Thanks Tim,
For the water bill do you need to specificy a bank or do they provide details where to pay to their bank? If the later then perhaps Wise can be used.
How to pay water bill from overseas?
For the Kitakyushu water company, it can only be automated by direct debit, so Wise won't work, you will need a Japanese bank account and thus a residency card to open one. Only way for non residents to pay is in convenience store when the bill arrives or hire an agent to manage bills. This is where good neighbours are a God sent.
I even researched pre-paying (i.e. overpaying the account before I leave Japan, so it's in credit), I went down a rabbit hole, so I can save you the time: no, it's genuinely impossible. Their system only recognises issued bills. The konbini terminal charges exactly what the barcode says, and if a bill somehow gets paid twice they start a refund procedure rather than crediting you. There's no such thing as a balance on the account!
Sign in or create a free account to join the discussion.