Gold card ARC
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DENIED! For Cathay Costco card, again! Everything seemed fine when I applied and the guys looked happy with my paperwork this time. The first time, I get it, I had just started a new job and my ARC was close to expiring. Now, Iâm making 60k+ a month, have an APRC, and I had 70k in the bank. I gave them 3 months of pay statements (printout from my company), and an ATM receipt showing my bank balance, and all other information. What am I doing wrong? Others here have said theyâre the easiest bank to get a card from.
They want my work info. Could they be calling and the office wonât confirm I work there? Could they be checking my US credit history, which is good but not great? Could it be because I applied 4 months ago and was denied? Could it have anything to do with my Costco account, which Iâve had for 5 months, but there was some mixup and they may have put my wife as the primary on the account. I tried to get that straightened out before I applied and had a new card printed with my name on it.
What am I doing wrong? What can I do to fix it? I want to apply again, I really really want to order online because I HATE going shopping and they only accept the Cathay card.
Next time I guess Iâll take every piece of paperwork I have related to money including my updated bank book.
My wife isnât Taiwanese and doesnât work (before anyone suggests applying under her name.)
They accept any Cathay card for ordering online at Costco, right? Might it help to apply directly at the bank? I could get the Shopee card for whatever thatâs worth.
Do you know if the credit score will affect your ability to get a mortgage?
In the old days you could call them and ask âwhy was I declinedâ, you may still be able to do that. I applied at a branch so I was able to get a manager at the branch involved when I was declined.
There may be a reason like they for some reason want to see a higher balance, maybe longer job stability , who knows. But likely they can tell you and if you donât agree ask for a manager.
Are you really stuck on getting a Costco card? Some banks like Chinatrust, E. Sun, KGI, Sinopac, standard chartered, and others will accept applications from foreigners. You can try those. Places like Mega Bank, Taiwan business bank, and Changhwa offer a secured credit card (yuck!!) But it may be an option at first to build credit.
I find they donât usually use the credit score so much as checking whether there are any late payments or your debt ratio. Banks in Taiwan donât seem to discuss credit scores like the states do. In other words, have a credit card or two, pay them off regularly, and you should be good for the credit check
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Try hsbc, I applied there a year ago and it was super easy.
I was expecting it to be a nightmare based on stories on this forum, but it was a breeze. I think that whole process took like 20 minutes, and the card arrived in the mail the next week.
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No idea dude. But I suggest you show more balance say around $200K next time. Plus attach a copy of your annual pay and investments if any.
I didnât have to do that but if youâre being denied, itâs best to give them as much as they ask for. Alternatively, apply for a secured card, use it for a year or 2 and then youâll probably get an unsecured one.
Yeah, but Costco will only accept that card for online orders.
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Did they change their policy I wonder?
A few years ago they insisted on a local guarantor or you had to have premier service to be able to skip the guarantor requirement.
Did you need a cosigner or have premier service?
Itâs been this way for most banks now based on my experience and reports Iâve read. If you can show proof of a well paying job they spent ask for guarantor anymore.
A guarantor was not even mentioned, so guess they changed their policy.
The card I applied for required one of their higher service plans that had I think a minimum balance of 600 or 800k requirement - but it was not the premier one.
After the deposit they processed everything quick.
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So lucky. I had the same bank plan as you and 5 years ago was fought tooth and nail even with the high deposit sitting there. It looks like things are starting to look up for us in the financial sector.
tl;dr -
need a credit card
have a CTBC bank account where my salary is also deposited
donât want annual fees
is this an ok card? I pass all the written requirements found here.
Looking to open a credit card. I already have a CTBC bank account, I guess I should just open one with them? My past month of experience with them has been pretty smooth, not one hiccup.
a. Account opening
Opening my account with them was pretty straight forward.
I went in, submitted my ARC and passport, filled up some forms, got my account opened right away and also received my card, was even able to use it right then and there.
I didnât even need a guarantor.
b. Mobile app usage, internet banking, website
Flawless from my use case so far. Transfers, scheduled transfer. Setting up authentication and account security. The English versions are good enough.
c. ATM availability
Every 711 has one, the English interface is good enough as well.
d. Customer support
Made a purchase on PCHome, got a call from PCHome that they couldnât process it - PCHome registration required a Chinese name. I donât have one so I just input something similar to my English name. That didnât match with the name on the card I used.
Called CTBC at 11 PM, agents were busy, set to callback.
Got a call at 9:30 AM the following morning and the agent spoke fluent English. Got my order processed by PCHome right away.
Applying for one seems fairly straight forward. Past 3 month payslip, photocopy of ARC and passport, done.
Iâve never had a credit card before as I hate the idea of âborrowingâ anything.
Now, it seems like I have no choice as the gym I want canât accept debit cards for payments.
I guess my main concern now is if this particular card is good, the only thing I need is for the card to have no annual fees.
Iâm not a huge spender so I doubt that even if a card had high rebates or other miscellaneous perks, it wonât be enough to cover the fee.
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Wanted to share my story too:
Came to Taiwan in October and opened a bank account with E.Sun in November. Asked about the possibility about getting a credit card and they told me it would be better to wait 2-3 months and show some account activity when opening the card.
At the middle of this month (April), I finally applied for a credit card (also with E.Sun) called âPiCardâ (I chose that one because I think it hasnât any yearly fee and I should receive some cashback in the form of points or something).
I did the application in a bank branch and had to fill out all the standard information (name, address, phone number, ARC number, name, phone number and phone number again or something). I stated that I work remotely for an overseas company and do not have a local employer. They did not ask about my salary, but copied every single page of my passbook to use as supporting documents for the application (at the time of application, I had around NT$ 500k in there).
One week later, I received a call that went about: âHere is E.Sun bank, are we talking to Qwert Zuiop?â - âYes, thatâs meâ - âDo you speak Chinese or English onlyâ - âEnglish only, I am afraidâ - âOh, okay. I am calling about your application. There is some documentation missingâ - (Thinking that now they might ask for proof of salary or just outright deny my application:) âOh, what kind of documentation?â - âYou chose a card with EasyCard functionality. Do you agree that your personal data is being shared with EasyCard cooperation?â - âYesâ - âAnd about the payment. We provide two types of payment. First, you can do minimum paymentâ - âOh, I Iâd like to pay in full each monthâ - âWait, let me tell you the options. First, you can do minimum payment. The other option is payment in fullâ - âOk, I want to pay in fullâ - âOkay, payment in full?â - âYes. Anything else?â - âNo, thank you. Have a nice dayâ.
Then last week, I received a text message that my application was successful and I could already start using my card in the âE.Sun Walletâ app (which I tried the same day - worked without any issues). Yesterday, I received a text message that theyâve sent out my card and today, I received it in the mail. Credit limit is NT$ 60,000 per month. Only downside is that they slightly misprinted my name on the card. Oh, and the card is valid until 2028 - much longer than my Gold Card.
Overall, I canât complain, I think 
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I donât have an account with E. Sun but Iâve only heard good things about how they work with foreigners on bank accounts or credit cards (in Taipei at least).
You got lucky.
I just an account with them for years. When I tried to get a credit card, they told the same as many other banks: âSorry, foreigners canât have credit card with usâ.
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I always thought youâre using a made-up name. Please accept my apologies!
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FYI, you spelled Yuiop with a âZâ 
Yeah, I thought about getting it changed, but itâs really easy to type. So I decided against that.
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You should walk into a different location. Hopefully someone behind the desk will be more up on the rules. Whenever I get some dummy like that, I just insist they call Taipei to check. Then they call upstairs and find out they are wrong
Or the very easiest method. Next time in the branch just grab their credit card form and fill it in at home and mail it in directly with a copy of your arc passport, health card, and a copy of your bankbooks last 3 salary months. It will skip the nitwits at your branch
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