MANILA, Philippines – For most stock market newbies, the joke goes something like this: “I’m not investing, I’m just making very expensive donations to the PSE (Philippine Stock Exchange).” But now, whether you’re up, down, or just getting started, you could actually get a tiny reward back.
Unicapital Securities Incorporated just launched the first-ever loyalty program in the Philippines built specifically for retail stock traders. By trading as usual, you can earn Giftaway eGift credits that are redeemable at food, travel, lifestyle, or retail merchants.
“I’m proud to say we have the first loyalty program in this country,” Ben Thomas Pañares, director, president, and chief executive officer of Unicapital Securities told Rappler in an interview on April 28. “When you open an account with us and you buy a stock, you actually get points.”
Here’s the deal: for every P10,000 worth of completed trades — whether it’s a buy or a sell — you earn 1 loyalty point, equivalent to 1 Giftaway credit. That means you earn rewards based on trading volume, not your portfolio’s performance. So even if you’re in the red (we’ve all been there), you can still earn some points, a small consolation in these volatile market conditions.
The program runs from December 2, 2024 to December 31, 2025, and is open to all individual retail clients of Unicapital, both online and traditional. Points are credited monthly and can be redeemed through the Giftaway platform until March 31, 2026.
You’ll need to accumulate at least 50 points — the equivalent of P500,000 in total trading volume — to begin redeeming. While that may sound steep, the threshold can be reached over time. If you place P50,000 worth of trades per month from June to December 2025, you’ll have earned 35 points, which isn’t enough to redeem yet.
To hit the 50-point minimum within the 7 months left in the program, you’d need to trade approximately P71,500 per month. That would give you just over 50 points by December — enough to unlock your first Giftaway eGift before the March 2026 redemption deadline.
A post-pandemic nudge
So why launch a loyalty program now?
According to Pañares, Unicapital wants to differentiate itself from other brokers and reconnect with local retail investors — many of whom became active traders during the pandemic but have since tapered off.
“Those were probably the best years for Unicapital Securities,” he recalled, pointing out how that’s now changed. “They’re back to work. They’re busy, they have deadlines to meet, they have meetings to attend to. So naturally, the activity ratio went down.”
The loyalty program is one way to gently nudge casual traders to stay engaged — even if they’re only making smaller, periodic trades. Beyond this, Pañares said Unicapital is also working to stay ahead of competitors through its app, UTrade, which he described as user-friendly and fully online. The app allows users to complete the entire account opening process remotely, including digital know-your-customer verification, which gave Unicapital an edge during the height of pandemic restrictions.
“You can complete your entire application on your phone or online,” Pañares told Rappler. “Then, as long as your account is funded, you can start trading the very next day.”
Now, before you get too excited to start trading or investing, this is your reminder to always do your research before diving into the stock market. Trading comes with risks, and no amount of rewards points can replace a sound trading plan.
If you’re curious about how the stock market works, you can start with Rappler’s explainer on the Philippine Stock Exchange. To learn more about “blue chip” stocks, read our story on the PSE Index, which acts as the leaderboard of the country’s largest publicly listed companies. – Rappler.com
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