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Thursday, February 6, 2020

How to Earn instead of Spend in Online Shopping?


Do you love online shopping?

Are you fond of scrolling online marketplaces like Lazada or Shopee during your free time?

Do you want to learn a secret on how you can earn money from your "favorite" hobby?

Let me share with you why I love affiliate marketing. During my free time, I love to check online marketplaces. In fact, I have Lazada, Shopee, Zilingo, Zalora apps installed on my phone.


Honestly, if you won't be mindful you'd be surprised that you have ordered a lot already. (Thanks to Cash on Delivery.) However, despite the temptation, you can't stop shopping online because of the great deals that you can find plus the convenience of having it shipped at home.

Can you imagine getting a new pair of socks, clothes or accessories below Php 10 or sometimes free? Toiletries, cleaning products, milk, diapers at 50% off or more? 32 inch TV for Php 500? YES, it exists. :)

Anyway, I am not encouraging you to shop more. Instead, I'd like to share with you that if you are able to find really good products and good deals online then you can share those and get a commission for every sale using a unique affiliate link.



As an affiliate, it will allow you to use a platform to promote advertisers/ brands and earn commissions for every sale.

This is not limited to bloggers but instead, anyone who has a social media account (FB, IG) can join. You just need to share these deals with your friends, FB groups, etc.

If you are interested to become an affiliate for different brands like Lazada, Zalora, Klook, Metrodeal and many more, you may sign-up via this link: https://invol.co/clktg8

Got any questions? Feel free to comment below.

-------------------------------
UPDATE as of 04/28/20:  I signed up with Involve Asia last February and now, I was able to withdraw my February earnings via Paypal. So, I can say that they're legit. :) 


Once again, if you are interested to become an affiliate for different brands like Lazada, Zalora, Klook, Metrodeal and many more, you may sign-up via this link: https://invol.co/clktg8

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Tips and Tricks on Being an ESL Teacher

by Robbie Jean Lorenzo, Guest Contributor



One of my favorite philosophers once said, “Teaching is the highest form of understanding.” --- I definitely agree.

During one of my English for Freelancers online classes, when I asked my students for their expectations of the course and what they want to achieve, about 15 students said that they want to learn more about being ESL teachers.

I could give a few tips and do a few vlogs. But the best way for me to share about it is to write a post – so here goes.
  
How I became an ESL Teacher
For most of you who do not know my story, I started working at home fulltime in January of 2017. To cut the story short, I resigned from my toxic corporate job bought a laptop on loan, had internet installed in our house, and started looking for online jobs.

It was a really big leap. But this happened to be the start of my journey towards taking charge and full control of my life.

I saw a few ads about working as an online English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher so I gave it a shot and submitted my resume.

A day after sending my application via email (yes, that fast) I received a phone call that also happened to be an initial interview. The interviewer on the other line asked about my background, whether I had teaching experience, whether I was amendable to working from 6pm to 9pm (those are the peak hours) and whether I had a quiet, well-lighted room that I could use in online teaching.

Technical Check, Equipment and Other Specs

All of my answers were affirmative so I moved on to the technical check. Because I bought a new laptop, this part was quite easy. To know more about computer or laptop specs and other technical requirements for ESL opportunities, click here.

I also invested in a Logitech noise-canceling headset, that cost around P2,000. It’s quite pricey, but it turned out to be a great investment. The one I bought is super sturdy. I’ve been using it for recordings and client meetings, and sometimes my kid plays with it like crazy.

Plus, if you’re really planning to make a career in working online as an ESL teacher, you have to have your own headset.
  
Training and Demo

When I passed the technical check, I then moved on to the two-training. The meeting room we used was skype; we were around 10 participants so the line would always get crowded and sometimes would get cut. But it was a really cool experience.

We had a refresher on grammar, pronunciation, our students’ country’s culture, we were briefed on the demographics of our students- everything we need to know about the job was discussed in the training.

Then we got ready for our demo. Although not everyone passes the demo, if you fail, you can practice, try again, and just retake it.

Preparing for the Big Teaching Day

1. Toys and Props

A lot of ESL companies cater to Asians of all ages. The company I worked for catered to as young as 3 years old to as old as 75.

One great challenge that I faced was the inability of young ones to focus on the lesson. After all, they are a bit too young to grasp certain concepts and ideas. However, this shouldn’t be an excuse, and instead, it should be seen as an opportunity to reach out and teach kids English and communication skills.

Even though the module was colorful and made specifically for kids, I, the teacher, needed to reach out and explore other means to catch the student’s attention.

So, I borrowed my daughter’s toys, practiced my puppet voice, and started coming up with characters to help me teach. Later on, I made finger puppets, paper dolls, and other crafts to help kids really learn while having fun.



This not only enabled me to fully teach and let my students understand the lesson, it also got a lot of regular students who repeatedly booked my teaching slot.

2. Brush up on small talk

As I had different students of different ages, I realized that it was harder to establish rapport and start a conversation with adults than with kids. Imagine teaching a 75-year-old male Asian English terms and conversation skills. Not only will you run out of topics to talk about, but you’ll also find it awkward and uncomfortable if you keep asking him how he is or how the weather is.

To avoid uncomfortable situations like this, I started listing down possible small topics. Other than the weather or his predicament, I ask my students:

  • Sports – Do they have a favorite sport, do they watch basketball, who are the teams they love to watch and route for. You can try to find out if they are a sports fan. 
  • Food – If the class is in the morning, ask about what they had for breakfast.
  • Entertainment – This topic is a great conversation starter. It leads to a lot of subtopics and lets you get to know the person more. You can ask, “Do you enjoy watching movies?” If the answer is NO, follow-through by asking, “How about books? Music?”
  • Hobbies – Other than their favorite movie or book, a good topic is something like to for fun. Start by asking, “What's your favorite hobby?" 
 3.  Your best accessory is your smile

A lot of people take for granted the power of one’s smile. Your online presence not only provides the first impression that sometimes lasts a lifetime, but it also says a lot about you – a lot of things that you don’t need to explicitly say. A good smile says that you are approachable, friendly, open and easy to talk to.


 This is very important if you want to establish a good rapport, have a lasting impression, and later on, have regular students.

4. Mind your background

When I started teaching, the walls in our house weren’t painted yet. It was solid and bare gray. It was acceptable during the first two weeks. But a month after, the company asked me to either find a solid painted spot or place a tarpaulin with the company logo as a background. I opted for the latter.

This directive is actually quite practical.

Our goal is to make sure the students focus on what we’re teaching and learn the language. Anything distracting them would hinder our objective in achieving our goal.

We are, therefore, responsible, for everything that the student sees within the four corners of our screen. We need to make sure everything within those corners is tidy and non-distracting. We can do this by recording ourselves to see if anything is amiss.

What to Remember – Tips on Effective Online ESL Teaching

1. Ask Open Ended Questions – When engaging in a conversation with your students, make sure that you ask questions that allow them to explain further. Don’t opt for questions answerable by yes or no. That'll give them more opportunities to express themselves and practice speaking the language.

E.g. instead of asking your student, “Did you have fun today?” you can ask “What is the best thing you have learned today? 
  
2. Be Animated – Another good thing about recording yourself is you get to know yourself better. I have one student in my Freelancing Course who told me in one of our one-on-ones that when she recorded herself and watched the recording, it made her cringe. She didn’t like what she saw.

That reaction is quite normal. This just shows that we really don’t know ourselves that well. It could be a horrible or an interesting experience – it depends on your perspective.

It’s also an opportunity for us to improve our gestures and body language, online and offline.

Because our students won’t see every inch of us, we’ll have the opportunity to control what they see.

Get to know your gestures, where you put your hands, how you move your head and body, your facial expressions… There are a lot of things you’ll find out about yourself by doing this.

3. Always Encourage – Being positive can be contagious. Our job as teachers is not just to teach English, it’s also to believe in our students and push them further to learn the language.

The best teacher is someone who believes in his students.

Make your students feel that they can make it, that it doesn’t have to be perfect, and that every inch of progress no matter how small should be celebrated!

4. Take care of your voice

When I started teaching, there was one thing I always kept losing – my voice.

At that time, I was also singing for our ministry’s choir. I wasn’t really fond of drinking water in between teaching sessions or paying attention to how I breathe and take in air. This resulted in me having hoarse or no voice at all.

Not only was able unable to sing most times, but I was also unable to teach.

Because of this, I had to research further on proper breathing while singing and teaching, I had to drink a lot of water every day, and look up other ways to take care of my voice. It was, after all, my bread and butter.
  
A Noble Profession Indeed

It is with so much joy that I finished every class. It’s very true, teaching is a profession that is a mother of all other occupations. May it be teaching young students, professionals or people at the prime of their lives, nothing can give so much fulfillment than knowing that I was able to help out another person learn English and understand another language.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Fish & Tips : The Ultimate Guide in Choosing the Perfect Hotel Accommodation

Travel planning is both fun and challenging. Getting cheap airline tickets is now possible as long as you book early. Budget airlines have been offering really low fares. A few months ago, we were able to score roundtrip tickets to Japan for approximately $50 per person. Thus, we're so excited to visit Tokyo Disneyland, eat chankonabe, have a glimpse of the majestic Mt. Fuji and even take a ride in shinkansen

Hotel accommodation is another story. We don't really go for the cheapest. Instead, we make sure that it's adequate, safe and comfortable. Since this will be our first time to visit, we really do not have any idea where to stay. This is why we're very happy to discover Fish & Tips. 



Fish & Tips is the most detailed and comprehensive hotel review website. It features 300+ real hotel lodging experience articles in Japan including luxury hotels.

It covers the different features and important details that every traveler wishes to know. Some of their reviews even provide more information compared to the hotel's official website. 


Since it is based on actual experience, the information shared including the pictures (which are not filtered) seems to be more reliable. 

The website's interface is user-friendly that searching for a hotel is just a breeze. The hotels featured have been categorized according to location. There's also a search bar on the homepage for your quick searches. 

Latest Explicit Reviews can be readily found on the homepage as well. 


If you are planning a vacation and want more information about your hotel, then check out their website at https://fishand.tips/en/. By the way, they do not only feature hotels in Japan but also other hotels across the world.  

Sunday, January 19, 2020

How to Get an Extra Bottle of Novuhair For Free?

“Experience nature’s special makeover treatment 
and feel like a VIP – Very Important Person.” 



In line with NOVUHAIR’s 10th year of fervent commitment to consumer health awareness on hair loss prevention and maintenance, coupled with a decade of partnership with Mercury Drug Corporation, ADP Pharma Corporation has launched the NOVUHAIR VIP KIT. Find out more at https://www.novuhair.com/novuhair-vip-kit-promo/




This exclusive promo is packed with the regular NOVUHAIR Topical Scalp Lotion 200ml. plus an extra 120ml. bottle valued at PHP 1,990. That’s 64% savings for a natural hair loss remedy good for 6 months! 

The NOVUHAIR VIP KIT serves as a token of the company’s appreciation and gratitude to all its loyal users for continuously making NOVUHAIR the leading hair loss treatment in the country. 


For more information, you may also contact our NOVUHAIR hotline at +(63) 917.549.0575, find us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram @NovuhairOfficial.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Top 7 free applications that can help your business grow

Starting your own business has never been easier. Due to technological advancements and the internet, one can readily start a business with just a few steps and clicks on their computers. Some can even cater to clients abroad without setting foot in another country. For those who are into e-commerce, dropshipping has allowed business owners to sell products worth thousands of dollars without actually needing to handle the products. Doing business nowadays has a lot of possibilities. 


However, no matter how easy it is to start your business, managing it is another story. A lot of small business owners tend to do everything on their own. From management, marketing and sales, social media, customer service, product sourcing, networking, and accounting tasks they only get very little help or even none at all. Most postpone hiring someone until the company gets bigger. 

Here are the top 7 free applications that can help your business grow: 

1. Google Suite - It is an all-in-one package that allows you to connect, store, and create. Google Suite allows you to communicate with your partners and clients via email or through video conferencing using Google Hangouts. 

It also provides access to files online through cloud storage and it has its own file-syncing service that allows users to work offline. 

Google Suite also comes with a full range of essential business software similar to Microsoft Office allowing you to create correspondence, sheets, presentations, and even online forms. 

It starts with a free 15 GB storage plan. 

2. Evernote - This is one of the most popular productivity tools where it allows users to capture, organize and share notes easily. It enables users to organize tasks and keep important information and notes all in one place. 

More than just a note-taking app, it also allows users to add links, checklists, tables, attachments, audio recordings, and handwritten notes. The best part is it has a search function, making it really easy to look for the information that you need including the handwriting in images. 

The basic plan allows you to 60MB of new uploads every month for free. 

3. MailChimp - Email marketing is an important digital marketing strategy and is known to generate the best return on investment among other digital marketing campaigns. It allows businesses to directly communicate to their audience through their inbox -- to build trust, nurture relationships and to call for action. 

MailChimp is the largest marketing automation platform that allows businesses to send emails in bulk reaching out to a large audience all at once. 

It features email marketing automation that can be readily customized according to customer behavior and preference. This creates room for business owners to focus on strategy and on more important things. Automation allows businesses to welcome, re-engage, and follow-up potential and existing clients. 

It also comes with reporting feature showing data and analytics allowing business owners to evaluate performance and aid in the formulation of future campaigns.

New business accounts are free and can hold up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.

4. Skype - Skype is a text, voice and video tool that allows users to communicate online at no additional cost. 

It allows business owners to hold online meetings, group calling and video conferencing with up to 25 people. If you are traveling or is out of the country, Skype allows you to get a local number where your customers can call you wherever you are without long-distance charges. 

Skype also allows file sharing, screen sharing, and language translation. 

5. Asana – Asana is a project management tool that allows users to track projects from start to finish. It is an effective tracker to know who is doing what, by and when. This has been really helpful for teams who are doing different roles in a certain project.

Basic plans include free features, such as unlimited projects, tasks, and conversations.  

6. PayPal – PayPal provides a faster and safer way to send and receive money. It is a popular payment method used in over 200 countries. This enables clients to have more confidence in your business by using a payment method they are familiar with.

It also comes with an invoicing tool to easily and quickly request payments from customers.  

Creating a PayPal account is absolutely free.

7. TradeOff - It is an online platform that allows users to trade services for other services. It is an effective tool for networking and looking for collaboration opportunities. 

Through this app, users can trade the skills that they have with the skills that they need. Exchanges can be made with services, money, or a combination of both in a safe and secure platform.


How about you? Can you recommend other applications that can help? 

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Try this Wizard of Oz Magic using Google Search

Do you remember the special effects made by Google for Avengers: Endgame where you click the infinity gauntlet and something else happens on the screen? Well, I found it really cool and amazing. 

Thus, when I found another one from the Wizard of Oz, I got excited again. So, here's how? 


1. Type Wizard of Oz in the Google Search Bar. 


2. Click the "red shoes" on the right side of the screen and see the magic. 

3. Now, you will see a "tornado", click it too. 


Well, that's it. Share this post if you had fun! 


"Remember A heart is not judged by how much you love, 
but by how much you are loved by others." -The Wizard of Oz

Word of the Year: Intentional

2019 was neither the best nor a bad year for me. Technically, it was okay but I was just so surprised that it has ended so fast. Before I knew it, it was already the holidays and I realized I was not really able to accomplish something major for the entire year. I felt that I either slacked off or I had a lot of distractions.

Though I had no regrets about how the year went, I promised myself that I will try to achieve more of my goals this year. I promised that I'd be more INTENTIONAL this 2020. 

So, what do I mean by being intentional? 

According to liveandlovework.com, being intentional means you are purposeful in word and action. It means you make thoughtful choices in life. It also means that you live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling. 



In this sense, this is how I want to spend my year. I want to start making choices that are aligned with my goals and dreams. I want to make conscious decisions and here's how I plan to do it: 

1. Choose the projects to work on - As a freelancer, I am lucky to have the luxury to choose my projects and clients. This time, I want to do the tasks that I love and those that are aligned with my skills. If it would require some training, I want to make sure that it's one of the skills that I really want to learn and not spend time studying for the sake of the clients' needs. 

Just like what Leanne Jacobs of Beautiful Money said, “If an opportunity is not aligned with what matters most to you (your core values), let it pass. The opportunities that don't make your soul sing, or that you can't be excited about, just end up taking space where a better opportunity could be. Don't settle for something fine―wait for something great!”

2. Manage Smaller and Active Groups - Building and managing a community entails a lot of time and hard work. The bigger the group, the more effort you have to put in organizing events, addressing the needs of the members and keeping everyone engaged. If it's an online community, content moderation takes up a lot of time and effort to filter posts. 

Thus for this year, we, together with the other group admins, decided to clean up the groups that we manage. We started removing inactive members and will try to update certain group rules especially in online communities. We believe that it's better to have a small group with active and truly engaged members. In that way, we do not have to waste any effort on members who are no longer interested in the group's advocacy. 

3. Blogging - Though, I haven't really blog consistently for the past years. This 2020, I would love to write more posts. I am aiming to create at least 3-4 blog posts every week. I want to write my posts with my readers in mind, " How will this post benefit them?" 

This also means that we might be skipping some PR or sponsored posts that may not be aligned with our target audience. 


4. Minimize Shopping - Lastly, I want to try to lessen shopping. I usually go crazy whenever there's a sale or a huge discount is offered. Thus, I plan to minimize the things that I purchase. I have to make sure that it is something that we actually need. No more hoarding. (LOL!) 

Anyway, there are a lot more ways on how we can be more intentional which I plan to share on my future posts. However, let me end this post for now with my favorite quote from Richie Norton, “Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others' choices make us.”

Saturday, January 11, 2020

How to Refund Your Airport Terminal Fee?

Are you someone who gets excited during seat sales from Cebu Pacific, books a flight immediately but finds out later on that you cannot make the trip or flight because of an emergency or a sudden change of plans? 

Well, I am guilty. In fact, it happened twice already. 

Just like last December 2018, I was able to book roundtrip tickets from Bacolod to Davao for only Php 600+ for July 2018 (7 months in advance) but later on canceled due to workload. (boo!) 

I know that it's just a small amount but getting it refunded is very much welcome. Unfortunately, the cancellation fee or the rebooking fee (if allowed) is much higher compared to the purchase price, which means it is more practical if you just forfeit the ticket and let it go. 

If you are lucky, there are instances that Cebu Pacific also has sudden changes in their flight schedule or cancellations. If these cancellations are initiated from their end, this makes you eligible for a full refund of the ticket price, however, if you're the one who canceled, then technically there will be no refund.  

But wait....  not everything is lost. :)  

Many of us forget that our airline tickets for domestic flights already include terminal fees in the amount that we paid during booking. Terminal fees are collected by Cebu Pacific at the time of booking and payment of flights on behalf of the airport authorities for the use of the terminal facilities. This means that since we did not take the flight, we are actually NOT required to pay the terminal fee. 

According to Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), passengers with unused Cebu Pacific (CEB) and CebGo tickets from Feb. 1, 2015, to the present may refund their terminal fees.

Based on my experience, I was able to refund the terminal fee for my canceled July 2018 Cebu Pacific trip in full and with no administrative charges. I have yet to check if we can also do this with PAL. 




Anyway, here's how you can request/ process the refund of your terminal fee: 

Option # 1: Go to the Cebu Pacific website and fill out the Guest Feedback Form
Under the Type of Feedback, select "Request" 
Under Category, select Refund of Taxes for Unused Tickets" 


After submitting all the information, you will receive an email confirmation with a reference number that you can use to follow up. 


Option # 2: Contact the Cebu Pacific hotline at +632 702 0888 for Manila or +6332 230-8888 for Cebu) This is not really advisable due to the long wait time. If you are not based in Manila or Cebu, calling these numbers would also entail long-distance charges.  

Tip: If you have an internet connection, you may also call their US toll-free number via Skype at +1-8555-232722. It is available from 7am-10pm (PH local time), daily. No long-distance charges. :) 

Option #3: Through the Travel Agent where the ticket was purchased. 

To manage your expectations, the processing of refunds usually takes 4-8 weeks. The refund will be made directly to the passenger's credit card, Paypal account, via the travel agent, or in form of cash, depending on the form of payment that was used to purchase the ticket. I was able to get mine after a month while Val's refund is still in the process even though we sent it the same day. 

Please keep in mind that they will only refund this upon request. It would be ideal to request a refund of your terminal fees as soon as you can. 

If you have any experience refunding your terminal fees, feel free to comment below. 

Could this solve our EDSA traffic problems?

They say that with progress comes heavy traffic. Though we welcome progress in our lives, my recent trip to Manila last November may say that it's worth it. After living in the province for 4 years where there's minimal to zero traffic, the experience of being stuck in EDSA during the holiday season was overwhelming. I just couldn't imagine the everyday life of an ordinary Filipino who had to go through it on a daily basis. 




Thus, suggestions and potential solutions to the problem are very much welcome as this has been a recurring issue for the longest time. 

Proposed Centralized and Synchronized Bus Dispatch System

House Transportation Committee Chair and Samar 1st District Representative Edgar Mary Sarmiento unveiled the blueprint of his proposed centralized and synchronized bus dispatch system which would turn the EDSA's rowdy and chaotic city buses into a fast, efficient and predictable mass transport system.


Sarmiento, a civil engineer, disclosed the full details of his proposal after announcing that his panel is closely working with the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to craft a roadmap that would solve EDSA's traffic problem.

In his proposal, Sarmiento said that the innermost lane of EDSA will serve as an "express bus lane" which can be accessed through stations used by the MRT. Like a carousel, the "express bus lane" will just circle around EDSA, duplicating the route of the MRT.

"People who use the MRT can now have the option to ride the bus which will be also operated like a carousel. The buses will only load and unload passengers in a synchronized manner at the MRT stations so they are basically an extension of the MRT. Walang magiging traffic dyan because the entire inner lane from Taft Avenue to North Avenue and vice-versa will be enclosed and exclusive to the express bus lane," Sarmiento said.

Sarmiento said that the three lanes in the middle of EDSA will be dedicated to all types of private vehicles subject to the existing vehicle reduction programs like the number coding scheme. Private cars will be only allowed to use the outer lane when turning into an intersection.

The outer lane of EDSA or the yellow lane will be used as a dedicated city bus lane which will also adopt a centralized and synchronized dispatch system. Dedicated bus stops will be established one kilometer apart. Loading and unloading of passengers will be strictly implemented on these bus stops.

Sarmiento said that while the express bus lane will cater to passengers who also use the MRT, the city bus lane operation will extend up to the Parañaque Integrated Bus Terminal (PITX) in the south and the Valenzuela Integrated Bus Terminal (VIBT) in the north and vice-versa.

"City buses will now be using the outermost lane in EDSA or the yellow lane. They will be traversing EDSA in a carousel-type system until they reach the proposed north terminal which is the Valenzuela Integrated Bus Terminal. From there, the city buses will now traverse to the south still using the outermost lane until it reaches the proposed south terminal which is the Paranaque Integrated Bus Terminal," Sarmiento added.

"We propose this to eradicate the kanya-kanya system of the buses wherein they compete with each other creating chaos through overtaking, overspeeding, and overstaying. Puno man o hindi, lalarga po ang mga city buses dahil may schedule na po ang biyahe nila at hindi na sila makikipag-agawan ng pasahero dahil hindi na commission-based ang kita kundi sahod na ang matatanggap ng mga drivers at konduktors," Sarmiento added.

Sarmiento said that also part of the proposal is to modernize the fare system using tap or beep card.

"Once everything has been set in theory and generated through a computer by the MMDA, it will be presented to the public through a dry run, which will be implemented on a day with the least number of vehicles in the road. We are going to have a computer-generated simulation of this proposal to be led by the MMDA," Sarmiento said to dispel fears that this could end up just like the other failed "experiments" of the MMDA.

Sarmiento clarified however that his proposal can still be subject to improvements and adjustments by the DoTr and the MMDA which is will the frontline implementing agencies.

"Lastly, this proposal is a work in progress. Details will be discussed by the Executives. Ang inyong lingkod, bilang Chairman ng House Committee on Transportation ay willing na magbigay ng suporta sa DOTr kung may mga kailangang polisiya upang maipatupad natin kaagad ang mga planong ito," Sarmiento said.

Sarmiento said that if and when the plan is set into motion, the private vehicles that continue to clog EDSA middle lanes would be reduced eventually "because people would now start riding the bus rather than drive their car in what is described as one of the world's biggest parking lot."

According to Rep. Sarmiento "With this system, if the trains and buses will be fully operational, and the commuting public is now effectively and efficiently being moved, that’s the time that we can reduce the volume of private vehicles in EDSA and the major thoroughfares in Metro Manila," 

"Once the volume of vehicles is reduced, that’s the time that we can introduce major infrastructures in EDSA and other major thoroughfares," he added.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Missing SMAC points and what you can do about it?

I have been an SM Advantage cardholder for more than 5 years and I love the idea of earning rewards from my purchases. It's one of the paid loyalty cards that I find "sulit" or one that I use frequently. If I remember correctly, I paid Php 150 for a 3-year membership but now I think it's already Php 200 for a 5-year membership (needs to confirm this) 


One of the recent changes with our SMAC membership is their insurance provider which is now Pioneer Insurance. They added more accredited stores such as Uniqlo and Miniso. Plus, just a few months ago, they have also updated the design of their card to a modern look. 


Source: https://www.facebook.com/SMAC

Sadly, despite the changes and recent developments, the problem of missing SMAC points is still happening. I discovered that the majority of my November and December 2019 purchases are still not credited as of today (January 10, 2020). This is the same thing that happened when I checked my May and June 2019 purchases and I found out that there are four (4) transactions not posted. I also had the same experience way back in 2016. 

Honestly, I find this disappointing since the issue has been happening for more than 4 years. I really hope that SM can address this problem once and for all. I understand they're doing a lot of system enhancements right now. I also believe that this is something that they can fix because other rewards cards are able to credit receipts in real-time and do not have this problem. If they can do it, so is SM. :) 

Right now, I can just imagine how many shoppers do not really check their points. They might be unaware they don't receive the rewards/ points due to them. 

So, if you are one of the many members who do not keep a copy of their receipts or do not check their points - it's about time that you start doing it. After all, 1 point equivalent to 1 peso. 


So, what exactly do you need to do to get your missing SMAC points credited to your account? 

1. Scan your receipts. 
2. Send an email to mbr.care1@sm-mci.com or smacassist@sm-mci.com 
3. Provide the following information: 
  • Name of Store
  • Date and Time of Transaction
  • Amount
  • Sales Invoice Number
  • Your SMAC Account Name
  • Your SMAC Number
  • Scanned copy of the receipt
4. Wait for a reply in 24-72 hours. Their customer support is usually helpful though there are times that they no longer credit the points in case the receipts are already erased and unreadable. 

How about you? Have you checked your SMAC points? Please feel free to share it below.