I think most gaijins in Japan send money to their home country either regularly or on special occasions. There are various means to send money but here are the ones I have tried so far.
I couldn't really say that this service is good or not only better than the other depending on the situation. Also remittance services vary from one country to another so it isn't easy to say that one is the best although I am sure all of them are trying their best to give their clients good service.
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| woman giving money photo credit: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-39737077/stock-photo-blur-image-of-a-female-holding-a-fan-of-thousand-yen-currency-notes-isolated-against-white.html |
1. Western Union
This works best when the people from your home country need cash immediately. Just drop by to the nearest Western Union store, fill-up their application and in a few minutes the people in your home country can already receive them in any Western Union as long as the receiver presents a valid ID or answered a personal question about you. Western Union's rates are average- not really cheap but not too high. The only drawback is when there's no Western Union branch near your place.
2. JP Bank
The remittance fee is about Y2500 whether your sending a small or big amount. It takes 3 to 5 days so this doesn't work for emergency cases. Also, you need a bank account. This works best when you are sending a large amount. Also, you can find a JP Bank even in the rural areas of Japan.
3. SBi Remit
Most of my friends use this because of their low rates. I haven't used this myself because there were a lot of paper works before you can start remitting. (Yeah, I sound lazy.) But I plan to use from next month because their rates are really low, just less than 400 Yen. Also, they can get the money on the same day.
4. Lloyds Remittance Service
I have only used this because it was initially recommended by a friend. I won't personally recommend this because their fees are high and it takes a couple of days to send the money.
5. PNB
Since I send money to the Philippines, I have also tried using PNB's partner banks here in Japan. I won't recommend this again for a number of reasons. First, the fee is fixed to 2000 Yen so if you're sending a small amount it's not worth it. Also, if the recipient does not have a PNB account he must get the remittance during banking hours.
I couldn't really say that this service is good or not only better than the other depending on the situation. Also remittance services vary from one country to another so it isn't easy to say that one is the best although I am sure all of them are trying their best to give their clients good service.
