I'm looking into using points/miles for a vacation at the end of the month. Looking at potentially China or Japan (depending on which airliines I can get premium rewards on etc). That being said How is credit card use/acceptance in Japan and China? I have a couple without FTF and I would like to charge as much as I can to my cards to minmize the need to carry large amounts of cash etc. My cards are US issue so I'm not sure how they can impact their use. How is card acceptance at hotels (I assume easy), restaurants, attractions, train stations, taxis etc? I figure that Japan would probably have a wider acceptance rate than China.
;
@yfan wrote:In both China and Japan, Discover is the most accepted network (outstripping Visa and Mastercard) due to agreements with ChinaPay and JCB, respectively the largest payment networks in those countries.
Of course I don't have a discover!
Not sure about China but I did live in Japan for quite some time...
For hotels (any major hotel chain), I highly doubt you'll have a problem. I recommend bringing a Visa card as Japanese people will easily recognize it. Discover can work on the JCB network but I've been told that the store actually has to incorporate that in its usage and Japanese clerks can be stubborn and refuse to try the card if they don't recognize it.
I don't think you can really use CCs to buy train fare (they might take Japan-based cards though, at least for teiki reloads and stuff, vaguely remember that, I always bought mine with cash when I lived there) and I wouldn't count on it for taxis either (always try to have exact change for taxis, they will appreciate it and you don't have to tip!). If you're planning on doing shinkansen travel, definitely check out the JR pass as one round-trip on the shinkansen will pay for itself.
Big/major restaurants will take CCs as well but smaller places (if you want to go to mom & pop places) may or may not (leaning on may not). I have been out of Japan for two years so things may have changed but Japan is still a pretty cash-based society. I actually recommend traveler's checks for everyday expenses and if you can use your CC, great. Some smaller places that take cards might have a hard time reading the chip & sig data (this happened to my friend all the time) as they're set for chip & pin in Japan.
EDIT: as for attractions, it depends on what -- amusement parks and stuff probably take CCs but temples/shrines/gardens/etc will only take cash.
Quicksilver $10,000 | Better Balance Rewards $2000 | Sallie Mae $3500 | Freedom $3500
@Callandra wrote:Not sure about China but I did live in Japan for quite some time...
For hotels (any major hotel chain), I highly doubt you'll have a problem. I recommend bringing a Visa card as Japanese people will easily recognize it. Discover can work on the JCB network but I've been told that the store actually has to incorporate that in its usage and Japanese clerks can be stubborn and refuse to try the card if they don't recognize it.
I don't think you can really use CCs to buy train fare (they might take Japan-based cards though, at least for teiki reloads and stuff, vaguely remember that, I always bought mine with cash when I lived there) and I wouldn't count on it for taxis either (always try to have exact change for taxis, they will appreciate it and you don't have to tip!). If you're planning on doing shinkansen travel, definitely check out the JR pass as one round-trip on the shinkansen will pay for itself.
Big/major restaurants will take CCs as well but smaller places (if you want to go to mom & pop places) may or may not (leaning on may not). I have been out of Japan for two years so things may have changed but Japan is still a pretty cash-based society. I actually recommend traveler's checks for everyday expenses and if you can use your CC, great. Some smaller places that take cards might have a hard time reading the chip & sig data (this happened to my friend all the time) as they're set for chip & pin in Japan.
EDIT: as for attractions, it depends on what -- amusement parks and stuff probably take CCs but temples/shrines/gardens/etc will only take cash.
To show how clueless I am I had to google "shinkansen". I am looking to go to Tokyo and Kyoto and probably will spend a week and a half to two weeks in Japan so not sure where else to visit. Leaning towards Japan at the moment because it seems like it would be a bit less stressful than a China trip (my reading on China makes it remind me of my trip to Thailand/Cambodia), which was interesting but not necessarily a relaxing holiday with people constantly coming at you for one thing or another. In addition I have my free hilton and hyatt nights so that should help offset some of the expense of Japan.
@red259 wrote:
@Callandra wrote:Not sure about China but I did live in Japan for quite some time...
For hotels (any major hotel chain), I highly doubt you'll have a problem. I recommend bringing a Visa card as Japanese people will easily recognize it. Discover can work on the JCB network but I've been told that the store actually has to incorporate that in its usage and Japanese clerks can be stubborn and refuse to try the card if they don't recognize it.
I don't think you can really use CCs to buy train fare (they might take Japan-based cards though, at least for teiki reloads and stuff, vaguely remember that, I always bought mine with cash when I lived there) and I wouldn't count on it for taxis either (always try to have exact change for taxis, they will appreciate it and you don't have to tip!). If you're planning on doing shinkansen travel, definitely check out the JR pass as one round-trip on the shinkansen will pay for itself.
Big/major restaurants will take CCs as well but smaller places (if you want to go to mom & pop places) may or may not (leaning on may not). I have been out of Japan for two years so things may have changed but Japan is still a pretty cash-based society. I actually recommend traveler's checks for everyday expenses and if you can use your CC, great. Some smaller places that take cards might have a hard time reading the chip & sig data (this happened to my friend all the time) as they're set for chip & pin in Japan.
EDIT: as for attractions, it depends on what -- amusement parks and stuff probably take CCs but temples/shrines/gardens/etc will only take cash.
To show how clueless I am I had to google "shinkansen". I am looking to go to Tokyo and Kyoto and probably will spend a week and a half to two weeks in Japan so not sure where else to visit. Leaning towards Japan at the moment because it seems like it would be a bit less stressful than a China trip (my reading on China makes it remind me of my trip to Thailand/Cambodia), which was interesting but not necessarily a relaxing holiday with people constantly coming at you for one thing or another. In addition I have my free hilton and hyatt nights so that should help offset some of the expense of Japan.
Oh, sorry, lol, I always call it the shinkansen since I HATE the "English" name and even the English signs at Japanese train stations call it "Shinkansen." Tokyo and Kyoto are good choices! If you need any help/want advice, feel free to ask me. 
If you're going to Kyoto, make sure to take a day for Nara (you can see cute deer, visit some really nice places there; I think Nara is way better than the overrated/overcrowded Kyoto). Tokyo is pretty insane (try riding the Yamanote line during morning rush hour! You will learn how it feels to be a sardine) but maybe less stressful than China? For the most part, Japanese people are very nice and try to be helpful towards tourists even if they can't really speak English.