Quote:
Originally Posted by Nyororin
You might want to contact your bank about the fact that you`ll be using it in Japan though, as I`ve heard many stories of banks stopping the card as a safety precaution if it`s suddenly used a bunch in another country.
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Definitely do this, and ignore your bank if they try and tell you that you don't need to. I don't know much about american banks, but certainly some UK ones i've used have an infuriating habit of canceling cards repeatedly, even if you call up and tell them what you're doing in advance. [/rant]
Generally what I did was take my card (albeit visa debit, not credit) and just withdraw lumps of cash to use rather than put it directly on the card. Saved me on the ATM fees, especially on one card as although the Japanese side of the transaction didn't charge me, the british side did. The other card (also visa, also debit) didn't have a charge for withdrawing cash abroad at all, so probably the most sensible thing you can do is just contact your bank and find out with regards to your specific account if there is a charge or not.