Credit card blues

[chan]

Been in Japan for 3 months... Got a pretty good job (over 80K US pa) with a big company. And yet my application for a UFJ Docomo Visa card was rejected. No reason given. Especially weird as my bank account is with UFJ and I have a Docomo cell phone.

Any ideas why? I've had plenty of cards in various countries before and never had an application rejected? Is this usual over here?

Anyone know of a credit card company (other than Citibank) that will definitely give me a card? Can't be bothered filling in the form if I don't end up getting a card. Sigh...

Any advice wld be appreciated.

[IkemenTommy]

For one thing, you need a permanent address.
If you're here on a temporary status, then they will reject you.
They don't want unpaying gaijins bailing out on them.

I did manage to get Amex recently without a perm address though.. but I relied heavily on hookups and that unfortunately I cannot help you on.

[IkemenTommy]

But I know your feeling.
I applied for ANA visa before and they rejected me as well. Probably for the same reason even though I had a real job (well.. that depends on the perspective..) and lived in the same apartment for about 3 years.

Fuck visa and I am glad I didn't sign up with them.
Amex is accepted at more places in Asia and have better security counter measures. I recently maxed out my new Amex in Singapore 2 days after I got it and they straightened it out over the toll-free phone.. but then.. again.. I think it was through the hookup that got me out of the hole.

[Greji]

Been in Japan for 3 months... Got a pretty good job (over 80K US pa) with a big company. And yet my application for a UFJ Docomo Visa card was rejected. No reason given. Especially weird as my bank account is with UFJ and I have a Docomo cell phone.

Any ideas why? I've had plenty of cards in various countries before and never had an application rejected? Is this usual over here?

Anyone know of a credit card company (other than Citibank) that will definitely give me a card? Can't be bothered filling in the form if I don't end up getting a card. Sigh...

Any advice wld be appreciated.

It maybe the Docomo part! They sometimes do, or require wierd things! If you go to your UFJ bank branch (assuming that is where your pay is being sent) and apply for their bank credit card from that bank, they will usually honor the application. You might have to cite your previous card information, but normally if you are a customer of a bank, they will provide you with the proper service providing you have your card and job information documentation and again, if your pay is going to that branch. The only possible hang-up could be length of time that you have had the account open, but that depends on the individual bank branch. They can sometimes be very arbitrary on that!

[chan]

Thanks you two - appreciated. I do have a permanent address so it can"t be that. And I agree with the comments on Amex - I used that when I lived in Singapore and the service was excellent.

I may take your advice and apply again from my own branch. Although I am so fed up about it, I might take my business elsewhere.

The thing about the Docomo Visa is that the credit card bill and the phone bill would be put together (convenient), you can get docomo points every time you spend, and best of all there's no annual fee if you pay in full each month.

Sigh... what a bloody hassle everything is ...

[FG Lurker]

I was in roughly the same boat a few years ago. Similiar salary, but had been here longer. Still got rejected for a MasterCard. No idea why. Applied for an Amex and they gave it to me no problem. Even asked if I wanted a gold card, which I declined. J-card companies are weird... I'd just get an Amex and be done with it.

[gkanai]

Wendy Imura has great advice here

http://www.frugaljapan.com/encyclopedia/creditcards.html

[Charles]

I recently maxed out my new Amex in Singapore 2 days after I got it and they straightened it out over the toll-free phone.. but then.. again.. I think it was through the hookup that got me out of the hole.

That is strange. The standard Amex card is not a credit card and you are expected to pay the full balance every month, so they advertise prominently that there is no credit limit. I heard a story of a guy who charged a $12 million Monet painting on his Amex during a special promotion for airline miles, and got enough points to fly first class for decades.

[cynix]

That is strange. The standard Amex card is not a credit card and you are expected to pay the full balance every month, so they advertise prominently that there is no credit limit. I heard a story of a guy who charged a $12 million Monet painting on his Amex during a special promotion for airline miles, and got enough points to fly first class for decades.

There's no "preset" limit, but there is a limit which is based on your ability to repay. Amex ain't stupid

[FG Lurker]

I recently maxed out my new Amex in Singapore 2 days after I got it and they straightened it out over the toll-free phone.. but then.. again.. I think it was through the hookup that got me out of the hole.

That is strange. The standard Amex card is not a credit card and you are expected to pay the full balance every month, so they advertise prominently that there is no credit limit. I heard a story of a guy who charged a $12 million Monet painting on his Amex during a special promotion for airline miles, and got enough points to fly first class for decades.

The only Amex card with no limit is the black one. You can't apply for a black Amex, they offer it to premier card holders who charge US$150,000 or more per year -- roughly, anyway.

[cstaylor]

Amex also has a credit card as well as their standard charge card line.

[FG Lurker]

Here's the Snopes page re the black Amex:

http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/blackcard.asp

[IkemenTommy]

I recently maxed out my new Amex in Singapore 2 days after I got it and they straightened it out over the toll-free phone.. but then.. again.. I think it was through the hookup that got me out of the hole.

That is strange. The standard Amex card is not a credit card and you are expected to pay the full balance every month, so they advertise prominently that there is no credit limit. I heard a story of a guy who charged a $12 million Monet painting on his Amex during a special promotion for airline miles, and got enough points to fly first class for decades.

From what I heard, they have a monitoring system for any spending irregularities. If there is a 100,000 dollar charge on a brand new Porsche when you regularly spend about 50 dollars every month on grocery, then they will contact that business place to verify your ID. It happened to me in the beginning and my limit was set at 2,000 dollars which was a complete joke. I suppose that's nothing special and other card companies do something similar.

[IkemenTommy]

Here's the Snopes page re the black Amex:

http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/blackcard.asp

There is nothing exotic about the Black Amex. You get it only through personal recommendation from someone in Amex. You have to pay something like 100,000 yen per year and I doubt any one of us in FG can afford that easily. It's only for serious ballers like

[Greji]

You have to pay something like 100,000 yen per year and I doubt any one of us in FG can afford that easily.

[FG Lurker]

You have to pay something like 100,000 yen per year and I doubt any one of us in FG can afford that easily.

The yearly fees for the black Amex are US$1,000.

[FG Lurker]

Here's the Snopes page re the black Amex:

http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/blackcard.asp

There is nothing exotic about the Black Amex.

No, but it is an interesting card none-the-less.

[IkemenTommy]

You have to pay something like 100,000 yen per year and I doubt any one of us in FG can afford that easily.

The yearly fees for the black Amex are US$1,000.

Yeah the annual fee you have to pay to have that card.
I think back in the days, you got automatic airline class upgrades with the black card for certain carriers. They might have stopped doing that by now because the airlines aren't making as much money as they used to.

[Greji]

You have to pay something like 100,000 yen per year and I doubt any one of us in FG can afford that easily.

The yearly fees for the black Amex are US$1,000.

My point was the "doubt any one of us" catch-all. If you need what the black Amex can provide, that is not a lot of money! I'm not trying to be snide, but a lot of us need to, and do, use those in our businesses! A $1,000 is not that much of an addition expense in that case! That could also easily be no more than one night in Roppongi when the juices are running"!

[IkemenTommy]

You have to pay something like 100,000 yen per year and I doubt any one of us in FG can afford that easily.

The yearly fees for the black Amex are US$1,000.

My point was the "doubt any one of us" catch-all. If you need what the black Amex can provide, that is not a lot of money! I'm not trying to be snide, but a lot of us need to, and do, use those in our businesses! A $1,000 is not that much of an addition expense in that case! That could also easily be no more than one night in Roppongi when the juices are running"!

Correction: "doubt MOST of us"

I'll make my correction before this one turns into another "I am a better gaijin than all of you because I make more money than you" egotistic thread.

[Greji]

You have to pay something like 100,000 yen per year and I doubt any one of us in FG can afford that easily.

The yearly fees for the black Amex are US$1,000.

My point was the "doubt any one of us" catch-all. If you need what the black Amex can provide, that is not a lot of money! I'm not trying to be snide, but a lot of us need to, and do, use those in our businesses! A $1,000 is not that much of an addition expense in that case! That could also easily be no more than one night in Roppongi when the juices are running"!

Correction: "doubt MOST of us"

I'll make my correction before this one turns into another "I am a better gaijin than all of you because I make more money than you" egotistic thread.

Watch out Tommy, the paranoids are after you again!

[IkemenTommy]

You have to pay something like 100,000 yen per year and I doubt any one of us in FG can afford that easily.

The yearly fees for the black Amex are US$1,000.

My point was the "doubt any one of us" catch-all. If you need what the black Amex can provide, that is not a lot of money! I'm not trying to be snide, but a lot of us need to, and do, use those in our businesses! A $1,000 is not that much of an addition expense in that case! That could also easily be no more than one night in Roppongi when the juices are running"!

Correction: "doubt MOST of us"

I'll make my correction before this one turns into another "I am a better gaijin than all of you because I make more money than you" egotistic thread.

Watch out Tommy, the paranoids are after you again!

Yeah time to take my Lithium pills right about now

[chan]

Just to follow-up. Was accepted by Credit Saison (Club On) - Visa card. Applied at Seibu Shibuya. Have been in Japan nearly 4 months. Easy. Any one else having troubles, try the above.

[maninjapan]

Just to follow-up. Was accepted by Credit Saison (Club On) - Visa card. Applied at Seibu Shibuya. Have been in Japan nearly 4 months. Easy. Any one else having troubles, try the above.

how long did it take to apply? really could do with a credit card - as spending a fortune in book shops at the moment and want to get some books from the uk delivered over here. amazon.co.uk has a huge sale on, many books are less than half price, so the p&p would easily be covered.

[IkemenTommy]

Just to follow-up. Was accepted by Credit Saison (Club On) - Visa card. Applied at Seibu Shibuya. Have been in Japan nearly 4 months. Easy. Any one else having troubles, try the above.

Yeah I heard that once before too on how easy it is to get a Saison Card. If I am right, they will even give you the card on that same day of registration.