Heya! Does anyone know if any difficulties arise from dealing with American finances while being physically in Japan?
For example, would I be able to transfer venmo funds to my American chase account, no issues? Or would it be blocked as a result of trying to do so from Japan. Are there any systems or accounts that I won’t be able to manage from abroad?
Thanks in advance!!
4 comments
Venmo only works while your phone location is set to the US, so you’ll need a VPN to transfer any money while in Japan. I also think it only works between American bank accounts, so you won’t be able to connect to your Japanese bank account.
Most people I know use Wise to transfer money internationally. It works pretty well for me! When you arrive in Japan, don’t delay in setting up your MyNumber card– you’ll need it to set up a Wise account, and it can take a couple of months to get processes.
Various banks use different IT. My CapitalOne does not work over vpn, but connects regularly. Bank of America and TDAmeritrade want the VPN on. Etc. It’s a hassle sometimes keeping track.
I have CashApp, Venmo, PayPal, and various credit card/bank accounts. So far I’ve had zero issues managing any of them from Japan, but I keep a US phone number tied to them at all times.
My only advice is make sure your banks know you’re abroad and be careful with how your 2FA are set up – Chase Bank for example wants you to use a text or call in order to log in but if you don’t have access to your US phone number while abroad, it can be an issue. So be sure that your devices are recognized by all institutions before you come and that you have someone you trust to call them in case of emergency. Otherwise I just use Wise to send bank transfers with no problem.