How To Top-Up Using Cash at SMBC Bank (Mitsui Sumitomo Bank)

You can top up your MobalPay account using cash at an ATM in any Mitsui Sumitomo Bank (SMBC) branch. It can be a little daunting if you’re not yet fluent in Japanese, so here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the whole process.

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

1. Select ‘お振込み’ (‘Transfer’). 
2. When shown a warning about insurance claims and scams, choose ‘あてはまらない’ (‘No’) 
3. When asked to choose a transfer method, choose ‘現金’ (‘Transfer Using Cash’) 
4. Enter your phone number, including hyphens. 
5. When asked to set a customer number to register this payee information for your next transfer (repeat a similar transfer to this payee) select ‘次画面’ (‘Next Screen’)  
6. Enter the amount you’d like to top up, in yen. Select ‘確認’ (‘Confirm’) to progress 
7. When asked to enter your name in Katakana, you can choose ‘英数字切替’ (Alphanumeric Switching) to switch to the Latin alphabet. Select ‘指定’ (Confirm) to progress.  
8. When asked to select the payee’s financial institution, choose ‘三井住友’ (SMBC Bank).  
9. When asked to enter the first character of the payee’s branch name, choose ‘ア’ 
10. When asked to select the payee’s branch name, choose ‘アオイ’ (Aoi Branch).  
11. Select ‘普通‘to make an ‘Ordinary Deposit’
12. When prompted, enter your Account Number. This is unique to you, and can be found in your MobalPay MyAccount. Select ‘指定’ (‘Next’) to progress
13. To confirm the details you’ve entered, select ‘確認’ (‘Confirm’)  
14. The cash terminals will now open. Insert the amount of cash you specified in the previous step. When you’ve inserted your cash, select ‘読取’ (Close) to close the terminals. The machine will now count your cash.
15. To confirm your details, select ‘確認’ (‘Next’)  
16. 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.  

*If you would like to register payee for your next transfer, enter 4 digits of number to set it up. 

**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. 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.