JCB and Taiwan Rakuten Card Partner to Launch JCB Panda Card

JCB International Co., Japan’s sole international payment brand, has announced the introduction of the JCB Panda Card in partnership with Taiwan Rakuten Card. The new credit card will be available to customers starting January 15, 2025.

Founded in 2014, Taiwan Rakuten Card entered the Taiwanese credit card market after receiving approval from the Financial Supervisory Commission. The company made its mark as the first e-commerce platform in Taiwan to issue a proprietary credit card. The service is designed to integrate e-commerce services, membership accounts, and internal rewards, offering users a unified experience for both online and offline transactions. In addition, the card provides access to various travel services in Japan, leveraging Rakuten’s relationships with Japanese merchants. As of January 2015, the company had issued more than 300,000 cards in Taiwan.

The new JCB Panda Card will offer cashback incentives on purchases made via two mobile payment platforms, Line Pay and JKO Pay, at select merchants, including major airlines, gas stations, and online travel agencies within Taiwan. For transactions outside Taiwan, the card will offer a base cashback rate of 1.5%, with slightly higher rates of 3.5% for purchases made in Japan, Korea, and Thailand.

While the partnership between JCB and Taiwan Rakuten Card introduces new benefits for cardholders, it reflects a growing trend of global and regional payment brands expanding their offerings to meet evolving consumer needs. However, the full impact of this new card on the broader market remains to be seen as it faces competition from other credit card providers operating in Taiwan and beyond.