Vancity offers free service for sending money to the Philippines

December 6, 2013

Vancouver, B.C. - The SMART Money servers in the Philippines have been restored, and until February 28, 2014, Vancity is waiving fees for sending money to the Philippines through our Smart Money remittance program. This is to support our members from the Philippine community who need to send funds to family and friends.

Smart Money is a secure way to transfer money to the Philippines using the beneficiary’s Smartphone number. Once the remittance is sent from a Vancity branch, the recipient is notified through a free text message and the funds are readily available through a Smart Money account.

Important notes: The maximum amount that can be sent through is 40,000 Pesos (roughly $950 Canadian). Recipients must have a Smartphone to receive the notification of funds being sent.

Maximize your donation

You can maximize your support for relief efforts by donating directly to the Canadian Red Cross or UNICEF. The Government of Canada is matching individual donations to both humanitarian organizations, among others, until December 23, 2013.

• To donate to the Canadian Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.ca or call 1-800-418-1111. Donations must be earmarked for “Typhoon Haiyan”.
• To donate to UNICEF, please visit www.unicef.org.

Special support for co-operatives in the Philippines

Vancity has also made a donation on behalf its members to the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada to support cooperatives in the Philippines that have been affected by the typhoon. Our donation will help organizations like the National Federation of Co-operatives of Persons with Disability, which provides support and services to persons with disabilities.