How to send money from BDO to GCash: Complete guide

If you bank with BDO¹ but like to spend with GCash² you may be wondering how to send money from BDO to GCash to get your money where you need it. Or, maybe you need to send a payment from your BDO account to someone else and they’ve asked you to deposit the funds to GCash instead of a bank. Sending a BDO to GCash transfer is pretty easy to do, and your money may be available pretty much instantly.

We’ll look at how to send a BDO payment step by step, as well as the BDO to GCash transfer fee you need to consider. Read on to learn all there is to know about how to transfer money from BDO to GCash for convenient spending.

BDO to GCash transfers

BDO offers several different ways to send money, either to another account in your own name, to a bank or e wallet account in someone else’s name,or for cash collection through partner organisations³.

If you’re sending a payment from BDO to GCash it’ll be processed as an Instapay transaction. This sort of payment is known as a cash in from a local bank⁴ - this is what you’ll need to look out for on GCash if you’re setting up this transfer for yourself.

This guide walks through how to send money from BDO to GCash, with a quick look at the cash remittance options available as an alternative.

Eligibility for BDO to GCash transfer

To send a payment from BDO to GCash you’ll need an eligible BDO account. If you’re sending your payment digitally - the most convenient option - you’ll need to have set up your BDO digital banking, including setting an online PIN or using your phone’s biometrics.

It’s also worth taking a moment to get your GCash account fully verified. Or, if you’re sending to someone else’s GCash account, it’s worth asking them to make sure their account is properly verified. This is because the GCash incoming payment limits for an unverified account are very low, at 5,000 PHP⁵. If your payment causes the recipient to exceed their monthly limit, the money may be returned to you.

It’s easy to verify a GCash account by simply uploading an image of a government ID document like your passport or National ID. Other documents are also accepted, including HDMF (Pag-Ibig Loyalty Plus), a valid driver's licence or a Philippine Postal ID⁶.

What details are needed to send money from BDO to GCash?

When you send money from BDO to GCash you’ll follow online prompts to make sure you enter all of the details required to process your payment successfully. Generally, this will include:

• The full name of the recipient
• The recipient’s GCash phone number
• The reason for the payment

If any other details are needed for your specific transfer, you’ll be notified on screen when you work through the payment instruction form.

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How to send money from BDO to GCash: Step-by-step guide

The easiest and most convenient way to send a payment from BDO to GCash is to do so online or in app, avoiding the need to head out to a BDO branch to arrange the transfer. Here’s how to send your BDO payment to a GCash wallet, online or in the BDO app:

1. Log into your BDO account online, through the website, BDO Online or BDO Pay
2. Tap Send Money and then confirm you’re sending money to another bank or wallet
3. Follow the prompts to complete the required details, including the amount and the GCash phone number
4. Confirm the payment using biometrics or your PIN

You can also send money from BDO for cash pick up, through the BDO remittance service⁷. In this case you’ll need to visit one of the BDO partner organisations, which include counters at WalterMart and SM Supermalls. Cash pick up service payments have a higher fee compared to sending a digital payment which is received in a GCash wallet. The payment delivery time is also slower, taking 24 hours compared to the digital transfer solution which can arrive instantly.

What else do I need to know when sending money from BDO to GCash

The process for sending money from BDO to GCash shouldn't be too difficult to navigate - whether you’re sending money to someone else, or from a BDO account in your own name to your GCash account. Let’s look at another few important points to make sure your payment goes through smoothly.

How long does a BDO to GCash transfer take?

A BDO to GCash transfer is arranged through Instapay, and should arrive instantly in the recipient’s GCash account.

BDO to GCash transfer fee

There’s a charge from BDO when you arrange a transfer from your account to a GCash wallet. The fee depends on the way you set up your transfer - but usually the cheapest options are for digital payments. These are also more convenient than heading to a bank branch to arrange your transfer in person. Here are the BDO transfer fees based on different transfer methods:

• Send money by BDO Online or BDO Pay: 10 PHP fee
• Send money using the BDO website: 25 PHP fee

There’s a minimum transfer amount of 100 PHO, and a maximum daily transfer limit of 50,000 PHP when you send money with BDO.

If you’re sending money for cash collection instead of to a GCash wallet, there’s a fee of 100 PHP - 150 PHP depending on the BDO partner you use to set up your transfer.

BDO to GCash conversion rate for foreign currency transfers

If you’re sending money from BDO to GCash the chances are that it’ll be a PHP balance, sent to GCash in PHP. However, if there’s a need for currency conversion at any stage - when you receive the payment to BDO in the first place for example, or if the recipient intends to spend the funds overseas, you need to know about the exchange rate which applies.

Generally, exchange rates offered by banks like BDO will include a markup. That means that there’s a fee added to the mid-market rate which you would find on Google or using a currency converter tool. This is already built into the exchange rate you're quoted by the bank, which means it's hard to figure out the exact fee you’re paying - particularly as markups can be variable depending on the currency and transaction type.

If you need to receive payments from abroad - or if you’re sending money from overseas back to the Philippines - it’s important to know that the costs of your transfer can include fees added to the exchange rate, as well as any quoted transfer chargers. An alternative is to use a non-bank provider which offers the mid-market rate, with low, transparent fees⁸ - like Wise. We’ll look at what Wise does and how they may be able to help, next.

Send money with low, transparent fees, and the mid-market rate with Wise

If you need to send, spend, hold, receive or exchange currencies, consider using Wise which uses the mid-market rate with low, transparent fees.

Wise offers multi-currency accounts which can hold and exchange 40+ currencies, with easy ways to receive payments in 8+ currencies with local and SWIFT details, as well as ways to send money from overseas to banks and wallets like GCash in the Philippines.

This means that you can get paid in USD, AUD, CAD and more directly to your account, with no hidden fees and markups. You can then convert to PHP or any of the currencies available on Wise at the rate you see on Google with low fees from 0.33%.

If you want to send money, you could open a Wise account to access low cost international transfers with the mid-market exchange rate with no margin or markup added. Or if you’re going to be receiving payments, you could open an account to receive transfers in select foreign currencies conveniently, for local and overseas spending.

You’ll be able to view and manage your Wise account using the Wise app with just your phone which makes this a useful tool whether you’re at home or abroad. Send and exchange money, check transfers and transactions and manage your card spending, without needing to leave home. The next time you need to send or receive a foreign currency payment, take a look to see if Wise could save you some money.

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1. BDO
2. GCash
3. BDO - send money
4. GCash help - Cash In via local banks
5. GCash Help - wallet limits
6. GCash verification documents
7. BDO Remit
8. Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information