🧳 Studying in the UK or Australia! Which credit cards will I get?

🔸 Based on my personal spending habits, for reference only

My starting point for choosing a card: I don't want to keep worrying about cashback caps or work out every single purchase, which is the main reason I chose a card with uncapped cashback. I also didn't get the SinoPac multi-currency card because I want charges taken directly in NT dollars without dealing with other currencies. So I wanted a card without too many restrictions that still maximizes points and rewards, and after weighing everything, I think the cube suits me best! What I'm sharing is what's officially announced right now, so I still recommend checking each quarter for changes!

🔸 Cathay United Bank Cube

If I could only pick one card now, this would be my main card: - 3% uncapped cashback - currently many countries qualify for cashback - redeem EVA Air miles at NT$12 = 1 mile - the 「趣旅行」 (travel) category directly includes airlines such as China Airlines, EVA Air, Cathay Pacific and STARLUX. Besides, you're bound to travel while studying abroad, right? Booking, Airbnb, KKday and Klook, which I use a lot, all fall under this category. There are lots of merchants, and they're all useful! Big thumbs up for that! Downsides: - remember to switch categories, limited to once a day - as far as I know, school deposits/tuition usually don't count toward cashback, unlike Taishin's Rose/Sun/Flygo, which have a good chance of qualifying. But when paying these large amounts abroad, I mostly use bank transfers, since sometimes the card's exchange rate means you still lose money even after the cashback

🔸 Taishin Rose/Sun

When it launched it offered 3.8%, which was really attractive, and overseas spending didn't require switching categories, so I got one right away. Unfortunately it was later cut to 3.3%, with a monthly cap of 10,000 points in rewards, equivalent to spending NT$300,000, and right now it only applies in Europe, the US, Japan and Korea. Note: Australia isn't included. But the main reason is that none of the vouchers, miles or products it can be redeemed for appeal to me. Still, the rewards are high, so I keep it as my backup card for when the Cube isn't a good fit! So when isn't the cube a good fit? I've seen the Cube limit cashback to designated countries, so it's worth having a backup card just in case. Also, when traveling abroad you'll inevitably run into cards being declined, so you need another card suited to overseas travel! I recommend having at least one master and one visa, or you'll be stunned when your card gets declined!

🔸Taishin flygo

Pros: 3% uncapped, and 5% for designated airlines or travel, but capped at 2,000 points. Since I don't want to do the math, I'd rather use the cube for airline purchases to build up my rewards. Cons: the 3% is both a pro and a con. It's the same 3%, but its merchants are relatively limited. Basically, whatever it covers the cube also covers, and it's not suited to domestic spending, so I won't recommend it for now Open year-round - free LINE consultation

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