For all the newcomers to Japan, please be aware that when you use your credit card in any store in Japan, they will charge you a service fee.

Posted By Adam Jones on 20 Jan 2010 09:32 PM
For all the newcomers to Japan, please be aware that when you use your credit card in any store in Japan, they will charge you a service fee.

....on top of the Yen conversion rate...which really isn't in our favor these days

Posted By 79Vetteman on 20 Jan 2010 09:34 PM

Posted By Adam Jones on 20 Jan 2010 09:32 PM
For all the newcomers to Japan, please be aware that when you use your credit card in any store in Japan, they will charge you a service fee.

....on top of the Yen conversion rate...which really isn't in our favor these days

Hmm, I see. So it really makes no difference then. Usually if you use the credit card you get the better exchange rate than the on base rate. However you pay for it in fees. Interesting.

Sometimes like 1% or 2% service fee's..

I know once I charged like $150, and I got a service fee of $4.00 for using my credit card. I was shocked..

I use my United Visa card e/where that excepts Visa in Japan. They don't charge a service fee and I get whatever the exchange rate is online (which tends to be a few yen higher than the ATM's on base and exchange outlets off base.) I also get "miles" for every dollar spent on the card. I manage to get a free ticket e/ year by using the card. Plus, as long as you pay off your balance e/ month, there's no interest! It's a great deal for those of you looking for a CC to use overseas! You get 30,000 miles upfront (which is good for a free flight anywhere in Asia). Then, charge away and rack up those miles.....but, remember to always pay it off monthly or the card really isn't saving you anything with the enormous interest rate! Visa has never made a dime on me and I've scored many free tickets over the years by using this card!

I got whopped once for 3% international fee on my Target visa. I went home and cut up the card. I checked out United Visa web page; they don't mention their policy about international fee but I noticed all their cards have an annual fee which range from $60-375. Yoko-girl, which United Card do you use? I use NFCU visa card which has no annual fee and charges something like 0.8% international fee. Note: The 1% international fee is charged by Visa, not the bank. Any bank charging more than 1% is padding their profits. Anyone charging less than 1% is eating the cost.

I don't have details, but the International transaction fees are going up with the new legislature that went to effect Monday. Obama wanted to keep the credit card companies in check, so he changed all the rules on them... so now they need to keep their profits by charging us more in other areas. Thanks Obama, way to go!

Posted By Tirani on 24 Feb 2010 07:30 PM
I don't have details, but the International transaction fees are going up with the new legislature that went to effect Monday. Obama wanted to keep the credit card companies in check, so he changed all the rules on them... so now they need to keep their profits by charging us more in other areas. Thanks Obama, way to go!

It's important to realize that transaction fees are not legislated; each card & bank makes their own decision about what to charge.  It's up to consumers to shop around.  Here's a pretty good article on foreign transaction fees & the Credit Card Act that just went into effect:

www.foxbusiness.com/story/personal-finance/credit-card-foreign-transaction-fees-going/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxbusiness%2Fpersonal_finance+%28Text++-+Personal+Finance

From the article:  "Some foresee that fees in general will be a place where banks will look to make up for some of the lost income from their inability to put higher interest rates on accounts...  However, as of February 2010, none of the issuers surveyed by CreditCards.com had increased their foreign transaction fees for credit card purchases, with the exception of Barclaycard/Juniper, whose fees went up from 2 percent on some cards to 3 percent."