I’m a foreigner and want to buy an iPhone 16 Pro. I’m looking for a place that offers installment plans. In Taiwan, are there any shops where I can purchase the phone in installments without requiring a credit card or guarantor?
Unlikely you would find any shop willing to give you an installment plan without a Taiwan credit card. What ARC do you hold?
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You can get a credit card from Costco. By the time you get approved and have it in the mail they will be in of a more stable supply there.
You will get a discounted price PLUS you can do the 12 months interest free installments.
@Dileep003 There are some stores close to many of the factories hosting lots of migrant workers. They will do it but confiscate your passport and ATM card. Also they charge fees and interest.
When my (now wife) was wanting a new iPad she looked at those and asked what I thought. I told her no and instead used my teachers ID to get a discount on the Apple store and did the 6 months interest free on my card which she paid for each month.
Which is illegal.
They just operate under that scheme. The migrant workers accept it as it is a source of easy finance for them.
Some did get reported before.
I actually reported the money transfer company they use for discrimination. They didn’t let me use it to send money to the Philippines under my APRC. BUT they let Filipinos with APRCs use it… (to help my wife send some of her money across after her ARC expired.) As it turns out they were only licensed to provide services to migrant workers… not permanent residents and not Filipino permanent residents.
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I don’t have a credit card; I only have a student ARC. That’s why I’m worried about it. A credit card would make it easier for me to get a mobile device on an installment plan, but since I don’t have one, it’s a concern.
This will probably be your best bet
Easy Mobile: PINOY x TAIWAN (Murang installment para sa mga OFW)
Yes, there are shops in Taiwan that offer phones and other products for purchase in installments without requiring a credit card . However, I’m not sure if this service is available for foreigners.
Keep in mind that the interest rates may be higher, and be cautious of potential scams. I suggest to have someone who speaks Chinese accompany you and to contact the stores beforehand to gather more information before making any transactions.
some websites for reference:
Your best bet is to sign up to a phone contract that would get you a phone. This is basically the same as buying them in installments. However the iphone deals they have often requires fairly high monthly plans, so you have to weight that.
Also if you are a new customer they will make you prepay a year up front.
This is not true with all business TL. Again here you are posting misinformation again. OP could get a phone contract with Changhwa Telecom but would need a Taiwan guarantor with a credit card. You only pay monthly and not a year in advance.
If I said anything and there is even one grain where it doesn’t apply with a “but” then you declare that I am posting misinformation. OP is asking how to do this without guarantor or credit cards, so clearly he can’t take advantage of Changhua’s deal.
Taiwan Mobile requires you to be a customer for 3 years before they will just hand you a phone without prepayment.
You claim is that the OP will have to pay one year in advance is not necessarily true even on a payment plan without a Taiwan guarantor.
How much precision do you demand out of me? You demand a very low error rate from me. Do I need to APA cite everything I say?
All 3 telcomm provider requires advance pay unless exceptions are met. None of them will likely apply to the OP. Are you volunteering to be a guarantor for the OP?
I thought maybe you would do that. 
I have been using a Chungwa Telecom SIM card for 5 years. Will it still work for me?
I don’t know Changwa’s policy… I remember reading you needed to be a customer paying over 1000nt a month for something like 3(?) years.
You really have to check with them, I never tried to get a contract with them. I’m using Taiwan mobile and their rule is 3 years.
Can you tell me about Taiwan mobile rules?
3 years as a customer, I don’t know if pre paid card counts.
They should just be really careful to check what they’re paying overall, the degree to which they’re getting ripped off, and whether it’s worth it.
Their choice of course, but I’d say if they can’t afford to buy the phone outright, they can’t really afford to buy it at all. Not really worth paying considerably more and going into prolonged debt for the most expensive version (or second most expensive version? Not sure) of the most expensive (common) phone, IMO.