No Japanese credit cards for foreigners ?

[FrustratedDave]

I'm very glad that I came across this theme.
I'm a foreigner living in Japan, permanent residence, Japanese husband (working for one of old major companies), kids, property, no loans on my name (though we have a loan for land and house - on my husband`s name), fluent Japanese and I have some amount of money on my deposit.
My credit card applications were rejected three times... At first, I thought ithere was some mistake. Then I started to worry if I had something written on my name that I might not know about, etc - we called the credit company and, like other people here, have got the reply that the reason for rejection will not be disclosed. Very unsettling - one starts to feel that he is a suspect or something. Well, until I read the messages on this site - now I know that I'm not alone!
I can live without a credit card but I would like to be able to purchase music and books etc online... Does anyone know how can I get around to that without a credit card?
PS: Sorry if that's a stupid question - I actually never bought anything except things for which one can pay in cash or via a bank transfer, so I'm a novice in that.

Unfortunately this seems to be the case in most instances.

As for getting a card, can you apply for a family card through your husband? If so they should issue you an extra card that is in your name from your husbands account. What you can do then is apply for a card that is seperate from his and it is essential that you fill in the form and say that you hold an existing card. Then you can cancel your card under your husbands account.

I hope this helps.

[chestyl]

I was an exchange student with Waseda for one year and Mizuho gave me a credit card with a 100,000 yen limit. Just checked a box when I applied for a bank account.

[orochi]

I've been rejected by Saison, Citibank, as well as my own bank. It's very annoying. I think as soon as they see a name in katakana, they throw it in the reject pile.

Though I have heard that FrustratedDave's advice can work well. Get a family card via your spouse's card, use it for a bit and earn up Japanese credit history, then apply for your own card. I should give it a shot myself.

I've also heard AEON is fairly decent in accepting foreigners.

[gaijinalways]

I think as several posters have already mentioned several factors help with getting a credit card in Japan (and in other countries);

1 steady employment

2 work for a major company

3 married to a Japanese spouse (of ours a factor in Japan)

4 have credit cards already

5 have a good credit history

6 own property (as long as your available cash flow is okay)

And yes, university students are the exception, as the credit card companies assume that in most cases if the student doesn't pay, the parents will (I used to market these cards, I had a few fraternities working for me). Also they are looking at potential future income, as usually college grads will make more money on average.