I just came here from Shanghai to teach English in a public school and will be receiving my ARC any day now. I would like some advice on which bank to consider when opening an account. In the mainland, on paper, all banks look the same in terms of the services they offer and the “degree of bilingualness” they have, but in reality, there is a huge disparity. I have not yet begun to research banks in TW but am afraid that the ads will also all look alike, so I turn to you all for practical advice. First of all, if it makes a difference, I live in Miaoli county. I am willing to take advantage of all online banking services that a bank has to offer, so my location may not make much difference. In the past 14 years, the only times I have set foot in a bank were to exchange and wire money back to the U.S. - things that cannot be done online in the mainland. I am hoping to get a credit card from a bank in TW - would be nice if it were an international one so that money exchanges could be kept to a minimum. I also do most of my shopping online. I don’t know if the credit card will take care of that or will I need some additional card/device or account? Any and all advice will be appreciated.
You’ll need to open an account at whatever bank your employer uses in order to get paid. Online banking in English basically doesn’t exist in Taiwan, and as a newly arrived teacher, your chances of getting a credit card are basically zero - do a search here for a long thread discussing cc’s.
Thanks! The online services may not be bilingual but are they available? Can I transfer money from one account to the other - pay bills - etc? My dream - can I transfer money to a bank in the U.S. using an online service?
I’ve never used them so I don’t know.
HSBC. Online banking with English interface. Multiple currency accounts. If you have an account locally or abroad you want to transfer money to, you have to go to a branch to register the account, then you can transfer anytime after. Visa debit card available.