Credit card

mojo1 · October 23, 2003, 12:46pm

About the credit card with no chinese garuantor needed which I applied for, well The name of the bank is American Express and its on the brown line. I think its Middleschool stop but its the last stop in the opposite direction of the zoo. The staff was really friendly and a lady by the name of Cindy Whu was especially helpful.

Hope this serves the foreign community in Taiwan.

Bu_Lai_En · October 23, 2003, 2:33pm

Thanks for the info Mojo. So it’s an American Express card is it? What did you have to show/proove to get it.

brian

Rascal · October 24, 2003, 1:59am

AMEX ist not a credit card.

maoman · October 24, 2003, 2:09am

While what is commonly referred to as the “American Express card” is technically not considered a credit card, American Express DOES offer a credit card as well. I know - I have one.

MiakaW1 · October 24, 2003, 2:12am

I was wondering, how come they don’t have Discover Card in Taiwan??

Thanks

thechu17 · October 24, 2003, 2:41am

Because Discover Card is a crappy credit card. Lots of places in the states dont even accept Discover, much less Taiwan.

Joesox · October 24, 2003, 2:46am

While what is commonly referred to as the “American Express card” is technically not considered a credit card, American Express DOES offer a credit card as well. I know - I have one.[/quote]
Is the regular AMEX card a debit card then? That’s what I could really do with. I don’t want to borrow any money from anyone, just have an internationally acceptable, safe and easy way of accessing money and also paying for things online.

jlick · October 24, 2003, 2:59am

The regular American Express card is what is called a “Charge Card”. With a credit card you are able to carry over a balance each month and are only required to pay the minimum amount due. With a charge card you are expected to pay back the entire amount due by the due date. Diner’s Club is another example of a Charge Card. The distinction is a little fuzzy these days as charge card accounts usually allow you to convert the balance into a loan, and American Express now has a line of real credit cards in the US, such as the Blue card.

Joesox · October 24, 2003, 3:03am

Thanks jlick. Actually I don’t even need a charge card: just a debit card that uses the Visa or Mastercard network. Anyone heard of something like that here?

Rascal · October 24, 2003, 3:35am

Ok, point taken.

jlick · October 24, 2003, 3:44am

Go over to the Legal Matters Section to the Guarantors section you’ll find some info on this. The scoop is that apparently one needs an ROC ID to get a debit card, no exceptions.

mojo1 · October 24, 2003, 4:01am

Well the American Express is definitely a credit card.All you need is an ARC and a letter from your employer stating that you work there, a bank statement or a 3 months salary advice.One more thing to qualify for this card is that you have to earn at least a million NTdollars annually.If you have all this than you shouldn’t have any problems.They didn’t ask me for a copy of my passport.Hope this info can help. If you need a cirrus or mistro card which can be used internationally and is similar to a debit card you can get one at any ICBC bank provided you have an ARC and a home address in tAIWAN. If you live in a hostel I don’t think they will give you one.It happened to a friend of mine.

MiakaW1 · October 24, 2003, 4:33am

is it crappy!!! Hmm… not at all, it is getting more popular now. Beside, I think AE are the crappy one with yearly fees. Also, discover gives you cash rebates…which def. help!!

gazza · October 26, 2003, 7:32am

is it crappy!!! Hmm… not at all, it is getting more popular now. Beside, I think AE are the crappy one with yearly fees. Also, discover gives you cash rebates…which def. help!![/quote]
The point is moot as Discover is not an international credit card.

Incubus · October 29, 2003, 7:05am

I have an AE card, and there’s a way to get around the annual fee. When it showed up on my bill, I called them up and asked why there’s a fee when all the other credit cards don’t charge any. The rep looked into my history of payment and determined that I could be exempted. Apparently, if you have a good credit rating, you don’t have to pay. They just don’t tell you this until you call up and ask about it. The charged fee was deducted from my bill the following month. So, call them and contest the fee when you get charged.

daniel_han · November 6, 2003, 11:23pm

It seems like Asia is the only place AE is somewhat mainstream. Despite the name, it feels like AE isn’t so popular in US and especially Europe. Heck, even JCB card is accepted at more places in Europe than AE.