Venmo doesn’t work in Japan: Find alternatives

Venmo is limited to US residents. That means that you’ll need an alternative way to arrange your payments if you travel in Japan, or looking to pay someone in Japan.

This guide walks through all you need to know about Venmo international transfers, and also introduces a smart way to make payments to and in Japan using Wise. Let’s dive right in.

Spend money abroad without hidden fees🚀

Can you use Venmo in Japan?

To put it simply, you cannot use Venmo in Japan.

Venmo states that to use their payments service, you’ll need to fulfil the eligibility requirements laid out by Venmo support:[1]

• You’ll need to be physically resident in the US
• You must have a US cell phone which is not already registered to a Venmo account, and which can send and receive text messages
• You have to be 18 or over (or the age of majority in the state you live in)

And these restrictions mean that Venmo is not available to people based in Japan or any country outside the US.

Can I send a Venmo international transfer?

You may still be wondering about whether or not you can make a Venmo international money transfer if you are based in the US and need to send a payment to someone in Japan. Unfortunately, this is not possible, either.

In order to set up a Venmo account and either send or receive a payment you must fulfil the criteria outlined above. This means that both the sender and the recipient of a payment need to be based in the US. International transfers are not possible with Venmo for this reason.

💡A cheap and easy alternative: Wise

Spending or sending money abroad shouldn’t be difficult or expensive. Wise could be your alternative solution.

💳 Wise multi-currency debit card
Use a card in 200 countries with the ‘real’ exchange rate Free ATM withdrawal up to 250 USD / month Convert and hold 54 currencies in 1 account No sneaky fees - we are transparent

The Wise multi-currency account and card is the smart way to hold, send and spend money all around the world. Top up your account and switch to the currency you need using the mid-market exchange rate. You’ll only ever pay a low conversion fee, with no minimum balance or maintenance charge.

Get your Wise card for a one off fee of just USD9, and make fast payments in person and online. You can also access simple ATM withdrawals. This is especially useful if you travel in Japan, where smaller retailers often do not accept card or mobile payments at all.

Learn more📖

With Wise, you can also send money cheaper and faster internationally - making this a great alternative to Venmo if you need to make a payment to someone abroad.

Venmo is a popular service for person to person payments within the US. However, until international services are available, you won’t be able to use Venmo in Japan, or when making a payment to someone overseas.

If you need to send money to friends or family based abroad, check out the fast, low cost payments from Wise as an alternative solution. Set up your payment online using the mid-market exchange rate, and save money compared to using your regular bank or an alternative provider.

Sign up for free🚀