Japan - currency exchange in Canberra

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  Archi on 27/11/2018 - 14:19

  3 weeks ago when i was there, i was getting 0.80-0.81 cents through city bank mastercard and diners club card which was ok for that period.

  at the money changing machines at train stations and shopping malls they were quoting 75 cents. US dollar however is you have was around $1.10

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  boomramada on 27/11/2018 - 14:21

  You can use Auspost

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  altomic on 27/11/2018 - 14:24

  Japan is NOT still very much a society based on cash.

  it is just slightly more cash based than Australia is.

  [source : I lived in Japan (when it was a cash society) and still visit regularly - it is now a very card-friendly society]

  when are you leaving? your best bet (rather than suffering from average cash exchange fees) is to get a fee free card

  • 

    jkcat on 27/11/2018 - 14:53

    For most tourist oriented places I see no problem carrying little cash, however it's not Slightly less in regards to cashless popularity - page 10 (51.0% Australia vs 18.4% Japan in 2015)

    Good thing is they still have ATMs everywhere.

  • 

    boomramada on 27/11/2018 - 15:16

    Nothing wrong with carrying some cash. Last time when I was there, there were few places only accept cash.
    When you in holiday, you need time to visit places and eat Udon, don't have time to look for ATM.
    Then again there were few places offering massive discounts when you pay by Visa etc.

  • 

    DarthAntz on 27/11/2018 - 15:51

    If you're staying in the cities only, sure the ATMs are plenty and you can use ATMs in most large retailers and restaurants. however if you are doing tourist stuff, you'll definitely need cash.
    I wouldnt say its slightly more cash based than australia, as you can use cards in probably 95% of places in australia, compared to ~50% of places in japan. Edit: just read jkcat's stats
    Source: currently living in rural japan past 3-4 years. i use cash 95% of the time. cards are only used online or withdrawaling money.

    Definitely get a fee-free card if you have the time and withdrawl here. otherwise i would go to Auspost for best exchange.

  • 

    coffeemornings on 09/12/2018 - 19:23

    Thanks! A little late in replying.

    I am leaving pretty soon - in 2 weeks time.

    With the fee free card, would you recommend the BankWest Zero Plat card or the ANZ Rewards Travel Adventure? I notice there is a points deal going on for the latter at the moment. But, there is also an annual fee for the latter (although redeemable with a domestic return flight.)

    I will be keen to get either credit card, and cancel 1 of the 2 cards I have now (as I have not used it in ages.)

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  spottydog on 28/11/2018 - 08:42

  You can withdraw cash in Japan from post office's and 7-11 stores using your credit card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19YwmUlRXbY

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  SirFlibbled on 28/11/2018 - 13:58

  I have no idea about rates but oddly Woden Westfield has three money exchange places in close proximity so you might be able to get a good rate there.

  I'd recommend you use ATMs though even if it's just for security. Cash can't be replaced if you lose it.

  • 

    DarthAntz on 28/11/2018 - 14:08

    google search '100 aud to jpy' to see the current rate, that you'll never be able to match in a shop. the closest to that rate you can find, the better. if its different by 10c (or 10%), definitely walk away. You'll find horrible rates at most airports in australia.

    Japan is a very secure country to carry cash in. elderly people in my town have been known to hand 10yen in to the police. definitely the opposite of australia.

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  damoss on 04/12/2018 - 17:55

  I know this is probably a silly question, but when drawing from an ATM in japan with one of the no overseas transaction fee cards, will the amount just be converted from AUD into YEN using the current exchange rates found on XE for example? or does the bank supplying the ATM have their own exchange rates?

  • 

    escusemay on 05/12/2018 - 02:07

    +1

    Depends on the bank you're with. I'm currently using both a Citibank Plus Debit and Macquarie Platinum Debit card.

    I did a test the other day at 3 different ATMs on one night- the one inside Lawson's, 7-Eleven and Family Mart. Both Lawson's and Family Mart charged 216 yen for withdrawals of >20,000 yen. Only the 7-Eleven one didn't charge me the fees and gave me the best rate. It did warn me that there 'may' be an ATM charge but I've withdrawn about 100,000 yen this trip and haven't been charged from 7-Eleven. I also got a slightly better exchange rate with Macquarie compared to Citi.

    So by having to pay 216 yen a few times from trial and error, I can conclude that Macquarie Platinum @ 7-Eleven is the best combo to get the best exchange rate for me.

    Don't bother with money changers in Japan. They've been sitting around 71-74 yen per $ when the XE rate was around 83 yen per $. The best rate at a money changer I've seen this trip was at Sapporo which was around 79 yen per $. But generally it seems you can get better rates in Australia so change before you fly over if you can't manage to get any fee-free cards.

    I have my Coles Mastercard and Citibank Signature Diners card as well which have been useful for the majority of the trip. All the convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson's, Family Mart, Seicomart etc) accept it and I've found Family Mart processes my Diners card the fastest.

    If you're shopping at Yodabashi, you can get an extra 5% off using VISA. There is also a 7% BIC Camera coupon flying around online as well which I can send you if you decide to shop there and that's on top of the 8% Tourist Tax Free price which works out better than the 5% VISA.

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      damoss on 05/12/2018 - 09:11

      Wow! Thank you so much for the detailed reply! Massive help