Reference
How each calculator works — inputs, formulas, and what the results mean.
Installment Calculator
This tool models flat add-on interest charged on the original principal. It is not suitable for declining-balance loans such as SSS salary loans. Identify the interest method in the actual offer first.
Annual effective cost is computed from equal monthly cash flows, using principal minus upfront fees as the initial benefit, then compounding the monthly rate: (1 + monthly rate)^12 − 1. It is not a fixed multiple of an add-on rate. Some lender disclosures annualize a monthly rate by ×12; that convention differs from the compounded annual figure shown here. BSP caps the monthly add-on rate for credit card installments at 1.00% per month (Circular No. 1098, updated by No. 1165).
Installment Calculator
Converts existing credit card purchases or outstanding balances into fixed monthly installments using the add-on interest method. You choose a term and the bank applies a flat rate to your balance.
Cash price, monthly add-on rate (%), term, optional 0% installment amount, optional processing fee, optional monthly budget.
Monthly payment, total interest, factor rate, effective interest rate (EIR), and a side-by-side comparison against any 0% merchant plan you enter. If you provide a 0% amount, the calculator uses binary search to find the optimal bank principal where the bank's total stays just under the merchant's total.
Installment Calculator
Converts available (unused) credit limit into cash deposited to your account. Known as Cash2Go (Metrobank), Ready Cash (Security Bank), YourCash (RCBC), or CashLite depending on the bank. The math is identical to Balance Conversion — only the context differs.
Cash amount needed, monthly add-on rate (%), term, optional processing fee, optional monthly budget.
Monthly payment, total interest, factor rate, and effective interest rate (EIR).
Rates, terms, and fees depend on the actual offer. Enter all upfront charges; fees are assumed paid at origination or withheld from proceeds for effective-cost calculation.
Installment Calculator
Standalone unsecured bank loans, separate from credit cards. The key difference is applicable Documentary Stamp Tax (DST), deductions, and eligibility for exemptions.
You borrow ₱500K but receive less — and still pay interest on the full ₱500K.
Card FX Comparison
When you pay in a foreign currency, your card issuer converts the amount to PHP using a network or bank conversion rate. The all-in cost combines two charges: a bank-imposed forex conversion fee and a network cross-border assessment fee added by Visa or Mastercard.
Network assessments are product- and issuer-specific. The table includes verified published fees and source links; the reference API rate is not necessarily the issuer’s conversion rate. Cards advertised as "0% forex" waive the bank fee — the network assessment may still apply.
Card FX Comparison
The base PHP-per-unit rate is fetched live from open exchange rate APIs. Three sources are tried in order, and the first successful response is used:
Rates are cached server-side for 1 hour (Next.js revalidation). The sidebar shows which source responded and when the rate was last updated. Currency codes are normalized across providers; invalid or outdated responses fall through to the next source. If none responds, use Retry rates. This is a reference rate — your actual billing rate can differ materially from what your bank applies.
Car Financing Comparison
The Car Financing Comparison tool puts three options side by side: a Bank Auto Loan, a Credit-to-Cash / Personal Loan used to buy the car as cash, and Dealer In-House Financing. You enter the figures each lender quotes you, and the tool lines them up so the real cost is obvious.
Monthly amortization for the bank and in-house options is whatever the lender quotes you — there is no single formula, since quotes come from rate tables. Enter the quoted figure directly.
Car Financing Comparison
Dealer discounts often apply to some financing channels but not others — a cash-style credit-to-cash purchase may get a bigger discount than a bank loan, for example. The "Discount applies to" selector controls which options have the discount netted from their price, so a freebie is never subtracted twice.
Fees are entered as plain numbers. If a fee is waived as a promo, enter 0 — it simply drops out of the total. If it is charged, enter the amount. Each option also has a free-form notes field for promo eligibility rules (e.g. "free chattel mortgage only on the 60-month term").
Car Financing Comparison
The payment type determines whether the first monthly amortization is collected at signing.
OMA raises the upfront cash but does not change the lifecycle total — it only shifts the timing of one payment. Upfront cash for the bank and in-house options is therefore Down Payment + OMA (if any) + Total Fees.
Car Financing Comparison
A secured loan from a bank, using the vehicle as collateral. Usually the cheapest option overall, but it requires a credit check, comprehensive insurance, and a chattel mortgage registered with the LTO.
Chattel mortgage, bank fees, documentary stamp tax, notarial fee, LTO encumbrance, registration, comprehensive insurance, CTPL, and any other fees. The loan amount should normally equal the discounted price minus the down payment — the tool flags a warning if it does not, which usually means a discount has been applied inconsistently.
Car Financing Comparison
You borrow cash — from a credit card limit or a personal loan — and pay the dealer in full. From the dealer's side it is a cash sale, so there is no chattel mortgage.
If your bank quotes a fixed monthly payment, enter it as the override — it is used instead of the add-on formula and labelled "bank-quoted monthly". The add-on rate is not the same as the effective rate; enter the EIRPA separately to compare true borrowing cost across products.
When the loanable amount is lower than the car's price, you must pay the difference (the cash portion) upfront — so credit-to-cash can mean a lower monthly payment but a higher cash requirement at signing.
Car Financing Comparison
Direct financing from the car dealer. No bank credit check, so it is the easiest to get approved — but it is treated separately because its discounts, fees, and monthly amortization can differ from a bank loan, and it is often the most expensive over the full term.
It is computed the same way as the bank auto loan: down payment, quoted monthly amortization, payment type, and free-form fees (chattel mortgage, processing, documentation, registration, insurance, CTPL, other dealer charges).
Car Financing Comparison
Results are shown as five tables: Key Assumptions, Upfront Cash, Monthly Payment, Total Cost, and a Recommendation Summary. The recommendation highlights the lowest monthly payment, lowest upfront cash, lowest total cost, and the simplest process.
You can also pick a priority — lowest total cost, lowest monthly, lowest upfront, no chattel mortgage, fastest approval, or ownership flexibility — and the tool names the best option for that priority with a short rationale.
Rent vs. Buy a Home
Comparing a monthly mortgage to monthly rent is misleading — it ignores the down payment you tie up, the equity you build, and the returns you forgo by not investing that cash. This tool runs a year-by-year wealth simulation where both paths start with the same money. The buyer sinks it into the down payment and closing costs; the renter keeps it invested. Each year, whichever path costs less invests the surplus, so the two are compared on equal footing.
Rent vs. Buy a Home
The mortgage is a standard amortising annuity. On top of it, ownership carries recurring costs the simulation escalates each year:
Defaults are illustrative assumptions, not current market offers. The mortgage rate stays constant for the full term; future repricing is not modeled. The 7% investment return is not guaranteed: MP2 dividends are flexible and declared after net income is determined, not a fixed minimum. See Pag-IBIG Circular 407. Use the property’s actual tax assessment: residential land and building assessment rules differ, and taxes may use a different base than the purchase price.
Rent vs. Buy a Home
A single break-even year is false precision when appreciation and returns are uncertain. So the tool adds three decision layers on top of the base simulation:
All figures can be switched to today's pesos (inflation-adjusted), and any scenario is shareable via a link that encodes every input — no account needed.
Pag-IBIG Bid & Financing
The discount is applied to the offer price. The minimum gross selling price is a comparison baseline. A discount does not make an offer below the minimum acceptable.
Cash shows the net price payable. Short-term uses the selected number of months and editable annual interest rate (the example starts at 0%). Long-term uses the selected years and annual rate. Down payment can be entered as a percentage of net price or as a peso amount. Compare 15–30% discounts, a custom discount, and loan terms including 25 and 30 years.
The saved bid example supplies the starting values: minimum ₱1,198,400, offer ₱2,399,999.99, discounts 30% / 20% / 30%, annual long-term interest 6.25%, and 10% down. These are illustrative inputs, not a published discount schedule or current lending offer. Verify your property’s terms with Pag-IBIG. Insurance, taxes, fees, penalties, eligibility, income requirements, and rate repricing are outside this estimate.
The optional monthly budget estimates an offer supported by your selected term, interest, discount, and down payment method. The required upfront amount is shown separately. This does not estimate required income or approval. Use Copy link to save or share all assumptions. Reset example restores the starting values. An amount above the net price or an invalid percentage displays an error instead of silently changing your input.
All calculations are for reference purposes only. Rates, fees, and regulatory requirements change over time. Always verify details directly with the relevant bank or financial institution before making any financial decision.