Easier banking/credit cards for English-speaking expats?
#16
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: TYO / WAS / NYC
Programs: American Express got a hit man lookin' for me
Posts: 4,612
Incidentally, E-Trade will let you open a brokerage account with a Japanese address, and it works just like a US bank account with checking etc. This is really handy for getting paid in USD or maintaining US credit cards/student loans.
#17
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: 1A
Programs: UA GS, NH Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist (formerly Courtesy Card sadly), Amanjunkie, CLEAR
Posts: 3,713
Well, there is the issue that you have to do everything through a US address. If there is someone in the US who you trust to receive and forward your mail, fine, but otherwise the statements, replacement cards, correspondence, etc. are all going to go into someone else's hands.
Incidentally, E-Trade will let you open a brokerage account with a Japanese address, and it works just like a US bank account with checking etc. This is really handy for getting paid in USD or maintaining US credit cards/student loans.
Incidentally, E-Trade will let you open a brokerage account with a Japanese address, and it works just like a US bank account with checking etc. This is really handy for getting paid in USD or maintaining US credit cards/student loans.
Immediate thoughts would be to use a mail forwarding service or parents / kin still in the States. Then again, truth is, I haven't received snail mail from Chase (Hyatt and United cards) in a long time. Online statements and other correspondences - I think only replacement cards might be an issue and I'd just tell them I was "traveling" at the time and have them overnight it to Japan. I've done that before when my card was compromised while traveling without issue - once they exhaustively verified who I was via phone.
#18
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: HHonors Gold, Marriott Lifetime Gold, IHG Gold, OZ*G, AA Gold, AS MVP
Posts: 1,874
No, AmEx Japan's transfer partners aren't quite the same (but still no AA). I remember talking someone through using their MR points and was wondering why they were saying they couldn't see the partners I saw on the list until I noticed theirs was Japan-based. Also, there's a cap on transferring points to NH from a Japan-based account.
In my personal experience, most of these vendors will take foreign AmEx cards. I use my Bluebird and regular prepaid AmEx when visiting Japan for this reason (and so that it isn't all load-withdraw-bill pay all the time). But be careful if you link it to Mobile Suica or Edy- loss of signal while attempting to reload left me with over 10k yen tied up in holds once.
#19
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: SUV
Programs: UA *G MM
Posts: 7,018
It can also be more than 1 JPY when forex market is volatile (which is frequent for USD/JPY) as they don't constantly update the exchange rate.
Actually the spread is higher or there is a transaction fee that is removed at a lower threshold. I forget but maybe 1 million yen in your account.
#20
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: SUV
Programs: UA *G MM
Posts: 7,018
Well, there is the issue that you have to do everything through a US address. If there is someone in the US who you trust to receive and forward your mail, fine, but otherwise the statements, replacement cards, correspondence, etc. are all going to go into someone else's hands.
Incidentally, E-Trade will let you open a brokerage account with a Japanese address, and it works just like a US bank account with checking etc. This is really handy for getting paid in USD or maintaining US credit cards/student loans.
Incidentally, E-Trade will let you open a brokerage account with a Japanese address, and it works just like a US bank account with checking etc. This is really handy for getting paid in USD or maintaining US credit cards/student loans.
Capital One refused to send it overseas, I think, or maybe they did at first and then relented. I forget.
Also all banks and CCs in the US are set to paperless so I never get any correspondence.
#21
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: SUV
Programs: UA *G MM
Posts: 7,018
In my personal experience, most of these vendors will take foreign AmEx cards. I use my Bluebird and regular prepaid AmEx when visiting Japan for this reason (and so that it isn't all load-withdraw-bill pay all the time). But be careful if you link it to Mobile Suica or Edy- loss of signal while attempting to reload left me with over 10k yen tied up in holds once.
#22
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SIN / SFO
Programs: UA GS, SQ PPS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold
Posts: 1,220
If English is a requirement, you'll miss out on the best options for banking services and cards.
Within six months of moving to Japan, with no local credit history, I successfully got an ANA Amex Gold card (no limit as far as I can tell, but must be paid in full each month) and a JAL JCB card (500,000JPY limit for revolving charges). Both of these cards have some nice perks, reasonable annual fees (for Japan, at least), and good service, but no English whatsoever.
As far as banks, I'm a big fan of Rakuten for their Visa debit card, and MUFJ for everything else. Neither really has any English service worth speaking of, though, as far as I'm aware.
Within six months of moving to Japan, with no local credit history, I successfully got an ANA Amex Gold card (no limit as far as I can tell, but must be paid in full each month) and a JAL JCB card (500,000JPY limit for revolving charges). Both of these cards have some nice perks, reasonable annual fees (for Japan, at least), and good service, but no English whatsoever.
As far as banks, I'm a big fan of Rakuten for their Visa debit card, and MUFJ for everything else. Neither really has any English service worth speaking of, though, as far as I'm aware.
#23
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: TYO / WAS / NYC
Programs: American Express got a hit man lookin' for me
Posts: 4,612
They can be not so good, though. I tried to get in on the 100k BA Visa offer a while back, having a Chase credit card already and using my parents' house as the address for both, and got a letter in the mail demanding proof that I still lived at that address...
#24
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: HHonors Gold, Marriott Lifetime Gold, IHG Gold, OZ*G, AA Gold, AS MVP
Posts: 1,874
That's why I regularly renewed my ID and had mail delivered to my US address while living outside the US. Though they don't seem able to do 24-hour delivery to China, unlike Japan.
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: HND
Programs: JAL Sapphire
Posts: 542
Thanks for all your input.
I think this is what I'm going to do when I take the plunge next year:
Banking
- Use both Shinsei and Citi
- Steadily build balances with Shinsei (I'll be starting from zero, so that will take a while )
- Put slightly smaller share of income into Citi for expenses and transfers to the US (since I won't have to pay the remittance fee)
CC
- Not going to bother at all with Japan cards
- Cancel existing annual fee cards except for US Plat*
- Sign up for BofA total rewards 1.5% (no fee card) for most expenses (and put some minimal amount of cash in a US BofA account so that I effectively get 1.65%)
- Use mobile Suica and point it the BofA card
* Since I'm going to be flying a lot of AA (both back home in the US and probably codeshares on CX/JL metal), I'd rather keep the lounge access, plus all the other perks.
Also, I will have a mailing address in the US where I can pick up my mail quarterly, so hopefully it won't be that big an issue.
I think this is what I'm going to do when I take the plunge next year:
Banking
- Use both Shinsei and Citi
- Steadily build balances with Shinsei (I'll be starting from zero, so that will take a while )
- Put slightly smaller share of income into Citi for expenses and transfers to the US (since I won't have to pay the remittance fee)
CC
- Not going to bother at all with Japan cards
- Cancel existing annual fee cards except for US Plat*
- Sign up for BofA total rewards 1.5% (no fee card) for most expenses (and put some minimal amount of cash in a US BofA account so that I effectively get 1.65%)
- Use mobile Suica and point it the BofA card
* Since I'm going to be flying a lot of AA (both back home in the US and probably codeshares on CX/JL metal), I'd rather keep the lounge access, plus all the other perks.
Also, I will have a mailing address in the US where I can pick up my mail quarterly, so hopefully it won't be that big an issue.
#26
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: Tokyo Monorail Diamond-Encrusted-Platinum
Posts: 9,656
#28
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Yokohama (near HND, TYO)
Programs: meltdowngraded from "F" and "C" , Accor Plt, BW Dia, ihg G, UA 0.9999MM
Posts: 1,569
I am curious. Is it a Japanese person who answers on the English line, or is it outsourced to, say , the Philipnes or India?
#29
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Seattle, WA (ex Tokyo, JP)
Programs: A3*G, DL Platinum
Posts: 865
#30
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: SUV
Programs: UA *G MM
Posts: 7,018
Unless you deposit USD 200,000 in Shinsei then there is no major benefit since that is necessary to get platinum status and the 50% forex discount.
Well, I suppose Shinsei gold gives you 20% discount on forex. If you are converting USD 100k per year then it would save you $200.yy
You might want to be certain that Citi is offering you (effectively) Citigold status without any deposit requirement. http://www.citibank.co.jp/en/banking...ce_fees_en.pdf
But the first threshold with Citi (to avoid monthly fee) is only to have USD 2,000 (JPY 200,000) in ones foreign currency account. They used to punish people below the threshold with even higher forex charges, but that seems to have disappeared (see fees disclosure above). So now somebody with 20,000 yen or 20,000,000 yen in their account pay the same forex fee. Nice.
Well, I suppose Shinsei gold gives you 20% discount on forex. If you are converting USD 100k per year then it would save you $200.yy
You might want to be certain that Citi is offering you (effectively) Citigold status without any deposit requirement. http://www.citibank.co.jp/en/banking...ce_fees_en.pdf
But the first threshold with Citi (to avoid monthly fee) is only to have USD 2,000 (JPY 200,000) in ones foreign currency account. They used to punish people below the threshold with even higher forex charges, but that seems to have disappeared (see fees disclosure above). So now somebody with 20,000 yen or 20,000,000 yen in their account pay the same forex fee. Nice.
Thanks for all your input.
I think this is what I'm going to do when I take the plunge next year:
Banking
- Use both Shinsei and Citi
- Steadily build balances with Shinsei (I'll be starting from zero, so that will take a while )
- Put slightly smaller share of income into Citi for expenses and transfers to the US (since I won't have to pay the remittance fee)
CC
- Not going to bother at all with Japan cards
- Cancel existing annual fee cards except for US Plat*
- Sign up for BofA total rewards 1.5% (no fee card) for most expenses (and put some minimal amount of cash in a US BofA account so that I effectively get 1.65%)
- Use mobile Suica and point it the BofA card
* Since I'm going to be flying a lot of AA (both back home in the US and probably codeshares on CX/JL metal), I'd rather keep the lounge access, plus all the other perks.
Also, I will have a mailing address in the US where I can pick up my mail quarterly, so hopefully it won't be that big an issue.
I think this is what I'm going to do when I take the plunge next year:
Banking
- Use both Shinsei and Citi
- Steadily build balances with Shinsei (I'll be starting from zero, so that will take a while )
- Put slightly smaller share of income into Citi for expenses and transfers to the US (since I won't have to pay the remittance fee)
CC
- Not going to bother at all with Japan cards
- Cancel existing annual fee cards except for US Plat*
- Sign up for BofA total rewards 1.5% (no fee card) for most expenses (and put some minimal amount of cash in a US BofA account so that I effectively get 1.65%)
- Use mobile Suica and point it the BofA card
* Since I'm going to be flying a lot of AA (both back home in the US and probably codeshares on CX/JL metal), I'd rather keep the lounge access, plus all the other perks.
Also, I will have a mailing address in the US where I can pick up my mail quarterly, so hopefully it won't be that big an issue.
Last edited by gnaget; Jul 8, 2013 at 10:32 am