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nimaime
Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 51
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 Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 5:26 am Post subject: Job hunting without carrying large sums of cash |
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I'm going to be doing a job hunt in Japan in the coming months.
What is the best way to access cash when I need more? I'm not keen
on carrying large sums of cash around, I already lost an envelope
with 40,000 yen at Narita once.
Travelers cheques are a thing of the past, I looked into Travelers
Debit Cards but read lots of machines won't accept them, can I withdraw money from my U.S. bank account at a Japanese bank as a tourist?
Thanks for any suggestions! |
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rich45
Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 6:22 am Post subject: Re: Job hunting without carrying large sums of cash |
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| 7/11 ATMs. |
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nimaime
Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| it's that simple? |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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nimaime
Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 7:04 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the links. Seems easier than I would have expected! My only concern is my bank in the U.S. is a community bank so I hope my ATM card works internationally. I'll have to contact them.
I'm going to have a layover at Narita in a month or two, maybe I can experiment there.
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kathrynoh
Joined: 16 Jul 2009
Posts: 64
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:41 am Post subject: |
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Check with your bank. Some banks charge a % of the amount taken out and it can work out to be quite hefty while some charge a flat rate.
I am with a credit union in Australia and have a Visa debit card and never had any problems at 7-11 plus the fees for overseas withdrawals were very low. |
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nimaime
Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:18 am Post subject: |
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| kathrynoh wrote: |
Check with your bank. Some banks charge a % of the amount taken out and it can work out to be quite hefty while some charge a flat rate.
I am with a credit union in Australia and have a Visa debit card and never had any problems at 7-11 plus the fees for overseas withdrawals were very low. |
I was looking into a visa debit card as the way to go. My bank back home isn't on their list of supported banks so I might have to transfer my money to a compatible bank, get a card during my short stay back home and shoot over to Japan! I'm nervous but can't wait! I've wanted to do this for a loooong time now!! |
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Tsian
Joined: 10 Jan 2012
Posts: 85
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:14 am Post subject: |
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| Also, your community bank may be part of a larger card network (ie Maestro... though I believe 7/11 stopped taking them recently!) |
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mdoor
Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Posts: 54
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:35 am Post subject: Re: Job hunting without carrying large sums of cash |
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| nimaime wrote: |
| ...Travelers cheques are a thing of the past... |
Not so. Travelers checks are accepted at near 100% of Japanese financial institutions. They are economical and easy, they seem like they would work fine for your needs, you might want to take a 2nd look at them.
Most young people don't think much of TC as they are yesterday's technology, but if more modern technology (Debit/ATM cards) are not available for use, why not traveler's checks? |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:56 am Post subject: Re: Job hunting without carrying large sums of cash |
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| mdoor wrote: |
| nimaime wrote: |
| ...Travelers cheques are a thing of the past... |
Not so. Travelers checks are accepted at near 100% of Japanese financial institutions. They are economical and easy, they seem like they would work fine for your needs, you might want to take a 2nd look at them.
Most young people don't think much of TC as they are yesterday's technology, but if more modern technology (Debit/ATM cards) are not available for use, why not traveler's checks? |
Many people today think TCs are dead. They also object to using them because they complain that smaller towns won't have banks to exchange them (some hotels and department stores do, too), and they complain that the hours are not convenient.
The simple fact is, IMO, TCs are very safe, and if you get them in yen, you can actually exchange for more money than if you got them in, say, U.S. dollars. The only real hassle to me is when you have not used them all, you either keep them until the next trip, or you return them to the bank.
To each his own. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 12:39 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
They also object to using them because they complain that smaller towns won't have banks to exchange them (some hotels and department stores do, too), and they complain that the hours are not convenient.
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Surely this is more than enough reason to use ATMs instead- not to mention the time taken at both ends, especially when cashing them in Japan, to exchange them? |
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mspxlation
Joined: 13 Jul 2007
Posts: 44
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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Usually, you can use your ATM card in Japan if it is on the Cirrus or Plus network.
I used to use travelers' checks, but exchanging them at banks was such a bureaucratic hassle that I was delighted when first Citibank and then the post offices and 7/11's started providing international ATMs.
You can also use credit cards for some things, but it depends on the shop. This is not a problem as long as your card is set up for online payment.
(Ironically, ATMs were common in Japan before they were common in the U.S., but Japan has been much slower than other countries to accept foreign cards at its ATMs.) |
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