BPI Amore Visa Credit Card Review – After Almost 4 Years of Use

I have had my BPI Amore Visa Credit Card for almost 4 years now (3 years and 7 months to be exact). I actually got it during their free annual fee for life promotional period which means I have not paid any annual fee since I got it.

Lucky huh!

I know that this is subject to change depending on the bank’s decision. But, for now, the annual fee still does not reflect on my billing statements.

This is the beauty of getting a credit card when they are just recently launched. You get tons of freebies. Actually, before I wrote this article, I checked my email archived to see the actual date on when I got this card. I have forgotten that I also got rebate vouches to a travel company worth P5000 which I was not able to use. Unfortunately, the vouchers expired already two years ago. What a bummer!

So be on the lookout for new credit cards that are being launched in your market. Who knows, you might also get tons of freebies when you sign up with them.

Note to Readers: Please be advised that the information written here is valid as of the time of writing but may have been updated by the time you see/read this post. Please refer to the linked BPI Amore Visa Card webpage to get the updated details. If the links are not working by the time you see the article, please go to the BPI’s homepage instead.

Advantages of owning a BPI Visa Amore Credit Card

Unfortunately, the free annual fee for life promo had passed. And they’re now charging for an annual fee amounting to P2050. The good news is, the first supplementary card’s annual fee is still free for life (as of the time of writing). Setting aside the annual fee concern, there are other benefits that you can enjoy if you decide to get a BPI Amore Visa Credit Card.

Rebates 

This is the main benefit of this card. Since this card is in partnership with Ayala Malls, the rebate applies to BPI-affiliated establishments in Ayala Malls.

You get 1% Rebate when you shop at Supermarkets, Drug Stores, Bookstores, Department & Specialty Retail Stores, Health & Personal Care, Electronics & Household Appliances, Home Furnishing & Improvements, Leisure & Sports, Schools, School & Office Supplies, Services & Utilities.

3% Rebate applies to your purchase of Accessories, Clothing, Leather Goods, Shoes and 4% applies to your restaurant bills. Again, please note that this applies to purchases made at BPI-affiliated establishments in Ayala Malls.

The annual cap for the rebate is pretty generous in my opinion compared to other credit cards with a cashback feature. You can get a maximum of P15,000 rebates per calendar year. Please note though that you have to allow one (1) month for the earned rebates to be credited to your BPI Amore Visa account. And also, to ensure automatic earning of rebates, the transaction must be swiped using a BPI POS Terminal

If you live in areas near Ayala Malls, then this is a great card to have with.

Other Benefits

The other benefits also apply to purchases or spend made at Ayala Malls.

• Get 5% discount on your Ayala Malls Cinemas movie ticket
• Enjoy the Express lane at Ayala Malls Cinemas ticket counter
• Unlimited access to Ayala Malls’ customer and family lounges
• Avail discounts and freebies in participating Ayala Malls merchants
• Invitations to special events and promotions
• Reserved seats to mall shows on a first come, first served basis

Low-Income Requirement

The annual income requirement for a BPI Visa Amore Card is only P180,000 which means most people who are earning at least P15,000 per month can get this card.

Mobile App Access

If you have a savings account with BPI then once you register your credit card online then it will also appear on your app. Having an app is so much convenient nowadays compare to logging in to the websites.

Access to BPI’s Credit-to-Cash Facility

A lot of credit card companies now are starting to offer loan facility that is pegged to your credit card balance. I first availed a similar service a few years back with Citibank. And last year, when I got a text from BPI offering very low interest, then I made a loan that I used as an added capital to my online selling gig.

Access to BPI Events and Promos

Getting any credit card with BPI entitles you to avail or join any of their promotion or events that are not card specific. And one of their biggest events is the BPI Travel Madness Expo which has become so big as years go by. It’s a gathering of various travel products/service providers and you’ll get tons of discounts on local and international airfares, travel and tour packages, and more.

Disadvantage/s of owning a BPI Visa Amore Credit Card

This card is an entry-level credit card with a low annual fee (And I got it during their free annual fee for life promo). Having said that, I don’t have that much expectation with this card when it comes to rewards and benefits. However, the main disadvantage that I can see with owning this card is their phone wait time (if they have not improved yet).

Long Wait with Customer Service Hotline

In my last call with BPI, I experienced waiting for I think around 15 mins for an agent to answer the call. My last call was made last year (around December 2019) when I called their hotline to update my home address and mobile number. I have not called them again since then because I have not had any issues with my card nor do I have anything to update them with. I don’t know if the wait time has improved now or not.

Luckily, due to the advent of technology, aside from calling them, you can now message them at their social media accounts.

Again, please note that this is my past experience with calling their customer service hotline. And it has been almost half a year already since I last called them and things might have changed since then.

My Overall Experience with BPI Amore Visa Credit Card

This is my 3rd credit card and the one with the smallest credit limit. This is the card that I always carry with me whenever I go out since I don’t have to worry that much in case I lose this card because the credit limit is smaller than my Citi PremierMiles Credit Card and RCBC Bankard Visa Platinum Credit Card.

I have always paid my card on time and in full and I have never had any issues with this card. I have used this card to shop at shopping malls. I have also experienced using it to buy at online shopping sites in the Philippines.

I have not used this yet abroad though and I will update this post once I do so.

Will I keep my BPI Amore Visa Credit Card?

Yes! Because I don’t have to pay an annual fee (since I got it during their free annual fee for life promo period). This will be a great addition to my existing credit cards. And also, this is my only BPI credit card and I’d like to have at least one credit card from them.

Should you try it?

It depends. Since the annual fee is not waived for the first year, I’m not sure if this will be worth your P2050 annual fee. However, if you often shop and dine at Ayala Malls then you will benefit a lot from this card because of the rebate feature which has an annual cap of P15,000.

If you think you will exceed the annual rebate cap of P15,000, then consider getting the BPI Amore Visa Platinum instead since it has a higher annual rebate cap at P25,000. However, bear in mind that it also has a higher annual fee at P5,000.

Before You Sign Up

Before you sign up, I highly suggest that you read the Terms and Conditions first and consider your monthly expenditures so you can assess if you will benefit from this credit card. Also, consider your priorities because you might benefit more from other types of credit cards available in the market. I wrote a separate article about the available cashback credit cards in the Philippines. Check it out and compare the benefits to BPI Amore Visa Credit Card.

 Do you also own a BPI Amore Visa Credit Card? What do you think about it?