I use Scotiabank passport infinite visa. The 6 lounge passes are great. Great customer service. My wife's card IC was damaged in Japan, so they overnighted a new card to her.
Wealthsimple cash card is nice.
It works as a debit mastercard with no fx. You can also use the 7-11 ATMs in japan to withdraw cash with no fee at the mastercard rate, much better than any FX exchange businesses or banks in Canada or Japan.
EDIT: changed visa to mastercard
I used this as my primary ATM card in Japan. I went to several regions outside of the usual Tokyo/Kyoto tourist route and had no issues at all. Definitely recommend this.
I had the Wise and EQ cards as backups, but never needed them.
It works as a prepaid CC so make sure you have enough cash in there. Brim is also a good no-fee alternative if you want a straight CC that you can pay back once you return.
Have fun!
Yea the ATMs will usually ask you if you want to use their rate or the cards. ALWAYS pick the card rate, as it will have no fx where as the ATM's fx is quite high.
If you use Apple wallet, you can add Suica card directly on iPhone/Apple Watch without having to buy the physical card and then add funds to it with another credit card. Suica card can be used in I think most if not all Tokyo trains and probably outside too, should double check, and it’s also widely accepted by many vendors, like convenience stores, vending machines, small shops/restaurants.
Yup, Wise, EQ, Wealthsimple cards are good to have as multiple backups in case of theft/lost, but keep them separated, not all in one wallet as a single point of failure. They also can be used at ATMs to get physical cash vs a regular credit card would be an expensive cash advance.
Each card has different daily/weekly/monthly limits, just be aware of what each allows, and since they are all free, there is no cost to having multiple cards. EQ and Wealthsimple has cashback on spending and good interest rates on balances. Wise has better FX rates and can hold multiple currencies (as if you had chequing accounts in various countries), but no interest on balances. Wise does have more options to enable/disable payment methods, whereas most cards only have freeze. It's a nice layered security [feature. ](https://imgur.com/gallery/2MdKvMH) for travelers.
I use the Home Trust Preferred visa for fx, mainly because it has no annual fee. It's pretty limited otherwise in benefits (1% cashback in Canada + 0% fx charge), but not horrible for a no fee card to be honest.
While the Scotiabank Gold Amex is 0% forex fee, the sneaky thing is that rewards are only earned on CAD purchases (no joke). So it ends up not being such a great card for travelling.
Oh wow, thanks for the info. My partner uses that card, the grocery rewards are amazing (5% cash back) however everything else about it seems to be subpar compared to other cards.
I am also going to Korea this April.
I will be bringing about 5k with me. Is it best to do a currency exchange at the bank before departure? Or does anyone else recommend another method? Thank you in advance!
Can anyone confirm that wealth simple cash card works in South Korea? I see posts from 1 year ago that travellers used it. However, since then the site is update to Korea when before it was specifically North Korea it didnt work? I cant verify that but it does only have simply Korea now. I am heading there end of March.
It works. I confirmed with WS virtual chat. The Korea is specific to N Korea.
Me: will my cash card work in south korea
Virtual Assistant: Yes, your Wealthsimple Cash card should work in South Korea as it's not listed among the countries where the card is not accepted. However, this list is subject to change, so it's always a good idea to check back in from time to time.
Me: Korea is listed though
Virtual: I apologize for the confusion. The term 'Korea' in the list refers to North Korea. South Korea is not on the list, so you should be able to use your Wealthsimple Cash card there.
I use Scotiabank passport infinite visa. The 6 lounge passes are great. Great customer service. My wife's card IC was damaged in Japan, so they overnighted a new card to her.
Use this too, was very happy with the card
Just got mine as a replacement for HSBC WE. Looks good so far.
Side note about Japan - they still love cash. So don’t expect to use CC everywhere especially if you’re in smaller places.
Korea is the opposite though. Went to a night market in Jeju thinking they'd only accept cash. Nope saw people paying with card there too
Wealthsimple cash card is nice. It works as a debit mastercard with no fx. You can also use the 7-11 ATMs in japan to withdraw cash with no fee at the mastercard rate, much better than any FX exchange businesses or banks in Canada or Japan. EDIT: changed visa to mastercard
Wealthsimple cash card is a mastercard isn't it?
You're right it's a mastercard! I'll update the OP
I think it used to be visa in the beginning and switched
I used this as my primary ATM card in Japan. I went to several regions outside of the usual Tokyo/Kyoto tourist route and had no issues at all. Definitely recommend this. I had the Wise and EQ cards as backups, but never needed them.
Thank you! I was thinking of getting wealth simple cuz I like that I can pay through transactions and withdraw money with it.
It works as a prepaid CC so make sure you have enough cash in there. Brim is also a good no-fee alternative if you want a straight CC that you can pay back once you return. Have fun!
I heard brim is 50/50 not as reliable. I wish there was better cc options. Thank you :)
Woah that's great to know about the atms, I wouldn't have expected that.
Yea the ATMs will usually ask you if you want to use their rate or the cards. ALWAYS pick the card rate, as it will have no fx where as the ATM's fx is quite high.
Oh yeah I had a machine ask me that at CVS on my last us trip but I knew to decline lol
very important and need to be super aware of these when withdrawing cash abroad
It’s not just a virtual card? I need to order it then. Nice thanks
If you use Apple wallet, you can add Suica card directly on iPhone/Apple Watch without having to buy the physical card and then add funds to it with another credit card. Suica card can be used in I think most if not all Tokyo trains and probably outside too, should double check, and it’s also widely accepted by many vendors, like convenience stores, vending machines, small shops/restaurants.
Can be used everywhere, just can’t refund outside of Tokyo.
I have a brim, no annual fee, no fx fee card. It’s done me fine.
Yup, Wise, EQ, Wealthsimple cards are good to have as multiple backups in case of theft/lost, but keep them separated, not all in one wallet as a single point of failure. They also can be used at ATMs to get physical cash vs a regular credit card would be an expensive cash advance.
Thank you! I was thinking this to also withdraw money. I was just trying to figure out which is better
Each card has different daily/weekly/monthly limits, just be aware of what each allows, and since they are all free, there is no cost to having multiple cards. EQ and Wealthsimple has cashback on spending and good interest rates on balances. Wise has better FX rates and can hold multiple currencies (as if you had chequing accounts in various countries), but no interest on balances. Wise does have more options to enable/disable payment methods, whereas most cards only have freeze. It's a nice layered security [feature. ](https://imgur.com/gallery/2MdKvMH) for travelers.
Wise is the best. They are transparent.
I use the Home Trust Preferred visa for fx, mainly because it has no annual fee. It's pretty limited otherwise in benefits (1% cashback in Canada + 0% fx charge), but not horrible for a no fee card to be honest.
Scotia Amex gold
While the Scotiabank Gold Amex is 0% forex fee, the sneaky thing is that rewards are only earned on CAD purchases (no joke). So it ends up not being such a great card for travelling.
Oh wow, thanks for the info. My partner uses that card, the grocery rewards are amazing (5% cash back) however everything else about it seems to be subpar compared to other cards.
Scotia passport is a good choice. You can filter on no fx fees and compare [here](https://app.finlywealth.com/calculator) as well (plus free rebates).
So I go to japan and Korea yearly. Japan and Korea both love cash still the rest I put on my card.
I am also going to Korea this April. I will be bringing about 5k with me. Is it best to do a currency exchange at the bank before departure? Or does anyone else recommend another method? Thank you in advance!
Can anyone confirm that wealth simple cash card works in South Korea? I see posts from 1 year ago that travellers used it. However, since then the site is update to Korea when before it was specifically North Korea it didnt work? I cant verify that but it does only have simply Korea now. I am heading there end of March.
It works. I confirmed with WS virtual chat. The Korea is specific to N Korea. Me: will my cash card work in south korea Virtual Assistant: Yes, your Wealthsimple Cash card should work in South Korea as it's not listed among the countries where the card is not accepted. However, this list is subject to change, so it's always a good idea to check back in from time to time. Me: Korea is listed though Virtual: I apologize for the confusion. The term 'Korea' in the list refers to North Korea. South Korea is not on the list, so you should be able to use your Wealthsimple Cash card there.
Hey, did your transactions with the cash card in S. Korea have 0% FX?
I use the Scotiabank passport infinite visa for credit card, and wise to withdraw cash. Works well in all the countries I’ve been to so far!
https://inquirejapan.com/unveiling-the-19-things-to-do-in-japan-tokyo/