Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sapa]

After reading lots about how crap koreas banks are at issuing international ATM cards to foreigners I'm wondering how exactly I take my money to Japan for my weeks holiday. Wooribank said my card would work internationally but it doesn't on websites so I don't think I'm going to trust them and just turn up in Japan with my card expecting to use it in their ATMs.

Can you get some sort of travellers checks with your Korean won? How did you take your spending money. maybe I should just persevere with Woori to make sure it is internationally accepted.

[Xuanzang]

Take USD or just get yen at a bank or the airport.

[Sapa]

so you would take a shed load of cash over with you? Don't fancy doing that too much.
Woori will sort me out hopefully.

[Donghae]

See this thread from about a month back.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?p=1879907&highlight=#1879907


As I mentioned in that thread, if your Korean bank will let you use your card overseas, you may still find that it's not a lot of use in Japan as hardly any Japanese bank ATMs will accept foreign cards. Usually, the only ones that do are at the post office and they have fairly restricted opening hours - many of the smaller post office ATMs shut down at 5pm or are closed on Sundays. Convenience store ATMs are pretty hit and miss for foreign cards.

So I'm afraid the best advice is just to change won to yen at your bank in Korea (you'll get a better rate at the bank than at the airport). Yes, that means you'll be carrying around a lot more cash than you'd consider ideal, but in Japan, that's quite normal. Don't worry, you're not going to get mugged! Also, bear in mind that carrying a lot of cash doesn't bulk up your wallet as much in Japan as in Korea, due to the higher denominations of yen available.

[Tiger Beer]

One option...send money to your home country account...and withdraw that money while in Japan if needed.

[Xuanzang]