In a previous post, I mentioned my plans to have my unit renovated this year. As the second half of the year is about to begin, I suddenly felt the urge to start looking at my options and make this plan happen.
And because my savings is not enough to cover the expenses, I decided to apply for a personal loan. I looked at several banks and made comparisons through their online personal loan calculators.
I went for BPI first. They have one of the lowest interest rates, and because they approved my home loan application two years ago (but I eventually declined the offer), I was confident that my personal loan will also be approved.
Surprisingly, BPI denied my application. I never received a call, just a rejection text message.
I took this as a sign that I should not pursue my planned interior renovations yet. But I wanted to check on how weak or strong my credit history is (two years after I got cleared of my credit card debt with HSBC), so I submitted another personal loan application this time with Citibank. If I get declined again, that will confirm my fears.
Citibank approved my personal loan application. And it came with a credit card too!
So how was it like applying for a personal loan with Citibank?
It was very quick! The 24-hour approval is, of course, a myth, but everything happened so fast within three days. Here’s how the process went:
Day 1: I received a call a day after submitting my online application. The agent went over my personal details and she asked me to submit the required supporting documents.
Day 2: I got another call from the same agent. She confirmed that the documents have been received and were submitted for final assessment.
Day 3: I was informed via text and call that my loan has been approved. I was asked to prepare post-dated checks to be submitted upon delivery of the manager’s check.
All payments need to be done with a PDC. Which means you have to prepare several checks prior to the delivery of the manager’s check. In my case, the term was 24 months, so I signed 24 checks!
Day 9: I received the manager’s check. The courier also has to take the 24 PDCs that I prepared. He did double-check everything before handing me over my check. So I got the manager’s check after nine business days. I believe it would have been faster if I opted for a branch pickup. I wasn’t in a hurry so the slow courier is not an issue for me.
However, the delivery of the credit card took over a month. From what I’ve read from online forums, delayed card deliveries have been an issue with Citibank ever since; the posts that I saw were dated as far as 2009 and 2010.
I had to call Citibank a few times to confirm that I am actually getting a card. Apparently, their courier never attempted to deliver the card to my address so when I called again after nearly a month, the agent suggested that we request for a new card instead. The new card was delivered to me after four business days.
Nonetheless, it has been a good experience with Citibank overall. Their personal loan application process is seamless, and getting an actual feedback after three days is the icing on the cake!
So I used the money for a minor interior renovation. I will be sharing how I maximized my budget, with a goal to provide tips on how to save on renovation costs.
Did you receive a tracking number for the check delivery? I’m just wondering because I received a tracking number for my credit card in the past while for this loan I haven’t got any tracking info yet. Hope you could answer since I don’t wanna call Citibank yet because it’s ndd
Hi Miel,
No, I did not receive a tracking number. There was a reference number but it wasn’t very useful either.
Ask ko po. Approved na personal loan ko. They ask me to open a checking account. Paano po yun? May initial deposit din po ba?
Hi! May I know what is the courier assigned to deliver the manager’s check? mine did not arrive yet. Thanks
Sorry, I forgot. That was over a year ago. You can contact Citibank directly for the status. If you check what others are saying online, they seem to have a known courier issue.
Hi,
Naapproved po ako sa personal loan ng citibank and they asked me to open a checking account. Pero hindi nasabi ng agent kung saan ko ipapadala yung account number. Paano po ba yung process niyo nun? I mean ano po yung next step after may checking account na? Thank you.
You will need the checking account for the PDC. Once your checkbook is ready, call them for the details na need mo ilagay sa PDC.
Hi what payable name did you use for the PDCs? Is it Citibank N.A.- or Citibank NA ? Thanks in advance.
“Citibank NA” followed by a series of numbers they provided.
is this correct for the PDC? Citibank N.A. 1234 56 78 90
my fear is that i will write incorrectly in Pay to the Order of
It doesn’t look correct. You should verify this with the bank.
how will they get the PDC?
Via delivery or branch pickup.
Hi, I got approved in Citibank personal loan. The agent that I talked to last August 14 told me that the check will be delivered by their courier within 10 working days. However, 10 days already passed and I still haven’t receive the check yet. I’m worrying cause my first due date is getting closer. What should I do?
Hi Sha, you may need to call their hotline if you won’t receive it this week. Chances are, it’s already with the courier.
For replacement kasi ang Personal Loan Check ko. Sabi na print na daw nila last August 26, 2020. Until now kasi di pa nadedeliver ni courier. Is there any possibilities na hindi ito madeliver ni courier.?
Possible po. To be safe, make sure to contact the bank in case hindi madeliver ni courier.
Automatic ma kasamang CC talaga yung personal loan upon approval or was it from a separate application?
Depende po sa assessment ni bank. Minsan hindi sila magbibigay ng CC although pwede siguro mag-apply separately.
Are they keen po ba sa signatures between the PDCs and the government issued ID na i-prepresent? Since I actually have a problem with my signature’s stroke. Had an encounter with 1 bank na sobrang particular nila sa stroke kasi daw iba daw kesa sa IDs ko. But never had any problem naman when I opened a checking account with another bank.
I’m not sure about the signature but one of my PDCs was rejected for some reason. Problem is, you will only know this pag ippasok na sa system on the date na nasa check. For me, it happened on the 18th month. Yung magcocollect kasi ng PDC will only check for the basics (erasures, spelling, etc).
Were you charged with the 18th check na nagkaproblema or did they request for you to issue a new cheque?
No charges. They called me to do an over the counter payment.
What time did the courier arrived?
Hi, I applied for both card and loan. I was approved for CITI Rewards first, then just now I saw in my online account that there’s a loan under my summary, however, the credit limit amount is much higher than the loan amount that I applied for. So how does this work? I haven’t received any call from Citi to prepare PDCs and other instructions.
They often do not discuss about the credit limit but you can contact them if you have concerns about it.
Did you wrote already the amount of the check before the courier arrived?
Did you wrote already the amount of the checks before the courier arrived?
Yes. Must be complete and ready.
Hello yong managers check po ba sa citibank din e encash? What if walang citibank branch sa lugar ninyo?
Pd po ninyo i-deposit sa account nyo sa ibang bank, and withdraw from there.
Yung managers check po dba pwede ideposit sa kahit anong bangko po? Pano po yung pagdeposit nya sa sariling bangko ko po? Thanks
Dalhin mo lang po sa bank mo and make a deposit. Madalas may cash at check dun sa deposit slip (referring to kung cash ba or check and idedeposit mo). Syempre select check, or pa-assist ka sa teller.
Ask ko po. Approved na personal loan ko. They ask me to open a checking account. Paano po yun? May initial deposit din po ba?
Yes po, ung initial deposit at maintaining balance ay depende sa bank kung san kau mag-open ng checking account. Klangan po kasi yun for the PDC.
Hi may nareceived po akong call from citibank telling me that i was approved and asking me to open a checking account. Bukod sa pdc’s may iba pa po ba silang required na documents? And pwede ko po bang dalhin sa branch nila ang pdc’s and dun nadin kunin ang manager’s check to avoid problem with their courier? Thank you in advance
Pwede rin po ata sa bank mismo i-pickup. You just need to inform them.
Hello, blank checks lang din po ba ang kailangan? Tried to call BPI on how to open a checking account and they asked me if need daw ng printed details or blank lang ksi if blank makukuha din right after. Need ba mag open na ng account kahit di pa provided ang details?
Preference mo po yun. Pag blank check kasi wala lang ung name mo under Account Name. Ganun din ginamit ko.
Hi, i am already approved for my personal loan with citibank. Sadly, di ko po nasagot yung 3 calls from them. Will there be an effect sa application ko? May possible po ba mareject parin kahit na napprove na yung loan dahil sa hindi ko po nasagot call nila? Thank you sa sasagot po. 😊
Hi ask ko lang ilang araw bago dumating yung managers check nakapagprovide nako ng pdc nung Tuesday lang.. Do i need to call citibank again?
Normally, you give them the PDCs upon receiving the manager’s check.
Hello ask lang upon payong po ng Ma mo sa personal loan sa citibank nag rerevve din ba yung payment mo every month? I mean bumabalik sa credit limit mo?
Hello. i was offered with a citibank personal loan, got approved. im thinking if i’ll go for it. they gave me 1.1% payable for 2yrs.