Australian Members



CHECKstar said:

Not really much of interest at the RL sale (also just swang by the Collins St store). A PRL cotton khaki suit in the Bradford cut did catch my eye at a RRP of $1,299, which fits more-or-less, but I think SF has destroyed me, and now I am way to fussy with things like shoulders, and details like a preference for patch pockets in a cotton suit. They also had linen pants out with a RRP of $230. No shoes worth looking at either. Overall, quite disappointing.

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Thanks for the report, you spared me a trip



blahman said:

Anyone know any outlets and what not in Tokyo? And what do you gent use overseas to make purchases? Cash, credit card, debit card, cash passports?
And for credit cards how do the local banks charge you fees?

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Get a GE Money 28 Degrees Wizard MasterCard. They charge no annual fees, no currency conversion fees and no foreign ATM withdrawals and are 55 days interest free on purchases. Interest is through the roof, but if you pay things on time, you save a lot of money on fees, etc.

I've been on several overseas trips with mine, so so handy.



thebrownman said:

Get a GE Money 28 Degrees Wizard MasterCard. They charge no annual fees, no currency conversion fees and no foreign ATM withdrawals and are 55 days interest free on purchases. Interest is through the roof, but if you pay things on time, you save a lot of money on fees, etc.
I've been on several overseas trips with mine, so so handy.

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I want to second this, I love my 28 Degrees card and I've used it all over the world -- HOWEVER, please be aware that mine didn't work at every ATM in Japan (this was the only country where I had any difficulties with it).

So by all means get one/take one (you won't be able to access your money that cheap any other way) but take at least one other card and even some cash as a backup.



thebrownman said:

Get a GE Money 28 Degrees Wizard MasterCard. They charge no annual fees, no currency conversion fees and no foreign ATM withdrawals and are 55 days interest free on purchases. Interest is through the roof, but if you pay things on time, you save a lot of money on fees, etc.
I've been on several overseas trips with mine, so so handy.

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What are their exchange rates like? If good I might apply for one for next trip. My trip is next week - poor planning on my part...

Looking at prepaid travel cards or using my existing credit/debit cards. Carrying whole wads of cash is a little risky.



CHECKstar said:

They also had linen pants out with a RRP of $230.

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My linen pants were discounted to $160 at Boxing day if that's any help.

I use the NAB Gold Banking Card.
I have the debit one which draws straight from my savings account, although there is also a credit card one which is a competitor to the 28 degrees card.

Interest rate is set by Visa rates, which is very close to the true currency rate. I used it throughout Asia/Europe and the Middle East without issue.
Free travel insurance, and the most valuable of all, 90 days buyer protection insurance. If you buy a camera and it breaks, it's covered for 90 days from purchase.
GREAT Card.!



blahman said:

What are their exchange rates like? If good I might apply for one for next trip. My trip is next week - poor planning on my part...
Looking at prepaid travel cards or using my existing credit/debit cards. Carrying whole wads of cash is a little risky.

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Pretty good. I mean, I didn't do a comparison with other cards, but you're certainly not being disadvantaged with crummy currency conversion fees by 28 Degrees, simply because they offer you no other fees.

What TobiasJ said is also good advice - keep a back-up, but the 28 degrees is an excellent card overall for travelling. I also use mine for online shopping from the US/UK to save on fees.



rhubarb jam said:

I use the NAB Gold Banking Card.
I have the debit one which draws straight from my savings account, although there is also a credit card one which is a competitor to the 28 degrees card.

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I have the same debit card - very good product IMO. I don't have any credit cards so a decent debit card is very handy.



MickyD said:

I have the same debit card - very good product IMO. I don't have any credit cards so a decent debit card is very handy.

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But with the NAB card (credit or debit) are you charged a fee on foreign currency transactions?



blahman said:

Anyone know any outlets and what not in Tokyo? And what do you gent use overseas to make purchases? Cash, credit card, debit card, cash passports?
And for credit cards how do the local banks charge you fees?

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blahman said:

What are their exchange rates like? If good I might apply for one for next trip. My trip is next week - poor planning on my part...
Looking at prepaid travel cards or using my existing credit/debit cards. Carrying whole wads of cash is a little risky.

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Tokyo used to be awful for withdrawing money from foreign institutions - you could only use certain banks and you couldn't use ATMs, but you instead had to go into a larger branch and then to a special counter, fill out forms in triplicate, hand over your card and passport and wait 15 minutes while a female bank clerk took it all over to a more senior (male) officer who then carefully examined it, stamped it, examined it again, stamped it some more, and then gave it back to the female clerk who brought it back to you with your money in an envelope.

Nowadays, it's much easier. There are 7-11 stores all around Tokyo and most, if not all of them have ATMs that allow you to use overseas credit/debit cards to withdraw cash. Quick and convenient, but much less culturally interesting!

By the way, you don't really need to be concerned about carrying around large wads of cash in Japan, as cash is still king there. No EFTPOS in supermarkets etc - people always pay in cash. It's not unusual for people to carry around the equivalent of many hundreds of dollars at any one time. Pickpocketing does sometimes occur, especially at night in more crowded areas, but is still very uncommon and things like muggings are virtually unknown.



thebrownman said:

Pretty good. I mean, I didn't do a comparison with other cards, but you're certainly not being disadvantaged with crummy currency conversion fees by 28 Degrees, simply because they offer you no other fees.
What TobiasJ said is also good advice - keep a back-up, but the 28 degrees is an excellent card overall for travelling. I also use mine for online shopping from the US/UK to save on fees.

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+ 1 on the 28 degrees card. have used it in hong kong, south korea, singapore

About how much would I likely be spending for a week's stay in Tokyo including food (a mix of cheap eats and couple of meals at slightly classier joints - no alcohol), transport around the city and to neighbouring Nikko, entrance costs to attractions including Disneyland/Sea, excluding shopping splurges and excluding accommodation?

No foreign currency fees at all BrownMan.
I originally got it for my exchange in Sweden, as I didn't want the daily atm withdrawals taking a huge chunk out of my savings over a period of 6 months.
I shop online without issue, no fees whatsoever, and an extremely competitive exchange rate.
It does cost $10 a month however if you transfer $5000 into the card (I take it out again straight after) the fee is waived.

Did you end up checking out Dejour Jeans?
To the gentleman who was enquiring as to a suit for under $700 on his trip to Melbourne, the only suggestion I have apart from sale items, is a suit from Traveller's Apparel in Collingwood. I have two suits from there, and although they're not fully canvassed, for 550, they have served me well, and the super 120s wool is of a high quality from some renowned Italian mills. If anyone wants a name on the mills, I can check with my gf, who seemed impressed by the names.
Link here:http://www.travellersapparel.com.au/



rhubarb jam said:

Did you end up checking out Dejour Jeans?

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Nope, not yet. I think they're only open weekdays so have to make a dedicated trip out that way. I might be able to go tomorrow. I know exactly what I want, so hopefully am able to find something similar when I do make it along. I'll let you know if I get anything.

With the Traveller's Apparel suits, how do you find their shoulder treatment, armhole size and quarters?

Dejour is definitely open 7 days a week, 10 - 5 on weekends. I know because I tried to convince the owner to actually take some time off. I thought my 25 hour working week was bad enough :S

I find with Travellers, they are extremely generous with their free alterations. I have taken a pair of pants back twice to get the length just right. When I got my first suit, I didn't have too much knowledge of the finer details of alterations, yet they decided 3 separate alterations were necessary as I had hunched shoulders, to rid the jacket of excess fabric across the back of the neck. I guess in summary, I feel they are generous with their time.

The finer details: There are so many different styles that it's hard to talk about their whole range, but my suits have more structured shoulders, armhole is slim without being D&G, skinny tie, winkelpicker thin.
The quarters of my suit jacket are marginally open, without being too extreme, but again, this may be just my style. I have heard that they do custom jobs for another couple of hundred, however I have no experience of this. They also make their own shirts which can be tailor made. I'm thinking of going and purchasing some at around the $120 mark, as unfortunately, I have monkey arms