How To Top Up Using Cash at a Mizuho Bank ATM

You can top up your MobalPay account using cash at an ATM in any Mizuho Bank branch. It can be a little daunting if you’re not yet fluent in Japanese, so here’s a video step-by-step guide to help you through the whole process. Below the video are the same instructions in text format.

Before you head to the bank, please note that cash transfers at Mizuho Bank are only available between 8:45am and 6pm on business days.

1. Select ‘English’ to change the language setting.
2. When asked to choose a transaction type, choose ‘Transfer’. At this stage, you may also see a notice to say the transfer will complete the next business day, depending on what time of day it is.
3. When shown a screen warning about insurance claims and scams, choose ‘Next’. 
4. When asked to choose a transfer method, choose ‘Transfer Using Cash’
5. Choose ‘Select Payee Manually’. 
6. When asked if you’d like to ‘repeat a similar transfer to this payee’ select ‘No Transfer Card Required’. *  
7. When asked to select the payee’s financial institution, choose ‘三井住友’ (SMBC Bank). 
8. When asked to enter the first character of the payee’s branch name, choose ‘ア’. 
9. When asked to select the payee’s branch name, choose ‘アオイ’  (Aoi Branch). 
10. Select the option to make an ‘Ordinary Deposit’. 
11. When prompted, enter your Account Number. This is unique to you, and can be found in your MobalPay MyAccount. 
12. To confirm the details you’ve entered, select ‘Next’. 
13. When asked to enter your name in Katakana, you can choose ‘英数字切替’ (Alphanumeric Switching) to switch to the Latin alphabet. 
14. Enter your name, ensuring that you enter a space (スペース) between your given name and family name. Select ‘Next’ to progress. 
15. Enter your phone number, if you have one**. Select ‘Next’ to progress. 
16. Enter the amount you’d like to top up, in yen (¥). Select ‘Next’ to progress. 
17. To confirm the details you’ve entered, select ‘Next’. 
18. The cash terminals will now open. Insert the amount of cash you specified in the previous step. When you’ve inserted your cash, select ‘Close’ to close the terminals. The machine will now count your cash.
19. That’s it! Remember to take your receipt – your cash will be added to your MobalPay balance within two working days. 

Most banks will charge a small fee for using their services to top up. You can find a full breakdown of each bank’s fees here. 

 *You can make your next cash top-up easier by registering for a transfer card. Find out more here. 

**If you don’t yet have a Japanese phone number, you can enter ‘070-1234-5678′ at this step. This means that the bank won’t be able to contact you if anything goes wrong with the cash transfer, so we’d recommend getting a SIM with a real Japanese phone number.

>>> If you don’t yet have one, we’d recommend getting a SIM card for your phone, with a real Japanese phone number. You can use your MobalPay card to get a Mobal SIM, which will give you a real Japanese phone number, and a range of data plan options.