Credit Cards for foreigners in Taiwan

We just got one through HSBC (without a guarantor). OK, they stuffed up the name on mine but hopefully that’ll get fixed… :slight_smile:

[quote]The Chinatrust card came in the mail just now! No guarantor needed!! Hehehe, unbeknowst to Chinatrust, the floodgates are probably opened now.

By far the most pleasant credit card application experience in Taiwan to date. I encourage all of us to give Chinatrust more of our business![/quote]

Good job. What did you have to provide them in the way of tax records, payslips etc?

Brian

[quote=“Bu Lai En”]
Good job. What did you have to provide them in the way of tax records, payslips etc?[/quote]

It was actually quite surprising how little they required.

Passport
ARC
Proof of Employment (they accepted my business card for this)
Proof of holding another Taiwan credit card (I showed them my TaiShin card)
Names and phones numbers of 2 friends

Filled out the application, and I was on my way. The whole thing took less than 10 minutes. :astonished:

I actually wasn’t planning on signing up for a credit card that day. I was on my way to the DMV to get my International License stamped. Since you need your passport for that, I had it on me that day, and there just happened to be a ChinaTrust a block away from the DMV with one of those tables set up outside where they stop people and ask them to sign up for credit cards. When they stopped me, I told them just to give me all the forms, including the guarantor form, and I’d fill it out on my own time. They insisted I didn’t need a guarantor, so I humored them and filled out the form. I expected to receive the usual “You were denied” letter, then have to call the credit card group to find out why, then to get the guarantor form, etc., etc., etc.

This apparently happened 6 years ago, or so, but it’s worth remembering since it shows that the right (mellow) attitude is what counts. :wink:
Thought i’d bump this thread since new threads on this topic seem to spring up every once in a while, and i think i’ll make another digest out of them…

My, how things have changed :slight_smile: and in some cases they’re still the same​:grinning:

Certainly way way easier for foreigners to get CC, no guarantor, phones etc in their names now.
Taiwan must have been a painful place to live 20 years ago!
But yes you’ll always be the “foreigner”!

Holy gravedig Batman :slight_smile: I wonder if poster @rits still has his card from 2004 or its long gone. When I see old posts like this from long ago posters I wonder what ever happened to them. The whole nostalgia of the old days of Taiwan yadayada. Who am I kidding half of them are probably still here under a new username :grin:

As to the topic banks are a little more chill these days as there are various banks that will issue a card but I certainly wouldn’t say it’s a cakewalk :cake: for foreigners to apply either. The government refuses to set out specific rules disallowing banks to discriminate, so it’s up to each one to decide if the manager likes foreigners or not as to whether things are approved or declined.

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Just wandered into E.SUN to update my address, and accidentally asked for a credit card (I was trying to ask for a debit card instead of a bare-bones ATM card).

They took my application, photocopies of my passport and payslips and APRC, and I got my credit card within a few days.

I was surprised it was so easy after hearing all the horror stories on Forumosa (although I realize this may differ for those here on ARCs).

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Yeah it’s a piece of cake for locals . George and Mary.

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Things have certainly changed a lot. Post office bank accounts can be easily “upgraded” to a debit card that allows you to use it like a VISA card (but how much you spend depends on your savings account balance).

A Costco membership allowed me to easily get a credit card from Cathay (limit based on monthly salary, simply requires bank account statement to demonstrate sufficient funds to apply – not a lot).

This week I went over my limit and tried to pay a fee online (forgot that the automatic payment from my other account is always delayed a couple of days). Rejected due to being over the limit. My bank called less than two minutes later (late at night) asking if I wanted to increase my limit! They seemed quite eager.

So, yeah, in this respect, positive changes for ARC holders.

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You can’t rent cars with a debit card. Hotels often also require credit cards. This is to make sure they can charge your account in case of damage to their property.

Also registering Line Pay requires credit card. You can use your bank account though if you don’t have one.

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Thanks. Good to know. I’ve not actually applied for the VISA debit card offered by the post office bank, but they claim it can be used for online purchases and overseas ATM withdrawals.

I have one. It’s alright! It’s nice considering the post office pretty much wouldn’t ever give a foreigner trouble about opening an account with them. They also have an app that isn’t the best, but it’s serviceable.

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