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Where to buy Yen in the States? 2006/1/28 08:00
I would like to know where is the best place to get yen in the states?
I went to my bank (Bank of America) and their exchange rate in horrific.
by David  

.. 2006/1/30 02:37
1. Bank,
2. Major Airport, in specific an international airport would probably have yen at thier currency exchange offices than domestic airports.

Any exchange rate done in the US you'll get a crap conversion rate. Its always best to exchange it in Japan.
by .. rate this post as useful

Where to buy Japanese Yens 2008/7/27 01:01
I'm planning to visit Japan next month. But where is the best place to buy Japanese Yens. I've checked with American Express but the selling exchange rate is such drastic difference from the Wall Street Journal. Any suggestion is appreciated.
by Need2Know rate this post as useful

buying yens 2008/7/27 03:40
Once you are in a Japanese airport use your debit card to get money out an ATM. Your card should have the logo for either Cirrus or Plus or Maestro..Once in a town you can also use the ATM at the Post Office and in any of the numerous 7-11 stores. Don't you have in the USA privately-owned "bureau de change" stores, usually located in the touristy downtown area of a town? we have them in Canada and they give better rate than banks. You got to understand, though, that ALL these businesses make their living out of the difference between the buying and selling rates and they sell a wee bit more than the official rate you see in the newspapers so you get a bit less Yens. This is the price we pay for travelling!
by Auntie Bert rate this post as useful

comparison of best yen rates 2008/7/27 06:25
by acase rate this post as useful

regional bank 2008/7/27 13:39
If you live in a tourist town like LA, San Francisco, or Honolulu, try a regional bank that has no use for yen. It'll exchange your money at close to the spot rate (the rate used for transaction for US$1M or more) without adding extra fees.
by Natsuki rate this post as useful

... 2008/7/28 11:21
Are you a member of AAA? They'll exchange USD to Yen for free for members.
by ... rate this post as useful

buying yens 2008/7/29 12:20
Thanks all for all your feedback. Unfortunately, I'm from the east coast in the Big Apple and honestly, I must have seen bureau de change" stores and will check into it. Good point.

I'm not a AAA member but certainly will explore who is in my circle of friends. I think it'll make sense to have some yens before taking off and then exchange some more once I get there.

Thank you!
by Need2Know rate this post as useful

Where to buy yens in the States 2008/7/30 11:05
I just want to send another thanks to Auntie Bert. You told me about bureau de change and I found it. I googled and found a listing of all the hotels, so I called one of them and was told in Grand Central Station. I personally think bureau de change offers a better rate than American Express or any other banks. There you all out there need to know.
Thanks again!
by Need2Know rate this post as useful

ugh 2008/8/6 02:29
I think you get completely screwed over exchanging in the US. I used to get them from AAA but now I just withdraw it in Japan from my US bank account. Citibank, 7 bank, post office and shinsei atms all accept foreign atm cards.
by Kris rate this post as useful

PayPal 2008/9/11 09:50
If you make a paypal account and put money in it, you can easily convert it to yen.
by Justin rate this post as useful

Paypal?? 2008/9/11 13:02
If you put the money in Paypal, how precisely do you plan to draw it out, unless you have an account in Japan? Also, Paypal takes a huge cut.

I always get some Yen at Narita, but I put almost all my spending on a credit card while in Japan.
by Aki rate this post as useful

No need 2008/9/11 22:30
No need to change any money into Yen before you get to Japan. There are exchanges in all the major airports, the ones downstairs at Kansai Int. have reasonable rates and the clerks speak English and are very helpful in filling out the form. I took $200.00 cash with me and just exchanged it in the airport, took 5 minutes. You wont need any cash until you get to the airport anyway, so why bother to exchange in the US?
by cf rate this post as useful

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