Ah I didn’t realize this happened at a HSBC. When I tried to open an account there (in the Kaohsiung Gushan branch) they were really trying hard to get me to change my mind.
Eventually they succeed by telling me that the only available appointment times were early in the mornings.
I decided it wasn’t worth losing sleep over, so I gave up and decided to go with a different bank.
I’m an HSBC customer here in Taipei and have always gotten good service. Not something I expected as a US citizen.
Did they give you a hard time when you were opening your account?
None at all.
Maybe I shouldn’t have walked into the bank in my blue and white sandals.
JK.
It shouldn’t matter what you dress like when walking into a bank.
What I’d do is wear a different thong on each foot mate
HSBC Tw client since I arrived here. After the first 2 complaints I made with FSC/FOI, the service is quite good and effective, can’t complain at all now, satisfied
Wearing thongs on ya feet might have been the problem. They’re supposed to cover up ya private bit.
Thing is you should never have had to make those complaints about how a British bank treats foreigners in Taiwan. HSBC HK has always had very good customer service. No one is surprised I have a Chinese named account with a Taiwan address and Taiwan ID card number speaking to their English speaking staff. Excellent service. Once the KYC has been gone through utmost excellent support.
I am still in shock I got a Credit Card approved in less than 4 minutes and most of that was me going through the online form.
They’ve probably flagged your account with a pop-up notification saying “just do what he asks - it’s not worth the hassle of annoying him again”. 
I remember I opened my Advance account with HSBC HK in 2013. After that was done they asked if I was sure I don’t need Premiere (they asked really nicely…). Ok, also got Premiere and ended up with two accounts and got two credit cards after applying online, Advance & Premiere, each with a $400k HKD limit. Good times.
Seeing as a second card is free and there are no fees I might get a card for my wife. I don’t want a HK$400K credit limit. Dang I could buy a new car with that lol.
I’m not sure policy is like that, it differs by each country
I’m HSBC premier in the US
Canada - Yes, even tourists can open remotely, such as HSBC’s “open bank account before arriving” program
Singapore - when I asked, not possible without work/residence visa unless you invest a large amount. If you hold work/residence visa (which I do now), you can open remotely with Singpass as non-resident. I.e. HSBC, DBS, takes a few minutes. No residency needed.
China - they said it’s not possible to open an account unless I have a work pass, employer documentation, whole bunch of other documents, etc., even though I have premier elsewhere. This is the same experience I read on reddit and elsewhere.
Taiwan - I don’t think it’s possible to open a HSBC account as a tourist is it? When I tried several years ago, they denied me even though I had Gold Card ARC, US HSBC Premier, on the reason that I had the old ARC number format. I went to a different branch and they allowed me to open but only with my ARC. I think only the Taiwan Post office lets tourist open bank accounts.
HK - I can test it out, though I hold a HKID now so it should be easy even as non-resident
Edit - here’s what HSBC’s website says: https://internationalservices.hsbc.com/overseas-account-opening/
"You can open another account in:
Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Canada, China, Egypt, Expat offshore (Jersey), Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Turkiye, UAE, UK, USA and Vietnam.
During your application, we’ll ask for:
That’s when you should have lodged a complaint with the FSC.
No reason you cannot. I am just surprised and happy that when I applied for the HSBC HK Premier Credit card it was approved immediately. Still in shock about that lol. I’m a wee little customer in the grand scheme of things.
I might turn up at HSBC TW and see if they like my foreign passport to open an account. Can but try.
Yes service is very good compared to local banks, can do a lot by telephone and their app works well especially if you have an overseas HSBC account can use global transfer which is instant (amazing if you are used to Taiwan banks horrific and EXPENSIVE intl transfer system) and no charge for premier or above. Need certain significiant amount of savings to access. No problems using English app or phone service if you need it, BIG difference with local banks. I used to use their branch in Taoyuan.
You know the way a local bank makes you sit for 2 hours to open accounts and sign shit in front of them…HSBC you write a few details in their form and leave it with them and magically your account is opened without having to sign 20 docs over 2 hours!!!
I opened a Premier account without any HK related docs, not even a HK address.
I wouldn’t.
My experience is the opposite of @Satellite_TV. They were very keen to get me to open an account, to the point where one of the bank staff drove 30 minutes from the branch to my office to sign some legal papers.
But since opening the account, I’ve had zero contact. The website says I have a personal finance manager, but no one has ever contacted me - presumably because they can’t speak good enough English.
Worst thing - despite having an English customer support line, it’s very hard to get hold of an English-speaking customer service rep. Best case, you call, wait, they take your number, and someone calls you back later the same day.
But more typically, you get to the front of the queue and the Chinese-speaking rep just disconnects your call (presumably because they’re unable to handle it). This has happened to me 5 times in the past few weeks, often after holding for 20+ minutes.
The other issue is that the English banking app on Android is really basic - you can only view accounts, view funds, and make transfers. Everything else must be done through the website.
So as a foreigner-friendly bank they’re pretty terrible.
Well it’s all relative in my experience. You are right the app has very limited functionality but it has enough to do basics. Yes the English app would struggle for day to day use.I use First bank app for that and it is not bad although maybe that’s because I’m used to it. It has all the functionality of the Chinese app once you figure out the bad English.
