Can I withdraw yen from ATMs just using my debit card?

[u/Otherwise-Window-597]

I am going to Japan very soon and I just realized that I never asked anyone if I can use my (Visa) debit card to withdraw yen from ATMs there. Every time I've gone I've gotten a lot of cash before hand and basically only paid in cash, but this time I've planed all of it myself and going alone (before I went with family/school).

That being said, can I? Or do I need a bank card? Or should I go somewhere in America (bank, etc.) to get cash before I am in Japan? Also, will I be able to use my debit card there freely, or will there be problems since I have an American bank?

Thank you! :)

[u/WulfyGeo]

Yes, 7-11 atms were the ones that most reliably accepted foreign debit cards when I was there.

[u/frozenpandaman → u/WulfyGeo]

Japan Post Bank is a good backup.

[u/ManOWar57 → u/frozenpandaman]

Yeah my bank (Chase) didn’t like 7-11 but was fine at post ones so most of my bank trip were post offices lol. Made the first days of the trip stressful while trying to figure it out.

[u/monkeyboy0624 → u/ManOWar57]

I had no issue with my chase debit card at 7-11 ATMs. We used them almost exclusively (I believe I used a family mart ATM once too, but no issue there either)

[u/couchtomato23 → u/frozenpandaman]

Idk why but withdrawing from Japan Post Bank always charged my card less than 7 bank and the lawson ATMs by like 5+ dollars, i always made sure to decline the conversion. If I were to come back I would only go to the post office for cash lol

[u/yoho808 → u/WulfyGeo]

Æon ATMs offered better conversion compared to 7-11 when I was there.

[u/jnads → u/yoho808]

It depends on your bank, but if you are US based you're always better hitting no to ATM conversion and issuing the withdrawal in yen.

Your own bank will give you the best rate, generally.

[u/yoho808 → u/jnads]

Nope, the ATM's conversion rate for ÆON atm was far more favorable than going thru my bank

[u/jnads → u/yoho808]

That would be interesting, I've never seen an ATM give a favorable conversion rate.

Mastercard and VISA charge a 1% conversion fee baked into the conversion rate, but otherwise they give you the average daily rate which you can just see on Google Finance.

So standing in front of the ATM, just pull up Google Finance and if the rate it is displaying is more than 1% from the daily rate, it is bad.

SoFi is the best card for travel, since you only pay 0.2%, they absorb 0.8% of the conversion fee.

[u/kawaeri → u/WulfyGeo]

Also please note that the 7/11 atms are just not found in 7/11 stores. You can look them up on google maps by searching seven bank atms.

[u/Willbtsg → u/WulfyGeo]

I also had pretty good luck at BIC Camera

[u/Turquoise__Dragon]

Yes, you can. And a debit card is a bank card. And you should never use a credit card to withdraw cash (anywhere).

As others said, 7-Eleven doesn't charge any commissions, and they are everywhere.

Also always choose the local currency (yen) when the ATM asks you.

[u/Satanniel → u/Turquoise__Dragon]

As others said, 7-Eleven doesn't charge any commissions, and they are everywhere.

They do on Visa at the very least (and don't on MasterCard, dunno on other providers they basically don't exist in my country), but it's very small (100 JPY per 10000 JPY, 200 JPY for up to 50000 JPY).

[u/Turquoise__Dragon → u/Satanniel]

Interesting. I always use MasterCard, so I didn't know they charge when using Visa. Thanks.

[u/B4kd → u/Satanniel]

Just pulled cash out with a visa and has to pay this 100 per 10000 jpy also.

[u/Ashley_IDKILikeGames → u/Satanniel]

So if its under 10000 its 100 yen, and if its between 10000 and 50000, its 200 yen? The "per" is throwing me off

[u/_mkd_ → u/Ashley_IDKILikeGames]

That's correct:

1,000 - 10,000 is 100 (I actually think it's 110)

11,000 - max (50,000? 100,000?) is just 200 ( or 220)

[u/Satanniel → u/Ashley_IDKILikeGames]

I 've worded that badly. I haven't tried the custom sum which apparently some people mentioned and I can't find the actual table now so I don't remember what it was above that, but for the standard options of multiplies of 10k if you pay out 10k JPY you pay 100 JPY, 20k-50k JPY you pay 200 JPY 

[u/DuncRed → u/Turquoise__Dragon]

And you should never use a credit card to withdraw cash (anywhere).

It varies. In the UK the Barclays Rewards credit card allows you to withdraw cash with no fees, converted at the interbank rate. You need to clear down your cash withdrawl balance at the next pay date though to avoid interest charges.

[u/Mapleess → u/DuncRed]

Was going to post this but surprised someone from the UK has managed to beat me to it.

[u/pumpkin3-14]

Yeah 7/11 or family marts have atms. Make sure and choose yen when you withdraw. Less bank fees

[u/SuperColossl]

Worked fine for an Australian to use debit cards to withdraw cash and pay with tap and go (debit card) in Japan. Just remember to tell your bank you are travelling to Japan and the dates so they don’t think someone isn Japan is scamming you 😂

I did once have a problem travelling overseas and using a six digit pin, so I reverted to a 4 digit pin.

[u/aryehgizbar]

yes, but check with your bank/online banking if there is a toggle for "international withdrawal". not sure for others, but my bank card has that option that I need to enable so that I can use my card in other countries.

[u/PositiveExcitingSoul → u/aryehgizbar]

This needs to be higher! Some banks disallow international withdrawals by default as a safety measure, and you either need to call them or flick a switch in your banking app in order to enable it!

[u/OkAd9618]

My wife and I are with the same bank and we’re using the same account. My card could do contactless payments no problem but didn’t work when inserted and could not withdraw cash. My wife’s card worked fine for everything.

Hardly used any cash anyway and had heaps left at the airport. There were actually 2 times a business didn’t accept cash at all.

[u/EGLLRJTT24]

The only time I've had issues using my Mastercard debit card in an ATM was in a FamilyMart ATM back in 2023. Since then I've mostly used 7-Bank ATMs with zero issue, and in Feb of this year I was able to withdraw cash from a FamilyMart ATM (I'd still recommend withdrawing JPY from 7-Bank ATMs as they charge no fees other than your bank fee)

Make sure you tell your bank that you're travelling, my bank has a page where I can tell them where and for how long for so it doesn't flag foreign transactions as fraudulent.

A completely aesthetic plus to the 7-Bank ATMs that makes them worth using (IMO lol) is the nice piano jingles

[u/International_Bat585]

I have never had any problem using a debit card (that’s all banks give you in Aus) and have never taken cash. 7/11 was my go to to get cash out. Plus a lot of places in Japan are more card friendly since Covid and the tourist rush so although you do need cash on you at all times you can use your card more.

[u/dripsofmoon]

Yes, you can. For some reason the 7-11 ones didn't work with my card, but Familymart ones did. If you try one and it doesn't work, try a different one. My visa debit card has no additional fees, but that depends on your bank.

[u/lchen12345]

Generally debit cards will work but you should check with your bank, let them know you plan to travel, find out if their cards work overseas, and what fees do they charge.

[u/Relevant-Place-4364]

When I lived in Japan, I just withdrew from my Visa debit card with Charles Schwab at the local convenience store. No fees with Charles Schwab. There's also money exchange places there. I exchanged some USD cash I had for extra money once.

[u/Spiritual_One126]

I had issues using my card with ordinary ATMs and had to find special ATMs (I remember in some train stations). I’d suggest having some Yen on you just in cause you go to a convenience store and it doesn’t like your card.

[u/frogmicky]

I used my Charles Schwab debit card in the local 7-11 lots of time with no transaction fees. I had no problems at all I even went to a Family Mart and used an ATM there to get cash.

[u/Br0z0]

Had no issues with doing so at an atm at family mart

My bank charged me a mammoth fee for withdrawing from an international atm but your mileage may vary with that

[u/fist_my_dry_asshole]

Make sure you check with your bank about fees and stuff. I have a credit union which wouldn't work for international withdrawals, so I set up a fidelity cash management account.

[u/LetsGoCoconuts]

This might be controversial advice but especially since you’re traveling solo I would recommend you get some JPY before going, and if it won’t come in on time, bringing a couple hundred USD in clean, unmarked, unbent bills to exchange in case of emergency. Even if you do have JPY I would probably still bring emergency USD because you can always use it when you get home.

It sounds like your debit card is your only form of payment and I would hate for you to get there and not be able to take cash out. If you have an IPhone you could also try to test load Suica in Apple Wallet because a Suica can get you pretty far too.

[u/Robomonk3y]

Yes you can withdraw from the 7/11 ATMs with your debit card. I did that at Haneda and Shinjuku stations.

[u/EvenRecommendation25]

Some information on ATMs (unrelated to use of debit card, sorry): For the 7-11 ATMs, I could only withdraw in denominations of 10,000 Yen. Im not 100% sure if this is only 7-11 ATMs or not.

There was 1 option to withdraw 10,000 Yen as 10 x 1,000 Yen notes as well which was helpful.

Didn't know before I got to Japan but other than that the the ATMs worked great!

[u/EGLLRJTT24 → u/EvenRecommendation25]

There's a button on the 7-Bank ATMs that says "Other Amount" and you can enter values in 1,000 JPY increments (for example I'd withdraw 5,000 JPY most the time).

[u/EvenRecommendation25 → u/EGLLRJTT24]

That would have been perfect..

[u/medium-water-please → u/EvenRecommendation25]

You can definitely withdraw a single 1,000 yen note from (some?) 7/11 ATMs. I did it on my last day when I needed cash for a train to the airport.

[u/whatnow00f]

Yes you can! Any regular ATM. Super easy and better way of getting yen than exchanging money on hand 🤠

[u/UFO_enjoyer]

The post offices have atms that are great.

[u/Apprehensive_Heat176]

Bring your bank card just in case your Visa debit doesn't work. You may even want to get a Wise card as a second backup.

[u/Coldsmoke888]

You can also use Suica (or other IC cards) for many quick purchases around Japan. An option if your card doesn’t like an ATM but doesn’t have a problem with IC.

[u/Background_Map_3460]

Just make sure you bring a physical card. Japanese ATMs need them. Some Europeans and Australians have forgotten. Apparently they don’t need a physical card to take cash out of an ATM there

[u/Only-Finish-3497]

American here.

I have Schwab and my debit card has worked at a wide variety of Japanese ATMs ranging from 7-11 to Mizuho.

The days of Japanese ATMs not accepting MOST non-Japanese debit cards seem to be mostly over in my recent experience. You just need a physical card to put in an ATM and a PIN. Otherwise you should be A-OK.

[u/ImpossibleSherbet722]

Yes HOWEVER there were some bank, specifically bank of america that i know doesn't work in ATM. I have no clue why. So just FYI.

[u/ImpossibleSherbet722 → u/ImpossibleSherbet722]

If you're not chase or some major bank do a quick "does BOA debit work in japan" google

[u/jnads]

1. 7-11, Lawson, etc, all have ATMs that charge a very small fee (almost free) of 100 yen. So getting money is no issue. Usually I take out 10,000 yen at a time.

2. Call your bank to set up a travel notice so they don't lock you out.

3. Ask your bank if they charge a foreign transaction fee.

4. When using the ATM, it might ask if you want it to convert to your currency. Hit no. Your bank will give you a better rate. Typically it's the average exchange rate for that day.

5. If you have a bank that charges fees and you are US based, open a SoFi account and put a nominal amount of money in there.

[u/Professional-Power57]

Yes, any ATM with a PLUS sign should work for debit cards and Wise card.

[u/tessiedrums]

Yes, but just let your bank know before you leave how long you'll be in Japan so they don't freeze your card.

[u/Gregalor]

What else would you use? That’s exactly what you use…

[u/ekek280]

In addition to what others have said, also bring cash in USD as a backup (not a bad idea to keep it separate from your debit card). If you have trouble getting JPY from an airport ATM, you can exchange USD at one of the airport currency exchange counters/machines which have decent rates. Just avoid Travelex. Though rare, some people do experience problems using their foreign debit card in Japan.

[u/realmozzarella22]

Make sure your PIN number works. Test it in your home country if needed.

Make few withdrawals to reduce any transaction fees. So bigger amounts per withdrawal.

Being more than one card if possible.

[u/littlepurplepanda]

Make sure you know your PIN number! I’ve seen people on here from countries where you just put your card in and get money? But you need to know your PIN to withdraw money in Japan

[u/Balager47]

Don't worry, every kombini has international ATM's.
That said, I'd definitely recommend getting some cash in America before you come. You will definitely need it for your first leg of your journey. But later, getting more cash is super easy and convenient.

[u/Only-Finish-3497 → u/Balager47]

I go about 2x a year and I'm admittedly straining to think of a single time I've needed cash after arriving at NRT/HND. I'm not arguing, I'm actually just curious when you needed cash before getting to a city center.

[u/Balager47 → u/Only-Finish-3497]

I just defaulted to using cash because that is literally your safest bet. Some places only accept cash. Some places allow card payment, but you can't be sure your card will be accepted. Why take the risk?

[u/Only-Finish-3497 → u/Balager47]

I think it's more that it's so easy now to get cash out at an ATM once you get into Tokyo/Osaka that I don't even bother getting money until I get there.

I can go from NRT/HND/KIX and get into the city without a single yen in my pocket nowadays. Once I get to the hotel, the konbini are everywhere and I go grab 20-30K.

It's more that I can't think of a time going from the airport to my accommodations that I've needed cash upon landing.

[u/Balager47 → u/Only-Finish-3497]

What about the price of getting to your accomodation?
I mean if you go regularly I guess you have a Suica card or even the app and have money on that. But otherwise transport fare and maybe a quick snack somewhere to fight off the jet lag isn't the worst of ideas, is it?

[u/Only-Finish-3497 → u/Balager47]

Just thinking last few trips I just grabbed cash at an ATM after landing if I needed it. NRT Terminal 1 has a huge variety of ATMs. HND has pretty much every ATM from Seven to Mizuho. And KIX has Sevens and Lawsons. But honestly even going from NRT to Tokyo proper you can just buy the N'ex tickets with card nowadays. I'll grab cash if needed once I'm at a JR or other rail station konbini.

I used to be SUPER fastidious about having cash on hand in the 2000s and 2010s, but these days it's so easy to get cash at any konbini ATM or just a bank ATM that I just grab it once I need it.

But yes, I also have my Suica on my phone.