Credit Cards for Foreigners - General Discussion

thats great, but honestly, how much do you think you will sepnd in those 2 countries to justify the 3% cash back?

None, I donā€™t want it for the benefits, I want it to increase my total credit limit so when I spend 30k a month on my credit cards Iā€™m not using a large percentage of my total credit limit, which looks bad and hurts your credit score, even if you pay it off all in time.

my understainf is that the credit score is not as important here as it is in other countries in the west. its not a number people know here, and if you ask your average TW colleague they will probaly not know their credit score.
If you want a nice looking credit score to get favorable loans/mortgage i believe that having a stable income and being able to foot the downpayment are more important.
the TW credit score is absolutely useless outside of Taiwan, so if you are moving to the UK/USA ā€¦ it will not matter.
that is based on my own personal experience living here, but perhaps i am wrong. if you see things otherwise i will be happy to learn something new.

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Most people donā€™t know their credit scores, but banks do, and they will base almost all decisions on it, like when you open an account, when you apply for a credit card, when you get a mortgage, etc. I have email alerts set up when my credit report is accessed, and every time Iā€™ve opened something new with a bank theyā€™ve checked it, even opening a regular savings account.

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If one fine day Japan lets me in again, please hand me that card and Iā€™ll report back to you after I return. :rofl:

Guy

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That sounds really US-specific.

Do we know for a fact that Taiwanā€™s credit rating actually works the same? In some countries, having too many cards and bank accounts is actually really bad for the score. Not sure how it works in Taiwan, though.

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Thatā€™s what the Taiwan credit card sites say.

Thatā€™s all I have to go on really.

Makes sense that it would be similar to the US though, everything else about the credit rating system here is

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Sadly the Taiwanese credit score seems to be based mostly on how much property you own, especially if the property doesnā€™t have a mortgage on it. Taiwanese banks like collateral and donā€™t even care too much about your salary (because the wealthy business owners pay themselves tiny salaries).

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120k a year.

Taiwanā€™s credit score is pretty much meaningless.

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I donā€™t think that is necessarily true. I know someone on this forum (they can out themselves if they want) with a 700+ out of 800 credit score without property.

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I think itā€™s less important for getting a mortgage, according to some Chinese sources my wife read.

But itā€™s definitely important for getting other credit cards. My wife got a Fubon credit card with a 200k credit limit (they only gave me 80k), without a job, because she has a perfect credit score with over ten years of on time payments on multiple cards that she obtained whilst she was still employed. On the other side, my wifeā€™s brotherā€™s wife (also Taiwanese) who doesnā€™t have any credit cards, but does have a stable job got declined last week for the same card. That means that Fubon think credit report is more important than your job, and it makes sense actually. The fact my wife has paid off all her credit card bills on time for the last ten years speaks volumes about her financial responsibility, whereas a job only speaks to financial ability, which gives no indication of whether you will actually be responsible.

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I donā€™t think itā€™s true. My Taiwanese credit score is 710/800 and I donā€™t own property. Iā€™ve had my amex for a year and pay the balance in full every month. I donā€™t have any debt. My taxes and bills are always paid on time without exception.

My salary is fluctuates from $55,000-$110,000 a month depending on how many side gigs I do. I donā€™t really know if salary affects the score or not.
I have way too many unused bank accounts mostly left over from past jobs, not sure if closing them will bump it up or not.

I havenā€™t really tried to get a good score, Iā€™m just pretty responsible with my money these days. Wish 18 year old me was the same, Iā€™d be rich by now :joy:

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Really? They must have changed their procedures. I guess that when one bank manager leaves and a new one comes in, sets the tone if they will be foreigner friendly.

Yea. First Bank? More like WORST Bank!

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Their systems and decor are ancient so Iā€™m not surprised

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Last time I checked mine was 800, no property.

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How does one check something like that?

Guy

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https://apply.jcic.org.tw/CreditQueryInput.do

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You need a citizen digital certificate to do it online. Otherwise you can do it by post.

The first check is free, after that itā€™s $80.

If youā€™ve never had a credit card or a loan there is no point checking, since there will be nothing there, and no score.

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