Taiwan’s 7-Eleven icash 2.0 card is an integrated circuit (IC) card that allows you to make cashless purchases. You can also generate points through an Open Point membership on certain purchases. These cards vary in cost.
I’ve had an icash 2.0 card (and Open Point) for over a couple years. However, I’ve never found any in-depth English guides on it. So I compiled my experience and other information into this guide.
Summary
- icash cards are used in place of cash at select stores & transportation hubs.
- You must pay a NT$100 deposit for an icash 2.0 card.
- Isn’t as widely used as Taiwan’s Easy Card.
- Buy an icash card at 7-Eleven, MRT stations, & online.
What Is an icash 2.0 Card?
An icash 2.0 card is an integrated circuit (IC) card that you can use for various purchases and services in place of cash and bank cards. Basic icash cards cost NT$100 ($3).
You can find these cards at various stores and transportation hubs (I’ll cover this in a bit).
And there are only 2 types of icash’s:
- Normal icash
- icash 2.0 co-branded credit card: it’s a 2-in-1 credit card and icash card
The only advantage to having the icash co-branded card lies in automatically adding money to your card. But you’ll likely need a decent credit score to get it.
There aren’t any student cards for icash.
You can always find limited availability (or themed) icash cards at 7-Eleven. Or you can buy them online.
A couple of past cards were 3D models of Taitung rice cookers and traffic cones. Here’s a page that shows all their past and present cards (the website’s in Chinese).
If you buy these cards online, only buy new ones. Someone could have a second-hand one tied to an account. Thus, they could track every purchase you make.
What Is 7-Eleven’s Open Point?
Open Point is a rewards program for shops that allows you to accumulate points on qualifying purchases. There isn’t a set number of points per Taiwan dollar you spend.
However, 1 Open Point point equals NT$1 ($0.03).
You can redeem these points for the following:
- Offers: discounted products and services partnered businesses
- Discounted books from books.com.tw
- Free coffee at 7-Eleven
Most discounts you’ll get come from other stores beneath Uni-President’s umbrella. Examples include Starbucks, Cold Stone Creamery, and Domino’s Pizza.
Sometimes you can find discounts for travel services like KKday.
You can’t get points when entering public transportation (like the Taipei MRT).
7-11 icash Card Benefits
Benefits of having an icash card include:
- Point accumulation with the Open Point rewards program
- Cashless transactions at participating locations: no digging for change
- More sanitary: no touching cash that’s been who-knows-where
- More ‘limited edition’ options
By “limited edition,” I mean themed icash cards. For instance, they have a fan one. But with a cool function.
It actually turns on when you activate the icash card for a purchase.
I got the CITY PRIMA one.
What Can You Do With an icash Card?
Places where you can use the Taiwan icash card include [1]:
| Burger King | McDonald’s | Starbucks | Mister Donut |
| Cold Stone Creamery | Semeur (bakery) | BRIAN Black Tea | Domino’s Pizza |
| Lihpao Land | Taipei Zoo | Janfusun FancyWorld | National Museum of Natural Science |
| 7-Eleven | Hi-Life | Carrefour | Santa Cruz |
| Hsin Tung Yang | Uni Style | Smile | Cosmed |
| * City Bus | Kaohsiung MRT | Taipei MRT | Taichung MRT |
| Taoyuan MRT | Taiwan Parking | T-Bike | Dream Mall |
| Tin Tin Drugstore | JP Med (日藥本舖) | Formosa Fairway Corporation (泛航通運) | * 統一超商商場 |
| ** Kuang Nan Fashion Shop (光南大批發) | New Taipei Metro (Danhai LRT) | KML (tour bus) | Kaohsiung Ferry |
| 24 TPS (Parking) | City parking |
* When I typed ‘統一超商商場’ into Google, 7-Eleven Lifestyle Center showed up.
** They had a broken website, so I don’t know if they’re still around.
Cities you can use icash cards as entry on buses include:
- New Taipei city
- Taipei city
- Taichung city
- Tainan
- Kaohsiung
- Pingtung
- Eastern Taiwan (e.g., Hualien)
You can use this card at a couple of convenience stores, supermarkets,
Where Do I Buy an icash Card?
You can buy icash cards at the following places:
- 7-Eleven
- Taipei Metro Station
- Kaohsiung Metro Station
- Taoyuan Metro Station
- Hi-Life
- Ibon mart: mart.ibon.com.tw
- Books.com.tw (link directs you to icash search results)
- Taichung MRT Station
Want custom icash cards that aren’t for sale anymore?
You’ll need to check online shops like shopee.tw and type “icash” into the search bar.
You can see this site in English. Just navigate to the upper-right corner of your screen and change the setting from Chinese to English.
7-11 icash Card Balance: How To Add Money and Check Your Balance
You can add money to your icash 2.0 card at the following places:
| McDonald’s | Carrefour | Taipei MRT Station |
| Taichung MRT Station | Kaohsiung MRT Station | Hsin Tung Yang |
| Taoyuan MRT Station | Hi-Life | BEING FIT |
You can add a maximum of NT$10,000 ($333) to your icash 2.0 card. And you can only refill these cards using cash. So you can’t use a debit card to refill your icash.
Unless you have the icash2.0 co-branded credit card. It has an ‘automatic add value’ function that’ll automatically take cash from your credit line and use it for your icash purchase.
You can check your balance at metro stations by using the balance kiosks. Or you could ask customer service people to check your balance.
You can check on the Open Point mobile app by following these settings:
Account > icash 2.0 > tap on your icash card
And you can check them on Ibon kiosks at any 7-Eleven. You can only do this through the Chinese settings, so I made a video on what buttons to tap (I had help):
icash 2.0 vs. EasyCard
You can use EasyCards (Yo Yo Card) for more services (like YouBikes) and at significantly more stores. Meanwhile, the icash card provides Open Point rewards and offers access at some places the Yo Yo Card can’t access.
Like Cosmed.
Having only a Taipei EasyCard works best for travelers. Meanwhile, the icash 2.0 only works for people living in Taiwan.
Taipei Metro will reimburse both cards at the end of each month based on the number of trips you took.
If you’re living in Taiwan, I recommend getting both cards and using them when they have an advantage. For instance, use an EasyCard for YouBikes. And use the icash when shopping at 7-11.
You can get a basic-looking icash and EasyCard combined card from 7-11. It gives you the functions of both cards.
How To Connect icash 2.0 to the Open Point App
Upon opening the Open point mobile app, tap the icon of a person on the lower-right side.
Everything’s in Chinese, and there’s no way to translate the app into English. But if you could successfully sign up for the program, this part’s simple.
Toward the middle of the screen, you’ll see ‘icash 2.0.’ Above it, you’ll see a card icon with a cog in the lower right corner.
Tap this icon, then tap the “+” button in the upper-right corner.
You’ll see 2 text fields appear. The first one wants a name for your icash card. Choose whatever name in any language you see fit.
The bottom text field asks for your card’s number. It’s a 16-digit number you’ll find on your icash card.
Once you finish this step, you’ll have added your card. You can check your balance, see Taipei MRT reimbursements, and view previous transactions.
How to Refund the Balance on Your icash Card
You can refund your icash card’s balance in 1 of 2 ways:
- Mail it in
- Visit the service center
The service center’s address is: 1st floor, Taipei City Hall Bus Station. You’ll look for the icash service center.
Otherwise, you can go to 7-Eleven and request a return envelope.
No matter what method you choose, you’ll need to pay fees.
Up to NT$40 if you just refund your card’s balance. And up to NT$37 if you cancel the icash card’s contract.
Unless you have thousands of New Taiwan Dollars on your card, I recommend just blowing all the money you have before returning the card.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the icash card.
Does the icash Expire?
icash cards don’t expire.
What do I do About a Stolen icash Card?
Contact customer service (only if you registered with a name). You can call them at 02-2657-6388 or email [email protected]. If you didn’t register a name, customer service won’t help.
