit” to get it and it’s not a bank account, but it works a little like either. You can load a prepaid card with money at a retailer or bank and then use the card to pay anywhere a Visa debit or credit card is accepted. and withdraw cash from any ATM with the Visa sign. You can only spend as much money as you have loaded on it, making it safe and easy to control your spending, without risk of running up debt or having to pay interest. 
You can also transfer money between cards for a fee of PHP20 – this can be interesting for families or for Filipinos working abroad, making it easy to transfer money to family back home.
You can transfer your Pesos into 9 different currencies on the card, think of it like different slots in your wallet. The transfer is made at an exchange rate set by Union Bank – I was not able to compare those rates, so it’s unclear how high the foreign exchange fee is. 

The GetGo Visa is the first pre-paid card that earns points or miles: For every PHP88 you earn 1 GetGo point – that’s a reward rate of 0.3% on your purchase, not much but better than nothing. Your points are automatically transferred to your GetGo account, so there is no minimum and no need to call the bank to convert points, like with many other cards in the Philippines. You also get a 10% discount when redeeming points for flights! If you already have a GetGo account, you receive a second account number with the Peso+ card and have to link the accounts online.

These benefits come at a cost: There is a fee of PHP150 to get the card – that’s not too bad, it’s the same fee you’d pay for a GetGo membership card. There are also fees to withdraw cash (Domestic P20, International P200) and inactivity after 6 months (P200/month). Reloads fees vary and are set by the retail partners.

There is also a “virtual card” for purchases online. You’ll have an account just like with the Peso+ card, but can only use it for online purchases, not at ATMs or merchants. You can apply for either or both.

Bottomline: The GetGo Peso+ Visa Prepaid card is an interesting addition. You earn points on a prepaid card, but the various fees can quickly eat up the benefits of the GetGo points you earn. Similar to other prepaid cars, I’d consider this card for anybody who can’t qualify for a credit card. I personally use a prepaid card in addition to my credit cards to manage risk – even if the card is stolen or hacked, I will only loose the money I loaded onto the card, making it useful abroad or for online purchases.
You can find all the details and apply for the card here and receive your physical card from a partner!

I plan to apply for this card and will update with a full review later!


Comments

Cebu Pacific launches GetGo Peso+ Prepaid Visa Card — 41 Comments

  1. Its okay i use getgo peso+prepaid visa card to book a flight to other airlines???? Like airasia and pal.????

    • Yes, you can use the GetGo Peso+ Prepaid and earn points anywhere Visa is accepted, including AirAsia, PAL and other airlines.

  2. Why I am being required to input my PIN # … I dont remember inputting my PIN when I availed the card ……or I just forgot about it 🙁

    • You can go to any Union Branch with your GetGo Peso+ card and cash. Ask the staff to load the cash on the card. They will deposit the cash to your card and provide a receipt. You will be able to use the card with the new balance immediately.

    • Log into your GetGo acccount online, click on “Profile” and “Link Account”. You will have the chance to link your new GetGo number on your prepaid card to your existing GetGo account. Points from both account will be accumulated!
      You can click here!

  3. How to load my getgo peso+ in 7/11 kiosk. I tried the emoney but when I give the receipt it says Unable to validate account. I tried the card no and getgo no but still get the same error.

  4. Hello? how do you load it in Union Bank? thru the card number that appears or your getgo card number? Tellers are asking for account number. In Robinsons, they are asking if it is for bills payment of deposit. thanks for the help.

    • At Union Bank, it’s the card number, not the GetGo number. And it is a cash deposit into your account. Make sure to get a receipt for your deposit.

  5. Hi, I would like to ask what is the difference between the CEB GetGo Visa Debit Card and the CEB GetGo Prepaid Visa Card?

    • The Cebu Pacific GetGo Visa Debit Card is part of a Union Bank checking/current account, allowing you to write checks, make deposits and transfers to/from the current account.
      While the features of the Visa Debit card and GetGo Prepaid Visa card are similar, the Prepaid Card doesn’t have a checking account, so for example you can’t write checks. On the other hand, it’s easier to apply for. If you can’t meet the requirements for a checking account, you might still be able to apply for the Prepaid card.

  6. Is the card number of getgo peso card in bold front area is also my account number to use to deposit a load? The teller told me the account number exed…please point me out if the getgo no. Below of 10 digit is my account number when loading via unionbank deposit;

    • There are two numbers on the GetGo Visa card – the 16 digit number is your Visa card number, the shorter number is your GetGo Account number

    • As a Visa card, it should work anywhere Visa is accepted, including PayPal, but I haven’t tried it myself. Please let us know here, how it works out!

  7. just got my getgo prepaid card…can i use it to pay cebucpac plane ticket but
    the passenger is in the name of my friend..
    thank you.

    • Yes, you can pay for a ticket issued in the name of another person. An airline may ask to see the credit card at the time of check-in, so you might want to give your friend a signed note that you agreed to pay for the ticket, just in case…

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