How to Maximize the Value in Your Stored Value Card

Edit (2/27/2017): Since the LRT/MRT card system has been totally revamped, some of the contents of this post might not be valid anymore. I will be creating a new post regarding the new card system.

Due to the recent fare hike from LRT1 and LRT2, the cost of the Stored Value card has also been increased from P100 to P150. If you are a regular commuter, then buying a Stored Value card is a must. Not only do you not have to fall in the long line of people buying cards, you also get a discount for each ride you make (see fare matrix below).

LRT1 New Stored Value Fare Matrix (from LRT website).

LRT2 New Stored Value Fare Matrix (from LRT website).

Here is a neat little trick (well, it's not really a trick) for people to be able to make the most of what they pay for. Always check the amount of money left in your card. As much as possible, try to leave only P1-P5 so that your last ride will be as good as free.

If you are a regular LRT commuter, doing this feat will depend on your route. For example, I usually ride the LRT1 spanning 5 stations, which would cost me P15 per ride. In a typical P150 card, I only get 10 rides. But, I can get 11 rides out of the card if I leave the last P15 in the card and wait for a chance to ride the LRT wherein I will be charged only P12-P14 (spanning 1-4 stations); thus, leaving me with P1-P3 so that I can use the card one last time for my 11th ride. Imagine riding the LRT from end to end with just P1 in your card --- such a happy feeling~!

Take note that a Stored Value card is valid for 6 months from the time it is bought.

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Hope this helped somehow. Feel free to share your LRT experience. :)

OneTouch Ultra VS Accu-chek Active VS FreeStyle Optium

So, the doctor has advised you (or a loved one) to start monitoring your blood sugar levels at home because your FBS (fasting blood sugar) was pretty high during your last check-up?

Or, perhaps you (or a loved one) is about to be discharged from the hospital and the doctor has (yet again) advised you that it would be better to keep a close watch on your blood sugar levels?

The doctor or nurse simply tells you to buy a blood sugar machine, also known as a glucometer. You go to the leading drugstore just to find out that there are numerous brands available in the market. You want to buy the one that will give you your money's worth. But the machines look different; the prices are different. So really, what's the difference?

I would like to share about my experience with three of the leading brands of glucometers available in the Philippine market today. (Prices indicated below are based on Mercury Drugstore's.)

1) OneTouch Ultra

OneTouch Ultra

This is a product of Johnson & Johnson. The starter kit costs around P2,200.

Pros:

-It is one of the most commonly used and trusted brands in the US.

-It takes only 5 seconds to read your blood sugar levels.

-The strips are widely available in most drugstores.

-OneTouch UltraSoft lancets have thinner needles, which make pricking less painful.

Cons:

-A bit costly. 25 strips cost P1,090 while 50 strips cost P2,020. Lancets cost about P125 for 25 pieces.

-Strips are packed in tubes. 25 strips are usually contained in one tube. Once a tube is opened, strips must be used within 3 months.

2) Accu-check Active

Accu-chek Active

This is a product of Roche. The starter kit costs around P1,850.

Pros:

-It takes only 5 seconds to read blood sugar levels.

-The strips are widely available in most drugstores.

-The strips are less expensive compared to OneTouch Ultra. 25 strips cost P800.

Cons:

-Strips are packed in tubes. 25 strips are usually contained in one tube. Once a tube is opened, strips must be used within 3 months.

-The strips, once exposed to air, can be difficult to read for the machine. I've often encountered E-5 error using this machine (but I've discovered a solution for this so that your strip does not go to waste).

-The default lancing device requires flat type lancets, which can be more difficult to find.

-Blood drop needs to be placed on top of the strip instead of sideways (which can be a challenge at times).

3) Optium Freestyle

FreeStyle Optium

This is a product of Abbott. The starter kit costs around P1800.

Pros:

-Strips are individually packaged, which means that you don't have to worry about needing to consume all of the strips within 3 months.

-The strips are widely available in most drugstores.

-The strips are less expensive compared to OneTouch Ultra. 25 strips cost P1,010 while 50 strips cost P1,670.

-The default lancing device uses cross-type lancets, which are easy to find.

Cons:

-It takes 20 seconds to read blood sugar levels. (This is probably the longest waiting time that I have encountered.)

-It needs more drops of blood compared to the other two glucometers above.

WHICH IS THE BEST?

Well, it all depends on what factor you would deem to be most important. You need to consider not only the machine, but the strips as well. The strips are what you will be buying continuously in the long run.

All three glucometers read blood sugar levels with more or less the same accuracy. All come from reputable companies. All are well-supported and well-supplied by leading drugstores nationwide.

Here's my recommendation: 

If money is not a big issue, go with OneTouch Ultra brand. It's definitely user-friendly and the strips are less prone to errors. It can also read high blood sugar levels, which you can record and report to your doctor.

But if you are considering blood sugar level monitoring at home to be a long-term deal, then small savings can go a long way. You can try either Accu-chek Active or FreeStyle Optium.

OTHER WAYS TO SAVE MONEY

Once you have chosen a brand, you can also try looking for other sources to buy the machine and strips from, aside from leading drugstores. There are online sellers that sell legit items at big discounts (maybe 60-75% the price at Mercury Drugstore). You can buy strips in bulk if you will use them regularly. There are also sellers that have near-expiry strips that you can buy at a cheaper price. Don't buy expired strips.

As for the lancets, you don't necessarily need to buy branded lancets. There are generic lancets that sell for as cheap as P1 per piece. However, they are thicker and slightly more painful to use.

You can save money by buying lesser known brands of glucometers (they are way less expensive) BUT ONLY IF you are a diligent person who wouldn't mind making the extra effort to look for the strips. Because there is a chance that the strips might be difficult to find and you would end up having to go from store to store just looking for this particular brand of strips.

EXTRA NOTES:

There are plenty of other brands available out there. Some people receive glucometers as gifts from relatives abroad. This is fine, as long as the strips are available and affordable here in the Philippines (because there are some strip brands/models that are so expensive or difficult to find that it would be wiser just to buy a new glucometer instead). Or you could just ask your relatives to keep supplying you with the strips. (^__^)

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Hope this helped somehow. Feel free to share your experience. :)

How to Renew Your Driver's License (Philippines)

I would like to share my experience with driver's license renewal at LTO Manila South District Office. It's a very simple process and, depending on the number of people at LTO during your visit, you can finish in as short as one hour. If you want to know about how to renew your car registration, you can check my other post: How to Renew Your Car Registration.

LTO Manila South District Office

WHAT YOU NEED

-expiring driver's license
-application form (can be taken from LTO)
-money (P518 total)

THE PROCESS

First, get an application form from the Public Assistance and Complaints Desk. After filling out the form, you will be instructed to get a medical exam. This service is available inside the LTO compound for P100. Weight, height and blood pressure will be measured. Eye test will also be done. This can be completed in just 5-10 minutes.

Area for medical exam within LTO compound.

Afterwards, submit the forms along with your expiring driver's license to the Public Assistance and Complaints Desk and wait for your name to be called. At around 11am on a Monday morning, I was #44. Waiting took about 15 minutes.

Once your name is called, proceed to Window 1 for your photo and signature to be taken. Then, wait another 15 minutes for your name to be called. Once your name is called, proceed to Window 9 to pay for the renewal fee which costs P418. (If you had changed your address, you would be called by the evaluator to Window 2 for clarifications, which could prolong the process by a few more minutes.)

Wait another 15-20 minutes and your name will be called again. This time, proceed to Window 4 for the release of your new driver's license, which is valid for another three years. Yehey! The entire process took less than one hour, which was good enough for me considering that there were a lot of people at LTO.

EXTRA NOTES

Pay attention to the names being called because they only repeat the names once or twice. Also, pay attention to the window number that you're being called to go to.

No noon break.

LTO follows the No Noon Break policy, which was fortunate for us since we arrived a bit past 11am.

LTO Manila South District Office also offers other services aside from driver's license renewal, including:

-student permit issuance (for Filipino citizens only)

-duplicate license / student permit

-MV registration (renewal), excluding tax-exempt, imported, diplomatic and for-hire

-transfer of ownership

-mortgage annotation

-duplicate plate / certificate of registration

For more information, you can contact their office at (02)528-4682.

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Hope my post helped somehow. Feel free to share your LTO experience. :)

How to Renew Your Car Registration at LTO (Philippines)

I just wanted to share my experience on our car registration renewal. If you're interested to know about driver's license renewal, you can check out this post: How to Renew Your Driver's License.

Earlier today, my brother had his car registration renewed at LTO. I tagged along since this is the first time that we were having the renewal. Typically, a brand new car is registered for the first three years (so you don't have to worry about registration renewal during this period), after which renewal is due every year.

THE SCHEDULE

The most important thing to find out if you're due for renewal is the schedule. I asked the staff at LTO and they said that your plate's last digit is the basis for the month of your renewal:

1 January

2 February

3 March

4 April

5 May

6 June

7 July

8 August

9 September

0 October

As for the week that you're due to renew, it would depend on the plate's middle digit:

1-3 1st week

4-6 2nd week

7,8 3rd week

9,0 4th week

For example, your car plate is ABC 123. The last digit is 3, which means that the month is March. The second digit is 2, which means the week is 1st. Hence, the deadline for renewal is 1st week of March.

Take note that if your renewal is late, you need to pay P200 extra for each week that you are late. If you are late by a month, then you will have to pay 50% extra of the total amount.

WHAT YOU NEED

-photocopy of OR-CR (wouldn't hurt if you can also bring the original)

-your car

-money

-smoke emission test result (can be taken at LTO)

-CTPL insurance (can be taken at LTO)

-stencil (will be taken at LTO)

THE PROCESS

We went to LTO Manila South District Office near PureGold San Andres since that is where we originally had the car registered.

LTO Manila South District Office

First off is the car's smoke emission test. There are two privately-owned emission test centers available inside the LTO compound. One is Pearl Orient Private Emission Testing. The other is Protection Emission Testing Center. We went with the latter just because it was nearer the entrance. We were asked to present a copy of the OR-CR (original or photocopy is fine). We were charged P400 for their service. We had to wait around 10-15 minutes for this.

Smoke Emission Test receipt

Afterwards, we went to get Compulsory Third-Party Liability (CTPL) insurance, also available within the LTO compound. We were also asked to show a photocopy of the OR-CR. We had to wait around 30 minutes (because there were a lot of people in LTO earlier today). We paid P1,060 for this.

CTPL Insurance from LTO

Next, we took a stencil application form from the Public Assistance and Complaints Desk. An LTO staff assisted us with the filling out of this form (for free). This took about 5-10 minutes.

There were really lots of people at LTO today.

No noon break.

Finally, we submitted everything to Window 8 for processing. Since there were lots of people today at LTO, we had to wait almost an hour just to be called to Window 9 to pay. The total amount was P2980 (inclusive of P450 for the new plates which were out of stock at the time). I think the amount would also depend on the car type. Ours was an SUV. By the way, if you transferred to a different LTO branch than the one where you initially registered, you would have to pay extra P100.

We had to wait about 10 minutes, then our new OR was released at Window 10. The new plates were still out of stock and we were given a landline number to call after 45 days to check for plate availability.

So, after paying P4,440 and spending almost two hours at LTO, we were able to renew our car registration at last. It wasn't really too difficult.

EXTRA NOTES

I have also heard about what they call "three-fourth" or "3/4", wherein you don't have to renew your car's registration. Instead, you can have your 3-year car registration extended. Kind of weird, but yes, it is possible, because I personally know someone who has had this done. Of course, this is only applicable to cars in their THIRD year of registration, but have not yet reached their 36th month.

For example, your car (with plate ABC 123) was bought and registered on July 2012. Since you are due to renew on the 1st week of March, but have not yet reached your 36th month (you are currently on the 33rd month), you can have registration extended, and you only have to pay 3/4 of the total amount. Plus, you don't have to undergo the smoke emission test.

Instantly, you save around P1,000! Your next renewal would be due the following year (just as if you had your car's registration renewed). I'm not sure if this is applicable to those who are transferring to a different LTO branch though, because the staff have to manually locate your files.

For more information, you can contact LTO Manila South District Office at (02)528-4682.

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Hope my post helped somehow. Feel free to share your LTO experience. :)