Comprehensive How to Get a Debit Card and Bank List

Business Money
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Hi All. Just thought I’d throw out a list of various bank’s debit card options for foreigners. Will do one for credit cards as well shortly. This was from just a few years ago so the info should be pretty much the same. If you have trouble getting a debit card, feel free to PM me for assistance. Also, I do not hold all the cards I am aware about. I just happen to know the banks idiosyncrasies quite well. And yes they can be quite inconsistent from branch to branch. Generally they all require an ARC. Having a record of ID usually nets you a bog standard ATM card. If you get rejected either try another branch of the same bank or INSIST that they call someone to check the rules.

As someone pointed out, you need to ensure that the international withdrawals are activated and a 4 digit PIN is set. Most banks do that automatically. However take a few cards with you as often they will fail to work when you need them the most overseas.

Bank of Taiwan. YES

From the website “VISA DEBIT CARD is also available as an convenient choice. As long as you are (1) aged 15 or over, (2) Possess ID card or ARC of Taiwan, and (3) have an account with us It can be used for any merchant which accepts VISA cards, and using it as credit card: sign and authorize payment, then the payment will be debited from your account”

Taiwan Cooperative - YES no problem
First Bank - YES no problem
Huanan - YES
ChinaTrust - YES

Changhua Bank - from the website - YES
“Foreign nationals may apply for Debit Cards to our branches with IDs and secondary certificates (e.g. health insurance card, passport, driver’s license or student’s ID card, etc.). Please contact our 24-hour customer service hotline (02-412-2222 or 0800-365-889) for questions or comments.”

Fubon Bank- YES
Cathay- YES
Union Bank - YES

Taishin Bank - YES
@fifieldt stated to specifically ask for your name to be printed on the card.

E.Sun Bank - YES but it’s a Mastercard Debit
Sinopac - YES but it’s a Mastercard Debit. Bring ARC + another ID

Shanghai Savings Bank - YES - from website
" The SCSB debit card application criteria are as follows:

Primary cardholders’ age should be 15 and above, who shall hold SCSB deposit account. After opening deposit account, cardholders receive debit card immediately"

MEGA - YES absolutely
I see many posts saying that MEGA denied them a debit card. This is wrong. I have one in my hand now. And yes it works for overseas purchases.
From the website
“凡是兆豐銀行各地分行活期性存款戶，均得持身分證(如存戶為外籍人士則需提供護照及載有內政部警政署配賦之統一證號之其他身分證明文件或其他經中華民國政府核發得證明有效居留本國之相關證件方得辦理)及原留印鑑親自向原開戶分行申請”
Roughly translated it means you just need your passport and ARC and a deposit account with them. If denied call (02)8982-0000

Taiwan Business Bank -YES

Taichung Commercial Bank - NO. They will not give debit cards to foreigners even though they have one. In addition, they will not allow you to receive money if you are out of the country into your TWD account. AVOID AVOID AVOID.

HSBC - Yes. They have a free account as well with no min balance

SHINKONG - Appears like NO. The website says “natural people” so Taiwanese over 7 years old can get one. It doesn’t mention foreigners just says 七歲以上自然人, They only gave me an ATM card as well with no visa/mc debit function.

Taipei Star Bank, Sunny Bank, Panhsin Bank, Cota Bank, Hwatai Bank, FarEast Bank, Yuanta Bank KGI, DBS, Jih Sun, EnTie, and Bank of Kaohsiung- NO because they don’t have VISA Debit cards at the last time I checked. They will issue a standard ATM card.

Citibank and Standard Chartered never used to have debit cards. I’m not sure if that’s changed. I might have missed a bank or two. If you see any errors, let me know in this thread and I’ll look into it.

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Further instructions for Taishin

  1. You must explicitly request your name be printed on the front of the card, the default will be a card with no name on the front. Still usable, but not universally accepted by in-person vendors overseas.
  2. When picking up your card, explicitly request your card be activated for use overseas; then go to the ATM and set a 4 digit PIN
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Good point. I just checked my Taishin card now, it doesn’t have my name. They never offered that to me when I went in.

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I have had a CTBC debit card for a long time. You can use their ATM’s in every 7-11.
I activated my card for oversea use at their branch and didn’t need to go to an ATM they did it for me. My name however is not on the front, only my signature on the back. Would that be universally accepted by in-person vendors overseas? I always draw money from the ATM then make a purchase with cash.

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I’ve always had a name on the front, so can’t share any direct stories of badness. However, what I read online is people having issues with certain hotel chains and airlines. Particularly, staff who confuse them with Visa gift cards in situations where a ‘hold’ of funds is required.

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I had never examined my ATM/debit card until now. Good news: it seems Mega prints your name by default. Bad news: my name is spelled incorrectly. Grrr…

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Dan, great topic! You are a valuable contributor to this forum. Nicely done.

Now, in regards to Standard Chartered. They have credit cards and Visa debit cards. My wife has both. I was denied both at the Tien-Mu branch and the reason given was because I was a foreigner and foreigners are not allowed credit cards or debit cards. My last dealing with them on this issue was March 2019. I will post the name card of the person who told me this, twice.

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Dan’s the Man , nobody’s knows more about this stuff. :facepunch:

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I’m holding a standard chartered Taiwan card now so this is not true.
I applied at the Kaohsiung branch a few years ago near the malls downtown. Filled out the forms and a card appeared a few weeks later.

Tell the manager to click this link

https://www.sc.com/tw/credit-cards/cash-rebate.html
Then click 申請條件
It even sets out how foreigners can apply

身份證明文件：

  1. 本國籍人士：正卡及附卡申請人之身分證正反面影本及填妥之申請表格。
  2. 外籍人士：效期12個月以上護照影本與效期6個月以上居留證影本

You just need an ARC and 12 months salary deposits plus 6 months left on the ARC

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It happened to me. Dead serious. I asked on three separate occasions and the 3rd time was the dog collar/leash incident. The Standard Chartered Tienmu branch totally, unashamedly discriminated against me.

What you should say is, “Per their published company policy, they should have issued you a visa debit card and not denied you because you are a foreigner. Someone was a lazy racist asshat.”

Right?

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I totally believe you but was shocked to hear that. Maybe the manager hates foreigners. What I am writing here is for a real credit card, not just debit. I’d just walk into another branch in Taipei, someone who wants the commission.

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I have a Citibank MasterCard Gold Debit Card which I received last year…I’ve been their account holder for almost 20 years and have only been issued an ATM card all these years but last year I received a letter from them stating that they will be upgrading all ATM cards to a Debit card with added security features and 2 weeks later, I got a brand new Gold Debit card in the mail to replace the ancient one. It has my name printed on it.

Last week, I went to Bank Sinopac and opened a new account with them (had some minor issues though…they seemed unwilling to open an account for me telling me since I was born outside Taiwan and holding a Taiwan ID, I was at risk for “Money Laundering” :roll_eyes:)…In the end, after a 5 day wait, they opened an account for me and gave me a Mastercard Debit Card with an added Yo-Yo card function (although the Yo Yo card is not working at the moment…I think I have to add money to it but I thought it would be deducted automatically using the funds in my account?)…Their card doesn’t have my name printed on it.

The Post Office gave me a VISA debit card when I opened an account with them 3 years back…it has my name printed on it.

I’ve been an account holder for both CTBC and Shanghai bank for almost 20 years as well but they haven’t yet upgraded my ATM card to a Debit card…maybe I should walk into one of their branches and ask for an upgrade.

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I have personal experience of the opposite on their Xinyi branch (near 101)
I can’t even open a savings account there, they claiming that the minimum balance is 500,000 TWD for an account. All these while implying that they cater only to upper level of the society.

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Sometimes dealing with different people could result differently.
Most lower front office servicemen/women would do a chabuduoism when dealing with things not familiar with them.
Who you are, how you dress and how you said it often matters.

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That’s strange, they specifically offer a direct account I think it’s called. However I found all the foreign owned banks eg.hsbc citi, dbs, SC that I tried going into actively discouraged foreigners from opening accounts. Not refused but would keep talking bad against opening an account all the while pointing to a local bank across the street and insisting you go there. They don’t want to deal with the riff raff

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The account exists as per their tariff of charges, it’s called integrated account and it really seems not to have any opening/maintenance requirements. It is not promoted anywhere though, you must be very specific to ask for it at branches. The account is more limited than advance/premier (doesn’t allow global transfers between hsbc accounts, only swift transfers) and all the operations are paid for, like other banks.

With hsbc advance/premier you are issued immediately with a visa debit card (called everyday global), for an ATM only card you mist request that. Integrated account are issued with normal visa debit cards or atm only cards if requested.

Cathay and ctbc offer visa debit cards with easycard and ipads functions too. Ctbc even offers a very nice line pay visa debit card, which gives you line points when used connected to a line pay account.

The post office gives a visa debit card which can also have iPass function. You can even use it to access your pension account apparently (will check when I will bave one).

Richart gives a debit card (either mastercard with easycard function or just visa) with an all online application even for foreigners.

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Apart from Richart, which banks have the easycard function with their debit cards ?

I got mega visa debit but it doesn’t have easycard function

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Ctbc, cathay, post office

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E.Sun too.

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I haven’t read thru all the replies, so I don’t know if someone else updated this. But I just applied for a Visa debit card for my Shin Kong Bank account and they do indeed have them available. Got it today. It was an easy process.

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