hajimeowari

I know there have been many threads about how to get a Japanese credit card in Japan. I already have plans to have my wife get the ANA Suica card.

I recently contacted AmEx in Japan about transferring my card over (Gold Premiere Rewards) and they informed me that I can get a Japanese AmEx Gold Premiere and either shutdown or keep my American one. I'm planning on keeping the American one for the occasional trips home, of course.

I have a couple questions. Can anyone tell me how widely accepted my AmEx will be in Japan? Does anyone have any experience transferring their AmEx over and are you still getting the same rewards (3-2-1, etc.)? All help is appreciated.

joejones

I haven't tried to transfer an Amex myself, but I generally find that Amex acceptance in Japan is similar to Amex acceptance in the US -- i.e. you can use Amex 90% of the time but some places only take Visa/MC.

Q Shoe Guy

3 years ago I tried a reverse transfer from Japan AMEX to Canada AMEX and it was a no go ! Amex is(or should be ) accepted were ever JCB is !

jpatokal

That's Discover, not Amex, no?

jib71

Not in my experience. I can think of a few places that accept JCB but not Amex.

Yes. Discover and JCB signed an agreement to increase the number of merchants that accept Discover in Japan and correspondingly increase merchants that accept JCB in North America.

Q Shoe Guy

I must be mistaken as I thought JCB teamed up with AMEX too!

http://www.jcb.co.jp/merchant/kamei/index.html
http://www.jcb.co.jp/merchant/kamei/...x_ichiran.html

Looks like we are all correct! Cheers !

Steve M

My experience with Amex in Japan is about what it is these days in the US: acceptance is wide enough that I can't think of the last time that a place took Visa/MC but not Amex, so much so that I don't really feel the need anymore to have a Visa/MC as a backup card just because of merchant acceptance issues. In the rare case where Visa/MC is accepted but Amex is not, it's likely for a small enough purchase that cash is a good alternative.

NickW

As others have indicated, AmEx is widely accepted.

When you transfer your card across, your new card will be a Japanese product that probably bears almost no resemblance to the US product -- you will get totally different promotions, reward schemes will be different etc.

e.g. Japan does not have a Gold Premier Rewards card in the local market. I guess you will get a regular Gold card instead. Your annual fee will go from $175 to ¥27,300 (say $340 at current rates); you won't get 3-2-1, you will get Japanese domestic market bonuses instead.

railroadtycoon

I've never had a problem using AMEX in Japan for train ticket purchases, hotels etc.

AMEX has quite a history in Japan:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/e...line-of-credit

Getting a credit card in Japan is quite hard (at least for me and other foreigners who talk about it on the web) I have yet to get one, though credit cards in Japan are more like charge cards then credit cards (which I think a AMEX Gold card is anyway), so if you can transfer over to a "Japanese" AMEX card that's a pretty good deal.

hajimeowari

Ah. That was my guess and primary concern. Of course, the Japanese rep on the phone told me otherwise, but my Japanese isn't solid enough to inquire in detail about this issue to make sure. I'm going to ask my wife to make the next call and clarify the issue. So far, I can't say I'm a big fan of the Japanese Gold card.

Thanks for the input thus far, everyone. I'm glad to know it's widely accepted. If only there was an easy way to dodge all those foreign transaction fees.

joejones

The thing about getting a credit card in Japan is that you need a credit profile first. A foreigner who has had nearly no transactional history in this country is not going to get anywhere. On the other hand, once you have had a cell phone, utility bills, etc. for a few months to a year, your flight risk is lower and you will usually have enough of a credit file to get a card.

To be specific, Japanese credit cards act like charge cards by default, where you get billed for the full balance at the end of each month. You also generally have the option to switch any particular purchase from this repayment method to another repayment method -- usually a choice of either (a) two installments or (b) "revolving" with a fixed monthly repayment amount, and can also take cash advances against your revolving credit line. It seems complicated from the end user's perspective, but the only real difference between this and the American system is that "revolving" is not the default option, and the issuer determines how much you pay each month (based on parameters you specify) instead of saying "pay us at least 1% of your balance."

Q Shoe Guy

Oh wanted to add that the fees for converting AMEX Japan points to other point currencies is high! (would like to use the word usurious, but might offend some here). Also the amount of points you get seems limited (IME). That being said, if you take the card and pay the fee once, when it comes due the next year say you didn't get your monies worth and they will undoubtedly comp you! This then will reduce the fee by half spread over 2 years!