Help!!! Mods!!! I made a boo-boo with the poll!!!
MonkeyâŚ
As far as annual fee goes, the majority of banks say that if you use it once a month minimum then there is no annual fee. I have never had to pay an annual fee before.
As far as English language support, itâs a joke all over. I think the âpush 3 for Englishâ designed to be a joke anyway because the person always answers in Chinese. I usually use Chinese for basic questions but if it is too complicated I usually look for English service which is usually nonexistent, if that is the case I just go into the bank and let them call for me.
[quote=âdan2006â]MonkeyâŚ
As far as annual fee goes, the majority of banks say that if you use it once a month minimum then there is no annual fee. I have never had to pay an annual fee before.
As far as English language support, itâs a joke all over. I think the âpush 3 for Englishâ designed to be a joke anyway because the person always answers in Chinese. I usually use Chinese for basic questions but if it is too complicated I usually look for English service which is usually nonexistent, if that is the case I just go into the bank and let them call for me.[/quote]
You can ask them âZhe shi yingwen fuwu xian ma?â in a sarcastic tone and they will cough and grumble and go to find someone who actually speaks English.
Usually, itâs a manager who ends up on the line, so itâs not such a bad thing after all.
You will occasionally encounter a smartass who asks you why you need English service if you can speak Chinese. Unfortunately itâs impossible to punch someone over the phone.
I will go to hell for what I have just done, but it is all for you guys.
I called Cathay English service and conducted the whole thing in English. I had to wait a bit -of course, the first service customer service agent that answers does that in Chinese- but they got me a guy with pretty good language skills and even better service attitude. Thanks to this endeavor, I now have 3 extra services which I had not clicked in my application, that he suggested as helpful and asked politely if I wanted those, plus he confirmed closing dates and statement due dates very accurately. I am quite pleased with the transaction even though I feel like a fraud.
Conclusion: Cathay has on the ball English service.
1 Like
Icon, Why go to hell, unless youâre holding back some info on us? What extra services? Donât want to tell us all, pssst. please PM me.
I must take back my words as well about Taiwan Customer Service. It was 11:30 at night. I called Cathy to request the form necessary to set up automatic bill payment from my bank. I only waited ten minutes, perhaps less to get an English speaking customer service representative. Her English was quite good.
To answer your question. Yes, I got the card based on my own merit and the wife did not co-sign.
For those of you who wonder if a Costco card is worth it. Well, itâs a credit card and it gives you the basic credit card protection and an advantage in settling disputes. Iâve always had my cards set to direct withdrawal from my bank so I donât have to worry about paying the card or carrying a balance.
The best advantage is the points you do earn. A couple times a year, I get surprised by the Costco cashier asking me if I would like to use my points. They do add up after a while. Itâs a real win/win situation.
The cool thing about my card is that it has my picture on it. The bad thing is itâs ugly and whitish.
Itâs good to hear they have English service. Im also glad its your own card.
I donât carry balances either but I prefer to go to 711 to pay only because it gives me a chance to walk and do something.
I was not aware you can get your picture on the card too, very cool.
Your picture didnât turn out TS?
[quote=âTaiwan_Studentâ]Icon, Why go to hell, unless youâre holding back some info on us? What extra services? Donât want to tell us all, pssst. please PM me.
I must take back my words as well about Taiwan Customer Service. It was 11:30 at night. I called Cathy to request the form necessary to set up automatic bill payment from my bank. I only waited ten minutes, perhaps less to get an English speaking customer service representative. Her English was quite good.
To answer your question. Yes, I got the card based on my own merit and the wife did not co-sign.
For those of you who wonder if a Costco card is worth it. Well, itâs a credit card and it gives you the basic credit card protection and an advantage in settling disputes. Iâve always had my cards set to direct withdrawal from my bank so I donât have to worry about paying the card or carrying a balance.
The best advantage is the points you do earn. A couple times a year, I get surprised by the Costco cashier asking me if I would like to use my points. They do add up after a while. Itâs a real win/win situation.
The cool thing about my card is that it has my picture on it. The bad thing is itâs ugly and whitish.[/quote]
LOL, nothing terribly special, just that they need your authorization if you want them to send a message to your phone when your card is used -every time or only after 3k nts. Stuff like that.
Yep, last time I used my points I did not have to pay anything for my purchase. 
usually, it covers the annual Costco membership fee, so, again, your purchases add up to your benefit.
Mine does not have a picture. 
But it is not white. 
[quote=âIconâ]uote]
LOL, nothing terribly special, just that they need your authorization if you want them to send a message to your phone when your card is used -every time or only after 3k nts. Stuff like that.
Yep, last time I used my points I did not have to pay anything for my purchase. usually, it covers the annual Costco membership fee, so, again, your purchases add up to your benefit.
Mine does not have a picture. But it is not white. :p[/quote]
Nothing terribly special? A text message that can to your phone every time use your phone or at a preset amount. Thatâs FANTASTIC!
But a text message for every time you use your card? Thatâs got to be costing some money for frequent users. Is there a fee for this service?
BTW, do we get any extra services that US companies give like "Car rental insurance, product protections and what not. Iâm not too terribly aware what the card give us other than charging and purchases, and collecting refunds (negative charges).
The card is white. The numbers on the card ar white too. The picture is on the back of the card. It came out ok for a mug shot.
Oh, I didnât find it particular because it is not exclusive to them. And no, there is no extra charge.
Moreover, other cards offer like free parking or free transfer from the airport. It depends. I am happy with Cathay as I get the membership discount at Taihou, tbe organic supermarket, without having had to spend 10k. I will let you know what else I can get.
Hey everyone, Iâm an ABC here on an ARC. Being a foreigner, anytime Iâve looked into getting a credit card, from anywhere, I was told that I needed a cosigner. A friend told me I should try at Costco cause it my be easier. I went to the counter, asked them if they door any English, and got someone with fairly understandable English skills. After speaking for a little, I was told I wouldnât need a cosigner, but I would need a 1 or 1.5 mil $by in the bank, donât remember which. Either way, that was it for me. Thanked her for her time & went to the good court to drowned my sorrows away with a fully loaded hot dog & 7up⌠oh this was at the Taichung location.
When you are told no, fill the application and hand it in at the bank, not the Costco counter or any other location. As in the States, you need to build up your credit rate here. You are a stranger to them and they will give you the highest requisites because you are a foreigner with no credit history, they do not know what your income is or anything else. Be flexible and reasonable even when they give you a song and dance. To get approval for a credit card for a foreigner is hard on both sides, and no clerk wants to be responsible for the abscond foreigner who leaves a tremendous debt.
You can start without a cosigner in Mega, even Amex. See relevant thread for info on that. You can apply directly at the bank, and tell them you know people who do not have a million and a half in the bank and have the card to purchase at Costco. Please notice not many people have been told of million in the bank stuff, and that it is information the bank clerks may not have accurately noted as the particular of the Costco Cathay card.
Finally, as a newbie in Taiwan, I must inform you that if you ask 3 different clerks about something, anything, here, you will get 3 different responses. In such case, first of all, do not guide your decisions on the first information available, always ask for written confirmation and when possible, politely ask to see the manager or highest official in charge.
Yup, seconding Icons comments. The local branch will send it in for you, donât waste time with the Costco counter. And she is bang on about needing to build a record. Even if the bank accepts your app they might kick it back as not having any credit record in Taiwan.
Another thing some banks like here is seeing a relationship first before they will issue cards, especially for foreigners. If you have an account at a bank for a period of time you can try and speak to a manager to see if they can help you apply. Pretty much every bank will issue a guarantor backed credit card, but for me that is not a real credit card. Having to beg your friend or wife to sign for you is not the way to go.
As far as regulations go, I think most places make up the regulations as they go along as was previously mentioned, one person will tell you one thing, and another person will say another. And this is not just related to banking either.
Amex will issue a foreigner a card but the last I heard you need to make over 50k a month salary. Mega will do a secured card like Icon said, you put up minimum 20,000nt in a bond and they will issue a card with a limit 70% of your bond. It sucks but it is a start until you build a record. Then you can try other banks and kick Mega to the curb once you get your own unsecured card from another bank later. Good luck
Credit Record, is there such a thing in Taiwan? Are there credit reporting agencies like there are in America. Iâd really like to know. Knock on wood, Iâve had a really good credit history in Taiwan. A checkered history in the US. It sure takes a Taiwanese wife, or I guess any wife to keep the guy in line. But anywayâŚ
Can one get a personal credit report in Taiwan. I wonder if it would have any weight in the US should I ever want to return. All debts in the states were repaid, and I even took a bank loan out and set it on automatic repayment.
But anyway⌠there was a time in Taiwan when I had a card for each of the major department stores? Why, to run up debt? No. Being single and dating my fiance, our biggest sport was Department Store Gift Collecting. Yup⌠All we had to do was spend a couple hundred dollars, usually at McDonalds and present our receipts along with the Department Store Credit Card to a department usually located on the top floor. There they would present you with a valued gift. You did not even have to use the credit card. It was a weekly thing to do. What did we get? Complete table settings (for one) Bed sheets and pillows, picnic jugs, candy bowls⌠camp chairs⌠I still have boxes upstairs full of things. Gave up the cards, and the trips when the kids came. Now we stay at home or just spend our money at Costco.
Credit records are kept at JCIC jcic.org.tw/jcweb/en/
Go here to get information on ordering your own report. I do it twice a year - jcic.org.tw/jcweb/en/service ⌠ts/report/
You need to send them ID and the completed form and they mail it to you. I was told that JCIC does not give credit scores to foreigners. When I asked about this last year, I was advised that our âspending habitsâ are different from Taiwanese so the credit score would hold no weight. JCIC keeps all other information on foreigners, just not credit scores. I canât see any American bank caring about a Taiwanese credit report, much like Taiwanese banks donât give a crap about an American one.
Your American bad history should be off the record 7-7.5 years since last delinquency so since you have been here for such a long time, likely your American report is clear.
As far as department store credit cards, they no longer offer them. All department stores have teamed up with a sponsor bank and they offer Visa/MasterCard only now. Dream mall has their own, Sogo has their own, Mitsokoshi has their own, Etc. I donât believe they offer any goodies at the malls now. I think they run promotions such as spend $1xxx and get a gift certificate or something like that. I usually keep the cards I donât use and not cancel them so that I can keep a good credit record going.
Took the advice of the posters above and went directly to my local Cathay branch to apply. The staff there were useless and just waved around a photo copied set of rules showing a $1.5m minimum salary requirement for foreigners. I told them I wanted to apply anyway but they assured me it would be denied.
In the end I just went home, filled out the form myself and mailed it in. Weâll see what happensâŚ
Bananas, suggest you contact Costco for support in your application.
I found that method works best, mailing in your own form.
Technically speaking they have a 1.5m$ rule but they have been flexible in the past with the Costco card.
Did you mail in a copy of 6 months salary and passport and Arc copy together with the application?
Well, forgot to pay my bill, so I went to pay to the bank and thought theyâd give me a hard time being a new customer. Came out with a new credit card, with Jeremy Linâs picture on it :lovestruck: -and buy one, get one free movie ticket deal.
Let me guess, Cathays NBA card lineup lol.
You can collect em all, I think there are a few choices.
Let me guess, Cathays NBA card lineup lol.
You can collect em all, I think there are a few choices.[/quote]
:lovestruck: