Cosmopolitan Lifestyle Awards 2025: The Career & Money Winners

Whenever our salaries or allowances hit our bank accounts, it's tempting to just splurge on aaaaall our wants. But with this year's Cosmopolitan Philippines Lifestyle Awards' theme being :intentional living," we set out on a mission to empower our Cosmo Girls to manage their finances and build a career on their own terms. That's why having the right tools—from budgeting apps to lifestyle-complementing credit cards—is so important to have and know. If you make smart financial decisions and find the right tools that suit your lifestyle, then you can make your money work for you and build the best life you want, now.

Don't know where to start? The Cosmo Editors have done the research, the testing, and the overthinking (LOL!) for you.

Read on to discover the tools every Cosmo Girl needs for making their money work for them ;) 

Everything is digital nowadays, and banks are catching on. But there's only one digital bank that has balanced top-notch services and products with a super pretty interface—and that's GoTyme Bank. It functions as a digital wallet that comes with a free debit card, a savings function where you can earn interest, and even invest in USD.

Why we love it: "It's one of the most user-friendly banking apps on my phone and I've never had any problems using it to pay for anything—whether it's via bank transfer or debit card. Plus, I love the convenience of being able to withdraw money virtually anywhere and that I can separate my savings into separate little piles."

GCash is one of the OGs for digital payments, but ever since they launched their physical debit card, Pinoy travelers have been raving about its low foreign exchange fees and prime convenience. Just keep your GCash wallet topped up, and you can use it to withdraw money abroad, tap through train gates, and pay for your purchases. And you can order it straight from the app and have it delivered to your home. Convenient, right?

Why we love it: "Whenever I'm traveling, I always want to get the most out of every peso. Out of all the debit cards I've tried, the GCash Visa Debit Cards have given me the lowest forex rates and frequent free withdrawals whenever I'm abroad."

Getting your first credit card is an adulting milestone for a lot of us. It's a signal from banks that you can be trusted with a credit limit and the responsibility of paying it off on time. The BPI Rewards Blue Mastercard is one of the starter-friendly cards in the market due to its accessible annual income requirements (at least P180,000 per year) and reasonable rewards points systems.

Why we love it: "Having a credit card affiliated with a trusted bank with one of the lowest annual fees (wdym P1,550 only applies for the second year onwards?!) will always be an adulting flex."

Not all cards are made equal, but some make a case for themselves especially when it comes to traveling. The Metrobank Travel Signature Visa Card, which was launched earlier tin 2025, has proven that it's your bestie for making your vacays more fun. It treats you to miles with every purchase, unlimited access to PAGSS Lounges in the Philippines, and a low foreign exchange fees. The best CC for any traveling shopaholic. *wink*

Why we love it: "We were able to try out this card for the first time in one of our Japan trips, and it was super convenient to use. It really was made for traveling in mind because with every P30 you spend with it, you earn one mile. It also has a low foreign transaction fee—just 1.68%—so it doesn't hurt the wallet as much, lol."

Let's face it: not all friendships make it out of the group trip. Roommate breakups happen over money matters. So to preserve the relationship, a money budgeting app like Splitwise can clearly itemize and calculate your group expenses. Divide and conquer, if you will.

Why we love it: "My friends and I swear by Splitwise. It makes it easy to see who owes whom and how much someone is owed in total by the end of the trip. We can even send reminders without looking too in your face… saved some friendships, fr."

Okay, we admit it. Our moms were totally valid for getting their SM Advantage Cards a.k.a. SMAC. You earn points with every purchase at The SM Store and score some sweet, exclusive vouchers with one swipe. You can even use your SMAC points to pay for your groceries and online deliveries from SM.

Why we love it: "Whenever I can use my points to pay for my groceries, it's like a little gift from past me to current me."

Photographer: Meinard Navato, assisted by Micklo Amen

Art Director: Ica del Mundo, assisted by Patty Tanquintic

Associate Editor: Ida Aldana

Producer: Clara Umali, assisted by Cheska Santiago

Co-Producer: Alyana Olivar

Product Styling: Kamila Garcia

Words: Alyana Olivar

Video: Cherrie Julian

Social Media: Aina Lizarondo