EasyCard Now Works at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, and Other Convenience Stores!

On April 1st, when I woke up, I had totally forgotten it was April Fools’ Day, because that day there was something more important to me: I had a date… oops, typo! Actually, April 1st was the first day EasyCard could be used at the four major convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, and one more I can’t remember = =). I had been waiting for this day since the Lunar New Year, because I don’t like carrying a bunch of cards around: EasyCard, iCash, bank card, ID card, phone card… The weight of the cards alone is equal to two iPod Touches! Now I can combine my EasyCard and iCash with my wallet (which I mostly use at convenience stores), so my whole pocket is free. If I really need cash, I can just withdraw it with my bank card (though the most convenient option is a stored-value credit card, which is basically an e-wallet). Right now I’m trying to combine my EasyCard, my iPod Touch, and my library card. Maybe after the Basic Competence Test (the high school entrance exam), there will be a service that converts an iPod Touch into an EasyCard phone~~~

For how to turn a phone into an EasyCard phone, check out this article.

▲▲EasyCard combined with my library card

Let me explain the details. When the store manager saw me taking photos, he was totally shocked and speechless. He probably thought I was a reporter or something. I’m only 14 years old, you know (to clarify, I really am only 14). After a long explanation, he let me take a few photos, saying that photos aren’t allowed inside the store. Fortunately, the most important part, the card reader, made it into the photos.

▲Step one: walk into the store, pick up the most expensive item, then take out your EasyCard to pay XD. The clerk places the card on this machine.

Partner merchants that accept EasyCard:

7-ELEVEN, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, OK, Starbucks, Tenren Tea, IS COFFEE, Watsons, Cosmed, Wellcome supermarket, Sung Ching supermarket, Miramar Cinemas, Dalu Ge Baseball and Softball Batting Range, Yamazaki, MisterDonut, Dunkin Donuts, Hsin Tung Yang, Cold Stone, Afternoon Tea, Domino's, Pizza Hut, Global Shopping Center (Banqiao food court), MUJI, Bread First

The EasyCard can currently hold a maximum of NT$10,000. That reminds me of when someone took several EasyCards to a 7-Eleven and topped up each one with several thousand dollars = = — but that’s a digression. The main point is that you can apply for a registered card, so you don’t have to worry about losing your card.

▲Registered EasyCard
About Registered Cards:
Registered EasyCards are cards issued by the EasyCard company with personal information printed on them. The current types include registered EasyCards that the public can apply for on their own, community access EasyCards, company or institution ID EasyCards, student ID EasyCards, and original-design EasyCards. Unless the card itself is damaged and needs to be replaced, returning a card incurs a NT$20 administrative fee.
Type Registered Eligibility Initial purchase price Category Notes
Registered EasyCard Yes Citizens of the Republic of China NT$150 (one-time purchase) Regular card Deposit included; no balance at first, so you need to top it up separately
Community access EasyCard Must be a resident of a community that uses this card Free issue (one-time purchase) Regular card No initial deposit or balance; you need to top it up separately.
ID EasyCard Must be an employee of a company that uses this card Free issue (one-time purchase) Regular card
Student ID EasyCard Must be a student at a school that uses this card Free issue subsidized by the Department of Education Student card (junior high and above) Discount card (elementary school)^[3]
Original-design EasyCard Not publicly issued Test card A test card for the MRT payment system using the original-design EasyCard layout; cannot be used as a transit ticket
Driver check-in/check-out card An original-design EasyCard for drivers, also called the "driver card," used by drivers to tap at the start and end of their shifts. Later versions were issued without a printed face. Cannot be used as a transit ticket.^[4]

Type	Registered	Eligibility	Initial purchase price	Category	Notes
Registered EasyCard	Yes	Citizens of the Republic of China	NT$150 (one-time purchase)	Regular card	Deposit included; no balance at first, so you need to top it up separately
Community access EasyCard	Must be a resident of a community that uses this card	Free issue (one-time purchase)	Regular card	No initial deposit or balance; you need to top it up separately.
ID EasyCard	Must be an employee of a company that uses this card	Free issue (one-time purchase)	Regular card
Student ID EasyCard	Must be a student at a school that uses this card	Free issue subsidized by the Department of Education	Student card (junior high and above) Discount card (elementary school)^[3]
Original-design EasyCard	Not publicly issued	Test card	A test card for the MRT payment system using the original-design EasyCard layout; cannot be used as a transit ticket
Driver check-in/check-out card	An original-design EasyCard for drivers, also called the "driver card," used by drivers to tap at the start and end of their shifts. Later versions were issued without a printed face. Cannot be used as a transit ticket.^[4]

Quoted from Wikipedia

Also, all four major convenience stores currently have a promotion where the second item of certain products is half price, so go grab them~ Plus, your student ID can also be used for small payments.

▲Combining an iPod Touch with EasyCard, in the works~~

▲I used to use the orange discount card, but I kept getting caught, so I switched cards^^

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