Sending money home during a short Tokyo stay

Before choosing a service to send money home from Tokyo, identify where the money is held: in your Japanese bank account, a payment app or cash. Check whether the service accepts payment from that account or app, or accepts cash.

Check whether the service accepts customers with accounts registered in your country and can send the currency you hold to your destination. Being in Tokyo does not necessarily make you eligible for its Japanese account or services.

Start with the source of the money

If your salary remains in a foreign bank account, you may simply be making a transfer from that account while abroad. Before travelling, check that you can sign in to that bank account from Japan and receive any security codes it sends. There is no need to move the money through Japan solely because you are staying here.

If the funds are in a Japanese bank account, compare the bank's overseas-transfer service with a supported remittance service. Ask whether the name on your sending bank account must match the name on your transfer-service account, and whether the service can accept money from that bank account. If you hold cash, find a service that explicitly accepts cash; don't assume it can be deposited into a payment app.

For a deposit refund due after checkout, ask the rental company how it can return the money. Agree on a method you can use after leaving Japan.

Wise: check who can send the money

Wise's JPY-transfer guide says that when you add yen for a transfer, the money must come from within Japan and the sender’s name must match your Wise account. You cannot add it by cash deposit or have someone else send it for you.

That distinction matters if you plan to ask a landlord or employer to send money to the bank details Wise supplies for topping up your own transfer. Ask Wise how you can receive that payment before giving its bank details to your landlord or employer.

Request a quote in your account for the country and amount you want to send. Check how you can pay, what the service will charge and when the money is expected to arrive. A past rate from a blog isn't a current offer.

Revolut or your bank: check your account’s rules

With Revolut, read the terms for your plan and the country where your account is registered. Check how much currency you can exchange under that plan and what fees apply to your transfer. Don't apply a Japanese plan's fee table to an account registered elsewhere, or vice versa.

Ask your Japanese bank whether your account allows overseas transfers and whether you must register the person receiving the money before sending it. Also ask what documents the bank needs to show why you are making the transfer and where the money came from. You may need separate approval to send money abroad even after the account is open.

The service may ask for bank statements, proof of income or a contract before approving a transfer. Have those documents ready and submit them through the secure method the service provides. Ask how long those checks are likely to take for your transfer.

Compare what the recipient actually gets

Request quotes for sending the same amount, and get them close together in time so exchange-rate changes have less effect on the comparison. Record how much leaves your account, the transfer fee, the exchange rate and what the recipient should get. Ask whether other banks may deduct further fees.

For example, suppose you have ¥500,000 to send, including fees. Service A deducts ¥3,000, then converts the remaining ¥497,000 at ¥150 per US dollar. The recipient would get about US$3,313.33 before any other deductions. Service B deducts ¥1,000, then converts ¥499,000 at ¥152 per dollar, leaving about US$3,282.89. The lower fee alone doesn't give the better result.

These are made-up rates. Use the amounts shown for your own transfer and check whether the rate is guaranteed for a period or determined later. Include a paid plan's subscription cost if you are considering it only for this transfer.

Prepare the recipient details before moving money

Start with the details your sending service asks for. Get the account holder’s name, account number, bank name and any branch details from the recipient or their bank. If the form asks for an IBAN, it needs the account’s international bank account number. A SWIFT/BIC code identifies the bank. Ask the recipient or their bank for these details when requested; don’t guess a code.

If the bank details change or come from someone you do not know, confirm them with the recipient using a phone number or email address you already trust. A small test transfer can be useful when supported, but it may have its own fees and doesn't guarantee a larger transfer will bypass checks.

Save the transfer confirmation and its reference number. If the money has not arrived by the estimated date, give the service the reference number. Ask for an update and whether you need to provide any more information or documents. Do not send the money again until you know what happened to the first transfer.

Before closing an account

Contact the bank early about moving abroad. Ask whether you must close the account or change it to an account for people living outside Japan. Do not assume you can keep it as it is while waiting for a refund. Japan Post Bank, for example, tells customers moving outside Japan to complete closure procedures.

If the bank requires closure before your refund arrives, agree an alternative with the rental company in writing. Confirm which currency the refund will arrive in, whether any fees will be deducted and when it will be sent. Keep enough money available to pay your final bills.