Foreign Credit Card, Japanese Company

[MrSpock]

[Greji]

Hi all, first post

Has anyone here had trouble having foreign credit cards accepted with Japanese websites?

Naturally, enough the Japanese usually don't have problems with a foreign card if you are buying something. If you want a card loan or to draw money, that's a horse of a different colour. They've never heard of visa, american express, etc.

Although I only have J-cards, I have found that even with those, you have to make sure you have all the information just right. My primary J-card has my middle name on it, but most sites only will accept last and first name in that order. Some have to have it in Katakana, some in Engrish.

I've found you just have to play around with the entries on the form on-line until you finally get it right! Pain in the arse and time consuming, but doable most of the time!

[Taro Toporific]

Has anyone here had trouble having foreign credit cards accepted with Japanese websites?
...Japanese merchants only accept Japanese cards..

The FG forum has at least two US members who buy and ship Japanese crap for a living and hopefully they will explain this more. Till then, my observations are as follows:
The crappy policy of trouble with foreign credit cards works both ways:

• many US companies have a no-Japanese-cards and/or no-shipping-to-Japan policy
• many Japanese companies have a no-foreign-cards and/or no-shipping-to-outside-Japan policy

Why? Credit card fraud is tough to handle once the goods are shipped out of the country. I specifically have to keep credit cards issued from both the US and Japan to "beat" these pain-in-ass policies. Often, I have to "trans-ship" items to my US address with a US-issued card and have my family mail them to me as gifts (especially the evil contraband of Japan, 30cm shoes).
Likewise, many e-Bay dealers of American otaku freakizoid goods have to use Japanese accounts for bank money transfers and/or "agents" in Japan to trans-ship them very needed makura companions, latex sex dolls and Hello Kitty vibrators.

[Charles]

Naturally, enough the Japanese usually don't have problems with a foreign card if you are buying something. If you want a card loan or to draw money, that's a horse of a different colour. They've never heard of visa, american express, etc.

I found that most ATMs at Post Office branches in Tokyo have been upgraded to accept US credit cards, they even had English menus as an option. Oh boy was that useful for drawing a cash advance on my Visa card. But they haven't all been upgraded, as I discovered when I was out in the inaka near Nikko and ran out of yen. Oops.
I was also able to get cash advances from my credit cards at banks that have foreign exchange desks. It's all done on paper and takes darn near forever.
When using your US card in Japan, beware that your US card company might think your card numbers were stolen and are being used fraudulently in Asia without your involvement. My card got locked and I had to have a friend back in the US call up the company and explain that I really was in Japan and I really REALLY needed my card reactivated.

[Taro Toporific]

I...
When using your US card in Japan, beware that your US card company might think your card numbers were stolen and are being used fraudulently in Asia without your involvement....

Ohhh, I feel the pain. My cards get locked up all the time when I forget to call the credit card issuing company that I am planning to use the card "internationally."

Another tip for the specific problem of "MrSpock" purchasing from Japanese websites is that J-sites often accept J-bank money transfers. If MrSpock still has a "sleeping" Japanese bank account (J-accounts are never closed for inactivity) and one of the many Japanese banks that have online interface for many Japanese money transfers, the Japanese websites may accept your order for Barazoku Speed Racer DVDs.