Getting a debit card in Taiwan (why is it so hard?)

Hello,

I have aquired ARC and quite recently went to MegaBank to open up an account and apply for a debit card. After signing the papers and officially opening up my account (which was free of charge) I realized to my suprise that they can only provide a regular ATM card to me.

According to the bankman responsible for setting up my MegaBank account, foreigners (regardless of ARC or not) can only get a debit card (Visa/Mastercard) once they have acquired a time deposit at their bank of about 1 year. I am currently in great need of regular Visa/Mastercard debit card because my only debit card does not work anymore.

I could perhaps understand any complications to acquire a credit card or a loan, but to restrict access to a basic debit card (visa/mastercard) to be able to spend the cash I have deposited myself in my account is incomprehensible and borderline racist towards honest working foreigners in Taiwan.

Question:

  • Is the banking policy in Taiwan really this strict against foreigners everywhere in Taiwan?
  • Is there any other method for foreigners to acquire a debit card at a bank in Taiwan without spending an unreasonable amount of cash or waiting a year to build a so called time deposit at the bank?

Its Individual Banks, not the Taiwan Government. Shop around.

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Standard charter but no online bank till youā€™ve been here a year. Plus most places you have have cash anyways unless you have 647 debit cards. The banks and stores here are definitely behind.

Ask to see the law, or company policy, that states foreigners can only get a debit card after being with the bank for one year. Donā€™t just take the clerk behind the till at their word.

In my experience CTBC are the best of the bunch. I was able to get a debit card and their English app works pretty well.

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Perhaps I will open up at CTBC then. How much did it cost to open up a bank account and get a debit card for you at CTBC?

The bankman even called this manager after my questioning of their policy and confirmed it. Not sure that I want to keep my account with that kind of service anyway.

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Chinatrust issues debit cards immediately as far as I know. Most commercial banks are pretty good in this regard. By commercial I mean ones you see in most convenience storeā€¦ Cathay, Chinatrust, etc.

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Iirc I only had to deposit 1000NT. Go to a branch where theyā€™ll likely have more experience with foreigners - on the blue/red line, or near Taipei 101, something like that.

It doesnā€™t matter if the manager said no - ask them to pinpoint the exact law/policy and show it to you. Bring a friend if you canā€™t read Chinese. Chances are they are just being ā€˜cautiousā€™.

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Thatā€™s so strange. Megabank offered visa debit when I opened my account.

This was a year ago. In fact, I didnā€™t even know I had the option, the teller brought it up, asked if I wanted it.

Butā€¦I was opening the account because of a new job. I had all of that paperwork with me. That might have been the difference between us.

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Thank you, I will go to CTBC tomorrow and try it out. Regarding asking the managers at MegaBank to go through the policy, it is not worth my energy and time to argue any further or even remain a customer if they are reluctant to be of service after my already long discussion with them.

Welcoming to the shitshow that is Taiwan banking. Donā€™t trust anything anyone says to you. There are no rules. Itā€™s all about 關äæ‚. Iā€™ve had things rejected by a bank and then accepted the next day at a different branch of the same bank. End rant.

Go to Standard Chartered or CTBC. Both are good by Taiwan standards. SC has an English app which is functional and can be used for Forex (good rates), transfers, transaction history checks etc.

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That is weird, I had all the paperwork ready and they even called my contact to verify all the details. Still, I will not bother with them anymore after the great extent they go to try to mislead me.

I got online access the next day.

I got online access for all features except ā€œoutgoing USD transfersā€ (both domestic and international). I was told that this would be allowed after a year, but Iā€™m not sure if the app even supports international wire transfers.

This might not be a case about 關äæ‚. It has something to do with management and it happens in every country. Itā€™s natural that theyā€™re more careful about foreigners. Different branch might have different policy towards foreign customers. Theyā€™re probably not well trained regarding this part. Just find a foreign friendly branch and problem solved.

Same here. In fact the only bank that has ever refused me a debit card was Taichung bank and itā€™s a rural backwater bank. All the others were no issue including Mega.
Like others said OP, ask to see the rules and contact head office in Taipei to complain.

Editā€¦ OP I see you said you donā€™t want to waste time arguing with them. Well if it was me Iā€™d take the 10 minutes to close it once you have a replacement and let them know why. They probably donā€™t care but if enough foreigners refused their crappy service they might well change their tone.

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It happens in every country.

It didnā€™t happen to me in the four countries where Iā€™ve spent some time. I wish I had an optimistic attitude about this as you, but I think itā€™s totally unreasonable that different branches spout different rules to the same customers. I have read comments on Forumosa about people who got things done at the same branch by making another visit and talking to someone else.

Foreigners have easy access to credit cards and local stock markets in many countries. Refusing to provide even a debit card in a country like Taiwan is absolutely ridiculousā€¦

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If I was rejected a debit card, I would have closed the bank account right after opening it on the same visit, just to piss off the staff.

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It happened to me and my family in more than 4 countries so I just thought thatā€™s inevitableā€¦ we used to go for Citibank first but then we learned that itā€™s not about the bank but the branch. The Japanese banks (including but not limited to Citibank) especially drives us crazyā€¦ we learned to google and go for the foreign friendly branches eventually.

Now, that is 關äæ‚.

Thatā€™s actually a good tactic. The clerk might get pressured into giving you what you want.

I donā€™t think thatā€™s true. I have a Visa debit card from Mega Bank (Guting branch), which I got immediately on opening my account. Agree with other posters about querying that more, or just closing the account immediately because screw 'em.

I donā€™t think thatā€™s true, either. I also have a Visa debit card from Standard Chartered (Guting branch), with online banking. Iā€™d had an ARC for 6 months at the time, but they didnā€™t make any issues at all about the length of time Iā€™d been here.

Also have a Visa debit card at CTBC (Taipower Building branch). It was free with a small minimum deposit of NT$1000 (like most banks in Taiwan, I believe). Of the three accounts, CTBC is my preferred one for regular use.