getting your first Japanese credit card

[momotobananaoishii]

I want to get a cc as another method to establish credit. Plus I just want a foreign card. Does anyone know if some companies are more liberal with applications from gaijin?

I read somewhere that most gaijin are refused because they are using tourokusho as ID. Apparently if you use your J drivers license you have a better chance which would be a bonus for me. But as I look at these applications they don't ask for ID anyway so I don't know why they said that. Maybe some applications have a space for that and some don't.

Apparently the phone call verifications are the same across the board. They call you and ask you the same 10 questions so if you can memorize them and answer them in Japanese your golden.

For example, do they care if you only have a mobile phone and not house phone? Do they actually verify and call your place of employment?

Maybe generic applications from places like convenient stores are easier than applications directly from the bank? i.e. a Lawson Visa could be easier than a Sumitomo Visa. There are so many companies with different applications all over the city.

Thanks

[Tsuru]

What do you need a credit card for?

[Greji]

I want to get a cc as another method to establish credit. Plus I just want a foreign card. Does anyone know if some companies are more liberal with applications from gaijin?

Use your bank. That is the easiest and quickest. The credit card company will call you at work and may, or may not, ask you further questions beyond establishing your id. But in that case it is never very detailed.

[Blah Pete]

I have a local credit card through Citi Bank and another through the Post Office/Seiyu Dept. store. As far as I can remember niether was much trouble to get as long as you have a decent job, etc. I have had both of these for a while so the terms may have changed.

[halfnip]

It shouldn't be difficult. If you can get one through your bank, they have all your information, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Do NOT, I repeat do NOT get a DC Card. I've got a DC JAL Visa card and it is the most worthless POS credit card I have ever used..

[momotobananaoishii]

[GomiGirl]

It shouldn't be difficult. If you can get one through your bank, they have all your information, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Do NOT, I repeat do NOT get a DC Card. I've got a DC JAL Visa card and it is the most worthless POS credit card I have ever used..

I have had one for years and it is great. Why do you say that? Just took a free trip on the points last week.

[kamome]

[FG Lurker]

Why are people still answering this wanker's questions? He's done his best to insult the entire board and stated openly that he will lie and cheat to get what he wants. Overall he's made it clear he has absolutely no concern for anyone other than himself. Yet he still gets answers and information?

[Greji]

Why are people still answering this wanker's questions? He's done his best to insult the entire board and stated openly that he will lie and cheat to get what he wants. Overall he's made it clear he has absolutely no concern for anyone other than himself. Yet he still gets answers and information?

That's why Bird likes him. Lotta common points with the legal field!

[james]

Why are people still answering this wanker's questions? He's done his best to insult the entire board and stated openly that he will lie and cheat to get what he wants. Overall he's made it clear he has absolutely no concern for anyone other than himself. Yet he still gets answers and information?

agreed. when i saw his post, i was kind of hoping everyone would just ignore it. not like he was going to listen anyway.

[dimwit]

As far as credit cards go I think I have maybe used one twice in my 13 years here. Unless I were into operating a business on a much larger scale then I am prepared to do, I couldn't see any reason to have one.*


*Dimwit also doesn't believe in Keitais, Analog TV, or i-Pods to name a few things.

[FG Lurker]

As far as credit cards go I think I have maybe used one twice in my 13 years here. Unless I were into operating a business on a much larger scale then I am prepared to do, I couldn't see any reason to have one.

I got my first 7 digit credit card bill last month.

[ttjereth]

I got my first 7 digit credit card bill last month.

Wife/daughter get ahold of the card?

[FG Lurker]

Wife/daughter get ahold of the card?

Thankfully not! Business expenses.

[Mike Oxlong]

Madfuku covered pretty much all one needs to set up a CC in Japan not too long ago...
http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18413&highlight=credit+card

[ttjereth]

:lol: Thankfully not! Business expenses.

My wife pulled a brilliant one the other day. She ordered one of my Christmas presents and had it delivered to the house C.O.D. at a time when I was the only one here!

She has managed to make me directly pay for my own Christmas presents...

[Samurai_Jerk]

I got my first 7 digit credit card bill last month.

Don't be impressed. It was in yen


When I was here as a student and working part time in 06 I got a Shinsei Amex no problem. But for some reason, now that I'm working fulltime and making OK money, I've been rejected for both a Shinsei Visa and a Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Visa this year. I think I paid my electic bill a few days late once. Could that be the reason?

[IkemenTommy]

I got my first 7 digit credit card bill last month.

Ha, I did that for the first time last summer while traveling and Amex temporarily froze my card. Hopefully, most was for business expense but it was still a HUGE bill I had to pay.

Anyway, the only cards I ever qualified in Japan were Amex and the bank card VISAs. I applied for the airline cards but the moment they see my katakana name, the application goes straight to the trash regardless I have a secure job and enough savings in the bank.

There was a separate thread on here pretty much explaining how J credit cards will not issue cards to gaijins because of the fear that we would rack up the bills and end up bailing out of the country without paying.

The annual membership fee with Amex is outrageously expensive, but I admit that it is more for status. Actually, the real reason why I have it is because I needed the card on a very short notice (on that very next day) and was able to skip the bullshit background checks and qualifications through a personal friend working very high up in the Japan office.

[FG Lurker]

Don't be impressed. It was in yen ]
I'm not quite to the point of being able to charge 7-digit dollar figures in a month. Working on it though.

But for some reason, now that I'm working fulltime and making OK money, I've been rejected for both a Shinsei Visa and a Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Visa this year. I think I paid my electic bill a few days late once. Could that be the reason?

Madfuku's thread linked to above has lots of good information in it. I'd try a Costco AMEX, they don't seem to be overly difficult to get if you have a decent job.

[ttjereth]

I only ever applied for one credit card here and got it right away with no problems, maybe a year or so after I got here when I was still on a work visa (specialist in humannities). I've been using the same card for 8 years and they up my credit limit once or twice a year. It's a good card too, no annual fees, no fees on "one time pay" shopping expenses, only on cash withdrawls and multipayments.

I'm almost afraid to mention what company I use for fear that I got the card with no problems because they didn't have any bad experiences with foreigners and publicizing it would result in a flood of idiots, making things more difficult for me in the future

Is it really that common for people to have been turned down here?

[FG Lurker]

Is it really that common for people to have been turned down here?

I've had varied success with credit in general here. Two cards I applied for I got without any trouble at all. The most recent one (Shitibank) turned me down, though I am making far more $$$ and now have PR. Who knows...maybe the moon phase was wrong!

I have more than enough credit right now, I just wanted the Shitibank card for the US$ charging ability and being able to pay the bill directly from the US$ balance in my Shitibank account.

[halfnip]

I have had one for years and it is great. Why do you say that? Just took a free trip on the points last week.

GG---It's just personal. Without going in to too many details, I just didn't like the fact that they slapped me with a Y300,000 max right off the bat due to me having no previous credit history (it was my first card here in Japan). That's fine and all, but then I asked them whether or not it could be raised (because I was using it A LOT for work---flights, hotels, etc.) because a Y300,000 max wasn't enough. I had paid everything fine and considering I was using it quite often, I was surprised when they said that they couldn't until a full year passed. So, here I am a year later, at the same limit. Just last week, I called them up to see if they would approve me charging the hospital bill (for the baby) on this card because I wanted the points, and they said they'd give me a call back. 4 days later, and a full day before I was supposed to pay, they told me that they wouldn't approve it.

So, in my opinion, they haven't been too flexible with me, which is why I do not recommend them. I mean, hell---there are some situations (like emergencies) that you can only pay by CC and if they are not flexible enough to accomodate you, I say move to some other provider that can. Shit, I had a Saison card that I made when I was like 20 years old with hardly any income and they approved to let me charge my huge arse wedding bill on it without any issues!

But then again DC is TMUFJ Nicos (or whatever the hell they call themselves these days), so them being a bank makes them a bit tighter on restrictions.

Not to mention since my limit is so low--that it takes FOREVER for me to build up miles, which defeats the whole purpose of the card.

Anyways, that's just my Y.02!

[halfnip]

I've had varied success with credit in general here. Two cards I applied for I got without any trouble at all. The most recent one (Shitibank) turned me down, though I am making far more $$$ and now have PR. Who knows...maybe the moon phase was wrong!

I have more than enough credit right now, I just wanted the Shitibank card for the US$ charging ability and being able to pay the bill directly from the US$ balance in my Shitibank account.

Good point, FG_L. Shitibank has turned us down once too. I almost laughed my arse off, considering that all of our savings was in our Shiti account and I saw no reason whatsoever for them to turn us down. I freakin' hate them, but the only other alternative is Shinsei at the moment and although I have not had a bad exeprience with them, I'm willing to jump ship to HSBC once they start rolling next month.

[Greji]

Good point, FG_L. Shitibank has turned us down once too. I almost laughed my arse off, considering that all of our savings was in our Shiti account and I saw no reason whatsoever for them to turn us down. I freakin' hate them, but the only other alternative is Shinsei at the moment and although I have not had a bad exeprience with them, I'm willing to jump ship to HSBC once they start rolling next month.

Although I got a card from Shiti, because I dumped a bunch of dust into an account to cover my daughter in school with them. I was apparently lucky, because I've had a lot of friends that have had extremely bad experiences with them even with money in the bank. On the other hand, I've had no problems like that with my Japanese banks for credit cards and obviously, cash cards. Especially, if you have any type of an account with them, like the one with your salary, they bend over backward to be accommodating. It shouldn't be a problem with a Japanese bank unless perhaps, if you just walk in off the street.

[Iraira]

Although I got a card from Shiti, because I dumped a bunch of dust into an account to cover my daughter in school with them. I was apparently lucky, because I've had a lot of friends that have had extremely bad experiences with them even with money in the bank. On the other hand, I've had no problems like that with my Japanese banks for credit cards and obviously, cash cards. Especially, if you have any type of an account with them, like the one with your salary, they bend over backward to be accommodating. It shouldn't be a problem with a Japanese bank unless perhaps, if you just walk in off the street.

I also had my problems with the J-CitiBank. Had two credit cards from US Citibank for years, decent limits, nice curves and pretty holograms. Meant nothing at J-Citibank, and neither did having the same job for several years. All I wanted was a credit card with a maximum limit of like 10 man, in case of life-death emergencies, no cash for the love hotel, Persian Kitty.com, etc.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Without going in to too many details, I just didn't like the fact that they slapped me with a Y300,000 max right off the bat due to me having no previous credit history (it was my first card here in Japan).

Cards here have ridiculously low limits. My regular green AMEX is 130,000 yen I think. That despite that fact I've been approved for a Platinum card in the US and a Goldcard in Japan.

[GomiGirl]

[quote="halfnip"]GG---It's just personal. ]

That is sucky. I had a good experience with them a while back. I too have a small limit and had been on a few work trips and had reached my limit. I rang them to ask if I could pay the bill early as I had the cash and wanted to buy some stuff over the internet and of course needed a card to do it. But they said that I couldn't pay it off early but had to wait until the money was withdrawn from my account as usual. I thought that was a bit sucky..

HOWEVER, they told me that they would temporarily raise my limit for 3 months so I could buy what I needed and have time to pay it back. I didn't need the limit raised for three months - only a week - but hey I wasn't complaining. I thought it was an interesting workaround solution to the rigid "RULES". I was happy as I was able to buy what I needed. And they were happy that I paid it all off.

Takes time to earn miles using just normal purchases, but there are places where you can get bonus miles - eg Body Shop, Nissen car rentals etc. I use these places anyway and when I use my card it really racks up the points.

[james]

despite this thread being initiated by a complete arse, it's turned into a decent discussion.

i have two japanese CCs. one i've had for several years, (30 man limit) with my local hick bank here (san-in goudou). they at first didn't want to give it to me, because, according to them at the time, "we've had problems with brazillians racking up charges and leaving" so they had a policy of not issuing cards to fgs period. my wife got pretty pissed off with them and called their head office in matsue. they took it into consideration and decided to issue me a card, saying i was a "test case". i don't recall if they required my father-in-law as a guarantor or not. probably though. the card has given me grief with my name and trying to make online purchases on some sites (notably using it w/ yahoo auctions was impossible.) i still have little use for this bank and now i hardly ever use their card since...

last year or thereabouts, i applied online for a uc airmiles visa. what a byzantine process that was, with broken forms etc too. i was approved though. i guess they figure that anyone who can make it through the application process is intelligent enough to use the card.

it looked good too - 1 airmile for every 100 yen spent, and i have an investment payment that goes through on it every month. pretty soon i'll have a "free" flight just for paying into my investment. i can't for the life of me remember what the limit on it is, maybe 50 man, and i've had *no* problems using it anywhere.

[GomiGirl]

despite this thread being initiated by a complete arse, it's turned into a decent discussion.

I think that was the plan!! I know I didn't wade in until somebody else said something that I was interested in. I wasn't going to reply to help somebody who is belligerent and ungrateful for other free advice he had received.