Can I still use my UK credit card as a Japanese resident?

I’m currently in the UK but will be returning to Japan soon. As the title says, can I use my UK issued credit card in Japan after I get my residense card?

7 comments
  1. Yes, but you need to keep your UK bank account open, obviously.

    Depending on your card, you may be paying international transaction fees (could be anywhere from 0%-3.5%).

    Also, some shops/websites don’t accept foreign credit cards.

    Edit: Also, to be clear, having a UK credit card won’t alleviate the need to open a Japanese bank account, which, depending on the bank, can include a credit card.

  2. I use a halifax clarity card in Japan when I need too. As others have mentioned, it doesn’t work on some sites (Yodobashi, Mercari, Yahoo Auction). Its worked in all physical shops i’ve tried it in and works on Amazon JP too.

  3. You can, but you need to make sure you inform your bank your moving overseas, and update your address on the account to your Japanese address. When you update your address they will also require your MyNumber too.

  4. Canadian living in Japan, still using my Canadian credit card (no forex fees) and it works fine everywhere except for some online stores. Signing up for phone plans and automatic payments as well as purchases from Amazon have no problems at all.

  5. That mostly depends on your ability to keep your UK account open.

    After 7 years in Japan, I have no trouble using my US debit card, but my bank doesn’t care where I live (I checked before I left). Credit card companies probably are different, and you might need to maintain a pretense of continuing to reside in the UK.

  6. Yes but 2 things. Make sure it has no foreign transaction fees otherwise it will be expensive and wasteful. The other is of course many Japanese websites don’t accept foreign cards

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