Credit Cards for Foreigners - General Discussion

I think the smallest banks card I have is from HSBC haha. Never went with super local banks, as really they either don’t have credit cards at all, or they have no business with having the headache of foreigners applying.

1 Like

Oh wow, I was interested in the HSBC Titanium one, but to be a premier customer, you’ll need a 3m in an HSBC account.

I remembered it wrong:

https://www.hsbc.com.tw/zh-tw/credit-cards/products/cashback-titanium/#methods

兌換項目一次僅可透過輸入份數,選擇「1點兌換1元刷卡金」或「5,000點兌換10,000元刷卡金」,不得同時兌換前述兩項目。
每累積5,000點,且兌換時持有本行帳戶,自兌換日前一個月,平均帳面餘額達30萬(含)以上,係指其於前一個月當月1日至30日(31日)滙豐(台灣)之平均存款、投資現值及保險餘額(經由滙豐(台灣)投保之各項人身保險所繳之保險費)合計總額。

Redemption options are limited to either “1 point redeemable for $1 credit card cashback” or “5,000 points redeemable for $10,000 credit card cashback” per transaction by entering the quantity. Both options cannot be redeemed simultaneously.
For every 5,000 points accumulated, provided you hold an account with our bank at the time of redemption, the average book balance must be NT$300,000 or more. This refers to the total sum of the average deposits, current investment values, and insurance balances (including premiums paid for all life insurance policies purchased through HSBC (Taiwan)) held with HSBC (Taiwan) from the 1st to the 30th (or 31st) of the preceding month.

So no need to be a Premier Customer for the special exchange promotion - you’ll “only” need NT$300k average account balance in the month before.

1 Like

Ah that’s much more manageable. I’ll reach out to their CC rep after the New year holidays.


Cathay Cube card owners, I have a question:
Let’s say my plan right now is the Digital/玩數位 (that’s carried over from the previous day), then I go purchase stuff from Shoppee, etc. And then at 4 pm, I switch to the Dining/Shopping/樂饗購, and then I go buy some stuff at SOGO. Is it true that my Shoppee purchases will be counted under the 樂饗購 plan? So I will only get 0.3% cashback?

Yes.
You can change once per day - and your choice will then be valid for the entire day (and apply retroactively).

I frequently buy something and only change the reward category afterwards (that’s the upside). The downside is (like you said) that it’s impossible to use two categories on the same day.

You either need to wait for midnight - or just use another card :man_shrugging:

2 Likes

So I just got a call from Huanan Bank about a credit card they were supposed to be reissuing after a fraudulent transaction that happened on Feb. 4th (my second with Huanan, for some reason). I’ve had the card since 2023-ish, and I got it under the scheme set up for gold card holders while I still had a gold card. I switched to an APRC a couple of months later, but it looks like I never bothered updating Huanan about that (I thought I had, but never mind).

I was outside Taiwan for a couple of weeks immediately after that so wouldn’t have received any messages telling me to collect the new card, but yesterday I stopped by the branch while I was passing by to see if it was already there, and while in the branch Huanan customer service coincidentally happened to call me to say that because my gold card was expiring soon they hadn’t issued the card yet and wanted to check my details.

This was followed by 75+ tedious minutes of me standing around while several staff members and the guy on the phone discussed the situation and updated their records with my APRC. Eventually they said it was all done and I could come collect the card when I receive the SMS.

The call today was them saying that they can’t reissue the new credit card after all because I don’t have a gold card anymore and I need to start a completely new application using my APRC. This is after 3 years of me paying the bills on time, and despite an APRC by definition suggesting more than a gold card that I’m intending to be around for a bit. Nothing has changed with my working status or income besides going from a gold-card-based open work permit to an APRC-based open work permit. I haven’t checked my credit rating, but since I didn’t really have any credit history in Taiwan when I originally applied and have paid everything on time I would assume it has improved.

The guy said he’d already discussed the issue with the supervisor and that they’d said there was no way Huanan would be able to reissue the card. I asked if he meant that I needed to file complaints with the FSC and MOI to fix this, which changed his tone a bit and he said that wasn’t necessary and he’d speak to the supervisor again. I don’t really want to reapply either, because all of my income is outside Taiwan and I won’t be able to get sufficient proof of my 2025 income until I file taxes in May 2026. (My income was also a bit lower than usual in 2024, so I don’t really want to use my tax details from last year.)

The guy also suggested as potential solutions — presumably with a straight face — that he might be able to pull some strings to get me a debit card, or that I could provide a Taiwanese guarantor. I laughed at him and went into a less polite version of my previous suggestion about filing FSC/MOI complaints.

He said he’ll check with the supervisor again and call me back. :roll:

4 Likes

crikey, that’s HUGE mate. You are calling the shots

4 Likes

Years back when I got the APRC, I wanted to get a credit card with my bank so I could use Google Wallet. The dumb debit card could not do that for some reason (many debit cards work with Google Pay).
The guy said they need a guarantor for the credit card. I declined.
Then he suggested I could make a deposit for the “credit line” I want to use and get it back when I close my card. I declined.
He suggested my wife can just get one and let me use it. :joy:

1 Like

we damn foreigners wanting to be independent.

Was that Mega? I think they were the first to offer that dumb secured card but even if you were with them for years they wont return the deposit until you cancel the card.

I had two banks do something similar to your situation. Said the same, we are not renewing you and you can reapply. I said no way because if they are non renewing you it means they want you gone. When you reapply they will just hit the decline button.

While the FSC always says they can’t force them to do anything, usually they don’t like dealing with all the back and forth the inquiry takes.

1 Like

Looks like mentioning the FSC allowed Huanan to find a way to achieve the impossible:

Will be a bit irritated though if I get there to find out they’ve issued a debit card lol.

2 Likes

Huanan just called me again to say that this was a system error — that the new card was reissued and subsequently canceled — and I still need to reapply. There’s supposedly no way around this after switching from a gold card to an APRC because the initial credit card application was based on me having a gold card and the government’s “guarantee” that I’m not a reprobate.

But they might be able to waive the usual requirement for me as a dirty foreigner to have a guarantor, if I go and provide updated income details.

The guy I spoke to was fine but I guess this is above his pay grade to fix. He kept trying to encourage me to reapply and they’d try to reissue the card.

I told him (politely) they could stick it and I’m not reapplying but would file FSC and MOI complaints instead to see if that helps move things along. I have two other credit cards here anyway so I’m not desperate for this one, and I was anyway intending to apply for something with better rewards after filing my tax return in May because I earned a fairly decent amount last year.

4 Likes

I have a question for Cathay CUBE card holders:

If I bind my CUBE card to LINEPAY/JKOPay/PXPay, and then buy something at McDonalds (which is listed in the partner list), and my current plan is 樂饗購 (the shopping/dining one), will I still get 3% cashback? Or do I get 0.3% since I use a 3rd party app?

Yes

Yes to which one? 3% or 0.3%?

Huanan sent me an email responding, or more accurately not responding, to my FSC complaint:

Andrew先生 您好

有關您於金融監督管理委員會銀行局陳情信用卡補發之疑義,本行說明如下:

1.您先前持有的「享利樂活Combo卡」為本行針對就業金卡持有人所核發,其信用卡效期是依照您就業金卡的有效期限核定。

2.由於您的就業金卡效期已屆滿,原卡片也於 2026/02 同步到期並停止服務。

3.非常感謝您的支持與愛護。若您希望繼續使用本行信用卡服務,誠摯邀請您提供最新的在職證明、名片、財力證明、居留證與護照,我們將竭誠為您辦理相關申換事宜。

Dear Mr. Andrew, Regarding your inquiry to the Banking Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission concerning the reissue of your credit card, our bank explains as follows:

  1. Your previous “Lohas Combo Card” was valid only for the Employment Gold Card, and its credit card validity period was determined based on the validity period of your Employment Gold Card.

  2. Because your Employment Gold Card has been expired, the corresponding service ceased on February 2026.

  3. Thank you very much for your support and care. If you wish to continue using our credit card services, we sincerely invite you to provide your latest employment certificate, business card, proof of financial resources, passport, and other relevant documents. We will be happy to assist you with the application process.

So now it’s time for the FSC to swoop in… and do nothing.

1 Like

Reply back to that response and disagree. FSC is required to continue to submit your reply to them. Usually you can wear them out. Unfortunate that it comes to this but yes, FSC never wants to get involved other than to just pass your message on.

Id just say that this rule is nowhere in the credit card contract and they had no permission to not renew your card when you were making payments diligently etc.

1 Like

Can you really do that? :hushed_face:

Do you mean to submit another complaint through the FSC? The email above was from Huanan customer service directly to me, so the FSC isn’t aware of it yet.

1 Like

If history holds, FSC will send you a reply in a few days with the exact same words that Huanan said with no commentary.

You can reply to that and continue your argument and they will pass it back to Huanan, multiple times if need be.

I had a bank try to non renew me and this is what I had to do but it took 3 replies.

1 Like