Job Discussion Forums

[Chris.vanwalr]

Hello all!

I'm going to be going to Japan at the end of January with ECC. Within the literature they have sent me, there's a suggestion that recently, western credit cards are becoming more acceptable there for things like dining out. Can any one confirm this? And which card seems most widely accepted. Visa? Amex? Mastercard? Are they only accepted in large cities, like Osaka, or even in some of the smaller towns as well?

Any advice I can get would be helpful. If I can save myself the hassle of having to cancel my current card, and then have to worry about finding something else to replace it, that would be great!

Thanks

[slodziak]

I have had no trouble using my Visa and Mastercard up and down the country, for over the counter payments foreign credit cards seem to be becoming widely accepted. You will find it more of a hassle to withdraw money from an ATM using your credit card, even in Tokyo.

A word of advice however. If you are planning on staying in Japan medium to long term i.e. more than a few months, then using your foreign credit card won't be the best use of your money. Most card companies charge a fee (up to 3%) every time you use you it and you are guaranteed to loose out on the exchange rate sometimes by a difference of up to 20 yen (day light robbery!).

As you will be getting paid in yen the best thing to do will be to pay for things in cash. I didn't find it much hassle getting a Japanese credit card, although others may have had different experiences, so once you open your bank account over here start applying for one.

[Chris.vanwalr]

Thanks! I'm more interested in just having something for emergencies when I first arrive, and it's good to know what options I have.

[G Cthulhu]

Genuine credit cards have been commonly accepted in most places bigger than OO/ST stores (Mom & Pop to you Americans) for over a decade. Visa is most commonly accepted among the global brands. Mastercard would be a close second. Don't even bother to leave home with American Express: outside north america it's almost useless. Same for Discover: no one uses it outside the US. Debit or EFTPOS cards are more tricky - you really need to look to find cirrus or maestro-enabled terminals in stores and a lot of them aren't set up to accept non-Japanese cards. Post Office ATMs are your best choice for cirrus-enabled for emergency withdrawals.

On all of them, the fees will kill you.

Good luck.

[Apsara]

Relying on foreign credit cards for every day expenses in Japan is not a great idea, as above. Not only do you get charged a fee, you then have to send money back to cover your bills and incur fees/exchange rate losses doing that too. Unless of course you have a lot of cash sitting in your account at home, in which case it would make more sense to bring it with you.

While credit cards are becoming more widely accepted here it is still a cash society. I usually walk around with over $500 in my wallet, as do many people here, and don't really think anything of it. The chances of being robbed are minute.

[untmdsprt]

[slodziak]