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EastWest Bank wants you to win a BlackBerry Torch (and more!)

You know, it’s OK to admit that your wallet seems to empty itself during the holiday gift giving routine. It’s the same story every Christmas — that I either decide to buy bulk gifts for all my friends (i.e. my blog themed cupcakes from way back) or individual gifts for people who are really memorable to me during the year. Now it’s usually the former, but one thing that I always had a hard time doing was budget my expenses. Well. Because even if let’s say I set a budget of PHP3,000-PHP5,000 for gifts (excluding family) I find out at the end of my shopping spree that I’ve emptied my wallet! I think “sales” are a consumer trap, especially if you’re into gadgets.

You might say, oh that’s what a credit card is for — but to be honest I really don’t succumb to a lot of these 0% deals unless I truly need something. Especially gadgets. And besides, even my financial planner advised me to pay now what you can than be buried in debt the next year (ending the year with a bang usually connotes starting the next year with a lot of debt!).

The solution, dear friends, is simple: a debit card. For those unfamiliar, a debit card is just like a credit card except that the funds are directly transferred for purchase rather than having to pay later. In an age of consumer Zen, I prefer to be debt free. What’s really epic about debit cards is that they behave like credit cards in the sense that you can use them for online purchases as well.

This is the VISA debit card from EastWest Bank. So what about it? They are having a promo from October 2011 till April 2012, a “Dream Big, Win Big” promotion with really epic raffle items — including — yes, a place to live. For a complete list of prizes, have a look here (OMG a condo!). All you need to qualify is to make use of their debit cards in any purchase (online or offline) and every PHP 500.00 accumulated POS purchase grants you 1 raffle entry. Case in point, there will be a draw for the month of November for 17 units of the BlackBerry Torch 9800. Click on the link for my full review of this device.

Q: What if I’m already an EastWest depositor?
A: Easy! You still qualify to earn raffles. All you need to do is enroll in the promo by updating their customer info sheet.

Remember, unlike a credit card, a debit card represents cold, hard cash. It’s having money without the hassle of carrying bills in your wallet. That makes it more safe and secure. The debit card is accepted in all VISA terminals — in retail stores and over the Internet. Again, no hackers to push you to debt because it isn’t a credit card.

For more details, click here.

By Jayvee Fernandez

Jayvee Fernandez is a tech enthusiast and sitting Techbology Editor for The Philippine STAR.

He is also an EAN certified SCUBA Diver and underwater photographer based in Metro Manila, Philippines. His photos and videos have appeared in various international and local publications including Random House Germany, Discovery Channel Canada, and CNN.

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