´ó¿§¸£ÀûÓ°Ôº

1. What is the best bank to transfer my money to right now here in America so that I have the lowest ATM fees

The best way to find one is by asking the banks there. SInce most of the  larger banks here will accept inbound transfers, there's almost any combination you can  imagine. If you have securities somewhere in the US, try the investment company. Mine offered a "savings account" type of account that transfer fee free. My USAA back also is free.

Few, if any bans will accept inbound dollars to be converted and deposited in a peso account. So, hopefully you have a US$ account already here.

Biggest banks here are BDO, BPI & Metrobank. BDO has offices and ATMs in most SM malls (all over).

2. A lot of my net work is in Angeles city but other than that where else outside of there can I find the largest ex pat community

I am in the Manila Metro area. Makati and BGC in Taguig are probably the largest here. I would guess there are communities in/near most cities here.

3. I’m in my mid-30s right now just curious if I will probably be the youngest American who’s out there? Is that going to cause resentment from other ex-pats?

It shouldn't. Here in Metro Manila there is a sampling  of all ages that meld together without a thoughy.

If you are in your 30's and single and plan on being or living in the Philippines be very, very careful and watch out for pretentious people-especially Philippinas. You will stick out like a sore thumb and be a humungous target for scammers. A little common sense goes a long way. Watch as many videos on youtube as you can pertaining to the Philippines and learn about this country. I have lived here 9 yrs plus and am learning new things every day. Be very cautious here. Decisions and choices have consequences. I had to learn the hard way. Good luck!

capricornrising wrote:

If you are in your 30's and single and plan on being or living in the Philippines be very, very careful and watch out for pretentious people-especially Philippinas. You will stick out like a sore thumb and be a humungous target for scammers. A little common sense goes a long way. Watch as many videos on youtube as you can pertaining to the Philippines and learn about this country. I have lived here 9 yrs plus and am learning new things every day. Be very cautious here. Decisions and choices have consequences. I had to learn the hard way. Good luck!

"ditto"

manwonder wrote:

capricornrising wrote:

If you are in your 30's and single and plan on being or living in the Philippines be very, very careful and watch out for pretentious people-especially Philippinas. You will stick out like a sore thumb and be a humungous target for scammers. A little common sense goes a long way. Watch as many videos on youtube as you can pertaining to the Philippines and learn about this country. I have lived here 9 yrs plus and am learning new things every day. Be very cautious here. Decisions and choices have consequences. I had to learn the hard way. Good luck!

"ditto"

Who needs Expats with all the Angels in Angeles City?

capricornrising wrote:

If you are in your 30's and single and plan on being or living in the Philippines be very, very careful and watch out for pretentious people-especially Philippinas. You will stick out like a sore thumb and be a humungous target for scammers. A little common sense goes a long way. Watch as many videos on youtube as you can pertaining to the Philippines and learn about this country. I have lived here 9 yrs plus and am learning new things every day. Be very cautious here. Decisions and choices have consequences. I had to learn the hard way. Good luck!

Succinct and right on the button

capricornrising wrote:

If you are in your 30's and single and plan on being or living in the Philippines be very, very careful and watch out for pretentious people-especially Philippinas. You will stick out like a sore thumb and be a humungous target for scammers.

Yes.
I believe its WORST in Angeles city followed by Metro Manila and Cebu city by the some different "culture" in Angeles (from by the many sex bars) and more money at these places than elsewhere and money is magnet for scammers...

Cebu city even has a special "hunting foreigners" mall     where a bunch of gold digger Filipinas look for foreigners to scam. I have forgot the name.

Tariq1983 wrote:

2. A lot of my net work is in Angeles city but other than that where else outside of there can I find the largest ex pat community

I suppouse many Americans in Clark, Olongapo too by military history.
I havent counted Americans    but there are many foreigners in cities as Cebu, Baguio, Davao and Dumaguete.   (Dumaguete is a foreign "retirement city" but on the other hand there are many college age Filipino students there.)

I'm the only expat I know of in my barangay and I like it that way. If I wanted to be around a bunch of Americans, I would have stayed in American.

coach53 wrote:

capricornrising wrote:

If you are in your 30's and single and plan on being or living in the Philippines be very, very careful and watch out for pretentious people-especially Philippinas. You will stick out like a sore thumb and be a humungous target for scammers.

Yes.
I believe its WORST in Angeles city followed by Metro Manila and Cebu city by the some different "culture" in Angeles (from by the many sex bars) and more money at these places than elsewhere and money is magnet for scammers...

Cebu city even has a special "hunting foreigners" mall     where a bunch of gold digger Filipinas look for foreigners to scam. I have forgot the name.

The mall you are referring to is I suspect the Ayala Mall. On my first visit to Cebu City I stayed at the Marriott which was a stones throw from that mall. Then it was the most 'up market' mall in Cebu and I would often drop in there for a latte at one of the coffee shops. One day I noticed a pretty Filipina reading a book. That garnered my interest as very few Filipinos (sadly) read books. I knew she was different from the rest by her demeanour - demure but confident. I caught her eye and we chatted and she showed me the sights including a day trip to Bohol. She was from a poor family but not on the game - it just was not in her nature.

For the OP any woman who approaches you in the Philippines or who regularly makes eye contact - avoid and keep your dick in your pants. Make sure you always make the first approach. If you're into the girly bar scene and are ok with the clichéd " How are you, what is your name, London Bridge is falling down", you will be relatively safe but the bar fine will be your 'protection' money.

Capricorn rising hits the nail on the head by saying use your common sense but very few take this advice and even if you do some of the scams will still get through. Unfortunately the 'street cred' attribute is something that only a bad experience can teach you..

Nice.  I wonder how many days would the quarantine be upon arriving.  Currently 6 days.  I'd be okay with 2 days around May.

I would wait a little longer before buying ticket.   Philippines had planned to open this year but we all know what happened after.

Tariq1983

Welcome.  I can't answer #2 question but as far as #1 and #3....   Charles Schwab is the best for ATM recovery fees...  no charge whatsoever..  I have done my research on this..   #3.  Yea.. probably the youngest there but I have no reason why you wouldn't be welcomed by other expats.

Hope this helps ya some.  Good luck and I'm trying to get over there early 2022 myself.  Cebu.

Later T

OMICRON just threw a spanner in the works....just a few days after I booked my flight out of here (March'2022)
Hope some sanity returns quickly (this is getting crazy!!!)

Yes don't dust off that suitcase just yet. The scientists won't know for a few weeks whether this new strain of the virus is capable of evading the current vaccines.

Me too... Supposed to Fly March 3- April 4... Now they will shut down again... For a Cold. These Knee Jerk reactions for something that is NOT going away, and NOT nearly as "deadly" as the woke left Libs like it to be is exhausting... 🙄

Hello Tariq1983,

Congratulations on your decision to go to the Philippines in April. Great country. I was an expat there for almost 3 years between 2011 and the end of 2013, so I can definitely help you with your 3 questions…

1- How about NO ATM fees? And how about NO foreign currency exchange fees?  You can keep whatever bank you have in the US and just take your Charles Schwab VISA card with you and use it like any credit or debit card anywhere in the world. At the end of each month, they will give you a 100% refund on ANY ATM fees and foreign currency exchange fees that you incur while in any foreign country. And the cost to get this VISA card is $0. Nada. Nothing.

All you do is open up an account with Charles Schwabb and connect your bank account to theirs, transfer money from your bank ahead of time, and you’re good to go with your new card! It’s called an individual brokerage account, and no, you don’t need to buy or trade stocks. You can just use the banking feature. Ready to get started? It only takes about 10 minutes to do online. Then you can download the App for your phone or tablet if you want to.

Go to:

2- Besides Angeles City outside of Manila which also has a large expat community, you’ll find many more expats in Cebu City and in Dumaguete on Negros island. Been to all of those places. There are more, but those are the largest that I have been to. Any McDonalds or Seattle’s Best coffee will have some hanging out there.

3- Take my advice and NEVER be concerned with what others think of you. It’s a complete waste of time and energy and means nothing. So with that said, being younger than many expats will NOT be a problem at all. There are many your age and even younger who are abroad on vacation or are remote workers online (digital nomads). So, you’ll always be in good company.

Hope that helps. Have fun!

Capricornrising makes a lot of sense , and yes there are many ex-p;ats in Durmaguete, I suspect apart from the city of smiles and activities available, the excellent health facilities available also another reason, be careful some  ex-pats have  been fleeced , make friends with an ex-pat if you can,  who has lived here for a few years, I was taken to the cleaners, but meet some wonderful, honest, humble locals people too, I have learnt my lesson ! like many ex-pats they would rather be around the locals , and many marry , hope it goes  well for you , and Philippnes does open soon !