topic Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan? in Credit Cards

Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

ways2go — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 20:26:56 GMT

My daughter will be going to Japan late summer. Which one is accepted more, visa , MasterCard, or Amex? I can get her a Discover as well? Personally she has a Freedom card and a BOA MasterCard, and she is an AU on my Amex.

Thanks

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Callandra — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 20:41:10 GMT

Visa is best but if she's just visiting, I highly recommend bringing mostly cash (TCs and you can exchange them easily at any bank). Non-Japan issued cards can be a pain at times there.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

red259 — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:03:15 GMT

@Callandra wrote:
Visa is best but if she's just visiting, I highly recommend bringing mostly cash (TCs and you can exchange them easily at any bank). Non-Japan issued cards can be a pain at times there.

Hmm. My next trip I think will be to China, but Japan is on the list. I take it non-japanese cards would be ok when staying in chain hotels?

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Luscher — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:05:13 GMT

Probably Visa but you should be good with any of them. Make sure they have a no foreign transactions fees though. Thats probably more important.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Callandra — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:12:39 GMT

@red259 wrote:
@Callandra wrote:
Visa is best but if she's just visiting, I highly recommend bringing mostly cash (TCs and you can exchange them easily at any bank). Non-Japan issued cards can be a pain at times there.
Hmm. My next trip I think will be to China, but Japan is on the list. I take it non-japanese cards would be ok when staying in chain hotels?

Big/chain hotels should be fine (but if your daughter is going to a ryokan or a hostel, probably not). Big department stores/electronic stores will also be okay as they're more "international." Smaller stores that accept CCs might have problems with non-Japan issued cards; happened to my one friend all the time when we used to go shopping.

EDIT: Not sure on Amex acceptance to be honest, I never really paid that much attention (I had a Japan Visa anyway) but I still think Visa is the way to go. Discover might be an issue (I've been informed that in order for JCB accepting merchants to also use Discover they have to apply for it so you might get places that haven't applied, or you might get some stubborn Japanese clerk who will refuse to try the card.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

mongstradamus — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:21:07 GMT

Its not really japan related , but more far east related. When i went to thailand in september. If they accept CC at its usually MC first, then visa. Cash was most important because an lot of places didn't take CC. Also something that was kind of weird was when i wanted to buy an ticket from Bangkok to ChiangMai they wouldn't accept my CSP. They wouldn't allow foreign credit cards. At the fancier restuarants and when i got my haircut they did take CSP with no problem.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

red259 — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:27:12 GMT

@mongstradamus wrote:
Its not really japan related , but more far east related. When i went to thailand in september. If they accept CC at its usually MC first, then visa. Cash was most important because an lot of places didn't take CC. Also something that was kind of weird was when i wanted to buy an ticket from Bangkok to ChiangMai they wouldn't accept my CSP. They wouldn't allow foreign credit cards. At the fancier restuarants and when i got my haircut they did take CSP with no problem.

Haven't been in Thailand for like 15 years, but when I was there I did everything in cash. Of course, the exchange rate was soo good I lived like a king on peanuts. Heh.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

mongstradamus — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:33:41 GMT

@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
Its not really japan related , but more far east related. When i went to thailand in september. If they accept CC at its usually MC first, then visa. Cash was most important because an lot of places didn't take CC. Also something that was kind of weird was when i wanted to buy an ticket from Bangkok to ChiangMai they wouldn't accept my CSP. They wouldn't allow foreign credit cards. At the fancier restuarants and when i got my haircut they did take CSP with no problem.
Haven't been in Thailand for like 15 years, but when I was there I did everything in cash. Of course, the exchange rate was soo good I lived like a king on peanuts. Heh.

its still very cheap depending on where you go. I would goto noodle stands for lunch almost every day, so was only few bucks for lunch. And the food was very good. I can't eat thai food in the US now its tastes so bad :-(

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

red259 — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:07:07 GMT

@mongstradamus wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
Its not really japan related , but more far east related. When i went to thailand in september. If they accept CC at its usually MC first, then visa. Cash was most important because an lot of places didn't take CC. Also something that was kind of weird was when i wanted to buy an ticket from Bangkok to ChiangMai they wouldn't accept my CSP. They wouldn't allow foreign credit cards. At the fancier restuarants and when i got my haircut they did take CSP with no problem.
Haven't been in Thailand for like 15 years, but when I was there I did everything in cash. Of course, the exchange rate was soo good I lived like a king on peanuts. Heh.
its still very cheap depending on where you go. I would goto noodle stands for lunch almost every day, so was only few bucks for lunch. And the food was very good. I can't eat thai food in the US now its tastes so bad :-(

I remember staying at a 5 star marriott resort for like $75 a night. It was insane. Think the exchange was 40 baht to a dollar at the time.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

mongstradamus — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:10:48 GMT

@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@mongstradamus wrote:
Its not really japan related , but more far east related. When i went to thailand in september. If they accept CC at its usually MC first, then visa. Cash was most important because an lot of places didn't take CC. Also something that was kind of weird was when i wanted to buy an ticket from Bangkok to ChiangMai they wouldn't accept my CSP. They wouldn't allow foreign credit cards. At the fancier restuarants and when i got my haircut they did take CSP with no problem.
Haven't been in Thailand for like 15 years, but when I was there I did everything in cash. Of course, the exchange rate was soo good I lived like a king on peanuts. Heh.
its still very cheap depending on where you go. I would goto noodle stands for lunch almost every day, so was only few bucks for lunch. And the food was very good. I can't eat thai food in the US now its tastes so bad :-(
I remember staying at a 5 star marriott resort for like $75 a night. It was insane. Think the exchange was 40 baht to a dollar at the time.

its around 32 now when i was there i have family there so i have never stayed at hotel before. Hotels aren't that cheap now though. They are relatively normal prices of high end resort. 250+ , but its not crazy like here in the states where its like 1000+

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:58:41 GMT

Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and you get 3 points on all purchases xD

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

yfan — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 23:48:08 GMT

@ways2go wrote:
My daughter will be going to Japan late summer. Which one is accepted more, visa , MasterCard, or Amex? I can get her a Discover as well? Personally she has a Freedom card and a BOA MasterCard, and she is an AU on my Amex.

Thanks

Ger her a Discover card. Due to an agreement with JCB, Discover is accepted everywhere JCB is, and JCB is Japan's most widely used network.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Kellan — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 00:25:18 GMT

Discover has a deal with JCB, but also take a backup Visa/MC because in my experience merchants are sometimes unwilling to try a discover card, They don't see it as a jcb card.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Kellan — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 00:27:33 GMT

Also in Thailand you can still get awesme deals on 4 star hotels. I stayed n Phket in Sept for 120 a night at a pretty nice SPG property.

I am making reservations for 4 store property for about the same over Songkran this year. If you are having problems finding deals in Thailand let me know.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

mongstradamus — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 00:46:48 GMT

@Kellan wrote:
Also in Thailand you can still get awesme deals on 4 star hotels. I stayed n Phket in Sept for 120 a night at a pretty nice SPG property.

I am making reservations for 4 store property for about the same over Songkran this year. If you are having problems finding deals in Thailand let me know.

Where do you goto book hotels i am curioius , i have never had to book hotel in thailand, but i did want to try and see if i could find an good price for four seasons in chiang mai.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

BottomRanker — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 05:02:36 GMT

In Japan, expect to pay cash for daily essentials - transportation, meals, amusement, etc. Many cash-only stores and vending machines also accept the regional NFC cash-rechargeable cards - e.g., Suica in Tokyo.

Convenience stores and department stores will in general accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. If you have a Discover card, it may be accepted over the JCB network at some merchants, but this is not guaranteed whatsoever and is on a merchant-to-merchant basis. (The people above are wrong. It has nothing to do with the cashiers.)

Diners Club International in Japan does you nothing as a Discover cardholder.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Callandra — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 17:55:26 GMT

@BottomRanker wrote:
In Japan, expect to pay cash for daily essentials - transportation, meals, amusement, etc. Many cash-only stores and vending machines also accept the regional NFC cash-rechargeable cards - e.g., Suica in Tokyo.

Convenience stores and department stores will in general accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. If you have a Discover card, it may be accepted over the JCB network at some merchants, but this is not guaranteed whatsoever and is on a merchant-to-merchant basis. (The people above are wrong. It has nothing to do with the cashiers.)

Diners Club International in Japan does you nothing as a Discover cardholder.

I believe Suica and Pasmo (and the other regional ones) can be recharged [even automatically] with a CC but it might have to be a Japan-issued one. Not totally sure on that as I've been outside Japan for two years now. Cash is the easiest way to reload the card but if your daughter can make use of the JR pass, I'd highly recommend that (will pay for itself if she visits Kansai and she can ride Hikari shinkansen). (I'm also pretty sure shinkansen tickets can be bought with non-Japan cards, think I've done it myself)

I meant the cashier might be the problem as in, they don't recognize the card and refuse to try it as Japanese people tend to be stubborn. Not that they don't know how to run the transaction. In retail, you swipe the card and see if the system takes it; that's universal.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

go_FICO_self — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 18:05:05 GMT

@mongstradamus wrote:
@Kellan wrote:
Also in Thailand you can still get awesme deals on 4 star hotels. I stayed n Phket in Sept for 120 a night at a pretty nice SPG property.

I am making reservations for 4 store property for about the same over Songkran this year. If you are having problems finding deals in Thailand let me know.
Where do you goto book hotels i am curioius , i have never had to book hotel in thailand, but i did want to try and see if i could find an good price for four seasons in chiang mai.

Please stay on topic. If you want to discuss Thailand start your own thread.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 18:49:30 GMT

@ways2go wrote:
My daughter will be going to Japan late summer. Which one is accepted more, visa , MasterCard, or Amex? I can get her a Discover as well? Personally she has a Freedom card and a BOA MasterCard, and she is an AU on my Amex.

Thanks

From my travels of Japan and China, I can say that your daughter will be fine with a visa and a mastercard, but heavily rely on cash. Restaurant and hotels will accept credit cards, but whole in the wall restaurants and some tourists spots operate cash only. Some of the taxis in Tokyo do accept credit card lol. If your daughter can, have her exchange her money at the hotel she is staying at or find a Citi Bank. If she banks with BofA, they might have a relationship with a bank in Japan to where she will not be charged ATM or exchange rate fees when withdrawing money out of an approved ATM. Citi Bank still charges you exchange rate fee even if you have a bank account with them and use one of their ATMs =_= (then what's they point of having you as a bank then?).

For China, the same rules apply including the BofA and Citi Bank information.

Re: Which of three are more commonly accepted in Japan?

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 18:52:37 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and you get 3 points on all purchases xD

I believe those are only US based purchases.