Originally Posted by
Deltus
This could be a long shot, but does anyone have any positive experiences to share of reward credit cards in China? I guess I have a few general questions:
- Is it possible for foreigners to open credit card accounts? Any particular requirements?
- Would I need to open a normal bank account with whoever is issuing the credit card first? My Chinese bank account (as discussed earlier in this thread) is with HSBC. I'm thinking it would be a lot easier to focus on HSBC's credit cards...?
- It seems common for credit cards to come as a double pack of UnionPay and MasterCard. I'm hoping I'd be able to link a UnionPay one to WeChat and AliPay and keep paying as normal using those apps, but is that being overly optimistic?
- Yes it's possible. If you have a valid employment permit it should be straightforward.
- While it is not strictly a requirement I have always had deposit accounts with the banks that gave me credit.
- Yes it should be possible. But before you go out and apply for a credit card make sure the bank in question allows linking UnionPay cards to WeChat/AliPay using passport numbers. Some banks only support linking with Chinese identity card numbers. I have an HSBC credit card and it links just fine with a passport number but watch out for name order issues.
The HSBC Premier credit card has a reward scheme with a 10:1 conversion ratio to Asia Miles.