Originally Posted by
jag009
I went to Wachovia bank yesterday and made an inquiry about getting some Japanese Yens... 1 US dollar to 970 yen + a transfer fee of $15 (flat fee). Apparently my local branch doesn't have the currency and it needs to be transferred from the North Carolina main branch
Does anyone know what the exchange booth at the airport charges in terms of service fee? Should I just get my yens here instead?
On my first trip to Japan, I bought yen from Amex in the US before departing, thinking I'd need cash to get into Tokyo and start getting around. I discovered that it was unnecessary. The airports have Citibank ATM's that your Wachovia card will work with, and now 7-11 stores, ubiquitous in Japan, have ATM's that work with US-based networks. I know, my account is with Wachovia, and it all worked just fine. You'll pay inter-bank exchange rates plus a 1% fee.
Don't waste your money and time with buying yen in the US.