With higher acceptance for JCB cards in Japan, maybe try and get a JCB prepaid card while you are in Japan?
Itās probably not worth the fees, considering that American Express (works everywhere JCB works) charges a 3% foreign transaction fee. Thereās really only a few places where JCB/American Express/Dinerās Club/Discover work that Visa/MasterCard donāt. A 3% fee on those few transactions is likely to prove cheaper than dealing with a prepaid card.
What type of places donāt accept MasterCard?, Like would a shopping center not accept it?
Honestly, I used my fee-free MBNA Everyday Plus American Express (discontinued) almost everywhere in Japan so I didnāt really notice where MasterCard didnāt work. There were a few shops that my friend couldnāt use their Visa card I could use my American Express.
Conversely, there were a few places I had to pull out my MasterCard because MBNA often declines magnetic stripe transactions (the shop took Amex but MBNA declined it). I donāt know if this is an issue with Monzo for purchases or only ATMs (the app implies ATMs) but you may need to enable magstripe mode.
In total though, the difference is minor. Iād say JCB/American Express/Discover/Dinerās Club work at only a few percent of places that donāt take Visa/MasterCard.
Really, the magstripe issue with MBNA was as serious. The lesson is to diversify no-FX fee cards so you have a few you can try when travelling!
Also remember there is almost no global standard (EMV or magstripe emulation) contactless support. Only FeLiCa. Chip and PIN is the norm, and donāt try to insert your card into the PIN pad yourself. You will seemingly offend the cashier. The slot is on the back for a reason.
Hi. Iāve just returned from Japan and have a few things to add.
7-11 (7Bank) and JP Post have both started charging for ATM transactions. Withdrawing 20,000JPY had a 216JPY fee at a JP Post machine, not sure about 7Bank. They used to be free, so itās something to be aware of.
International chip+PIN card acceptance seems to be growing around Tokyo, but itās still advisable to carry a fair amount of cash, particularly out of the major cities.
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Japan has a very confident and assured control on who can do what within their jurisdiction. I think that should be seen as reassuring. They are masters at understanding and using data analysis and IT to their and their citizens benefit. We in the rest of the world can learn something from this. Itās on my bucket list to go there and live out the rest of my life, so I am buzy learning and enjoying Japanese.
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The ATMs at Seven Eleven have a 20 minute period each day where they refuse transactions with certain cards. This is from approx 23:50 until 00:10, probably to reconcile the daily accounts.
Japanese consumers heavily favour cash, with only about 20% of all payments made using cashless methods compared with around 90% in South Korea and roughly 50% for both the U.S.A. and China.
Article on growth of contactless payments and QR mobile payments in Japan.
Based on this site
https://www.aeonbank.co.jp/atm/en/page02.html
Aeon Bank ATMs should not charge extra for withdrawals. However, cannot verify if thatās true, Iāve not been to Japan 
(yet)
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So, to summarise - it sounds like Monzo and a Mastercard credit card should be fine where cards are taken, but whatās the cheapest way to buy a huge pile of Yen? Would you do it here or there?
or somewhere else? Some years ago (before the Euro) en route from UK to Austria I got their local currency in Netherlands as I got a better rate than UK.
Yeah I wasnāt planning to stop en routeā¦could always buy them in advance on a different trip though! Regardless, is it best to just use Bureaux de Change, or is there a clever way these days?
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and not going by train like I did, though you must try out the bullet train while there!
Will do!
I stopped using bureaux de change decades ago as I started using the clever (i.e. cheaper, way) of just withdrawing cash from a bank card.
Going back to using exchange bureaus seems so 1990s!
Obviously you canāt take your Monzo card for this but if you have a Starling account as well you could leave your Monzo card behind and take their card for any foreign trips.
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Definitely agree with this. Even in the mid- to late-1990s I withdrew cash from ATMs on arrival instead of using Bureaux de Change. Not worth paying their commissions/inflated rates.
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Well yes. Iāve been the same for ten years but since Monzo started charging, Iāve religiously stayed under the Ā£200. Ah so do Starling not have the charge? Perhaps Iāll follow up on why my card never arrived after allā¦
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As I am about to depart from Japan, I will share my experience.
In the past when I travelled to Japan Iāve been using my debit card and ATM to get cash on arrival. This time with Monzo I tried to experiment as much as possible. Here is the result:
ATMs:
7-Eleven - works fine and is free
Familymart - works but asks for a fee
Lawson -works but asks for a fee
JP Post - works but asks for a fee
Paying in shops (no minimum spend required) :
Lawson - Chip, no PIN required
7-Eleven - Swipe, no signature required
FamilyMart - Swipe, no signature required
Ministop - Swipe and signature
Odakyu Rail - Swipe and signature
Mandarake - Chip & PIN
AmiAmi - Chip & PIN
Mcdonalds - CONTACTLESS WORKS HERE!!! This comes as a shock considering that just 2 years ago Japanese mcdonalds was a cash only business.
Unfortunately, I havenāt managed to get Google Pay to work anywhere.
Thatās it. This was my first time in Japan when I managed to survive using card about 50% of the time, so things are slowly moving forward here.
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