2.7 million Costco co-branded credit cards to expire on Aug. 7

2.7 million Costco co-branded credit cards to expire on Aug. 7

2022-11-07

Cathay United Bank has announced that its agreement for co-branded credit cards with big-box retailer Costco will end on Aug. 7 next year. For the millions of holders, that means the cards will cease to be usable on that date. Let’s hear from a personal finance guru.

Lai Meng-chun
Personal finance influencer
So what can you do with all the perks and points you have accumulated on your card? Cathay United Bank has said that you can use them to get cash discounts when using the card. The Costco co-branded credit cards don’t carry any annual fees. So if you want to get one now, you wouldn’t have to pay any fee to Cathay United Bank. All that would happen is the card stops working on Aug. 7.

Previously, reports had emerged saying that Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank had stepped in to take over the co-branded cards for NT$1.2 billion. The bank has not confirmed nor denied the reports, while Costco says it will announce its future partner once details are finalized.

國泰世華證實不續約好市多270萬會員將換卡

2022-11-07

美式賣場好市多吸引不少民眾辦聯名卡，不過現在聯名的國泰世華，將在明年8月合約到期，週一國泰世華證實不再續約。

[[市場分析達人寶可孟]]
“刷卡累積的多利金以及點數怎麼折抵，國泰世華有說明，之後可以換成刷卡金折抵帳上的金額。好市多聯名卡其實不需要支付年費，所以他現就算辦了，其實不需要繳任何費用給國泰世華，只是明年8月7號左右，這張卡片就沒有用了。”

先前傳出台北富邦銀行砸12億搶下發卡權，對於傳言，富邦銀不回應，好市多則發出聲明，強調還在甄選未來的合作夥伴，確定後才會對外公布。

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CECC eases COVID rules, including vaccine requirements and temperature checks

The government has relaxed four sets of COVID rules starting today. Most noticeably, contacts of COVID patients are no longer required to isolate. And COVID patients can end their self-health management period as soon as they test negative in a rapid test. Temperature checks in public spaces are now a thing of the past, as well as vaccine requirements at certain events and venues.

During COVID, temperature checks were a must at train stations. Now, they are a thing of the past as the CECC loosens COVID measures.

With COVID becoming a milder disease, the CECC has removed mandatory isolation periods for contacts of COVID patients. Patients themselves must still isolate for seven days. After isolation is up, they can go out freely, but must not have meals with others or take public transport until they test negative in a rapid test. Isolation is set to be further reduced to five days starting next Monday. Also today, venues and events that previously required proof of three COVID shots, such as gyms and religious events, will no longer require it. Temperature checks in public spaces are no longer compulsory.

Member of public
Removing the temperature checks reduces the time it takes to get to work and hop on a train.

The gradual easing of isolation rules has left people wondering when the mask mandate will be lifted.

Chiang Kuan-yu
Taipei City Hospital
Cases of respiratory syncytial virus are on the rise. And there’s also the seasonal flu. Face masks aren’t just for COVID. All these respiratory diseases become more common at this time of the year. So masks could mitigate that somewhat.

The CECC recently stated it could discuss the easing of mask rules in November if COVID numbers continue going down. How measures will be relaxed has yet to be discussed by a panel of experts.

Lin Wei-wen
Taiwan Adventist Hospital
The mask mandate would be one of the last priorities. If we go straight to not wearing masks, that could cause COVID numbers to bounce back over the autumn and winter season. We could even see a new peak.

As temperatures get colder, people spend more time indoors. Experts say that a gradual approach to lifting the mask mandate is the way to go.

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Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Germany key figure in boosting bilateral airline links

Last week, EVA Air launched flights to a new destination in Germany, the southern city of Munich. That means that now two airlines operate direct flights to two cities in the European country. One key figure behind this development was Taiwan’s representative to Germany, Shieh Jhy-wey, who has been working for years to deepen bilateral ties. Last year, at the height of the pandemic, Hsieh signed a bilateral agreement with the country, which has paved the way for even more direct connections in the future.

EVA Air has launched direct flights to Munich. To celebrate, the airline held an event at Germany’s largest city palace, demonstrating the significance of the hard-fought route.

Taiwan’s representative to Germany Shieh Jhy-wey worked behind the scenes in July last year at the height of the pandemic, signing an airlines services agreement with Germany on behalf of Taiwan.

Shieh Jhy-wey
Representative to Germany
I worked on this agreement since 2016, for four or five years. Of course, there were a lot of issues that arose, which we can’t talk to the public about. Over the course of six years I signed 12 different agreements. This is a guarantee of quality from Taiwan itself to Germany’s officials, and to the German public.

Unlike past agreements signed between private companies, the Taipei-Munich flight route was worked out between government officials from both sides.

In the past, there were only seven passenger flights weekly to Germany, which flew to Frankfurt and were operated by China Airlines. Now, in addition to the four new weekly passenger flights to Munich, the number of weekly cargo flights between the two countries will increase from three to five.

Shieh Jhy-wey
Representative to Germany
This was all pre-planned when we signed the agreement. If there is a nonstop flow of passengers, and the flights don’t meet demand, then we could extend it to one flight daily.

There are 150,000 travelers annually going between Taiwan and Germany. One German tourism operator says there is a chance this number could go up in the future.

Tourism operator
There’s a great opportunity now for southern Germans to fly directly to Taipei, and if they are to come, I would suggest that you will have an increase of 10, 15, 20% per year.

With direct flights between Taiwan and Germany increasing, it is clear that bilateral relations between the two countries are improving.

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Chang Gung Child Protection Center raises awareness for Int’l Children’s Rights Day

Nov. 20 is International Children’s Rights Day. Members of the Chang Gung Child Protection Center have been raising awareness of their work with a classical music concert. Doctors in the organization provide a wide range of services to children who have been abused, as well as working to prevent abuse in the first place. Today we meet some of the team to learn about their vital work.

Doctors play a piece of joyful classical music. Nov. 20 is International Children’s Rights Day. The team at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital have been focusing on child protection for many years, and in 2018 founded the Chang Gung Child Protection Center. They provide integrated medical care and continuing protection after children are placed in a new home.

Chen Yu-jui
Chang Gung Public Dev. Committee
We have been following these care institutions for many years. In the same way, the most important thing is that we continue to pay attention when these children grow up and leave care institutions, when they’re 17 or 18 and go to college or rent accommodation, their school fees and their future possible work.

Many governmental agencies, businesses and nonprofits work together to protect children from abuse. Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics show that on average 78,000 child abuse cases were reported to the police annually, over the last three years. Approximately 5,000 of those reports were made by medical professionals. And doctors say the pressures of the pandemic have catalyzed a rise in abusive behaviors.

Huang Ching-lung
New Taipei City Tucheng Hospital
During the pandemic, mental health and economics were affected. That’s to say, parents or caregivers who lost their jobs were more likely to become violent.

Children who’ve been abused need physical, mental and spiritual support. These doctors established a comprehensive clinic which offers care across 16 disciplines, including neurological, medical, physiological, and psychiatric treatments.

Hsu Mei-hsin
Chang Gung Child Protection Center
I think that all the way across Taiwan, the capacity to identify and work for children’s rights among pediatricians is uniformly high. We can see within our organization that more and more pediatricians are getting involved.

The Chang Gung Child Protection Center continues to fight to prevent child abuse, and to provide the highest levels of care and support for children who have not been given the love and care that they deserve.

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Expert craftsman makes tea pots by hand from Taiwan clay

Taiwan’s tea culture is world famous, but have you ever seen a teapot made by hand? Today we have an interview with Lin Sung-pen, master teapot maker. He uses nothing but Taiwan clay and refuses glazes, using only the traditional techniques of Taiwan’s craft tradition. Each pot takes most of a week to complete.

A cross section of a log, with many rings showing in the trunk. But this is not real wood – it’s a teapot made of clay.

The realistic aged look of the pots delights collectors. This pot has a metal handle and top made with a screw, and won a top prize at the Taoyuan Fine Arts Exhibition. These pots are all the work of clay master Lin Sung-pen.

A lump of unassuming Taiwan clay becomes an incredible tree trunk teapot in Lin’s talented hands. The veins on the bark are utterly convincing. Lin has been perfecting his art his whole life. He grew up in a family in Yingge that produces tea ware, and began working with clay as a teenager.

Lin Sung-pen
Teapot maker
Times are changing. Because mass-production orders have already gone over to China, and are gradually contracting, our factory has had to change bit by bit. It’s not hard at all to learn clay techniques, but you need to be able to stick to it.

A machine can make hundreds or even thousands of teapots a day. But one of these handmade pots takes five or six days on average. It wasn’t always what his family hoped for, but the adolescent Lin was determined to work on his sculpting. He would work in the factory in the day and spend the nights playing with clay. That laid the foundation for the mastery he has today.

Lin Sung-pen
Teapot maker
The materials I use are Taiwanese, so I would say proudly that these are Taiwanese products. And then I add my own techniques, to tell some creative stories with the work. I think this is the real, authentic Taiwanese product.

A handmade piece like this has a unique story behind it. Lin insists on only using Taiwan clay and avoiding any glaze. That makes his work not just local but also deeply environmentally friendly.

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