Here’s a summary of the steps (as illustrated in the accompanying video):

1. Unionbank does NOT need any minimum balance requirements. However, one must pay P350 to open up a bank account and the accompanying Unionbank EON card.
2. Take note of the information written on the Unionbank EON card. The number at the middle of the card is the card number. The smaller number below your name is the bank account number. The bank account number IS THE ONE TO USE for verifying Paypal account.
   
   
3. You need the following:
   • EON card and bank account number
   • valid email address
   • valid phone number
   • valid postal mailing address which should be the same as the address indicated in your Unionbank EON card
   • at least P200 deposit to cover $1.95 that Paypal takes away for verification. (Note that $1.95 is returned back into one’s Paypal account after a successful verification).
4. Sign up for Paypal, choose Philippines then click the preferred account. Usually, a Personal Paypal account is enough. Make sure to use the same details that you had used with your Unionbank EON account. (If you want to know the  difference between Personal, Premium or Business Paypal account, then read this previous post: Signing up with Paypal, which account is suitable?
5. Confirm your email address by clicking the link in the verification email that came from Paypal. You will need to enter your Paypal password to complete this step.
6. Go back to the Paypal page, and just below the welcome line with your name click on the Get Verified link.
7. Login to your Unionbank EON banking and search on the transaction history for the VISA Expanded USE charge. Remember the 4 digits that appear after the word VISA.
8. Switch back to the Paypal page and enter those 4 digits into link and confirm your debit or credit card.

How to Activate “Withdraw to Bank Account” Feature

Like what Eireen Diokno-Bernardo had said in the video, I save more and get Paypal funds early using withdraw to bank account option. Please read my previous post: Withdrawing Paypal Funds: Should I Choose “Withdraw to Bank” or “Withdraw to Card”?

1. Login to Paypal account.
2. Click Withdraw tab, then click Withdraw to your bank account.
3. Fill in the information required. Although the video demonstrated how to add a Unionbank bank account, ANY OTHER PHILIPPINE BANK ACCOUNTS that are assigned Philippine bank codes by Paypal can be used: participating Philippine banks and their bank codes

Chances are, you got into this post because you need a Unionbank EON card to verify your Paypal.

If you have a Payoneer card already, you can use it to verify your Paypal account in a faster way.

However, if you need two cards verified with a Paypal account, or you simply do not have a Payoneer card, then you have to start the trek to the long wait right away.

Here are the steps:

• I enrolled in a Unionbank EON account online. I waited for around two weeks because the bank encountered some problems.  I had expected getting the card within a week after registration.
• When the card finally came, I went to the bank to claim it. I shelled out P850 for the account – P350 for the annual card fee and P500 for the deposit. I had to put in some money because Paypal requires some cash for the Paypal Expanded Use (EXPUSE). Paypal deducts $1.95 for this.
• I had to wait for another day to activate the card with an ATM.
• Once activated, I have to enroll in their internet banking. I waited two days to get it activated.
• I logged in my Paypal and linked this card within the site.
• I got into my Unionbank EON account and saw the $1.95 deduction – in Pesos.
• I have to wait for another 3 days for the EXPUSE number.
• When I got the EXPUSE number, I was able to confirm my card. I finally had a Verified Paypal account!

A verified Paypal account is needed to withdraw Paypal funds to any Philippine bank account. Unverified accounts do not have this capability.

A lot of bloggers had written about the success of Paypal withdrawals in the Philippines; I stumbled on a lot of these when I had to figure out how to withdraw my earnings from my Paypal account – to do this in the Philippines I need to have a verified Paypal account first.

I think that getting a Paypal account to work along with Payoneer account is good so that I get to have my earnings if one withdrawal method fails. In case there is a problem with Payoneer, then I can still have my funds from oDesk through another source. I’ve written about the comparison between the different withdrawal methods used in oDesk.

Here in the Philippines, a verified Paypal account is needed to be able to withdraw Paypal funds to any Philippine bank account and even purchase from online sites.

How did I able to get a my Paypal verified?

I was successful in using two cards for this:

• Unionbank EON card
• oDesk debit Mastercard powered by Payoneer

The oDesk Payoneer card is a debit Mastercard which I find flexible in many ways. Aside from using it to verify my Paypal account, I used it for internet transactions and POS purchases in groceries and malls around town. Withdrawal through any local Mastercard ATM is possible too.

The Paypal EXPUSE number is a number attached to the $1.95 amount that Paypal deducts from the credit or debit card for verification. According to Paypal, the number can be seen in account statements, but in the case of my Unionbank EON card, the EXPUSE number did not appear on my account statements – a call or an email to the bank’s customer support is necessary for them to say what has been the EXPUSE number provided with the account.

If you happen to use a debit card for verification, be sure to load the card with $1.95 or at least Php 100 for Paypal to properly debit the account. The deducted amount from the card, if successful, goes to the Paypal account so you have nothing to lose. If verification was not successful then the funds are credited back to the card.