6 Month Secondment

jmcalister

Hi,

My employer is sending me on a 6 month secondment to Tokyo.

I will be paid in GBP into my HSBC Advance Current Account as i would normally do.

What is the best way to access my money whilst in Japan, should i set up a Japanese bank account and transfer the money or would something like a Caxton Currency Card be more suitable.

I've read that Japan is very much a cash society so I want to avoid extortionate non-sterling transaction fees and unfavorable exchange rates.

Are there any alternatives that i am unaware of?

Your help would be very much appreciated.
Kind Regards
JM

getmore4less

Make sure your expenses cover the main cost locally or you get a decent allowance.

you do not want to be subsidising this trip.

talk to the local expat/uk people they will have been through this and have fine tuned it.

jmcalister

Whilst the company will be covering my travel and accommodation they will not cover the expense of non sterling transaction fees or the cost of transferring money to another account.

What is the most cost effective way of getting access to my money whilst in Japan?

Kind regards
JM

k3lvc

jmcalister wrote: »

Whilst the company will be covering my travel and accommodation they will not cover the expense of non sterling transaction fees or the cost of transferring money to another account.

What is the most cost effective way of getting access to my money whilst in Japan?

Kind regards
JM

1) Negotiate with them that they do cover them - you shouldn't be out of pocket
2) Set up a local account and ask for expenses/subsistence to be paid into this
3) Ask your bank for any local options they have

Candyapple

Why not just apply for a Halifax Clarity card or any of the other travel credit cards that have no fee for cash withdrawals abroad and set up a DD from your HSBC account to clear the balance in full monthly.

That is the quickest and easiest way of handling this.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards