Venmo doesn’t work in Japan: Find alternatives
Venmo is not yet available in Japan - learn more, and find an alternative way to make your international payment, here.
Japan Money Express (JME) offers international payments by bank transfer, or for cash collection, and promotes their payment service to 8 countries in South and SouthEast Asia.
This guide walks through all you need to know about Japan Money Express, including how to make a JME money transfer, fee details, and the JME exchange rate. We’ll also cover an alternative as a comparison - low cost international payments with Wise. Let’s get started, with all you need to know to cut the costs of sending money overseas.
To start us off, we’ll look at a cost example: Sending 100,000 JPY from your Japanese account to your family’s account in Nepal
Japan Money Express ¹ | Wise² | |
---|---|---|
Fee | 1,000 JPY | 1,299 JPY |
Exchange rate (JPY→NPR) | Rate with a possible markup (1.109) | Mid-market rate - the same rate that you find on Google (1.126) |
Actual cost | 1,000 JPY + markup within the exchange rate offered | 1,299 JPY |
Your recipient gets | 109,791 NPR | 111,155 NPR Send money |
(October 26 2020 at 14:11 (GMT+2))
This is a great illustration of why you need to take a look at the exchange rates, not just transfer charges, when sending money overseas. Japan Money Express has a lower upfront fee, but when you take the exchange rate into account, the transfer works out better value with Wise in the example above.
Here’s how the calculations are done:
JME:
Amount converted: 100,000 JPY - 1,000 JPY (transfer fee) = 99,000 JPY
Exchange rate offered: 1 JPY = 1.109 NPR
Recipient gets: 99,000 JPY * 1.109 NPR/JPY = 109,791 NPR
Wise:
Amount converted: 100,000 JPY - 1,299 JPY (transfer fee) = 98,701 JPY
Exchange rate offered: 1 JPY = 1.12617939137 NPR
Recipient gets: 98,701 JPY * 1.12617939137 NPR/JPY ≈ 111,155 NPR
Make sure that you check exchange rates, not just transfer fees, when you make an international transfer - or you could end up paying more than you need to in fees.
Send money abroad with the 'real' rate🚀
Many international transfer providers add a markup to the mid-market exchange rate and that can become a ‘hidden fee’ of an international transfer.
The mid-market exchange rate is the rate set on global currency markets - the most real rate available.
To get the best deal on an international payment it makes sense to check the exchange rate you’re offered against the live mid-market exchange rate for your currency. You can check the mid market rate by simply googling ‘JPY to NPR’ or by any online currency converter.
If there’s a difference between the rate offered and the real rate you found, it probably means a markup - an extra fee - has been added by the provider. In that case you might want to consider a different service like Wise.
Wise passes on the mid-market rate with no margin or markup added and charges only low, transparent fees.
The JME transfer fee depends on where you’re sending money to, and the amount of money you want to transfer. Here’s a rundown of the fees you need to know about.³
Sending money to Bangladesh:
Amount sent | JME transfer fee |
---|---|
Up to JPY50,000 | JPY650 |
JPY50,000.01 - JPY500,000 | JPY850 |
JPY500,000.01 - JPY1,000,000 | JPY1,000 |
Sending money to India:
Amount sent | JME transfer fee |
---|---|
Up to JPY10,000 | JPY700 |
JPY10,000.01 - JPY30,000 | JPY850 |
JPY30,000.01 - JPY50,000 | JPY1,000 |
JPY50,000.01 - JPY250,000 | JPY1,450 |
JPY250,000.01 - JPY1,000,000 | JPY1,800 |
Sending money to Indonesia:
Amount sent | JME transfer fee |
---|---|
Up to JPY50,000 | JPY850 |
JPY50,000.01 - JPY400,000 | JPY1,400 |
JPY400,000.01 - JPY1,000,000 | JPY2,000 |
Sending money to Nepal:
Amount sent | JME transfer fee |
---|---|
Up to JPY30,500 | JPY500 |
JPY30,500.01 - JPY151,000 | JPY1,000 |
JPY151,000.01 - JPY1,001,500 | JPY1,500 |
Sending money to Pakistan:
Amount sent | JME transfer fee |
---|---|
Up to JPY30,000 | JPY850 |
JPY30,000.01 - JPY250,000 | JPY1,400 |
JPY250,000.01 - JPY1,000,000 | JPY1,900 |
Sending money to the Philippines:
Amount sent | JME transfer fee |
---|---|
Up to JPY10,000 | JPY500 |
JPY10,000.01 - JPY30,000 | JPY720 |
JPY30,000.01 - JPY150,000 | JPY950 |
JPY150,000.01 - JPY250,000 | JPY1,200 |
JPY250,000.01 - JPY1,001,500 | JPY1,500 |
Sending money to Sri Lanka:
Amount sent | JME transfer fee |
---|---|
Up to JPY30,000 | JPY800 |
JPY30,000.01 - JPY350,000 | JPY1,200 |
JPY350,000.01 - JPY1,000,000 | JPY1,500 |
Sending money to Vietnam:
Amount sent | JME transfer fee |
---|---|
Up to JPY30,599 | JPY599 |
JPY30,599.01 - JPY1,000,000 | JPY999 |
Before you decide to send your money using Japan Money Express - or if your destination isn’t covered by JME’s service - check out Wise.
With Wise, you can send money to 80+ countries with the mid-market exchange rate without any markup. This often works out much cheaper than other providers.
Wise can offer a much lower overall cost thanks to a smart new approach to sending international payments. Instead of relying on outdated payment networks like regular banks and payment providers, Wise uses a series of local accounts to move money across borders at a fraction of the normal cost. That means a better deal for the customer, clearer pricing, and better exchange rates.
To send money with Wise,
And that is it! You can track your transfer in your account and your recipient will also be notified when a transfer reaches them.
Even when banks and other providers seem to offer cheaper fees than Wise, double-check their exchange rates, too, as they may markup their rates.
Do you regularly receive money from abroad to Japan? You can receive money for free to a Wise multi-currency account from the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, and many European countries, just like a local. Hold your money in 50+ different currencies, and switch it using the mid-market rate whenever you want to!
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Get a free multi-currency account🚀
You can make a transfer with JME and pay by bank deposit or by cash by visiting a JME office or agent location.⁴
Depending on the country you’re sending to, you’ll be able to arrange to have your recipient collect the payment in cash or have it sent directly to their bank account. You’ll also be able to get the local cash delivered to your recipient’s home address.⁵
To set up an account with JME you’ll need to provide your government issued ID document such as an identity card, passport or residence card⁶.
Once you’re ready to make a payment you’ll need to provide information for your recipient - the details required will depend on how you want the payment to be delivered.
For cash collection you’ll usually need to give the recipient’s full name as shown on their government ID, and their contact details. You’ll then be given a reference number after the transfer is initiated, which you must pass to the recipient so they can collect the cash.
If you’re sending a payment to your recipient’s bank account you’ll usually need their full bank details, including the name and address of their bank, bank account number, SWIFT code, and any other locally required details.
You can send money with JME and fund the payment by bank transfer. Here’s what you need to know.⁴
If you send from your Japan Post Bank account
If you send from other banks than Japan Post Bank
You can also choose to pay in cash for your transfer, at any of JME’s offices and agent locations.⁴
Here’s how you can talk to Japan Money Express about your payment, or get further details and advice:⁴
Before you set up your international payment, compare the costs of several providers to find the best one for you. Consider modern online alternatives like Wise, and you may find you can save.
See if you can save with Wise👀
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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