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@Enzyte Bob

Like you Bob I prefer to do my serious banking on either my desktop Mac or Laptop if I’m away from home.

The mobile app is great for just checking your balances etc.

I bank with HSBC which although a British bank has its centre of gravity very much in Asia. When I was travelling to Manila regularly in the 2.000’s I opened up an account with HSBC in Makati - they are based at the Enterprise Centre on Ayala Avenue.

Of course I could use debit cards for daily cash requirements but it made sense to have a back up account actually in the Philippines to complement my UK account in case of emergencies. I kept a float of about £1k in there and took advantage of favourable exchange rates as and when to transfer money from my UK HSBC account.

It took me about half an hour to set up in the branch but effectively the process was the same even if I did not have a UK account. As an international bank their account functionality is far smoother than any local bank. On my iPhone app I have face ID which immediately connects me with my account. I use my phone ‘push app’ to log into my desktop banking window. The process is as smooth as butter.

If you open an account with them as a US citizen you can have both Dollar and Peso accounts on a basic account. Receive real-time push notifications for account activity and transactions. Log in using biometrics or a PIN. Transfer funds to other local bank accounts ( you could run it alongside your BDO account). Pay bills securely.

Of course HSBC do not have the branch network that BDO have but I imagine you very rarely visit  your bank branch anyway. Perhaps worth considering as an option.

@Lotus Eater

Do you not find that logging in with face ID can be a bit of a ball ache. I have that on my RBS mobile banking App and find that I have to try several times sometimes to log in. I receive messages when I am logging on sometimes asking me to move into a better lighted area and then sometimes when I switch the light on or move into a brighter room it says too bright so I have to keep moving around. I find it to be a frustrating process especially on dark gloomy days. I tried it in the Philippines once at my ex girlfriends house and had the same problem.

@Cherryann01

Never had a problem with face ID. Maybe you should reset your ID. It could well be the phone you have rather than the app. How old is the phone? Is the software up to date? Apparently iphones rarely have issues.