[floatr][/floatr]In major news for foreign visitors to Japan, 7-11 announced yesterday (on 7/11, appropriately enough) that the ATMs in their convenience stores will begin to accept overseas credit and cash cards. This Nikkei news article (Japanese) says that the company has set up agreements with the credit card operations of Mastercard, Visa, American Express, JCB and China UnionPay together with the cash card operations of Mastercard and Visa. The new service will be available 24 hours a day and the ATMs will provide options in English, Korean, Chinese and Portuguese. 7-11 will also be opening terminals at Narita Airport with plans to do the same at other international hubs in Japan. A yen withdrawal with a cash card will deduct the amount from your bank account at the prevailing exchange rate of the day while a credit card transaction will incur a handling charge.

Fucking newbie’s are too lucky! They don't get to play the 'my broke/starving/cigaretteless ass, hunt for the elusive foreign cash machine game'.

Some people have all the luck.

Mulboyne wrote:[7-11 announced yesterday (on 7/11, appropriately enough) that the ATMs in their convenience stores will begin to accept overseas credit and cash cards. This Nikkei news article (Japanese) says that the company has set up agreements with the credit card operations of Mastercard, Visa, American Express, JCB ....

Here's the English press release.

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Seven Bank ATMs Provide Cash Services to JCB Cards Issued Outside Japan]
http://japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=14807
Tokyo, Japan, July 11, 2007 - (JCN Newswire) - JCB, a major global payment brand and leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan, today announced that JCB cardmembers with cards issued outside of Japan will be able to use their cards for cash advance services at more than 12,000 Seven Bank ATMs throughout Japan from July 11. Seven Bank operates a nationwide network of ATMs open around the clock, primarily located at the world's best-known convenience store, 7-Eleven. The screen, audio messages, and receipts of all Seven Bank ATMs are available in English, Chinese, Korean, and Portuguese, providing both tourist and business travelers with even greater convenience. With the addition of Seven Bank ATMs, JCB cards issued outside of Japan can now be used at more than 44,000 ATMs in the countryside as well as in major cities across the country.
Ever since JCB began overseas expansion in 1981, it has been providing high quality service to its cardmembers when traveling abroad as well as enhancing the JCB acceptance network worldwide. Over the years JCB's global strategy has evolved, with increasing numbers of JCB brand cards being issued by JCB partner banks and financial institutions to local residents of 18 countries/territories in addition to Japan, with particularly strong growth in Asia. Currently, approximately 3.75 million JCB cardmembers outside Japan use their cards for purchases and cash advances in their home countries and abroad.
The number of travelers to Japan has been growing in recent years, due in part to the Japanese government's Visit Japan Campaign. In 2005, more than 6.8 million inbound tourists and business travelers came to Japan, and the demand for ATMs has also been growing fast.
"JCB has always provided the careful service that Japan is famous for, such as special benefits at selected merchants and our exclusive service desks", Tamio Takakura, JCB's president and chief executive officer, said. "Thanks to the arrangement with Seven Bank offering a convenient ATM network nationwide, JCB will be able to offer even better service to the increasing number of travelers carrying JCB cards to Japan."
"Also I would like to mention that JCB will serve as gateway switch between Seven Bank and China UnionPay through this arrangement. As a result, China UnionPay's more than one billion cardmembers can enjoy access to cash at Seven Bank ATMs when they visit Japan. It is our sincere hope that JCB will play a role as a bridge between China and Japan, by promoting even closer relations between these two mega-companies, major providers of retail financial services in their respective markets."
JCB is committed to enhancing JCB brand value, as well as contributing to the Japanese tourist economy, through continuing endeavors to provide increased convenience to JCB brand cardmembers worldwide.

Finally!

I wonder if they'll even work. Back in the day when I first came and needed to use them (the old cirrus machines) on the odd occasion, they were almost always not in working order, or the dial up connection would time out, or something else...

The Post Office ATMs already work fine with a number of overseas cards so there really ought not to be too many problems with 7 Bank. The advantages you get with a conbini ATM is the 24 hour access which is ideal when you want to buy that discretionary extra 10 beers. Having said that, I was in a 7-11 today and thought about using it to see what exchange rate would turn up on my statement. The terminal had all the language directions in place so it was ready to go but I suddenly had this image of trying to tell a freeter that the machine had eaten my card and so decided to let others break new ground.

The government has been pressing the banking industry to connect with overseas networks for some time now since the Yokoso Japan campaign has constantly said that this is a major issue for foreign visitors. Now that 7 Bank has opened up, the other major banks won't need to rush but I suspect that they will all make similar announcements before long.

Mulboyne wrote:The Post Office ATMs already work fine with a number of overseas cards ......

Except that for some strange reason Postal ATMs also seem to take the holidays off.

Especially during like Golden Week with several day holidays and having to go across Tokyo to a Citibank ATM for cash.

Well, I felt slightly more confident this morning and tried my UK cash card and credit card in a nearby 7-11. Both were rejected.

Yappari, foreigness makes Japanese machine sad

BANKING: Most ATMs in operation over holidays
Asahi

ATMs for the nation's four largest banks and Japan Post Bank will be in operation through the New Year holidays from Dec. 31 through Jan. 3, according to the banks.

Japan Post ATMs will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Working hours of ATMs of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Resona Bank will be almost the same as those on normal weekends, although the hours will differ among them.

ATMs will only accept cash cards of their own operators between Jan. 1 and 3. Convenience store ATMs will also be in operation in almost the same way as normal holidays.(IHT/Asahi: December 28,2007)