I%26#39;m going to Tokyo in 4 weeks. I will be staying in Tokyo most of my stay.
Is it possible for me to take out CASH using my USA ATM card from the teller in Tokyo or Narita Airport??
My friends said if I do this I get the best possible exchange rate, is this true??
Will there me an enormous ATM fee if I do this??
What is the limit of money I can take out in Japanese ATM machines?
Originally I was going to bring $1,000 USD and change it at the airport but my buddies told me to just use my ATM card.
I have a Wellsfargo ATM card with the logos ';PLUS STAR, INTERLINK, INSTANT CASH'; printed on the back. FYI
What do you guys think?
Bring cash and exchange it at airport or use my ATM card to take out cash??
Thanks! Looking forward to my trip to JP. :)
Use my U.S. ATM card to pull out CASH from teller in Japan??
Card is a VISA by the way.
Use my U.S. ATM card to pull out CASH from teller in Japan??
At Narita Airport you can use Citibank, Shinsei Bank or the Post Office ATMs:
Yes 7-11 atms take them, and there are 7-11 convenience stores everywhere. Their ATMs are open 24/7.
www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/index2.html
*note that from my experience the minimal withdrawl from 7-11 ATMs for International cards is 10,000yen.
If you need a smaller amount then try post office or Citibank ones.
Also post office ATMs take international cards.
jp-bank.japanpost.jp/en/ias/en_ias_index.html
Citibank Japan ATMs
citibank.co.jp/en/鈥ndex.html
I would also bring some cash at least.
Off network ATM fees are established with your home bank.
Thanks for your feedback.
You said the minimal with drawl amount is 10,000 yen, I%26#39;m more into knowing the MAXIMUM with drawl amount for foreign cards?
If there is a fee, I want to use my ATM once rather then multiple times so I dont acquire unnecessary atm with drawl fees.
What about the Exchange rate, will it be the same or better if I brought cash and exchanged it at NARITA?
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;At Narita Airport you can use Citibank, Shinsei Bank or the Post Office ATMs:
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;If you need a smaller amount then try post office or Citibank ones.
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Citibank Japan ATMs
I wonder if Citibank ATMs will exist in 4 weeks ;)
Thats the minimal for 711 atms, others have a lower min eg 1000yen.
The maximum withdrawal YOU can take depends on your bank and what your limit is so you need to call up your bank and check what your daily limit is.
However, the maximum the most ATMs will allow is about 2 to 5 million yen but I think it varies from bank to bank ATM.
Of course 5 million yen in your pocket isn%26#39;t exactly safe, also the amount your bank has set for you might be a lot lower then what is possible at the ATMin any one given transaction.
Is your ATM card a debit card with the visa or mastercard logo on it? If so you can use the card byitself for things like hotel payments and large store purchases at any place that accepts visa, mastercard etc.
Sometimes banks have a different domestic withdraw limit and overseas limit. Some banks will flag any suspicious spending (eg suddenly your bank in the USA sees 2 thousand dollars gone in Japan), so sometimes its good to talk to your bank before hand to let them know about travel and ask about overseas transaction limits.
Cash exchange is always most expensive to change, so...
ATMs are the way to go - you need to find one that does English and takes foreign cards. At Narita there is a bunch of ATMs you can get cash from.
The society is much more cash based than US, Europe or Australasia so it is good to have cash and not rely on paying by card.
Stations, Post Offices and large shopping malls have a good supply of ATMs so you can find one that works for you.
Be aware that some of them are closed overnight.
Transaction fees are low - there is usually a percent fee for the exchange.
There is no need to worry - people are very helpful.
The problem is not all those ATMs at stations etc take INTERNATIONAL cards, only the ones listed (Post Office, 7-11, Citibank, Shinsei Bank) atms have been known to work with international cards.
Put a Bank of America atm in a Mizuho ATM and the odds are it won%26#39;t work.
You%26#39;ll get the worst exch rate with cash so go with ATM or credit card.
Be sure to call your bank to pre-clear your ATM card or it will not work. (Ditto for credit cards: call to tell them when and where you plan to use the cards or they will not work.)
Both atms and credit will charge an extra 3% foreign fee, although Capital One does NOT charge this fee.
Finally, when using credit be sure to ask to be charged in local currency (ie yen) or they might do the exchange to dollars and the rate will be in their favor, ie so they can make a bit more in money.
