I wonder if they verify employment ? I don't mind them calling me at work, but I don't like it if they ask copies of my tax returns (way too much personal info).
One thing to remember people: this is (originally) a Japanese-based/issued credit card. "JCB is the fourth largest credit card in the world. JCB is the largest issuer of cards in Japan, and has over 40 million cardmembers worldwide." With that said, I'm not surprised they're conservative in their practices. Hell, in Japan, they still issue the JCB Ladies Card!!! It's pretty much geared towards women--namely those with a rich JCB card-carrying husband or, ahem, benefactor. They've got another one designed for the "young executive" (meaning age 20s) with a more restrictive credit limit in case the youngster goes hog wild! http://www.jcbinternational.com/htm/about/product.htm LMAO Or course they couldn't really get away with that here... I have never had a problem with them save for the accent since almost every phone rep I've spoken to was a Japanese woman. I'm waiting for them to have online access. The only online access right now is for commercial accounts, not individuals.
Call a JCB Plaza or JCB Desk location near you for an application. http://www.jcbusa.com/plaza.htm It should detail what they need.
I emailed them. This is the email I sent. Hi. I am interested in either your JCB gold or standard card. My transunion score is a 663 but it seems I never get any credit cards besides the 2 low limit high annual fee cards I have. Is a 663 score good enough for a card with a $42,000 annual salary? The only negative on my report is a settled credit card from 1999. If this is not good enough please let me know as I have way too many inquiries on my credit report. I would prefer to transfer the small balances of $300 and $700 onto one good card and get rid of them. If 663 is good enough please send an application to:
It will be interesting to see whether they respond. It's good you were upfront with them and hopefully they'll let you know if it fits their standards. Good luck.
Thanks Picantel! At least they got right back to you. Maybe in Japan? I don't know but I wanted to answer you.
I just called today and can confirm, 690 score with fulltime employment, 700 otherwise, and no major derogs in the past two years. She said that a secured card just required a deposit and no major derogs in the past two years. She did not know the answer to most questions, had to ask someone else, so I'm not sure if secured card also has a score minimum, although she said it did NOT.
JCB isn't as widely accepted (or known) here in the US as other places like the Far East or Europe. If I had to guess, I'd say it is accepted in fewer places than Diners Club. When I went on a trip to Canada, most every hotel we stayed at accepted JCB (even if the clerk didn't realize what it was). So did Hertz, Delta Airlines, Hilton, Marriott etc. Look at it more as a T&E card here in the US as opposed to an everyday shopping card. It's most widely accepted at places that are travel or tourist related spots like Disneyland etc. The only "regular" shopping I've ever done with it is at Mobil gas, the Post Office, KMart and Sears. So, it was good to use when I needed a battery from Sears but that's about it for me. BTW the secured card does not report as secured.
Oh sorry, she said they pull either TransUnion or Experian. The score of 700 is for self employed people, IIRC.
I think I'll wait a few months before applying for this card because I have a negative that should fall off from Experian. My TU is much better: no negatives and few inquiries. If it's a toss up between these two as to what they'll pull, I'll just wait for the reports to get better.
