Catherine Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 We (family of 4) are taking a week long trip to Japan!! I am beyond excited and well into the preparation stage. How much money in yen should we plan to take with us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 We never get foreign currency in advance of arrival (unless we happen to have some leftover from a previous trip). We find an atm at the airport or stop at one in a cab on the way to our hotel from the airport. ATMs operated by banks (as opposed to one of the currency exchange places at the airports) generally have as good of rates as you can get. Do check your home bank's policy regarding charges for foreign transactions. Our current bank doesn't charge foreign transaction fees and refunds any charges imposed by another bank for using its ATMs, but our previous bank's charges made it worth it for us to take out larger amounts less often. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I don't think we've ever changed money before we've gone to another country. It's cheaper and easier to change money when you arrive and there are always places to change money at the airport. You won't necessarily get the best rate at the airport, but you can change a small amount and then change more later at a better rate. It's also easier to carry dollars most of the time because you'll have fewer bills. I wouldn't take much money to Japan since it's usually cheaper to withdraw from an ATM rather than changing money, although not always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 We exchange some at the airport before we head out so we can land with some local currency in hand. Dd is going to Japan this month and said she's going to exchange $300 US at the airport before she goes. I just find it easier because it's so hectic when we land that we don't want to deal with remembering to get some local currency. If I traveled with kids I would be even more inclined to arrive in country with some money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 ATM is the way to go. Airports tend to have lousy rates. But it's also an easy option. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 ATM is the way to go. Airports tend to have lousy rates. But it's also an easy option. You're right, Airport rates aren't favorable to the traveler. Dd's $300 conversion will cost her $33, and I think landing with that many yen is too much, but she's landing at a really weird time and has to catch a shuttle that is already arranged by her school...and she's decided the $33 is an expense she's willing to bear. Dh has landed in Europe, tried to get money from an ATM and found that even though he called his credit card to tell them he was traveling, they denied his use. So he had to call them...get that straightened out before he could get some euros. Fine for him, but if he had been traveling with kids or on a certain time schedule, that could have been a real pain. So we usually land with some local currency in hand. Japan is such a cash society and dd is on her own there, so she's definitely landing with some cash on hand. She'll probably see an ATM as soon as she gets off the plane, and wish she'd saved her $33, but traveling alone (or with young kids) can be more scary. And since she won't land with a working phone, she's trying to do whatever she can to minimize glitches. Do the foreign ATMs charge a fee? I never thought to look and see if there are any. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 There often are transaction fees involved. So while we do use ATMs when traveling, we try to take out larger sums at a time - like $200 at a time instead of $50 at a time to minimize how many times we use the ATM. We don't ever change money in advance and have never faced a problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I agree, wait until you get there and then find a bank. I haven't been to Japan. I assume Japanese vendors would not accept dollars. In some countries, they would be thrilled to be paid in dollars. In Japan, you may be able to use your credit cards just like in the US. So check that out before you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I travelled for business in Japan many, many moons ago, and it seemed like there was something unusual about the atms, like the only ones my American debit card worked at were ones inside the post office? Maybe they were the only non-fee ones? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 We each carry at least a few thousand dollars worth of local currency, but we still pay for most things with credit cards. The cash is for small purchases, but is mainly in case of an emergency. I realize it's probably kind of overkill and silly, but it's what we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 ATMs can charge very different fees. The fees here in Mexico at the ATMs we've seen have ranged from $2-$8 per transaction. We skip the $8 machines when we find them. The fees were generally on the low end of that range in Kyrgyzstan, but not always. When we've been traveling in other countries I haven't paid much attention to the fees because you just have to use the ATM that's available when you need the money, so I definitely agree with withdrawing a larger amount than you might normally (but not more than you're comfortable carrying or losing). Also, even without foreign transaction fees, a credit card is going to give you a worse rate than you'd probably get at an ATM. And using a credit card overseas can be hard sometimes depending on how careful your cc company is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Last few trips, I haven't brought much cash really. In Europe we got some and had to keep changing it between euros and swiss francs and euros and pounds ... but my credit card was good pretty much everywhere. In Argentina people loved US dollars. In Chile my credit card was good everywhere. I had a little trouble in China (off the beaten path) about a decade ago. I had to buy a bunch of clothes because my suitcase got lost. They asked for a passcode for my credit card, which I did not have (or did not know). I thought I was about to be arrested for a minute. Finally we put a bunch of stuff back on the shelves and only bought what our Renminbis would cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I should note that we did call our credit card company and let them know we would be traveling internationally, so they would not cut us off when they started seeing the charges. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I travelled for business in Japan many, many moons ago, and it seemed like there was something unusual about the atms, like the only ones my American debit card worked at were ones inside the post office? Maybe they were the only non-fee ones? The post office and 7-11 stores have ATMs that work with the debit card system we use- and there are a bajillion 7-11 stores there. These are the ones with the cirrus/PLUS logo that US debit cards usually have on the back. It's going to be difficult for dd to get used to Japan because here everyone just swiped a debit or credit card to pay for things. Nobody thinks twice here about using a card to pay for a coffee or a fast food lunch. Lots of people use a credit card for everything because they're collecting points to use for travel or cash back. But Japan is much more of a cash based society- dd has been warned to expect to pay cash for nearly everything. Her apartment rent and utilities included! I bet tourists can get by with a lot more credit card use- hotels, nicer restaurants, etc. will take credit cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I should note that we did call our credit card company and let them know we would be traveling internationally, so they would not cut us off when they started seeing the charges. :iagree: It may or may not be absolutely necessary to do that, but I think it is definitely worth the few minutes it takes to call and inform the credit card companies about an upcoming international trip. Better safe than sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Also, contact your bank and let them know you will be traveling. I forgot to do this a couple years ago and they locked down my ATM card because the sudden foreign transactions were flagged as suspicious. It took some very expensive phone calls to the U.S. to get the card available for transactions again. Never have had a problem when I stopped by my bank and gave them a heads up before traveling, though, and I agree that ATMs are the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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