Save Time and Register for a Transfer Card

Using an ATM to top up your MobalPay account can seem a little daunting, especially if you’re new to Japan. That’s why we’ve put together some guides for topping up using cash. 

However, did you know that you can make the process even easier for yourself in future transactions? 

Many banks allow you to create a ‘Transfer Card’, which will allow you to skip a lot of the steps in our guide, and get straight to the top-up. Follow the process below to get yourself a card, and save yourself a whole lot of time in future! 

Once again, we’ve used Mizuho Bank as our example, as they offer an English-language service. For that reason, we’d recommend them to new residents in Japan. 

How To Get Your Transfer Card at a Mizuho Bank ATM

  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 ‘Issue Transfer Card’.  
  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. The machine will print a Transfer Card for you, which will then be issued from the ‘Card’ terminal. Next time you use a Mizuho Bank ATM, you can insert the card to avoid having to enter the payee details and skip straight to the transfer amount! Remember to take your receipt too – your top-up will be reflected in 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 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. 

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