Job Discussion Forums

[ajarn]

I apologise if this has been asked before but:

I have recently moved here and the company I worked for has set me up with a post office bank account. I haven`t received an ATM card yet, however I`m told I can use my account book (passbook whatever you want to call it). My question is, are the only ATM`s I can use post office ones?. If so does anyone know if they are accessible on weekends as this is the only time I will be able to access them.

[cafebleu]

Hello ajarn, don`t apologise for asking a legitimate question on this board! I haven`t seen this question in the updated ESL Cafe that this is, but even if somebody had posted before obviously you haven`t seen it. That`s your right!

I have a post office account and also a bank account. I live in Kyushu, and in the countryside that is more like an outer suburb in my country than the real countryside. I can take money out of my account at the small, local post office from 9am in the morning to about 6pm at night. However, on Sundays I cannot and Saturdays has a limited time period.

However, if I go into the city I can use the machine all days of the week from 9am until about 7pm. I may be mistaken about the closing time of machine use. I have never used my bank card to take money out of a machine as I use that account for savings.

[PAULH]

Ajarn

you can only use your post office ATM cards in post office machines- they dont work in normal bank ATMs, as they are not hooked up to the same computer network. With the PO cards you can access your funds from any post office ATM in the country.
You can send cash between banks etc with bank ATM cards etc but not to post office accounts and vice-versa. Usually the ATMs at larger central post offices etc are open on weekends (for mail and ATM etc) but you may have problems if you are out in a rural area.

[ajarn]

Thanks guys for help. Just one more, can I deduce from what you are saying PAULH that I cannot transfer funds from a post office acount to an overseas bank account in my own country?

[PAULH]

Japanesepost office ATM machines are only connected electronically to post offices within Japan. If you want to sent funds overseas you either have to get a postal money order (called a 'kawase' in japanese but it can be cashed at overseas post offices) amd manually mail it at the counter. You can send funds by telegraph transfer at any back that handles international currency. Tokyo Mitsubishi, Sanwa, Kyoto Bank etc handle money transfers overseas and the bank charge for sending a foreign currency check overseas is about 2,500 yen per check.

If I were you I would best consider commerical banks (here and overseas) and post offices to be separate entities that do not cross-pollinate when transfering funds or using ATM machines.

If you want to send money back home Citibank has a branch in Tokyo and Osaka but it may be possible to do phone-banking and money transfers with them without needing to go to an ATM so it wouldnt hurt to ask.

[G Cthulhu]

[ajarn]

Thanks guys fo all the help