Comments on: Get a Credit Card http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/ Money saving tips and ideas for foreigners in Japan! Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:32:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Forget Budgeting – Do Conscious Spending | Frugalista Japan http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-199 Forget Budgeting – Do Conscious Spending | Frugalista Japan Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:42:14 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-199 [...] You need a credit card – a Japanese credit card. I wrote about this before, and I still think it’s hard for foreigners to be approved for a credit card when they first [...] [...] You need a credit card – a Japanese credit card. I wrote about this before, and I still think it’s hard for foreigners to be approved for a credit card when they first [...]

]]> By: jamie http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-180 jamie Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:07:14 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-180 Sorry to hear that Caniman. It does seem to be rather complicated. I wonder if you've always paid your gas and electric bills on time here. If you think so, perhaps its time to get a professional credit check. Sorry I cant be more help, from what you've written you should be able to get a card, which is why I suspect something a little strange in your case. You only seem to using 3rd party issuing companies though, how about talking directly to the Visa subsidaries like Aeon, you can usually find them inside large supermarket outlets. Make sure you sit down with the nice young lady who will walk you through the application process, dont just take an application home and try to do it there. Good luck! Sorry to hear that Caniman. It does seem to be rather complicated. I wonder if you’ve always paid your gas and electric bills on time here. If you think so, perhaps its time to get a professional credit check. Sorry I cant be more help, from what you’ve written you should be able to get a card, which is why I suspect something a little strange in your case. You only seem to using 3rd party issuing companies though, how about talking directly to the Visa subsidaries like Aeon, you can usually find them inside large supermarket outlets. Make sure you sit down with the nice young lady who will walk you through the application process, dont just take an application home and try to do it there. Good luck!

]]> By: Caniman http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-179 Caniman Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:39:16 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-179 I have been denied by: UFJ Pita Pa JAL ANA Yodobashi Camera Bic Camera and now Costco as well. I have been here 3 years with the same job and income. No debts and an excellent credit rating overseas. However I assume I have NO credit rating here. So.... Buu Buu to me. I have been denied by:
UFJ
Pita Pa
JAL
ANA
Yodobashi Camera
Bic Camera

and now Costco as well.
I have been here 3 years with the same job and income. No debts and an excellent credit rating overseas.

However I assume I have NO credit rating here.

So….

Buu Buu to me.

]]> By: Kevin http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-174 Kevin Fri, 29 May 2009 15:35:50 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-174 Since the start of this year it's been a lot easier for foreigners to get credit cards with their banks as long as they can prove they work and are on at least a working visa or better. Since the start of this year it’s been a lot easier for foreigners to get credit cards with their banks as long as they can prove they work and are on at least a working visa or better.

]]> By: Joe Jones http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-97 Joe Jones Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:48:40 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-97 Two thoughts. If you get a bank account with Suruga or eBank, they will give you a Visa debit card as part of the account package. This is great if you can't get credit but need a card for whatever reason. eBank's card gets a damn good exchange rate on foreign purchases too (I think their spread is something like 1.5%, which is cheaper than most credit cards.) Also, one potential source of credit cards for gaijin is JAL. They issue their own credit cards and, according to some web sites I saw, don't care much about credit history. I got a JAL Suica Card, which is a JCB card and works everywhere, when everyone else was turning me down (including Tsutaya and Family Mart). Everyone used to say Citibank was the way to go, but they seem to have become much tighter lately. <abbr><em>Joe Jones’s latest blog post is...<a href="http://www.mutantfrog.com/2009/04/08/rare-family-names/" rel="nofollow">Rare family names</a></abbr></em> Two thoughts.

If you get a bank account with Suruga or eBank, they will give you a Visa debit card as part of the account package. This is great if you can’t get credit but need a card for whatever reason. eBank’s card gets a damn good exchange rate on foreign purchases too (I think their spread is something like 1.5%, which is cheaper than most credit cards.)

Also, one potential source of credit cards for gaijin is JAL. They issue their own credit cards and, according to some web sites I saw, don’t care much about credit history. I got a JAL Suica Card, which is a JCB card and works everywhere, when everyone else was turning me down (including Tsutaya and Family Mart).

Everyone used to say Citibank was the way to go, but they seem to have become much tighter lately.

Joe Jones’s latest blog post is…Rare family names

]]> By: jamie http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-74 jamie Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:16:15 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-74 Perhaps you had a good credit history, as it's taken most people I know here over two years to get one. All credit cards essentially come from two main credit companies, so whether it is with your bank or the supermarket shouldn't make a difference. But then again, approving someone's credit rating is a very random affair... Mic, how much do you spend on your card per month? Do you collect points? Have you ever used them to get something or take a holiday? Please let us know! Perhaps you had a good credit history, as it’s taken most people I know here over two years to get one. All credit cards essentially come from two main credit companies, so whether it is with your bank or the supermarket shouldn’t make a difference. But then again, approving someone’s credit rating is a very random affair…

Mic, how much do you spend on your card per month? Do you collect points? Have you ever used them to get something or take a holiday? Please let us know!

]]> By: MIC http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-70 MIC Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:22:55 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-70 I got a credit card from my Super Market no problem. I was here less than a year. A friend of mine signed up for a gym membership and was offered a credit card and got it no problem. You face troubles if you want to get a Credit Card from a bank, but there are an abundance of other sources dying to give you a card. I got a credit card from my Super Market no problem. I was here less than a year.

A friend of mine signed up for a gym membership and was offered a credit card and got it no problem.

You face troubles if you want to get a Credit Card from a bank, but there are an abundance of other sources dying to give you a card.

]]> By: Frugalista Japan | Reader Tips http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Frugalista Japan | Reader Tips Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:08:08 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-18 [...] frugal option would be to make your own sandwich! The most useful points I have ever had are those from my credit card, which you can really rack-up if you start making regular investment payments through it and use it [...] [...] frugal option would be to make your own sandwich! The most useful points I have ever had are those from my credit card, which you can really rack-up if you start making regular investment payments through it and use it [...]

]]> By: Frugalista Japan | Foreign Food - The Japan Blog Matsuri http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Frugalista Japan | Foreign Food - The Japan Blog Matsuri Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:55:14 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-10 [...] - destroying the environment used to be free! You can achieve the same financial damage on your credit card while shopping for one meal worth of over-priced imported foreign food stuffs as you can a whole [...] [...] – destroying the environment used to be free! You can achieve the same financial damage on your credit card while shopping for one meal worth of over-priced imported foreign food stuffs as you can a whole [...]

]]> By: jamie http://www.frugalistajapan.com/2009/01/get-a-credit-card/comment-page-1/#comment-5 jamie Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:43:26 +0000 http://www.gaijinstuff.com/frugalistajapan/?p=103#comment-5 Thanks David. Quite right about the yen, the ideal situation is to be earning in Yen right now. I have some money in my English account too, but compared to last year it's just not worth touching right now. This year we should all just buckle down, not touch foreign accounts, and wait for the financial crisis to blow over - by which time all our frugal habits should have become normal life :) Some additional advice for anyone coming to Japan: do not withdraw money on your credit card. Use it only for purchases and pay off the balance immediately. Unlike purchases, cash withdrawals on your credit card start generating interest from the moment you withdraw as opposed to the end of the month when you can't pay it off. In fact, if you're thinking of visiting Japan with lots of dollars right now, then just don't. Wait for the exchange rates to go back up to normal. In the meantime, give your eventual trip to Japan even more meaning by studying lots of Japanese before you come! A good free place to start might be <a href="http://www.iknow.co.jp" rel="nofollow">iKnow</a> Thanks David. Quite right about the yen, the ideal situation is to be earning in Yen right now. I have some money in my English account too, but compared to last year it’s just not worth touching right now. This year we should all just buckle down, not touch foreign accounts, and wait for the financial crisis to blow over – by which time all our frugal habits should have become normal life :)

Some additional advice for anyone coming to Japan: do not withdraw money on your credit card. Use it only for purchases and pay off the balance immediately. Unlike purchases, cash withdrawals on your credit card start generating interest from the moment you withdraw as opposed to the end of the month when you can’t pay it off. In fact, if you’re thinking of visiting Japan with lots of dollars right now, then just don’t. Wait for the exchange rates to go back up to normal. In the meantime, give your eventual trip to Japan even more meaning by studying lots of Japanese before you come! A good free place to start might be iKnow

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