u/not_mikeee

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to decide between getting a Hawley retainer (the traditional wire and acrylic one) or an Essix retainer (the clear plastic tray style).

For those of you who have been wearing yours for a while, which one do you prefer and why? I'd love to hear about your long-run experiences with things like:

• Comfort & Speech: How easy is it to talk or sleep with?

• Durability: How well has it held up over the years?

• Maintenance: Is it a pain to keep clean?

Which one did you choose for the long haul, and would you make the same choice again? Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone!

I just called the CS this morning to cancel my Amex CC, wala pang 1 year yung card. I made sure to pay my outstanding balance in full bago ko i-pa cancel.

Now the CS told me that it's already been cancelled, will I still receive my SOA? Every 20th of the month ang Statement of Account ko.

I already have bdo visa classic sa BDO and yun ang ginagamit ko now, I want to focus kasi muna sa isang CC. Also, it still shows the CC on the bdo app ganun ba talaga? Thank you for your insights!

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice from anyone who has experienced something similar.

My official last day with my current company is September 3, 2026. I’m permanently WFH, and I’m planning to use my remaining approved leave until September 3. I currently have no pending responsibilities or deliverables, and I’m basically just waiting for my last day so I can complete my exit process and return the company assets via Lalamove.

I asked my new company if I could start as early as September 1, 2026 instead of September 7. They already know that my official last day with my current employer is September 3. Waiting for the new company email if they will approved it since they said that they will check and get back to me.

The only thing is, my current employer doesn't know that I may start with the new company on September 1.

For those who have been in a similar situation:

• Did you ever start a new job before your official last day with your previous employer?
• Did it cause any problems with HR, BIR/taxes, employment records, or your final pay?
• Could this affect future job applications or background checks?
• Is a 3-day overlap generally a big issue if there are no pending responsibilities with the old employer?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have actually experienced this.

I already signed a job offer from another company with a better salary, benefits, and career growth opportunities. The new role requires me to report onsite once a week, while my current job is permanently WFH.

For context, I’ve been with my current company for 1 year and 5 months. Despite being a regular employee, they still don’t provide HMO because they currently offer it only to employees in managerial positions.

After I submitted my resignation, our HR Manager called and said they wanted to give me a counteroffer. They kept asking whether I would consider staying even if they couldn’t match the offer from the new company, as long as they increased my salary. Regarding the HMO, they said it might still take a few months before they could provide it.

I told them that my decision was already final because the new opportunity is better in terms of salary, benefits, career growth, and overall opportunity. Although I would be giving up a permanent WFH setup, reporting onsite once a week is still manageable for me.

HR said they would call me again, this time together with my manager and the company president. I’m planning to respectfully decline their counteroffer since I’ve already signed the JO and committed to the new company.

Did I make the right decision? Medyo kinakabahan lang ako because nadulas ako and mentioned that I received a better offer. Was it unprofessional to say that, or was it reasonable since they were asking why I was leaving?

I received a job offer today for a Data Analyst/Data Engineer role at a well-known company.

The offer is ₱40K basic + ₱5K special allowance, with 10 VL, 10 SL, 5 EL, 13th-month pay, HMO, life insurance, and once-a-week onsite work.

For context, my current salary is ₱28,500 basic + ₱1,500 allowance, and I’m currently fully WFH.

Instead of accepting immediately, I respectfully negotiated for ₱50K–₱55K. I gave that range because I’m already okay with ₱50K and was hoping they could meet me at the lower end.

I have 1 year and 6 months of direct Data Analyst experience, plus around 1 year as a Technical Support Engineer, where I handled support, troubleshooting, and regular coordination with stakeholders and project managers.

In my negotiation email, I highlighted my experience, banking-related projects, reporting, and process automation. They also mentioned during the interview that some of their processes are still manual, so I explained how my automation experience could help improve their workflow. This seemed to be one of the things they liked about my background.

Based on my research, similar roles in the company usually range from around ₱45K to ₱60K, so I felt that my request was still reasonable.

Honestly, I really want the job. The benefits alone are already much better than my current company, especially the HMO and life insurance. My current employer does not provide HMO to regular employees and only offers it to managerial roles.

I’m hoping they can meet me at least at ₱50K. But if they say ₱45K is already their maximum, I’ll most likely still accept because I like the role, the company, the benefits, and the career growth.

Do you think negotiating was the right move?

I had a Maybank Secured Credit Card (SCC) for almost 5 months, but I decided to cancel it after getting a bank-issued credit card from BDO.

I called Maybank customer service to request cancellation of my SCC. They informed me that my outstanding balance must be fully paid first (zero balance) before they can proceed. Once my balance was cleared, they created a cancellation request, which they said would take about 5–7 banking days.

After 6 banking days, I followed up and was told that my SCC had already been cancelled. They advised me to coordinate with the branch where I opened the account.

I went to my branch of account and informed them about the cancellation and my request to release my deposited hold-out amount. The staff then emailed the credit card department to confirm.

Within around 30 minutes, the CC department replied confirming that everything was okay and that the amount could be released. I immediately checked my savings account, and the funds were already credited back.

Overall, it was a very smooth and fast process compared to other banks that usually take around 30 days. Just sharing my experience for those who have a Maybank SCC.

I wanted to share my experience applying for a BDO additional credit card.

My first regular credit card was a BDO Amex Classic Card, which was bank-initiated and approved on May 14, 2026. I received and activated the card on May 21, 2026. After activation, I requested to convert the monthly membership fee to an annual fee, and the request was approved after about 5 banking days.

Since some merchants don't accept Amex, I decided to apply for a BDO Visa Classic Card as an additional card. I understood that it would have a shared credit limit with my Amex card and that it would have an annual fee, unlike my Amex Classic which came with a free first year annual fee.

Timeline:

May 25, 2026 – Applied for BDO Visa Classic Card (additional card)

May 26, 2026 – Received a call from a BDO agent. The questions were mostly answerable by yes or no, followed by an automated recording for the terms and conditions. No documents were requested.

June 9, 2026 – An inactive Visa Classic Card appeared in my BDO Online app, indicating that the application had been approved.

Overall, it took about 10 banking days from application to approval.

I'm happy with the outcome since the Visa card will be more widely accepted than Amex. Having both the Amex Classic and Visa Classic as my first regular credit cards feels like a great start in building my credit history and creditworthiness.

Hope this timeline helps others who are applying for an additional BDO credit card.

I currently have a Maybank Secured Credit Card (SCC), which will turn 5 months old by the end of May.

Last Friday (May 22), I received my first-ever regular credit card from BDO — an Amex Classic Card that was bank-initiated and I was happy for it.

My main reason for getting the Maybank SCC was to build my credit history and eventually qualify for a regular credit card. Now that I already have a regular CC, I'm torn between canceling my SCC or keeping it active.

For those who have been in a similar situation, what would you recommend? Should I:

• Cancel the Maybank SCC and have my holdout deposit released?

• Keep it for a while longer to continue building my credit history?

I'd appreciate any insights, experiences, or advice. Thank you!

For context, I only have the BDO Amex Classic and the Maybank SCC at the moment, and I don't have any plans for major credit applications in the next few years.

Here’s my BDO CC timeline:

• My BDO savings account with the minimum ADB turned 6 months old on May 13, 2026.
• On the same day, an inactive BDO Amex Classic Credit Card appeared in my online banking. This is my first regular credit card ever.
• May 14 – I received an email stating that I was approved for a BDO credit card based on the consent I previously provided, so this was a bank-initiated card.
• May 21 – Received an SMS that my BDO Amex was already out for delivery via 2GO.
• May 22 – Card was delivered. My location is within Metro Manila.

Overall, it took around 8 days from approval email to actual card delivery.