[Finterest] Check out EastWest’s new Puregold co-branded credit card for your groceries

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You can earn one point for every P30 spent doing your groceries at Puregold for a maximum cash credit of P3,000 a month

MANILA, Philippines – EastWest Bank has launched a new co-branded credit card for everyday grocery shoppers: the EastWest Puregold Always Panalo Visa Credit Card.

As its name suggests, the bank’s newest credit card is built around rewarding cardholders for their regular Puregold purchases, with what EastWest says is an “industry-leading” rewards rate and the ability to convert those points into usable credits via Puregold’s P-Wallet. The card runs on the Visa network, so it can be used wherever Visa is accepted.

The card indeed has one of the most competitive conversion rates in the market. For every P30 spent at Puregold, Puregold Junior, and Minimart, cardholders earn one rewards point. All other purchases earn a point for every P100 spent.

Supplementary cardholders can also earn rewards, which are then pooled into the principal cardholder’s total. However, note that cash advance, Insta-Cash, balance transfer, convert-to-installment, and balance conversion transactions don’t earn points.

Points can then be converted to Puregold P-Wallet cash credits at a straightforward rate of 1 point = P1, essentially making it into a cashback promotion. That’s potentially up to P3,000 in Puregold wallet credits per month — though it’s worth noting that this is the maximum per billing cycle.

To hit this P3,000 cap purely through Puregold spending, you’d need to spend P90,000 monthly at the P30 = 1 point rate. For non-Puregold purchases, you’d have to spend a considerably steeper P300,000 to reach the cap due to the P100 = 1 point ratio.

The card does come with fairly standard fees. Annual membership is P1,200 for the principal card and P600 for each supplementary card. That said, the fee is waived if your total annual spend reaches at least P80,000, a relatively attainable amount if you’re using the card for regular groceries and bills. The interest rate is set at 3% monthly, which is currently the maximum allowed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

“This card is a collaboration between EastWest and Puregold that delivers practical, real-world benefits,” said EastWest CEO Jerry Ngo. “It turns regular grocery runs into opportunities to earn cash rebates, which can be converted into Puregold P-Wallet credits, helping cardholders stretch their budgets while enjoying the ease of cashless payments.”

EastWest EVP and consumer lending head Lawrence Lee added that the card “maximizes every peso spent,” and emphasized its value for shoppers who want to turn routine transactions into “bigger savings and exclusive perks.”

You can apply for the card at any Puregold branch nationwide or online at ewbank.cc/puregold-eng. (READ: [Finterest] Is this the best travel credit card?)

If you’re looking for other grocery-focused credit cards, there’s also Maya’s Landers Cashback Everywhere Credit Card and UnionBank’s S&R Visa Platinum. Maya’s offering gives up to 5% cashback on Landers purchases, making it ideal if you’re a frequent Landers shopper.

Meanwhile, S&R loyalists might find more value in UnionBank’s S&R Visa Platinum Credit Card, which offers 3% unlimited rebates on S&R spend, plus 1% on dining and shopping, and 0.5% on everything else. Both the Landers and S&R cards require membership at their respective stores, so choosing between these three cards often boils down to your go-to grocery. – Rappler.com

Finterest is Rappler’s series that demystifies the world of money and gives practical advice on managing your personal finances

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