Traveler's checks or ATM?

[violet_girl]

I'm going to a language school to study for three months, and I was told that it might be a good idea to bring traveler's checks with me to cash at any bank, as well as cash-- but I'm a little nervous bringing about 2000 dollars worth of checks with me... I also heard that most ATMs with take a PLUS credit card to get cash... So, uh, yeah, I have no idea which would be the better idea, so gimme some of your wisdom/opinions people. O.o Greatly appreciated!

[Hijinx]

I'm going to a language school to study for three months, and I was told that it might be a good idea to bring traveler's checks with me to cash at any bank, as well as cash-- but I'm a little nervous bringing about 2000 dollars worth of checks with me... I also heard that most ATMs with take a PLUS credit card to get cash... So, uh, yeah, I have no idea which would be the better idea, so gimme some of your wisdom/opinions people. O.o Greatly appreciated!

Why would you be nervous about bringing 2000 in T checks? That's the whole purpose--they are safer than cash. If you lose them, they are easily replaceable. But you Plus card ought to work fine was well, but make sure you are drawing the cash out of your bank account back home and not a cash advance off a credit card, as the latter means you will be paying interest on the money from the day you withdraw the funds until you pay off your next credit card bill. In Japan, the postal system banks--which have numerous branches--take the Plus ATM card.

[violet_girl]

Yeah, I'm a little weird about things like that... never ever traveled before, so I'm trying to get as much advice as I can. Thanks.

[Hijinx]

Yeah, I'm a little weird about things like that... never ever traveled before, so I'm trying to get as much advice as I can. Thanks.

Where will you be studying?

[violet_girl]

I'll be studying in Okazaki, at the yamasa school...

[Hijinx]

I'll be studying in Okazaki, at the yamasa school...

Hmmm, looking at a map, it looks fairly close to Nagoya, and Nagoya is only 35 minutes by Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, which I'm sure you'd like to see-- if we're talking about the Okazaki in Aichi prefecture. So you're not going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. There might be someone here from that area who can tell you more about it. I'm not sure how much money you have to spend, but you might want to consider buying a JR rail pass--you can have unlimited travel on JR trains (a few conditions) for a week or more depending on which one you buy. It's a pretty good deal if you'd like to see a lot in a short time.

[Skyknight]

I'm going to a language school to study for three months, and I was told that it might be a good idea to bring traveler's checks with me to cash at any bank, as well as cash-- but I'm a little nervous bringing about 2000 dollars worth of checks with me... I also heard that most ATMs with take a PLUS credit card to get cash... So, uh, yeah, I have no idea which would be the better idea, so gimme some of your wisdom/opinions people. O.o Greatly appreciated!

There are definite pros and cons for each one.

For the Traveler's Cheques, if you lose them they can be replaced easily but that's the only pro comment I can think of. This might be enough for most people, but in my opinion it's not enough. Here in Japan, traveler's cheques (or any cheque for that matter) is not readily accepted or even understood. Most businesses will not accept them as cash so going down to the local supermarket to buy some milk you'll need yen. The only places that really do accept them would be major hotels (the big worldwide chain ones) but you do need to be a guest there in order to cash one, or a bank. Now I say "a" bank only because I know of one bank where it's possible to cash them but I don't know if others would be willing to do the same. So if it's a Friday night after the banks are closed and you don't have any cash on you, you'll have to wait until it's open next before being able to convert more into cash.

Then there's the ATM. It's a little more convenient but not necessarily better. The pro for this would be assuming you're on the Plus system, you can access your money from any Citibank or post office ATM up to your daily limit. Of course you'll be hit with a withdrawl fee each time although I don't know if this applies to a Citibank account. There's also the risk if your card gets lost or stolen that you'll have a hard time getting a new one.

So what I would suggest is the following: use both.

Get yourself some traveler's cheques (maybe $300 worth) and keep them for an emergency, but use your ATM card for your day to day living. Also, see if you can set somebody up back home as a sort of proxy with the bank in case you need some service there. This was you're covered for just about any possibility.

[bland]

I agree with Skyknight.

The ATM card is the way to go provided you do your homework (ie, confirm that your card will work, and what limits, restrictions, and fees, etc apply) and have a back-up plan such as:

- a second ATM card (with a different bank)
- Credit card ( VISA / MasterCard )
- Yen cash
- Travellers cheques

Travellers cheques can normally be cashed at any bank branch, as well as major post offices, but it's nowhere near as convenient as the post office ATM.

[violet_girl]

Thanks so much for the tips guys... I basically just wanted to know what everybody does for spending money, so that pretty much answers it.