For parents, education is the best thing they can leave their children with. A good education is a ticket to success and can provide anyone a lifetime shield against poverty. Because education is very important in Filipino culture, parents do their best to send their kids to the best learning institutions regardless of economic status.
When it comes to a child’s learning journey, parents need to face the challenge of paying the price (on top of paying for the cost of raising a child in the Philippines). How much do you need to save for your child’s education? And if you haven’t saved enough, what are other available options for you to pay? Is paying tuition with a credit card possible?
We’re all facing a crisis that makes it difficult to pay for tuition, miscellaneous expenses, and other school fees in cash. So here are some things parents and breadwinners of the family should know about paying school fees with your credit card.
Can I Pay Tuition with a Credit Card in the Philippines?
Yes, you can pay tuition and other school fees with a credit card in most learning institutions in the Philippines. Of course, if you’re going with this mode of payment, your credit limit must be enough to pay for the amount required.
Fortunately, most schools and colleges offer affordable and flexible monthly, quarterly, and annual tuition fee payments.
Advantages of Paying Tuition with a Credit Card
It’s always better to pay for tuition in cash, so you won’t have to worry about the credit card bill later. But when you’re short on cash and want a quick and hassle-free option, you can always charge it to your credit card.
Here are more benefits to paying tuition with a credit card.
Installment Payments
Credit cards in the Philippines can help parents pay tuition fees on an installment basis. Even without cash on hand, cardholders can settle all school fees through a credit card and repay in installments. The mode of repayment highly depends on the terms and conditions set by the credit card issuer for this privilege.
Convenience
You can pay the full tuition along with other fees without the need to bring a considerable amount of cash. Depending on your child’s school, you can visit it once and swipe your card for payment. Or you can pay online using the school’s financial information via a payment gateway. You can also have it enrolled as one of your credit card billers.
Affordability
Most credit card issuers charge as low as a 1% monthly add-on rate. However, you need to check with the school if it requires additional fees when you pay with a credit card instead of cash or check. Some schools may charge processing fees on top of your total payable amount.
Rewards
Some credit cards let you earn points, miles, or cashback when used to pay for tuition. It depends on the credit card you own. If you have a new credit card with a sizable spend requirement, you can use it to pay your child’s tuition.
Not only will you be able to pay in affordable installments. You’ll also get rewards points and meet the spend requirement to receive a free welcome gift or waived annual fees for life.
Disadvantages of Paying Tuition with a Credit Card
Some credit cardholders opt not to use their credit cards to pay for tuition because it exposes them to debt, plus these other disadvantages.
Low Credit Limit
If your credit limit is too low, you won’t be able to use it to pay the tuition fee in full. Even if you settle your outstanding balance, your credit limit may still not be enough.
You can request an increase in credit limit from your bank, although this will be subject to approval. Still, you can pay for other school fees and miscellaneous expenses that are not as significant as tuition for a whole school year.
No Credit Card Payments
Some learning institutions accept only traditional modes of payment such as cash and check. More often than not, it’s the small schools with a small student population located in provincial areas. For this, you may have to make a cash advance on your credit card. But that will also incur additional charges and fees.
Not All Credit Cards are Accepted
Some schools and colleges have their preference when it comes to the credit cards that they accept. So it can be a hassle if they’re provider-specific like BPI or Metrobank credit cards only, or network-specific like Visa or Mastercard only.
Schools That Accept Credit Card Tuition Fee Payment in the Philippines
Fortunately, there are quite a lot of schools, colleges, and universities in the Philippines that accept credit cards for tuition fee payments. In case you’re wondering if your child’s school is one of them, check out the table below that lists some schools and colleges where you can pay via credit card.
Read more: 9 Helpful Family Budgeting Tips in the New Normal
How to Pay Tuition with a Credit Card
Depending on the school, you may need to pay over the counter or through online payment channels with your credit card.
Swipe your credit card at the school’s point-of-sale terminal to pay over the counter. From there, call your bank to apply for conversion from straight purchase to installment.
If you’re going to pay online, you may need to enroll the school as a biller first using your preferred online payment channel. Do a bill payment using your credit card. Again, you’ll need to call your bank to apply for installment conversion.
Lastly, you can pay with a credit card via the school’s online payment platform. Just key in the amount and your credit card details, then confirm the transaction. Call your bank to apply for installment payments.
Credit Card Tuition Fee Promos You Can Avail
Make your tuition payment easier and lighter on the pocket through monthly installments. If you’re looking for credit card promos that you can avail of to pay for tuition fees this year, here are just some of them.
HSBC Balance Conversion Plan for Tuition Fees
Can you pay tuition with a credit card from HSBC? Yes, definitely!
HSBC’s Card Balance Conversion Plan for Tuition Fees[1] allows you to use your HSBC credit card at monthly interest rates of 1% for six months and 0.75% for 12 and 24 months. A processing fee of ₱250 is charged for each approved application.
For example, if you charge a straight transaction of ₱40,000 for tuition expenses, you can convert it to installment payments for 24 months and pay just ₱1,966.67 per month.
BPI SIP Balance Transfer Loan
The SIP Balance transfer promo comes with a monthly add-on rate of 0.99% for 36 months. BPI credit cardholders of any of the following cards and are in good standing can avail of this special installment plan:
- Blue Mastercard
- BPI Gold
- Petron-BPI Mastercard
- Edge Mastercard
- Amore Cashback
- Amore Platinum Cashback
- Visa Signature
Use your BPI credit card to avail of the Special Installment Plan[2] promo and enjoy the BPI tuition fee installment. SIP is just a way of simplifying things with just one card. You can convert your credit limit into cash, which will be directly credited to your BPI savings account in four days, or through a manager’s check that will be available seven days after your application.
Considering getting a BPI credit card for tuition payments? Check out these options!
💳 BPI Blue Mastercard
- Earn 1 BPI Point for every ₱35 spend
- Up to 36 months installment terms
- Up to ₱2 million travel insurance coverage
💳 BPI Edge Mastercard
- Earn 1 BPI Point for every ₱50 spend
- Up to 36 months installment terms
💳 Petron-BPI Mastercard
- 3% fuel rebate at participating Petron stations
- ₱200 fuel voucher welcome gift
💳 BPI Amore Cashback Card
- Cashback for every ₱1,000 local spend: 4% cashback on supermarkets, 1% on drug stores and utilities, 0.3% on other local spend
- Up to 36 months installment terms
💳 BPI Gold Mastercard
- Earn 1 BPI Point for every ₱35 spend
- Free travel insurance up to ₱10 million
- Up to 36 months installment terms
💳 BPI Amore Platinum Cashback
- Cashback for every ₱1,000 spend anywhere: 4% on restaurants, 1% on supermarkets and other shopping stores, 0.3% on everything else
- Up to 36 months installment terms
💳 BPI Visa Signature
- Earn 2 BPI Points for every ₱20 spend
- 50% off Signature deals
- Free travel insurance up to ₱20 million
- Free annual fee for three years for Preferred Clients
Security Bank SimplyPay
All Security Bank Mastercard credit cardholders can avail of Security Bank’s SimplyPay facility, which has up to ₱500,000 credit limit. Pay in full and then in installment for up to 12 months at just a low monthly add-on rate.
Aside from paying tuition fees, you can also use this feature to pay insurance premiums, hospital bills, utility bills, and even rent.
To be eligible for the SimplyPay feature, you must be a principal credit cardholder of any of the following Security Bank cards, and they must be active and current:
- Classic
- Gold
- Platinum
- World
- Cashback
- Next Mastercard
For straight payments, the minimum transaction is ₱1,000, while it’s ₱3,000 for installment payments. To apply for SimplyPay, fill out the online SimplyPay Application Form,[3] accept the Terms and Conditions, tick the data privacy box, and then click Submit. Alternatively, you can call the Security Bank Customer Service hotline at +632 8887 9188.
You’ll get a notification via SMS or email whether your application is approved or declined. It usually takes about six days to process the application upon submission of the form. And then once approved and processed, the corresponding fees and rates will be automatically charged to your account.
Pay Tuition Fees with Ease with PNB
Got a PNB credit card? You can pay tuition fees straight or in installments. The minimum installment amount is ₱3,000, and principal and supplementary cardholders in good credit standing can avail of the offer.
There’s a processing fee of 5% of your total balance, or ₱500, whichever is higher. And more importantly, all your installment payments will earn rewards points or miles.
Email pnbcreditcards@pnb.com.ph or call PNB Cards at +632 8818 9818 for more information.
Final Thoughts
Paying tuition with a credit card isn’t all that bad, especially if you have a high credit limit and are eligible for the offer. If you have problems with cash at the moment but can easily make the installment payments later, then there’s no problem!
What’s more, you get to enjoy the convenience of cashless payments, whether over the counter or online. Opting for credit card payments can also help you save more money and earn more rewards points and rebates.
Sources:
- [1] HSBC Balance Conversion Plan for Tuition Fees
- [2] BPI S.I.P. Loan Balance Transfer
- [3] Security Bank SimplyPay Form
- Photos from Freepik
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