Foreign friendly ATM's are found at any 7-11 store or Japan Post Office.......or make a call to your Uncle

Try the ATMs at the post office or at a 7-11. A quick search here will give you info on where to find ATMs in Japan that do accept foreign credit cards.

Given that you don't like to incur foreign transaction fees, have you checked to see what your bank charges in foreign transaction fees for ATM withdrawals and what it charges to use a foreign ATM?

lol, HT, like minds...

Kathie

DMB-You might find this site useful for ATM info in Japan.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2208.html

Isn't it great to have a site like this for simple travel info you need that most people would research and be prepared for before they travel?

Aloha!

HT,

Ones at 7-11 did not work, those were the first ones tried

No need to research ahead when you have friends that are Presidents or an uncle named Sam

Besides that is why there are sites like Fodor's and people like you and Kathie that can be counted on to come to the rescue, thanks!

Kathie,

At home I bank at a Credit Union that does not charge fees for any type of withdrawals. The only fees I encounter is what the particular ATM that I use charges.

Wish my CC's were more travel friendly

By the way, after an internet search while down to my last "Yens", found a Citi-Bank ATM near Shinjuku (Maynd Towers).

It was "Happy" to take my ATM.. Made me feel right at home

I'm glad to hear you did your research on your ATM charges. That can be a shocker for many people.

Kathie,

Always have to know where your dough ($$$$) goes

Funny, I have been to Japan many times and the 7-11's always work. But thank you for your report as now we know from your repot that the 7-11's in Japan are now not reliable according to your live and reliable reports......

Oh and if you have the time please let all of us know where the 7-11 ATM's are in Tokyo that refused your card are so we can avoid those specific 7-11 location(s). The only cases I have ever heard of ATM cards being refused in Japan 7-11's were that they were invalid cards or the owner of the cards did not notify their banks that they would be traveling abroad with said card(s), but I am sure you, "being more traveled than most on this Asia forum", would know not to do such a amateurish thing as not reporting your use of the card outside of your hometown ahead of time......again coming here for useful information before your travel would have saved you all your worries and questions .....also would have gotten you a savings on your NEX ticket to your Sakura(good choice btw)hotel, with the NEX/SUICA package you could have picked up saving you more money, especially if was r/t......but no matter.....Uncle and your pride have your financial matters under control.
I am sure you also know this, as they say in Asia, all things you do in life come full circle......

** Ooooops.... Master Charge related ATM and credit cards were also not accepted for about six months in 2011 as MC reworked their "deals" with 7-11 Japan....that is the only other time I can remember recently when foreign ATM cards were not accepted in Japanese 7-11 stores.

Aloha!

BTW, my ATM card does not charge any fees on my foreign withdrawals and will reimburse me for any charges charged by foreign or domestic atm machines......I learned that little piece of pre travel information from Kathie a few years ago on this very site.....thanks again Kathie!!!

Aloha!

Oh .....As u probably already found out Citibank has not only charged you a 3% charge on the amount you withdrew but also a $5.00 surcharge just for using Citibank making them one of the most expensive places to change your money electronically in Japan ......but I am sure u already knew that.

Aloha!

Perhaps at 7-11 you tried to get an amount of money that was either beyond your home bank daily limit or not a multiple of 10. 7-11 machines limit foreign card withdrawals in many cases to only multiples of 10 - like ¥10,000, ¥20,000, ¥30,000 would be ok but not ¥25,000.

HT,

Thanks for taking the time to read my reports. I'll be sure to keep them live and reliable so you will have something to make your day worthwhile

KimJapan,

That was not the case. I also tried at banks in the area of Jimbocho Station.

Even in Hakone area was the same issue. At least there most ATM's had posted signs that they do not accept foreign credit or cash cards.

I guess I should have bought a HT Guidebook for $19.99 pus S&H then I would have known everything I needed to know about Japan ATM's

Jimbocho - that means Jamestown in English.

Jimbocho = Jimbo-cho, get it?

DMBTraveler, when you exchanged Benjamins in Japan what rate did you get - on what date. Better yet, please give the info from the receipt that shows how many dollars were converted to how many yen and I will do the math.

Cash gets the worst exchange rate of your options (cash, travelers checks, ATM), especially when buying yen. Travelers checks are often most economical after figuring in bank fees for ATM use as tc exchange rate is very good. Today's cash buy rate is $1=¥75.26. TC is $1=¥77.26. Interbank (which people like us will never see) is $=78.50. Your ATM card will give you something like $1=77.50 less fees which can include a per transaction out of network fee of $3-$10 plus a foreign currency conversion fee of 1%-3% of the total. A handful of banks have free ATM use and even fewer charge no foreign currency conversion fee.

If your ATM card doesn't work in 7-11 or post offices, you may well be out of luck - most banks don't have capacity of international ATM network. The few citibank branches that there are accept foreign cards, too, but there are very few. Other things that could have gone wrong - hour PIN was not 4 digits, your bank froze your account for fraud after seeing foreign use, you made a mistake in machine use, you were in a convenience store other than a 7-11 like Lawson, Circle K, or your card is not networked Otherwise, as long as your ATM card is connected to the major networks like PLUS or CIRRUS etc it will work in post office ATMs and 7-11 with a 4 digit PIN. Dont even bother wasting your time trying anywhere else.

Some guidebook do tell you about using 7/11's ATM as the best choice but the rest is common sense.

I think a lot of people just don't think that there would be problems with using ATMs in Japan - thinking it's similar to Europe where there are loads of ATMs and no problem with a foreign card.....and everyone doesn't do a lot of research like most of us here....

mrwunrfl,

For two Benjamins, I received about 15,100 yen (about enough to buy a six pack in Tokyo)

KimJapan,

The problems you mentioned were not the case with my ATM card as I did use it at the Citibank ATM at Maynrd Tower.

The point of the post is that I was just surprised how in some ways it is difficult to use foreign credit/cash cards here.

As far as exchange rates, I know those are usually all over the map and can vary by the minute, location or date that you chose to do an exchange.

In the end, these types of experiences are what makes my travel enjoyable even if it cost me a few "Benjamins" or "Yens".

Mara,

You are so right That is why I post the topics here that I do.

Remember most of us are not as smart as you or others that do research, buy guidebooks or post here

>>However, the banks here will exchange your “Green Backs” without any transaction fee.<<

I will do the math with KimJapan's numbers: 7826/7850 = 0.96

That means that your cost for exchanging dollars to yen is 4%

If your Visa charges a 3% transaction fee and a 1% currency exchange fee then using the cc is no worse than exchanging cash.

So you got "about" 75.50 which is about what KimJapan quoted. I will use KimJapan's 75.26 for the math because she also gave use the IBR for the same date.

75.26/78.50 = 0.96

That means that by exchanging USD for JPY you incurred a cost of 4% even though the bank didn't charge you a transaction fee.

Compare that with a bank card, Visa, that charges a 3% transaction fee plus a 1% currency conversion fee. But the question is: 3% and 1% of what? I believe that it is of the IBR, the 78.50.

As far as getting cash goes, they are the same. If you are purchasing something (say $300 and up) then charging Visa is better than exchanged currency because there is no cash left over that has to be converted back to USD at additional cost. Your cash stays safe in the back, ready to pay the Visa charge as soon as it posts.

My credit union ATM card charges me 1% of the IBR for cash withdrawals.

dmb, don't understand your slam against mara. if anything, i thought her post was more supportive of dmb.

ht, whats this gambate kudasai routine for dmb? are you encouraging him to continue to do his best with what he is doing, or encouraging him to do his best to continue enjoying his vacation, and providing the forum informative reports. perhaps both.(when you get old, you answer your own question.)

mrwunrfl, lets use your good logic and reasoning process to get ba back over the benjamin.

btw, bife de lomo was excellent. also had goat along the way.
(no kidding)

oh, forgot to mention, i've never had a problem with using my no foreign transaction fee cc nor my check card for yen withdrawal in tokyo.

kuranosuke I've only seen you with expensive gem stones which you use as currency and I have never seen you with any "cards"!

So my first attempt at posting the math did work. Some issue with the fodors server, I think.

My ATM is a Visa Check Card and I think that Visa added a 1% fee a few years ago and so it is now 2%.

A no foreign transaction fee card is a good way to go. Pentagon FCU, for one, has those and I think you just have to be mil vet to join.

I hope the goat was as good as the bife. A perfect day: lomito for lunch, sightseeing in Recoleta, live racing in Palermo, bife de lomo for dinner, tango show, and a bife de lomo at midnight.

Peter, I will visit Japan this year but only one night, enroute to Phuket, India, and Dubai.

mrwunfl,

Your math is making my head spin

I hope 1 + 1 still = 2 or I am in big trouble

The point is still, "I hate foreign transaction fees" and try all that I can to avoid them. I think CC companies make enough money on all sides of a charge transaction.

kuranoske,

I thought "Mara" comments: "and everyone doesn't do a lot of research like most of us here".

Is right in line with others that are critical of my way of traveling. Those that think there is only one way to travel and cannot take others travel experiences for what they are, just a different way of doing things.

However, if I misconstrued her posting then I apologize and ask forgiveness.

The point of the math above was that by exchanging your US$ you were losing 4% (at least) which is basically a foreign transaction fee. It is just that you paid it to a Japanese bank rather than a US bank.

MrW, my experiences is much like yours - it costs me less to get money from an ATM (I am charged 1% of the interbank rate). I haven't checked recently, but it used to be that my credit cards gave me the interbank rate on the exchange.

Kathie,

Appreciate your response and the other responses this post has generated. However, if you read my initially posting you should have noticed the following:

"When my I run out of my friendly President's, I simply find an ATM and withdraw local currency without any fees except those that may be charged for using the ATM."

The point is any form of currency exchange carries some form of fees with it. For me, exchanging my "Benjamins" to local currency or using a credit card is a last resort.

I use my US dollars first without exchange where ever possible then ATM withdrawals of local currency. My bank charges no fees for overseas withdrawals and my money is withdrawn at the current exchange rate.

Hanuman,

Those guidebooks need to be updated at least for the three 7-11's around Jimbocho Station and the Bank of Yokohama locations in Tokyo and Hakone

Well after traveling to almost 100 countries, 7 continents and 100's of other places, I am afraid I don't know much about "common sense" unless you are talking about pennies because I have lots and lots of them

There are only two 7-11 stores near the Jimbocho station according to their store locator information. There are others in the neighborhood but you didn't say that you did get far down the road....
I guess both of them are now known not to accept foreign credit cards per your report here. Here is a map for other future travelers to the Jimbocho neighborhood for reference:

http://inbound.standard.navitime.biz/sevenbank-english/Spot.act?dnvSpt=S0091.0011259413

You really should take that $19.95 you offered me earlier for the non-existing ht guide book and put it towards buying the most recent edition of the Fodor's Japan Guide Book or any other country of your future travels located here:

http://www.fodors.com/world/asia/guidebooks.html

Fodor's guidebooks are a fantastic value and contain a wealth of useful information that can literally save you hundreds of dollars each trip by following their advice. It will make you an informed traveler no matter what your previous travel experiences are. In the thousands of dollars that a trip to Japan or elsewhere cost nowadays, a $20 something dollar investment in a guide book is a smart and very inexpensive way to educate yourself and reduce all the blunders you seem to keep reporting through your reports.

Bill, to baaaaad only one day


baaa baaa baaaa

Not to belabor the point too much, but "current exchange rate" can mean many things. The comparison point you want to use is the inter-bank rate (IBR). The IBR is a sort of "gold standard" and you want to compare all other rates against it, as you are paying hidden premiums on the exchange even with your "Benjamins." The difference between the exchange rate someone (a bank, a store, etc) gives you and the IBR tells you what you are paying. Sometimes it is just a couple of percentage points, sometimes much more.

Also, if you are using US dollars to pay for things in a foreign country, with just a couple of exceptions (Burma, Cambodia) you are paying a large premium for them to accept your US dollars in lieu of the local currency. In the vast majority of cases, you would do better to exchange your dollars before paying for something.

The bottom line is that you think you are avoiding exchange charges but ultimately, you end up paying more than the rest of us on this thread. Research ahead of a trip literally "pays off."

As I've said - it just take common sense.

Hanuman, I've never understood why they call it "common sense" since it seems to be so uncommon.

i always ask a tuk tuk driver to take me to a fee free atm and that seems to work the best. they know all the places

I don't mind belaboring the point. I have time between pitches.

>>I use my US dollars first without exchange where ever possible then ATM withdrawals of local currency. My bank charges no fees for overseas withdrawals and my money is withdrawn at the current exchange rate.<<

I think that you actually mean:

I use my US dollars first as my second choice without exchange where ever possible then as my third choice ATM withdrawals cash advances (using a credit card) of local currency. My bank charges no fees for overseas withdrawals (using my cash card) and my money is withdrawn at the current exchange rate, so this is my first choice.

Kathie, I liked your explanation that the difference between converting USD to JPY in Japan and getting a cash advance from (or charging) a credit card is the difference between paying a Japanese bank (via lower exchange rate) vs paying an American bank (via transaction fees).

I'm good at math so I could factor in the subway/train/taxi/tuk-tuk fare to the airport, DMBTraveler, if you want.

Hanuman, unlike Dmb, I was a scamee, so I have a few stones/gems leftover, which I try to use in lieu of baht. Lol

Bob, you're kidding, right? Between you and jack Daniels hanuman, I don't know what to believe. Lol

mrwunrfl,

Wow, I am amazed at your numbers skills. Maybe you can analyze my Swiss account investment returns and transaction fees

However, on a more time critical matter, if Train A leaves Beijing at 7pm and travels at 70mph and Train B leaves at 11pm and travels at 140mph ....

Kuranosuke,

If you had done some research or bought HM Asia Guidebook for $19.99 plus S&H you would not have been a scamee

mrwunrfl,

I am also looking for a mind reader and editor. Dropping out of school in the 3rd grade is killing me

I thought getting a "D" in my ESOL and GED classes would have helped but I guess not

HT,

I definitely see a guidebook in your future (watch out Fodors), you are full of it (information).

No doubt you do your research which I am glad you sit by the computer anxiously waiting to share

Last time I checked using the internet and allowing you and others to share your expertise and sage advice is usually less than $19.99 plus S&H.

So right there I am saving a ton