You can only transfer money out of the savings account into another local checking account. Since I don’t have a local checking account, I won’t be able to transfer money at all.

The best way to open a checking account in the U.S is to have a relative co-own the account. This way you can build up credit score through a debit visa card.

1) It’s a gift service and I can’t send money to myself with it.

2) They still require a debit card or credit card to fund my account.

I don’t have the time right now to spend too much time looking pursuing similar likely dead ends. If anyone with modest savings has been able to get a card from their bank in Taiwan as a foreigner, I’ll give it a try. If I know which bank branch, what to sign up for, etc, I’ll free up some time from work and give it a try.

https://www.ikobo.com/asia/money-transfer-Taiwan.html

If you’re not happy with this company there are thousands doing the same thing - google ‘international prepaid visa card’.

十三、立約人與貴行約定得使用金融卡提領外幣者，以年滿二十歲且具中華民國
國籍為限或年滿二十歲在台領有外僑居留證之外國自然人為限，惟附卡持
卡人為外國人者一律不具跨國提款功能；其並對所提領之外幣，應自行核
算並控制在中央銀行所准外匯額度內，並授權貴行依相關外匯法令據實代
為辦理本項結匯申報。

Here’s an excerpt from megacard:
http://www.megacard.com.tw/visadebit/visadebit_002.htm

有的卡片右上角印有『VALID IN TAIWAN ONLY』，有的卻沒印?

因為中央銀行法令規定，必須年滿20歲(含)以上的本國人才可以結售(購)外幣，所以針對外國人及20歲以下的本國人，我們只能製發標示『VALID IN TAIWAN ONLY』的VISA金融卡，該卡只能在國內ATM及商店進行台幣交易。

FYI, I had a three year ARC.

Despite the recent decision by banking authorities to relax the regulations on applications for credit cards by foreigners living in Taiwan, local banks did not appear very interested in following suit and relaxing their criteria for the granting of new cards to expats.

“The main issue is that many foreigners have no long-term fixed abode or guarantor, which makes it difficult for card issuers to get hold of them when it comes to claiming the bills,” Meiji Chen (陳明智), head of the card business division at Union Bank of Taiwan, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Granted, that was 2 years ago, but perhaps many banks’ reticence to give cards to people whose ARC is only valid for one year is still in effect.

Try to ignore the fact as you may, but nearly any Taiwanese person can get a debit card at China Trust or Taishin. I earn a steady income and I have zero debt. It’s entirely a matter of policies that discriminate against foreigners. Claiming otherwise is ridiculous.

I understand that for someone like you who can afford to drop $10,000 USD into a savings account just to get a credit card, banking is convenient here. You could do your banking pretty easily in just about any country.

For the rest of us, though, it’s not so easy. Of course, you can’t be expected to be sympathetic, but dropping by to tell me how “fair” the banks are to foreigners is a bit distasteful.