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Japan and Taiwan life tips grab-bag
Travel updates, visa fees, banking, and more!
Michael Wu
July 16, 2026
I’ve been pretty busy last few months, apologies for the long gap between articles. This edition has a grab bag of Taiwan and Japan visa, finance, and other life tips as usual!
Unrelated but I’ve built a Chrome Extension to find you cheaper flights on Google Flights and SkyScanner by comparing prices from different countries! It also helps with estimating mileage earning if you look up the itinerary on ITA Matrix as well. Check it out; I would appreciate any feedback!
Table of Contents
Marriott and Japan Airlines partner up!
It’s always interesting when different loyalty programs have tie-ins. This time Marriott and Japan Airlines have announced a partnership, with status matches to Marriott for JAL Mileage Bank elite members, and yearly bonus JAL FLY ON points for Marriott Elite members. You can also now transfer JAL Miles to Marriott points at a 4:3 ratio, along with the existing Marriott to JAL transfer at a 3:1 ratio. Full details and match page below:
Note that FLY ON points are not redeemable JAL Miles, they are status qualifying miles instead. 30,000 FLY ON points gets you to the first level, JMB Crystal which gives you oneworld Ruby status, and 50,000 FLY ON points takes you to JMB Sapphire which gives you oneworld Sapphire status. It isn’t immediately clear from the program page, but the bonus FLY ON points are credited every year instead of as a one off, so it’s a fast track to JAL status. Unfortunately, JAL discontinued the easy way to achieve lifetime elite status through obtaining JAL Global Club ones in 2025. Also, it’s not clear if they count as JAL Group miles which are required to hit status levels, but since Marriott Titanium and above get JMB Crystal status, it appears as if they count. See full FLY ON details:
For the mileage transfers, I personally would not transfer JAL Miles to Marriott given their value mismatch (1.8 cpp+ vs. roughly 0.7 cpp), and only would transfer Marriott to JAL if you had no other source for them. For myself, I am Lifetime Platinum Elite with Marriott and am not bothering to get Titanium, so I’ll get a bonus 20,000 FLY ON points every year in case I decide to shoot for JAL status that year (though probably only JGC Premier makes sense to get oneworld emerald, as I already have JGC Sapphire for life).
ANA reconsiders changes to its SuperFlyers program
Because of backlash to the proposed changes to the SuperFlyers program, ANA has publicly stated they are reconsidering the changes. For context, it was incredibly easy to earn Platinum status, which gives Star Alliance Gold, once with ANA then keep it forever just by getting the credit card. Likely some aspect of the proposed changes will still happen, but watered down. Keep your eyes out for the end of September this year.
United Adds Nonstop Service to Sapporo, New Flight Between Chicago and Tokyo-Narita ✈️⛷️
United has announced new nonstop service from San Francisco to Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan seasonally during winter, as well as service from Chicago to Tokyo starting in October. This is great news for ski hounds as there’s one less stop to get to the ski resorts in Hokkaido! Note that I run a few ski lodges up in Niseko, feel free to check them out!
Details of Japan visa fee changes out; give feedback by August 2 🇯🇵
The Japanese government has been intent on raising visa and residence fees for foreigners for some time, and the concrete proposal from the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) is finally out. The fee changes are scheduled to take effect October 1, 2026. Details from Reddit and also repeated below:
Key Proposed Changes
Permanent Residence: from ¥10,000 ➔ ¥200,000 (20x increase)
Visa Renewals & Status Changes: from a flat ¥6,000 ➔ ¥10,000 to ¥75,000 (tiered by approved length of stay; online applications discounted by ¥3,000–¥10,000)
Re-entry Permits: Unchanged (¥4,000 single / ¥7,000 multiple) For a detailed breakdown and translation of the official proposal, you can download these English PDFs:
📄 Policy Analysis & Explainer (English)
The government is seeking public comments on proposed immigration/residence fee increases. This directly affects us. Please take 10–15 minutes to share your feedback - constructive comments are a vital part of the official policymaking process. The deadline to comment is August 2, 2026. Submit your feedback directly on the official e-Gov portal: 👉 e-Gov Public Comment Page (Case 315000136). Comments must be in Japanese.
Taiwan starting travel incentives again for foreign visitors
Taiwan has repeatedly been running incentive campaigns for foreign visitors to visit (I won the cash prize 8 times!) The program shape keeps morphing - this time the offer is $5000 NTD in travel discounts and an additional $3000 NTD if you bring a companion. Like previous travel incentive programs, even if you hold an ARC, you should be eligible to participate as long as you don’t use the ARC to enter and stay only for the valid duration of a normal tourist visa.
EZWay Eventually Broke After My Taiwan National ID Update
Last time, I wrote about the surprisingly annoying process of updating Taiwanese accounts and services after receiving my Taiwan National ID.
One of the more annoying parts of that process was updating EZWay, Taiwan’s customs declaration app used to approve incoming international shipments.
When I contacted EZWay support, their advice sounded simple enough: create a new account using the same personal details like phone number and email, though of course my Chinese name this time, but register it under a new username.
The problem was getting past identity verification. As a Taiwan National, I only had two verification options: SMS verification or using an NHI card with password, however neither option worked for me initially. SMS verification only accepts postpaid phone numbers registered in your own name. Prepaid SIMs don’t qualify, even though they worked when I was in Taiwan using an ARC.
The NHI card option wasn’t available either because I hadn’t reached six continuous months after household registration and wasn’t employed in Taiwan yet.
Initially it was mostly an inconvenience. My packages were still getting through using my old ARC number. EZWay warned that me that my ARC had expired, but approvals still worked. However, that eventually stopped - overseas sellers could no longer submit customs declarations using my old identity details, and parcels began getting stuck in customs.
So I finally gave in and signed up for a postpaid plan with Taiwan Mobile: the cheapest one was 199 NTD/month for 6GB of data a month, with a 2-year contract, and roughly a 2,000 NTD early termination fee. This made the most sense for me since I’m often not in Taiwan. I was able to switch from a 5G prepaid card to a 4G plan like this, whereas it was not possible to go from 5G prepaid to 4G prepaid directly, which I wanted to do earlier to save money. You can read an overview of the phone plan options available in Taiwan.
The funny thing is I didn’t actually need the phone plan. I needed access to Taiwan’s identity verification system. As soon as I had a postpaid number linked to my National ID, EZWay registration worked immediately.
That was one of the more interesting lessons from the entire National ID transition. In Taiwan, your immigration status, telecom account, customs access, banking, and fintech verification are all quietly linked together. A postpaid phone number effectively acts as a second form of identity.
This seems to be a recurring theme across Taiwan’s digital infrastructure. The front end looks modern, but many systems still assume you’ll have a long-term relationship with a local mobile carrier.
If you’ve recently received a Taiwan National ID and expect to receive international shipments, use fintech apps, or deal with government and financial services regularly, getting a cheap postpaid plan early may save you a surprising amount of frustration.
Migrating LINE Pay
Previously, I wrote about starting the process of updating my LINE Pay account after receiving my Taiwan National ID. At the time, I’d only submitted the request to migrate my old ARC-linked account. Naturally, it didn’t go smoothly.
The first rejection came because I’d used a digitally inserted signature from Mac Preview. Apparently that wasn’t acceptable. So despite this being an online identity update, I had to print the form, sign it by hand, scan it again, and upload everything a second time.
After resubmitting, LINE Pay came back asking for proof of my bank account. They sent the following message:
很抱歉，若您的匯豐銀行無實體存摺，您可嘗試下載匯豐銀行APP，登入後嘗試下載存摺封面。
Pinyin: Hěn bàoqiàn, ruò nín de Huìfēng Yínháng wú shítǐ cúnzhé, nín kě chángshì xiàzài Huìfēng Yínháng APP, dēngrù hòu chángshì xiàzài cúnzhé fēngmiàn.
很抱歉，若您的匯豐銀行無實體存摺，您可嘗試下載匯豐銀行APP，登入後嘗試下載存摺封面
Specifically, they wanted:
網路銀行存摺帳戶封面且含有「本人姓名」及「帳號」的正本影像。
Pinyin: Wǎnglù yínháng cúnzhé zhànghù fēngmiàn qiě hányǒu “běnrén xìngmíng” jí “zhànghào” de zhèngběn yǐngxiàng.
In other words, they wanted an account cover page showing my name and account number.
The problem was that HSBC Taiwan doesn’t really use traditional passbooks for many of its accounts anymore, so I wasn’t entirely sure what they expected. I ended up uploading both a screenshot from the HSBC app and an e-statement with my name on it. The screenshot itself didn’t even contain my name, but apparently one of those documents was enough.
This time the migration finally worked. My old ARC-linked LINE Pay account was cancelled, I created a new account using my Taiwan National ID, I was able to reuse the same email address, and—somewhat surprisingly—all of my linked credit cards carried over automatically. That part was much smoother than I expected.
There is still one lingering issue, though. Payments fail with the message:
“For the security of your account we have blocked this payment.”
I asked support, and they said foreign cards weren’t supported even though I was successfully able to add them and use them when I was under an ARC. So I’m currently in the slightly awkward in-between state where my identity has been verified, my cards have migrated, and the account works normally, but I can’t use any of my foreign cards.
Taiwan Banking as an American with a New National ID
I recently got my Taiwan National ID and figured this would finally unlock Taiwan’s newer digital banking ecosystem.
Apparently not. I tried looking at some of Taiwan’s net banks like Richart and iLEO, which honestly look pretty attractive on paper:
cleaner apps
generous free transfers
decent FX and card integrations
backed by major traditional banks
However during onboarding, both effectively require you to confirm things like:
我只有中華民國稅務居民身分。
Pinyin: Wǒ zhǐyǒu Zhōnghuá Mínguó shuìwù jūmín shēnfèn.
我沒有美國國籍。
Pinyin: Wǒ méiyǒu Měiguó guójí.
Which is asking: do you only have Taiwanese tax residency, and confirming you don’t have American citizenship.
As a US citizen, you obviously cannot answer that truthfully.
So despite having:
Taiwan National ID
local residency
local phone number
…you still get boxed out because of FATCA compliance overhead.
Why Taiwan’s Net Banks Often Avoid Americans
The issue is not Taiwan specifically, it’s FATCA. Once a financial institution accepts US persons, they inherit IRS reporting obligations and compliance costs. For a smaller digital bank trying to optimize for low-cost automated onboarding, Americans are often just not worth the hassle.
Ironically, traditional banks are often better equipped to deal with Americans because they already have compliance staff and processes:
Traditional banks I’m considering instead
This is probably the safest overall recommendation for most expats. It comes with:
~3 free interbank transfers/month
often expandable to ~10/month via:
e.Fingo membership
salary deposit
campaigns/promotions
account activity
Realistically, this is enough for most people now anyway because:
Taiwan Pay exists
QR payment ecosystems are everywhere
many merchants bypass traditional transfers entirely
convenience store payment infrastructure is extremely matur
Pros of E.SUN:
probably the best overall banking app among traditional Taiwanese banks
relatively modern UX by Taiwan standards
international-friendly operations
decent English support
reasonably competent FATCA handling
branch escalation usually works
good overseas card usability
Cons:
not the absolute cheapest on every fee
some promo mechanics are annoyingly gamified
still ultimately a traditional Taiwanese bank bureaucracy underneath
CTBC Bank
CTBC is the other very practical choice.
Baseline consumer accounts are actually less generous than people expect, with effectively 0 free interbank transfers by default, but:
relationship tiers
salary deposit setup
asset balances
My Way ecosystem tasks
…can push this up to ~10 free transfers/month.
CTBC’s real strength is ecosystem depth.
Pros:
huge ATM and branch network
very American-friendly operationally
strong credit card lineup
decent app
large-scale institution that generally knows how to process weird edge cases
good if you eventually want wealth management, business banking, or mortgages
Cons:
fees are less “friendly by default”
more upselling
app is functional rather than elegant
membership mechanics can feel overly financialized
CTBC feels less pleasant than E.SUN day-to-day, but more “institutionally robust”. Remember you can open up a US CTBC account and transfer money instantly to Taiwan as well
What About Mega Bank?
Mega International Commercial Bank is interesting. Not because the app is amazing (it isn’t.) But because Mega tends to be:
conservative
internationally connected
USD-friendly
experienced with overseas Taiwanese and foreign clients
Pros:
strong international wire infrastructure
good USD handling
historically decent for cross-border banking
government-linked stability perception
useful if you move money between Taiwan, Japan, and the US
Cons:
older systems
weaker UX
branch experience varies wildly
digital experience feels behind E.SUN
Mega is less of a “daily driver fintech-feeling bank.”
It is more:
“I need a serious bank that probably still works during bureaucratic chaos.” that can work well for:
founders
cross-border operators
people wiring six figures occasionally
business owners with Taiwan/Japan/US exposure
In general I would recommend making an appointment in branch near where you live to establish a bank account. Taiwan has recently started a one-stop banking services campaign for foreign residents, so hopefully it is a smoother process to get a bank account now.
Applying for the Mainland Travel Permit as an ABT
With my new Taiwanese ID, I decided to apply for a Taibaozheng (台胞證, táibāozhèng), officially called the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents. It is essentially a travel and identity document for mainland China that gives Taiwanese citizens a surprising number of privileges. Think of it somewhere between a visa, residency card, and fast-track access pass, as it’s a legal alternative to a Chinese national ID.
My shiny new Mainland Travel Permit
With it, you can use eGates, live and work in China more easily, access some public services, and generally avoid a lot of the friction foreign passport holders deal with. Importantly, you do not need to give up Taiwanese citizenship to get one.
The application process itself was more annoying than expected. The standard requirements are usually pretty simple:
Taiwanese passport
Taiwanese ID
Passport photo
But sometimes they will also ask for a household registration transcript (戶籍謄本, hùjí téngběn).
There’s even campaigns for first time applicants to only pay 500 NTD! You apply at the various travel agencies around Taiwan that process this.
But it turns out as an American, I did not qualify for the discounted first-time application fee, so my price ended up being 2,000 NTD. They asked me to show either my 定居證 (dìngjūzhèng, settlement certificate) or my original NWOHR passport showing my first entry into Taiwan. Fortunately, a digital copy of the 定居證 was enough because I had forgotten to bring the original.
Now whether I’m giving China way too much personal data is a separate philosophical question 😅
That said, I have been traveling there more recently, and from a pure logistics perspective, the Taibaozheng is hard to ignore. The difference in convenience between entering China as an American versus entering with Taiwanese documentation is massive.
Conclusions
Hopefully these travel and life tips are useful to readers. You can always reach out at [email protected] for comments or questions! Remember, you can also support this publication by becoming a paid subscriber or a Patreon!
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