Credit Cards - If you can't beat em, join em?

[Greji]

I guess credit card fraud isn't big on the radar here.

I don't know about that. All though I've never had any bad experiences, my wife received two separate calls over a period of time from one of my credit card peoples. They asked her on both occasions if she knew if I were visiting a certain city in Japan (both in different areas of the country) and if I had purchased any electronic equipment. On both occasions I was at my office. She told them I was at work and they just thanked her and hung up. I never found anything about those locations and no billings that would be questionable showed up on my accounting bills. They later called her a third time and she asked them just what the hell was going on. They told her someone was using a phony card with my name and number. They said they knew all about it and not to worry. They said that someone had obviously copied the number off of some store records or found a discarded receipt to make a phony card. They would not say who or what was going on, only that they were aware of it and were handling the problem. This was several years back and I have not heard anything further....
Wierd

[Mock Cockpit]

I don't know about that. All though I've never had any bad experiences, my wife received two separate calls over a period of time from one of my credit card peoples. They asked her on both occasions if she knew if I were visiting a certain city in Japan (both in different areas of the country) and if I had purchased any electronic equipment.

Yeah been meaning to tell you about that mate....anyway don't worry, those 500 Hello Kitty vibrators went to a good home.

[BigInJapan]

They said that someone had obviously copied the number off of some store records or found a discarded receipt to make a phony card.

Something sort of similar here too. Five or six years ago we got a call from VISA asking if we had made a purchase in a sporting goods store in a state like Alabama (I was living in Japan).
It seems somebody had bought about $2600 worth of hunting and fishing goods courtesy of yours truly (I hope they had a good time, the pricks). I didn't get charged, but I was without a credit card for the period it took to get a new one issued and sent.
My guess is that some scammer used a program that comes up with real credit card numbers (they exist), and managed to use it online where no confirmation or ID was necessary.

[Greji]

Something sort of similar here too. Five or six years ago we got a call from VISA asking if we had made a purchase in a sporting goods store in a state like Alabama (I was living in Japan).
It seems somebody had bought about $2600 worth of hunting and fishing goods courtesy of yours truly (I hope they had a good time, the pricks). I didn't get charged, but I was without a credit card for the period it took to get a new one issued and sent.
My guess is that some scammer used a program that comes up with real credit card numbers (they exist), and managed to use it online where no confirmation or ID was necessary.

Same here, but they did get around to sending me a new Visa, and was kind enough to let me keep the old one in use until we received and activated the new one....

[gaijinpunch]

Does anyone know if your balance at the bank you're trying to get a card at has any weight? If it does, then the banks are just as fucking retarded as any other Japanese business. I have a couple of mil sitting in one at .00001 interest... and still get rejected.

[matsuki]

Does anyone know if your balance at the bank you're trying to get a card at has any weight? If it does, then the banks are just as fucking retarded as any other Japanese business. I have a couple of mil sitting in one at .00001 interest... and still get rejected.

I heard it does but who knows....

I just got my first utility bills in the new alias Time to go register this bitch!

[IparryU]

I heard it does but who knows....

I just got my first utility bills in the new alias Time to go register this bitch!

care to break down the whole process on this?

i know what you went through was loads of research and time... so it would be nice if you can cut me some slack and let me benefit of all of your hard work... goats included...

[matsuki]

care to break down the whole process on this?

i know what you went through was loads of research and time... so it would be nice if you can cut me some slack and let me benefit of all of your hard work... goats included...

In short, based on my experience thus far, the CC issuers have no way to discriminate against you other than what you write on the application leaving only one way to know you're FG...your romaji/katakana or otherwise foreign sounding name. So, my theory, backed up by one of those individuals responsible for declining FG, is that if you use a Japanese name to apply, you will get the card.

So...I came up with a Japanese name, (If I were you, I'd use your wife's maiden name + whatever Japanese first name you want) now will register it as an official alias, and apply for credit with it. They also track you by phone number and address so it's advisable to use a different phone number/addy to apply. I just switched carriers and no longer have the same number. It also happens that I just moved so the timing is perfect for me but there is nothing stopping you from getting creative here. Prepaid cell? Use your wive's parent's addy? You can always change these details after you get the card. To register the alias, have 1 or more of your utilities change the name on your billing. Once again, you can always change it back afterwards but you need the receipts in the alias name to take with you to the ward office to register the alias. When they ask why you're registering it, just give em a story about your foreign name being too difficult to use in Japan...they won't argue. Once you have it registered, open a bank account in this alias using your newly acquired alias. Have your employer change your name on your NHI card. You now have a bank account and ID in the Japanese alias that you can use to apply for credit cards. Lot of work and you'd probably want to eventually change all your financial info over to this alias but TIJ Thing is, just like the Zainichi do, you'll have the alias printed on your gaijin card, and can have it put on your DL as well so you will in effect, have two legal names to use here. (or more, there seems to be no limit from what I can tell as I already have my name in both katakana and kanji....it stops those komakai as fuck people from trying to tell you how you need to write your name as you can flip any of your ID's over and show them you have plenty of legally registered ways to choose from)

[Coligny]

This is more complicamated than all the James Bonds movie plot put together... (first-to-last including the mindfucks with D.Craig)

[matsuki]

This is more complicamated than all the James Bonds movie plot put together... (first-to-last including the mindfucks with D.Craig)

Hell yeah it is...but what are the alternatives?

[wuchan]

Hell yeah it is...but what are the alternatives?

own land. UFJ approved me on the first try.

[matsuki]

own land. UFJ approved me on the first try.

Did you have a loan with them or something? I know of a few FG that own land, are married, and have still been denied

[FG Lurker]

A few weeks ago I was in BIC Camera to buy some stuff and was offered a discount (5000yen I think?) if I applied for a J-West (JR West) Visa card / BIC Camera point card combo. Told them there was no way they'd give me a card but they said it didn't matter, just apply and get the discount. So I applied, and awaited my rejection letter in the mail.

Well, lo-and-behold, today a new J-West VISA (issued by Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos) arrived in the mail with a 500,000yen limit.

I'm not sure why I was approved. On the plus side I own two properties (one mortgaged with UFJ) and have PR. On the minus side my credit probably looks pretty ugly after the past couple of years. (I'd never not pay what I owe but 2009-2011 were very, very tough financially.) I am also self-employed (own a KK) which is generally a minus in the eyes of the credit companies, unless your business is very well established.

So now I have another credit card...

[yanpa]

I was making a large cash purchase in Odakyu dept. store a couple of months ago and they suggested it might be beneficial to apply for a store CC card, which I duly did and to my surprise was approved no problem in about 4 weeks. Also Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos, also 500,000 yen limit, which suits me fine, I don't need the credit per-se, just a credit card.

No properties/mortgages, no PR.

[canman]

How many credit cards do you have? And how do you avoid the ridiculous annual fees they charge. I am now up to 6 cards, and foolishly, three of them are gold, the others are regular ones. But each year I get dinged for up to Y18000 in annual fees, and while I was thinking of canceling one or two, I just read that every time you cancel a credit card, for whatever reason, your credit score takes a hit.
But I don't want to continue to pay the annual fees, as I don't feel I'm getting value for what I pay.

[Mike Oxlong]

Yeah, isn't there one card to rule them all?! Something that doesn't get rejected by random merchants, groups, depending on the tides and astrological house we are in?

[cstaylor]

I just read that every time you cancel a credit card, for whatever reason, your credit score takes a hit.

Only temporarily, because you're signaling that you can't afford the extended credit IIRC.

[FG Lurker]

Apparently this new card has no yearly fees as long as I use it at least once a year. I also have an AMEX in my name and that definitely has fees, I forget how much. (I get a lot of air miles with the AMEX though so I don't really mind the fees, plus I can use it at Costco.)

Wife has two visa cards, one Sumitomo with a small yearly fee and one Saison which I think has no fee.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Yeah, isn't there one card to rule them all?! Something that doesn't get rejected by random merchants, groups, depending on the tides and astrological house we are in?

What do you think this is, Tolkein?

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

This is more complicamated than all the James Bonds movie plot put together... (first-to-last including the mindfucks with D.Craig)

Actually 007 1-22 plots are almost all identical...

Pre-title sequence
Washed-up celebrity title song
Bond assigned mission, meets offsider Bond girl
Bond and offsider Bond girl meet villain, rub up wrong way
Offsider Bond girl done away with by villain
Bond meets new Bond girl
Bond caught by villain
Bond escapes
Villian appears destined for success
Bond defeats villain against the odds
Bond boffs Bond girl
Credits

[wagyl]

I've never understood this fascination with credit scores. It has never been particularly evident here or in my home country: it seems to be a North American obsession (I was going to say US, but Canman's contribution makes me a little more inclusive). Surely credit score is only a concern to you if you are planning on taking out another loan soon. And is it worth 18 000 yen a year to you?

I applied for and received approval for a Saison credit card back when I was a wage slave at a public listed company, which may have had something to do with the approval. Together with the fact that I only ever want a modest credit limit and that it is linked to my Post Office bank account. At that stage I was still on a work permit. No fees, and a loyalty point system (which offers absolutely nothing I want to exchange points for).

And as an aside, you have to love a system which seems to penalise you for being financially responsible and simplifying your finances.

[FG Lurker]

And as an aside, you have to love a system which seems to penalise you for being financially responsible and simplifying your finances.

Nothing financially irresponsible about having credit cards, as long as they are paid off each month.

As for the system itself, I don't think it is an unreasonable one. Someone with no credit history is an unknown credit risk. Banks don't like unknowns very much so they prefer to lend to people with a known (and stable) history of managing their available credit.

[wagyl]

I understand your two points there and agree with them.

My quick aside related to the suggestion that your credit score suffers if you decide to cancel a credit card.

[canman]

Wagyl, I agree with you. Lurker I also understand your points, but it does seem strange to penalize you for just trying to consolidate things, even though I have never missed a payment or had any trouble. Just want to get rid of a few cards, and simplify things.
As for the credit score thing Wagyl, my parents always emphasized having a good credit rating and how important it was. So I guess from that I always felt it was important to make sure it was in good shape.

[Yokohammer]

I only have one credit card, so this may be a dumb question but ...

What's the advantage of having multiple cards?

I can sort of understand if you regularly need to use more than the limit of one card per month, but other than that? If you have one Visa card that's pretty much usable anywhere, for example, I can't really see any other advantage.

Of course I don't mean having separate cards for personal and business expenditures.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I've never understood this fascination with credit scores. It has never been particularly evident here or in my home country: it seems to be a North American obsession (I was going to say US, but Canman's contribution makes me a little more inclusive). Surely credit score is only a concern to you if you are planning on taking out another loan soon. And is it worth 18 000 yen a year to you?

In the US it's hard to do anything with bad credit. Even when I was unemployed and had to rent a shitty $300/month room in a share house that included such top-notch residents as an unregistered handgun packing neo-Nazi*, a drug dealer, a crackhead and guy who was clearly mentally disturbed I had to pass a credit check before moving in.

*That neo-Nazi was a real headcase even for a neo-Nazi. He dated an Asian girl and had a half black half Mexican guy living in his closet part time. We had a gay half balck half Jewish neighbor who swore the guy was full of shit and a closet homo. He proved his point one night by getting the Nazi drunk and making out with him. Man that was a fucked up time in my life.

[Greji]

In the US it's hard to do anything with bad credit. Even when I was unemployed and had to rent a shitty $300/month room in a share house that included such top-notch residents as an unregistered handgun packing neo-Nazi*, a drug dealer, a crackhead and guy who was clearly mentally disturbed I had to pass a credit check before moving in.

*That neo-Nazi was a real headcase even for a neo-Nazi. He dated an Asian girl and had a half black half Mexican guy living in his closet part time. We had a gay half balck half Jewish neighbor who swore the guy was full of shit and a closet homo. He proved his point one night by getting the Nazi drunk and making out with him. Man that was a fucked up time in my life.

Ahh, got any phone numbers?

[Coligny]

I only have one credit card, so this may be a dumb question but ...

What's the advantage of having multiple cards?

I can sort of understand if you regularly need to use more than the limit of one card per month, but other than that? If you have one Visa card that's pretty much usable anywhere, for example, I can't really see any other advantage.

Of course I don't mean having separate cards for personal and business expenditures.

Multiple cards + different dates for receiving them statement:
spread the spending
no big numbers on one sheet, multiple medium numbers on serveral statements...
=avoiding to have to sleep in the bathtub...

Th3 h4rd toyboyz life...

[Samurai_Jerk]

I only have one credit card, so this may be a dumb question but ...

What's the advantage of having multiple cards?

I can sort of understand if you regularly need to use more than the limit of one card per month, but other than that? If you have one Visa card that's pretty much usable anywhere, for example, I can't really see any other advantage.

Of course I don't mean having separate cards for personal and business expenditures.

I can definitely understand in Japan where credit limits tend to be low. The limit on my one Japanese card (an Amex) isn't even enough to buy a plane ticket home.

[canman]

Some of the credit cards give you discounts when you make purchases. For example my Shell Starlex Visa gives me a 6 yen discount. I also have a citibank Delta visa, which I used to use to collect mileage, but with the way Delta has gone, I would need to buy a new car a year just to get enough miles to fly home. What I have been trying to do is consolidate all my bills that are payable by credit card, from only one or two cards, and get rid of the rest. But as SJ said the credit limit is low on some, that if you had to make a big purchase, like multiple tickets home, another card might be necessary.