the gold credit card - not the charge card or debit card
I found some discounts thats applicable to all cards
other than that I have no cashback or points if i am right.. I just needed something to get me started off in building a credit history
This info is probably lost in the chat but never ever listen to branch staff. They have no clue 99.8% of the time - you weren’t refused. They just lied to you so you didn’t submit an application.
If you print off a paper application form from a bank’s website (the Chinese version of the website, they all have paper applications), fill it in yourself, post with the required supporting docs, you have a very high chance of being approved
Actually my coworkers ( Taiwanese ) helped ask the banks before hand or even came with me. We called customer service or the bank branch itself in advance. I went to these following banks:
- E-sun rejection at bank branch based on being a foreigner according to them
- Fubon ( Company related bank) : Applied for Costco linked card with help of bank branch manager, but rejected since they said they need more credit history my costco spending is high and i have the black card ( executive membership ) for 5 years now & bank accounts & transactions of abt 50k-70k per months in TW.
- The Shanghai Commercial Savings Bank - I have my bank account from previous job with them and god transaction history ( They need a Taiwanese guarantor since my nationality is a risk country according to them) I am of Indian citizenship
- Huanan Bank ( my salary account is here) : Need Taiwanese guarantor although I have my company salary sent via them and even coworkers asked them. Also the Tamsui branch refused foreigners can have credit cards until I pulled out the financial standards board articles.
- Mega Bank : Refused due to the fact that my location ( address in Tamsui) isn’t near the bank . I went to the one near my work (Xihu)as I couldn’t find one near my home.
- Union Bank - Clerk was rude & assumed I am an Indonesian Migrant Worker and Kept stating bank closing time is almost here but i waited for her since 2:30 ( almost 1 hour). In the end i asked for a manager since she can’t treat me fairly (ps she even called my HR asking to translate and my HR said she understands you well and can speak Chinese). After asking for a manager their younger clerk helped me and aided me but then I didn’t want anything to do with their bank by then… So I just took the application home ( I went to their Xihu Branch)
- CTBC Uniopen - Carrefour CTBC Staff kept rejecting me saying they need 1 year salary. Later when I showed my business card , they were like OOOH your company is no.2 in Taiwan for this industry , we can definitely apply ( by then amex got approved so I will try in another 3-6 months after building up my credit score)
Also each time, I had printed it or had their application document given to me by their staff at some point & had filled it.
The only one kind to me was Sinopac Xihu branch and by then I was so sad and had given up. The clerk even felt sorry for me as I stated I needed it to pay for ID renewal back home & for some other relevant IDs and to buy a ticket to go home without my parents paying for everything.
It does sound that there was a good portion of discrimination based on your nationality at play here, unfortunately… 
Reliably accept amex: 5 star hotels, restaurants at 5 star hotels. Most restaurants where price is NT$2000+/person. Airlines tend to accept amex.
Sometimes: coffee shops, clothing stores (UNIQLO, etc), hot pot restaurants
Rarely: online stores/websites, 小吃店, utilities and telecom providers
Restaurant discounts.
Smooth and easy. Entirely online.
No declined transactions.
Foreign transactions incur 2% fee. Appears on statement as 外幣交易結匯手續費. I believe overseas TWD transactions also incur 2% fee but haven’t confirmed myself.
Food. Taiwan loves their food.
For cash back, I have the platinum charge card, but did receive the promised NT$20k first year sign up bonus and also the NT$10k restaurant cash back ($5k inside Taiwan + $5k overseas). Four airport taxis at ~$1500 each, and I’ve already recovered the steep $37k annual fee. Then 50% off restaurants every 1-2 weeks, that’s about $1k saved per visit. Second year I won’t have the $30k bonus, so we will see if restaurant discounts and hotel gyms can save me.
Platinum charge card, but the hotel gym benefit is difficult to use.
Exactly, don’t do this.
But you tried to hand it to the staff, that’s one of the reasons you had difficulty.
They are not decision makers, they are gate keepers, glorified mail forwarders with a superiority complex.
Don’t speak to the clerks and you will get a lot further.
You just need to print the forms, fill them out, and post them with the supporting documents.
Don’t give them to the branch staff or speak to branch staff.
In all your examples you spoke to a human - don’t do this. Just post the form, they might call to double check your info and you just say ‘yep yep’
But don’t deal with the branch staff at all
P.S. based on the above it doesn’t sound like you were refused by any, you actually never had an application submitted.
I am so sorry you had this experience 
There is no possible justification for a system this bad.
Thanks for sharing this. It’s helpful to know Standard Chartered handles the process smoothly for foreigners. The cash back option and Apple Pay support make it even better. This gives people a clear idea of what to expect when applying in Taiwan.
Maybe I have worded my previous post wrong. Excuse my mistake, I am a bit sad & pissed about this and typing on emotions. Actually I submitted the applications and was refused. I gave up on the others( Union bank, MegaBank). But some (E-sun, SCSB , Amex) I submitted online or submitted to a clerk at the supermarket before this ( CTBC, Fubon) . This has happened in a span of about a year now. So I just received rejection emails and when I asked them they stated that they cant start one for foreigners, need a guarantor etc. My mistake though is I didn’t post it as you said instead gave to a human being.
sadly yeah… I am happy with my Amex for now though - they were very great and helpful and even spoke to me in English
Thank you , I guess I just needed to get it off my chest and let others know how hard it gets for us when we try.
Thank you - I am using the card wisely. I want to share the list I found on their website for places that accept AMEX in TW. Amex Accepted Location in TW (English & Image added)
I’m looking at applying for the HSBC Signature or Infinite credit card. I was going to apply for the Signature since the annual fee is significantly lower; however, when I was filling out the English application form I saw the same statement you mention.
Did you get more information about it? Did HSBC confirm if this is accurate, or a translation error as one of the replies says?
If it is accurate, I will apply for the Infinite, since meeting those conditions each year would be easy enough to waive the annual fee, which is significantly more than the Signature’s.
Infinite card has no waiver and the annual fee is immediately charged even for the first year with the first purchase
Thanks for the quick reply.
I applied for the Travel One Signature in the end, but after a phone call, sending an extra payslip, and a wait of 2-3 weeks, I just received this:
Thank you for your application for an HSBC credit card. However, after careful consideration, you did not meet the bank’s issuance requirements and therefore your application will not be approved. We apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any questions, please contact our customer service representatives.
DBS increaze credit limit to 400k from 200k