Small change, how do you all handle that?

[Lee2]

I always find it challenging to get enough small bills and coins. the wife and I came back to the states with some p50's, p20's and p100's so we will have some when we arrive next year but then the battle begins yet again to save up enough for daily use.

[trevor]

We always lots and lots of small change. At the supermarket often time i get the five centavos coin as change. Well i just return it to them and the cashier just smile at me. Home i have several clear plastic bags fill with one peso coins. Must have at least 30 lbs. of coins. then i stack up the 10 peso coins into hundreds. Last time i check i had 2 thousand peso. wife sometimes use it for small purchases.

[Lee2]

Whenever I happen to have extras, then I keep those coins in the condo, I usually go out with a set amount of coins, so extras go into the jar and some come out daily or whenever I think to refill my coin pocket. I have often paid taxi drivers part bills and part coins, just to get rid of the extras whenever we get too much but most often we do not get enough since cashiers always seem to ask for coins and I usually have to lie and tell them I do not have any.

I do not know if this could be a problem for some of us who have too many coins or not but there is a law against keeping too many, I guess they do not wish to make more if they do not have to, maybe something to keep in mind.

House OKs bill penalizing hoarding of coins
House Bill 4411, “An Act Penalizing the Hoarding of Legal Tender Coins of the Philippine Currency,” was swiftly approved on Tuesday.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/05/25/1327028/house-oks-bill-penalizing-hoarding-coins
 

[conchydong]

I know when I was in the Philippines once during the Christmas season , I kept running out of coins to give to the groups of kids that would come by singing Christmas carols every night. That might be a good way to get rid of your small change every year and make the kids happy as well.

[Gray Wolf]

When we accumulate extra coins, we share them with our brother in law to use as change in his sari sari store. I have kept coins that are in extra good shape just for my own collection of foreign coins. When we travel we generally keep P1500-P2000 in clean bills for our next trip back to the PH.

[Big Jim]

Never ever pay for anything with a small note unless you have to!

When I go into a supermarket, I will hand over a P1000 note for a P50 purchase.

I always hand over the biggest note I have and will wait for change if necessary.

I am not happy unless I have at least P200 in P20 notes on me at any given time.

Then when I am in a location that will not give change, such as a taxi, I have no issues.

I also like to collect P1 coins for use in the ATM machine (Automated Tubig Machine). The ones I use dispense about 1 litre of purified water for about P3

[suzukig1]

Much easier if you live here full time.  Every Christmas my wife gets one hundred 100 peso notes from the bank; new notes to give to kids.  We give away 30 or so and use the rest throughout the year.

[bcnorth]

Much easier if you live here full time.  Every Christmas my wife gets one hundred 100 peso notes from the bank; new notes to give to kids.  We give away 30 or so and use the rest throughout the year.

I really like kids and am going to do what you do, that is giving the neighborhood kids brand new 100 peso notes. I thank you for the idea. 

[M.C.A.]

It's nearly impossible in my region to get small change, the stores the banks they won't give out change and even 1000 pesos at the 7-Eleven or the Alpha Mart is a challenge, filtered water delivery is a challenge also, I had to switch because they previous water spot held on to my monty all day and then forgot about it try to get us change, so a Municipality of nearly 40,000 people and nobody has change, I'm not kidding.

Only way I can get enough change for a token fee is to buy change from the Wetting or gambling spots and I usually need to wait till the end of the day, I never have any small change it's a total pain.

[Jimmy]

I just wait til theres alot an take them to our local sari store she loves to get the change.

[fred]

We cut a thin notch in a 4" diameter piece of bamboo (one section) and put the coins in that..That thing gets heavy.
In dry season we take a bolo to it and buy Cow manure from the kids that deliver..10 Peso per one full sack...We get a s*** load throughout the summer!

[Gray Wolf]

We cut a thin notch in a 4" diameter piece of bamboo (one section) and put the coins in that..That thing gets heavy.
In dry season we take a bolo to it and buy Cow manure from the kids that deliver..10 Peso per one full sack...We get a s*** load throughout the summer!

"a s*** load" Bwahahahaha!

[JD]

I've heard that coins can be hard to come by here but that's not been my experience.  Small bills are plentiful here, too. Just the other day, the BDO ATM at the mall was giving P100 bills only. So now the wife and I are swamped with them.

[Lee2]

I've heard that coins can be hard to come by here but that's not been my experience.  Small bills are plentiful here, too. Just the other day, the BDO ATM at the mall was giving P100 bills only. So now the wife and I are swamped with them.

I have found that if I use the ATM machine and ask for p500 to p1,000 withdrawal then it gives me p100 bills but when I ask for p10,000 then it either spits out p1,000 or p500 bills, depending on the machine. I prefer the p500's but do not seem to get them often enough.

[Big Jim]

I prefer the p500's but do not seem to get them often enough.

Aren't you in Cebu?

Just pop around to HSBC.

Even when travelling or when I was on Leyte, the ATM machine that I usually use is at HSBC in Cebu City. I would try an make the money last until I was back in Cebu City for the next withdrawal. HSBC is on C. Rosales Avenue. Opposite Ayala Mall and nearly opposite the Marriott Hotel. They have 2 ATM machines, inside, with a guard on the door 24/7.  One machine dispenses P20,000 at a time in P500 notes. The other machine dispenses P40,000 at a time in P1000 notes. Presuming  the daily withdrawal limit set by your bank is large enough to accommodate a P40,000 withdrawal. The machines accept CIRRUS, PLUS, MASTERCARD, VISA and maybe some other systems. HSBC do not charge an additional fee like all other banks ATM machines in the Philippines. At least they do not charge me. There is a message before you start saying that there may be a fee but there never is. I have not seen anyone else post that they have been charged a fee. You will still have to pay ATM fees charged by your bank.