Is there any UK bank account that people have found beneficial to have, for the initial start in Japan? I’ve looked at the accounts I currently have and they all charge an arm and a leg for withdrawals in a foreign country.
From what I’ve read bringing a bit in cash and the rest in savings is ideal, but should I then transfer all my savings to an local account?
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When I first arrived in 2021, Starling Bank didn’t charge any fees for cash withdrawals from foreign ATMs. Not sure if this is still the case today.
Ive opened a global money account with HSBC – you can store money in Yen and GBP and there are no withdrawal charges.
Doesn’t matter, just use Revolut and you can withdraw £200 or so every month I think for free, which should be far more than enough to tide you over.
Starling. No foreign transaction fees and everything is done through the app.
My advice is, get a combo of two from Revolut, Monzo and Wise. Mobile but can get physical cards, all very easy to sign up with.
Gives you fee free conversions, about £400-£500 fee free withdrawals per month and gives you a back up card/account if something goes wrong.
I’ve used both Monzo and Revolut in Japan and had no issues anywhere, one is Mastercard and the other is Visa so good to have a mix there as well.
I use Chase for my travel money and withdrawing cash on holidays. Very fair exchange rates. Great customer service too.
Starling. Used it in a few different places now and the app is actually decent and lets you adjust your card security settings instantly, and they’re really fast acting if your card gets lost or stolen (from personal experience)
I’ve used my Revolut card maybe once since I came. Its not a big deal. You’ll be dealing with actual physical yen a million times over.
Just not RBS or Ulster Bank. Currently debit card-less because they decided to expire everyone’s cards 6 months after I got here. Notified them that I’d be travelling to Japan and they locked my card for fraudulent activity on my first day here. Just been an absolute nightmare from start to finish.
A lot of Americans will get a credit card and then pay that off with their home bank accounts every month, that seems to work well. I wish I’d done that before I’d gotten here.