Cash back from Debit cards in Japan

Question

At certain stores in America (like grocery stores), if you pay for your purchase with a debit card, they give you the option of getting cash back from your debit account. Do they do this in Japan at all too (specifically in Kyoto)? I'll be going to Japan this fall to study abroad and I have an ATM card at a bank in America (where I live). I want to be able to avoid the fees of withdrawing money from my account while I'm overseas and I figure that if this option is available, it would be the best way to do it.

Answer 1

I haven't seen any store offer this type of cash back service.

There are ATMs here where you can withdraw money from your Bank of America account.  For example, Saison and Citibank ATMs will work.  Just look for an ATM in the "PLUS" network.  

I don't remember the fees being that bad.  2 to 3 dollars maybe?

Answer 2

Not possible to do. First off while there are debit type services in Japan, you're not going to be able to use an American debit card to pay for your purchases like you do back home.

Provided your ATM card works on the PLUS! system you should be able to withdraw money from any post office ATM or from any Citibank ATM. As you're going to be in Kyoto, there's only 1 Citibank ATM there (located at http://www.citibank.co.jp/en/branch/kyot... so you might be better off using the post office ATM. One word of warning however, the post office closes at 5:00pm every day and is closed on the weekends which means the ATM in those buildings is also closed. You can usually find these ATMs elsewhere such as in department stores, general merchandise stores or in some convenience stores.

Answer 3

Sorry, this feature is not available anywhere in Japan.

In fact, it is not possible to pay for your purchase by either credit or debit card.

Japan is still a cash society.

The only choice for foreigners who run out of money is to go to the local postoffice, or a branch of CitiBank. where they can use their debit or credit cards to get local currency.

Remember that each time you make a purchase and add cash back in the US, you are charged a withdrawal fee.

To reduce the number of withdrawal fees, you should exchange about enough money so you will have 50,000 yen when you arrive in Japan. Then, if you run out, you will only need to make 2 or 3 additional withdrawals depending on the length of your stay and spending habits.