Haha, don't worry plenty chilled! Again, just giving info. It's obvious from the queries up the page that generally people don't understand where the exchange rates come from and often blame their bank or the ATM, etc. So just trying to give some clarity. The big 4 often apply 3-4% arbitrage on top of Visa or Mastercard rates, plus then another % for it being an overseas transaction, plus if using an ATM a fixed withdrawal charge of $5 or similar. On $100 ATM withdrawal the difference can be in excess of 10% between something like the Citibank card and a CBA ATM card.
Got my new HSBC card and this is today's BUY/SELL rates This is the FX rates I found on the Citibank site So pretty favourable. Or is there a separate site where I can find the travel card rates?
I managed to get a 78 yen buy rate for notes in Adelaide today. Pretty happy with that considering I got 75.5 a few weeks ago when the forecast was bad and the rate dropped a full yen today on the trading markets.
Yeah, that's very good from a couple of other places I looked at today. One in KW St and the other in the Central Markets.
Hi MG, what is the travel card you are referring to? The citibank one is a standard cash account in AUD only. As I posted up thread those rates you are quoting aren’t what you get out of the ATM with Citibank. You need to check the MasterCard site. Those Citibank rates will be for transfers, etc.
I was looking for a comparison with the Citibank card ATM rates. HSBC post their rates on their site but I could only find the general FX rates on the Citibank site. Trying to find a direct like for like.
I have a simplistic view. I get a reference point from the Travelex or major bank website. I then phone [insert your local foreign exchange dealer here] and ask for their best rate for Yen and then go get the cash. Honestly, if its ¥78 = $1 or ¥75 = $1 it’s insignificant in the whole cost of my ski trip. However, Who doesn’t like the challenge of getting a better Forex rate! Geoff
I posted the link upthread for Citibank rates out of the ATM. Those rates you posted from HSBC are unlikely to be what you get out of the ATM. Is the HSBC Visa or mastercard?
Here it is for HSBC Visa card. Just put bank fees 0 if that is the case (I haven’t spent time looking at the HSBC product) https://www.visa.com.au/travel-with-visa/exchange-rate-calculator.html
Worldex on KW was the one - I got lucky, the price has dropped since and looks to continue to drop with todays RBA outlook.
its torture. lately its falling so much that it seems that every day my expenses for next season goes up by another $1000
It's horrible yes. No comparison (but let's make one anyway): Vail's walk-up rate at USD$209 would translate to AUD$311 today. Niseko's would be AUD$112 and Myoko's AUD$84. No point in talking about iconic, epic mega-cala-fragilistic passes as I don't know where I'm going to be next week let alone in six months time. But I've booked Myoko anyway
Myoko's walk up price wont be $84 AUD. The COMBINED Akakura Kanako (Akakan) and Akakura Onsen ticket is 6000yen ($84), but the Akakan ticket is only 4300yen. ($61) There was a pre-purchase Myoko day ticket a few years back (Akakan & Ikenotaira) for 2500yen($35). I didn't see it last year, but I wasn't looking. May be on again.....
Truly wonderful, thanks. Yes of course I will do a weekly pass or similar to sweeten the deal. In fact leaving aside ticket prices I decided on Myoko over Shiga for this trip for other cost issues as well. I've got some non-gear-owning people coming along with me and hire rates seemed to be a much better proposition. And food. Just back on US currency for a sec, imagine how much it's going to cost now to spray a bottle of Veuve racing-driver-style at Aspen's Cloud 9? Gulp - circa AUD$183 to let that fizz go. Makes a lift ticket look cheap, daaaaahhhhling
I took my Japanese mum to the currency exchange desk yesterday to swap yen for dollars. She was getting annoyed as she seemed to be getting different rates from last time and she said... "Why last time I got $200 when this time I get only $180?" The teller looked at her & shrugged his shoulders and said "Fluctuations" She replied...."Yeah well, Fluc you white people too!"
doesnt dead cat bounce require a prolonged downward trend? this is more like snake flat on road in traffic sniffed by downward dog. its slowed down, but still going up i hope!
I investigated officially moving. Including moving my business into Japan and all the resident and business taxable income that comes with it. It'd be a profitable Japanese business from day one, with a new resident spending considerable amounts on alcohol and ski/mountaineering related junk. Living in a farming village that admittedly doesn't need more people in winter, but could certainly do with more permanent people for the off season. and I wouldn't be taking someone's job to do it. They basically said piss off. So now I don't give a shit anymore when I see news articles of Japan's economic troubles, the depression, their struggle with top heavy population burdens and the suffering from the migration towards big cities. Not sure I'll bother renewing my engineering visa either.
Off topic. Probably good if you like eating fish! Fukushima nuclear problems continue to grow. They have huge amounts of radioactive contaminated water that must be despatched in the next couple of years. Looks like they want to dump it in the ocean? Waiting on government decision.
Hmm that might have been a good idea. I didn't really get far enough to need logistical help/etc tho. That was a chasm I was going to handle when I got to it. I had a lawyer helping to kickstart it all. The general consensus was to "just marry a Japanese girl", as suggested by my Lawyer, Tokyo and Sapporo immigration departments, Japan employment examination second division Tokyo department and the Brisbane and Sydney Japanese consulates. I got rather tired of hearing it. They had people with geiger counters getting around Niseko the season after the earthquake, to try to get people to come back. A coal plant frees as much radioactive elements embedded in the coal into the atmosphere in a single day, but because they didn't make a tv series about it its a problem that doesn't exist. Seems we derailed the thread. I blame @Hyst So far this week @Dave6 's prediction is still right on target! I wonder if they're slowly weakening the Yen to encourage tourists for the Rugby World Cup and Olympics.
Seems to work out for many others. Seems a bit of a huge commit just to get a visa...why on earth would they encourage marriage in this way. Surely marriages of convenience aren’t all that beneficial to the Japanese citizen! Did not know that. I’ll take it!! Happy my lil Aussie battler will be worth a little more next month than last.
Yeh, yeh - just plame me, who followed their "advice" but never settled in JP. weakening the Yen??? I thought only China did that sort of thing?
Setting up in Japan is easy enough and doesnt require much capital. About $65K at current exchange rates. 'Start' a business and go from there, pretty much what myself and many others have done over there years. Engage a good immigration lawyer and its just a somewhat longish process. After you have done that marrying the Japanese girl is the bonus!
Mine was rejected because technically I can do my work remotely from anywhere. They were fine with me setting up the business/etc, but saw no reason to give me a visa. Im not interested in setting up a fake business and risk getting kicked out of the country.
You are just to picky - how may years have you been there now (half time) - 10 -11 years - how many to pick among in Japan? May be you should go a bit south in you new Honda? bus. There are some who could join you summer and winter in the wildernesss. (however when they see your jacket they will run away i suppose) And from Australia you export the best ones to us! (very good quality - might have become your queen - but soon my queen) I even sendt you the best one 2 years ago - I know a bit short grown. Life is not perfect - and girls are not perfect - neither are we. Any Nakoudo around for @Any ?
I'd be buying some yen now. Dead cat bounce has finished and another leg going down. Not taking any joy in that at all. Could be wrong. Hope I am.
