anybody have luck getting a credit card?

[mjrdink]

I've applied for the Yodobashi eLIO credit card 3 times now, and every time I'm denied! WHY!!!! I'm married to a Japanese woman, I've lived here for 4 years, I have a drivers license, and the only thing that should REALLY matter: I have a well paid job!

So why won't they give me a freakin' card!

They also put a nice phone number for questions on the letter that tells you they've "passed you by" ... meaning denied you. .. but when I call they can't tell me anything anyway. So why even provide the number?

Anyone else had luck getting a credit card? One without an annual fee or not attatched to a specific department store? (I never shop at department stores anyway).

I want to earn shopping points! Help me!!!

[Hijinx]

I've applied for the Yodobashi eLIO credit card 3 times now, and every time I'm denied! WHY!!!! I'm married to a Japanese woman, I've lived here for 4 years, I have a drivers license, and the only thing that should REALLY matter: I have a well paid job!

So why won't they give me a freakin' card!

They also put a nice phone number for questions on the letter that tells you they've "passed you by" ... meaning denied you. .. but when I call they can't tell me anything anyway. So why even provide the number?

Anyone else had luck getting a credit card? One without an annual fee or not attatched to a specific department store? (I never shop at department stores anyway).

I want to earn shopping points! Help me!!!

Get your wife's parents to co-sign for you and you'll sail through.

[Bye-Bye kin]

Or get permanent residency. I have a credit card, I've been approved loans for two new cars and I even got the go-ahead for a mortgage on a condominium (decided against it in the end though).

[smork]

I just got approved for a Citibank card today... I did nothing special, I am single and not a long term resident.

Try Citi?

[iLyo]

what do you consider well paid? are you a flight risk a.k.a unmarried english teacher?

was the form filled out in English or Japanese?

are you applying for 'revolving credit'? easier if you apply for one time charge.

what limit are you asking for? start small and build your credit history here.

[mjrdink]

I just got approved for a Citibank card today... I did nothing special, I am single and not a long term resident.

Try Citi?

Don't want a regular old citibank card... probably has yearly fees, bad interest rate, and you don't get shopping points. (God knows they rape you with fees if you have a savings account...)

what do you consider well paid? are you a flight risk a.k.a unmarried english teacher?

was the form filled out in English or Japanese?

are you applying for 'revolving credit'? easier if you apply for one time charge.

what limit are you asking for? start small and build your credit history here.

Well paid: I can buy everything I want and need with plenty to spare (two incomes, no kids... able to save about 400,000 yen a month easy). Like i said on my first post, I'm married to a Japanese woman. Not applying for revolving credit. Smallest limit thats set by default... probably like 500,000 yen or something, I have no idea. Form was filled out in perfect Japanese with my beautiful kanji .

Get your wife's parents to co-sign for you and you'll sail through.

I don't remember there being a space for co-signing unless you were underage... but I'll take a look at the form again and perhaps try that...

But no one has specifically been able to get the Yodobashi card? Even the Bic Camera one that lets you change your points to Suica money wouldn't be bad... I'd prefer Yodobashi tho...

[Marius_JP]

If you're able to easily save 400,000 yen monthly, why would you care about getting a few extra yens from a Yodobashi card?

Savings to me is about 10-15% of my salary. Perhaps I'm just assuming things about yours, here.

[mjrdink]

If you're able to easily save 400,000 yen monthly, why would you care about getting a few extra yens from a Yodobashi card?

Savings to me is about 10-15% of my salary. Perhaps I'm just assuming things about yours, here.

If I only saved or invested 10-15% of my salary, how would I ever retire, buy a house, or send my kids through college in the future? Are you crazy? Maybe its possible, but it sure wouldn't be comfortable come 20 years from now when all those expenses come looming their ugly heads.

And I care about shopping points, because it means getting free stuff, and I like that... its exciting! My wife has a Matsumoto Kiyoshi point/credit card through Orico and with what she spends every month going out or buying clothes we get enough points for our bathroom/cleaning/makeup/medicine needs. It'd be nice to use my credit card for all the stuff I pay for in cash now and start racking up shopping points I can use to get some free computer parts or pay for part of a new TV or something someday.

[smork]

OK, the Yodobashi card is nice, but if you use a different card or pay cash you still get points. It's not like you lose something.

Besides, you need to think a bit longer term. You get one credit card that isn't what you want, you build Japanese credit, then you get credit you do want easier.

I think Sony Finance is snooty -- I applied for (and was denied for) the Yodobashi card myself. I tried applying in the store but they told me in essence "don't bother". I took an app anyway and was denied shortly after I mailed it in.

I'd prefer a "useful" card like a Bic/Suica as well, but I am just happy to get my Citi card and ETC (so I can stop fishing for coins at the toll booth). I'll look for other cards later.

Oh, and saving 10-15% of your income isn't crazy, it's normal. Most people don't make enough to save more than that, and many are happy to save anything at all.

[Zeon]

Won't repeatedly applying for a CC and being denied actually impair your credit rating?

Or is that only when applying for and being denied loans?

[mjrdink]

OK, the Yodobashi card is nice, but if you use a different card or pay cash you still get points. It's not like you lose something.

I know it doesn't make a difference when you shop AT Yodobashi. I'm talking about getting points doing my day to day grocery shopping, going out to eat, clothing shopping etc. You can't hand your Yodobashi camera point card to the guy at the Uniqlo counter. But you can hand him your Yodobashi credit card and get shopping points.

Besides, you need to think a bit longer term. You get one credit card that isn't what you want, you build Japanese credit, then you get credit you do want easier.

How is this not thinking long term? I want to build my credit starting with this credit card, whats so bad about that?

I think Sony Finance is snooty -- I applied for (and was denied for) the Yodobashi card myself. I tried applying in the store but they told me in essence "don't bother". I took an app anyway and was denied shortly after I mailed it in.

I've been told many times when going through yodobashi that there should be no problem with me getting a card. So I applied... no one has ever said "don't bother" to me.

I think just about anyone should be able to save more than 15% of their income yearly... and they should. Unless they only plan on living 15% of their life after retirement...(subtract inflation and kids college expenses from that 15% and you've got even less)... but hey, thats just my future plan.


Anywho, thanks for the advice and the thoughts everyone. Maybe I'll just break down and apply for something with a yearly fee and cancel it after a year or so... Or get one from a department store and just never use it...at least it will always be paid off, right?

[Betting]

I got a Mitsubhishi credit card when I was working at NOVA many years ago, and I got a Mizuho card a while back. Was no problem.

[Mike000]

Well I applied for the OMC card about 7 years ago, I had been in Japan only about a year or so then, and got accepted first time no problem.
Having said that I applied for family cards, one for me one for my Japanese wife, so maybe that helped.

Also when I opened a shinsei bank account a while back I applied and got the gold American express card with no problems.

Not sure why you kept getting rejected, but I think it depends on the company though,

[Lola_B]

I had no problem getting a JCB card from a certain bank but that's because I was sleeping with the bank manager at the time. Other than that I suggest an MSN card. I applied on the Internet, as did my Japanese boyfriend, and we were both accepted quickly and use the cards in Japan a lot. I have a Citibank card too but the yearly fee is pretty steep.

[Gaijin 06]

I have a citibank card, accepted first week in Japan... no yearly fee's that I know of.

They are definitely worth trying as a first port of call.

[mjrdink]

Thanks for all the advice! Sounds like getting a first credit card through your own bank is the easiest way to start huh? I guess if the Citibank card really doesn't have any annual or monthly fees I might try for that. Theres a branch nearby where I live. Unfortunately my own bank's (Chiba-bank) credit card has annual fees... boo for that.

[Really!]

I believe Citibank Gold annual fees are about 18,000 yen per year. Perhaps regular cards don't have the fees but you also don't get insurance... It's such a hassle (and considerably more expensive) to buy traveler's insurance every time you leave the country... if you do leave the country...

[mikey23]

I agree. The mrs. works for a bank, and she always applies for new cards for me when they come out, so she can hit her monthly quota. I have never been refused, but they always have a 1k limit as a starter. her cards are always higher, so i guess it is the gaijin thing. go the bank cc.