Sony Bank WALLET
Sony Bank WALLET Issues
Important Matters Concerning Foreign Currency Deposits
Using Sony Bank WALLET
- Insufficient balance
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If you are unable to use your Sony Bank WALLET, please check the balance of your accounts. If you have an insufficient balance, you will need to make a deposit in Japanese yen by fund transfer or at a partner ATM in Japan.
- Incorrect Visa Debit PIN
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If you are unable to use your Sony Bank WALLET, you might have entered your four-digit Visa Debit PIN incorrectly. Please inquire your PIN on our English online banking.
You have a limited number of attempts to enter your PIN, and if you exceed the limit your card will be blocked, and you will need to apply for a new card. The fee for replacement of Sony Bank WALLET is 1,650 yen (consumption tax included). Please go to " Requesting Card Replacement" page after signing in to our English online banking to request for card replacement.
- Exceeding your Visa Debit usage limit
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There is a possibility that the amount you want to use for payment or withdrawal with your Sony Bank WALLET exceeds the Visa Debit usage limit. Payments in and outside Japan are initially limited to 500,000 yen per day (changeable between 0 and 2 million yen) and 2 million yen per month (changeable between 0 and 10 million yen). To confirm your Visa Debit usage limit, please go to "Visa Debit Usage Limit Settings" after signing in to our English online banking.
- Stores that do not accept Sony Bank WALLET
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There are some stores, such as gas stations, that do not accept Sony Bank WALLET. For more information, please check the list of stores where Visa Debit is not available below.
- Security restrictions
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The use of your Sony Bank WALLET may be temporarily suspended at Sony Bank's discretion. This is to prevent card crimes by third parties and to ensure that customers can use the card with peace of mind. If you are experiencing a temporary suspension, the account holder should contact the English help desk directly for queries.
- The magnet strip of the card is unreadable
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If none of the following applies, it is likely that the magnet strip (IC chip) or another part of your card is damaged. If you are experiencing a temporary suspension, the account holder should contact the English help desk directly for queries.
- Using your card to pay at stores
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If a transaction has been processed in a currency other than your preferred currency, immediately inform the sales clerk, get a copy of the corrected card sales receipt, and keep it until you confirm that the payment has been corrected.
Some merchants process payments in Japanese Yen without prior explanation, so after making your purchase, check the card sales receipt you receive to confirm that your preferred currency has been selected, as well as the total transaction amount.
Example: Visa merchant sales slip (USA)
At merchants that allow you to select the payment currency, the card sales receipt will show the total transaction amount (in USD), the Yen-equivalent amount, the exchange rate (as determined by the merchant), and an explanation. Please note that you may receive more than one receipt, in which case the receipt showing the items purchased and the card sales receipt will be different.The information shown will vary by merchant.
Please note that in some cases the name of the service that allows you to select the Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) currency is stated on the card sales receipt.
This is an acknowledgement that you agree to the transaction amount being converted into and paid in Japanese Yen at the rate specified by the merchant.
- Using your card at overseas ATMs
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For cash withdrawals made at ATMs, you cannot change the transaction currency after you have received the cash.
If you have the option to select the transaction currency or see an explanation about the exchange rate on the screen after entering (selecting) the cash withdrawal amount, please carefully check the details and select ACCEPT CONVERSION.
- Examples of terms and phrases that appear on the screens of ATMs that allow you to select Japanese Yen as the transaction currency
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- EXCHANGE RATE or WHOLESALE RATE is shown after you enter (select) the cash withdrawal amount.
- The terms HOME CURRENCY, JPY (JAPANESE YEN), or MARK UP are shown.
- After the comment USE DCC (CURRENCY SELECTION) (*) SERVICE and COMPLETE TRANSACTION AT RATE SHOWN, you have the option to select either YES or NO.
If you select NO, the transaction will be made in the local currency.
If you select YES, the transaction will be made in Japanese Yen. - You have the choice to accept or decline the conversion.
If you select WITHOUT CONVERSION or DECLINE CONVERSION, the transaction will be made in the local currency.
If you select WITH CONVERSION or ACCEPT CONVERSION, the transaction will be made in Japanese Yen.
Dynamic Currency Conversion: The name of the service that allows card users to choose whether to pay in their own home currency or use the domestic currency of the country they are visiting.
- Using your card to shop online
- Before completing an online transaction, please check the currency of the transaction with the merchant.
The available transaction currencies may be listed in the FAQ or other section of the merchant's website. Some merchants may have different transaction currencies to choose from depending on the user's display language selection. - When Japanese Yen (JPY) has been designated as the payment currency
- If Japanese Yen has been designated as the payment currency in the card usage data, the payment will be debited from your Yen savings account.
In the event that the payment currency in the confirmed sales data differs from that in the usage data, and the payment currency in the confirmed sales data is Japanese Yen, we will debit your Yen savings account and, based on the usage data, refund to your corresponding Foreign currency savings account the foreign currency that was previously debited from your account. - When a payment has been debited from your account in a currency different from the one you designated
- When making transactions with merchants in some regions (primarily Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan), the payment currency information in the usage data received by Sony Bank may arrive in a currency other than the one you designated. In such cases, we kindly ask that you wait for about one week until the confirmed sales data arrives, as the transaction amount will be corrected automatically.
In the unlikely event that the payment currency is not corrected to the one selected on the card sales receipt you received, please contact our English help desk
Please note that, depending on the nature of the transaction, we may ask you to submit a copy of the card sales receipt you received at the time of the transaction, we may need some time to conduct an investigation, or we may be unable to meet your request. - Tax refunds
- If you wish to receive a tax refund on a purchase made using Sony Bank WALLET, the refund will be credited to your account in the currency specified by the merchant (customs, etc.), regardless of the currency in which the purchase was made.
Charges
- Have you set up a monthly/annual subscription payment?
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You may have been charged for recurring payments such as your Amazon Prime monthly/annual membership fee. You can check the name of the merchant at which this charge was incurred from Visa Debit Transaction History Inquiry after signing in to our English online banking.
- Did you use a website based overseas?
- If you made a purchase via the internet, your transaction history may indicate that the purchase was made overseas. Even if the website you used to make the purchase is published in Japanese, the company may be based overseas. Please confirm your online purchase history or contact the merchant directly for more information.
- Is it a debit to check the validity of your card?
- When you shop online, a small amount such as 100 or 200 yen may be debited from your account to check the validity (usability) of your card. The time required to process a refund will vary depending on the merchant, but please be assured that the debited amount will be refunded at a later date.
- The date of card use and date of debit may differ
- When making transactions with some merchants, payments may be debited from your account several days after the actual date of card use due to a delay in the usage data arriving at Sony Bank.
- Can it be an advanced payment for any purchases you made?
- Any advanced payment (hotels, rental cars, public telephones, vending machines, and etc.) made by your debit card, the amount will immediately be deducted from your account. Depending on the merchant, total amount deducted may differ from the actual transaction amount.
If you have already paid by other means, or if the actual transaction amount differs, please be patient as you will receive a refund at a later date.
Please note that if a transfer has been made between your accounts using our Yen assist function at the time a deposit is debited, the subsequent refund will be made to your corresponding Foreign currency savings account. - An additional charge has been incurred following the initial transaction
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Restaurants, hotels, car rental operators, and other service providers located overseas may charge extra for the following, for reasons other than exchange rate fluctuations.
- Hotels
Room service, telephone charges, cleaning fees, etc. - Rental car operators
Refueling fees, repair costs, fines for traffic violations, voluntary insurance premiums, extension fees, highway tolls, etc. - Other
Tips, service charges, etc.
- Hotels
- Is it a surcharge?
- In some countries or regions, a surcharge may be added to the total transaction amount when using your card.
- Transactions are repeated when a product purchase is canceled or multiple items are purchased simultaneously
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If you cancel your purchase after buying an item worth 1,000 yen
Transaction order Customer Merchant Sony Bank (Transaction History) (1) Purchase Usage data transmission 1,000 yen debited (2) Purchase cancelation Usage data (cancelation) transmission 1,000 yen deposited (3) Confirmed sales data transmission 1,000 yen debited (repeat debit) (4) Confirmed sales data (cancelation) transmission 1,000 yen deposited (repeat deposit) In the event that (3) and (4) arrive at Sony Bank on the same day, the deposit will be reflected in your transaction history.
In the event that (3) and (4) arrive at Sony Bank on different days, your account will temporarily be debited twice.
(1), (2), (3), and (4) will all appear in your transaction history.If a merchant has split the confirmed sales data into smaller amounts and send it to Sony Bank after you have made purchases.
Transaction order Customer Merchant Sony Bank (Transaction History) (1) Purchase Usage data (total amount) transmission 50,000 yen debited (2) Confirmed sales data (30,000 yen) transmission 30,000 yen debited (3) Confirmed sales data (20,000 yen) transmission 20,000 yen debited This scenario often applies to airline tickets and mail-order sales.
Only (2) and (3) will appear in your transaction history once Sony Bank has received the confirmed sales data. - Confirmed sales data has been split, resulting in your account being debited twice
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Some merchants may split the confirmed sales data notification into several parts compared to the usage data notification. For example, the usage data may show a purchase of 900 dollars, but the confirmed sales data may show the payment has been split into three payments of 300 dollars. In such cases, both the usage data and the confirmed sales data may be temporarily debited (double debit). After a certain period of time, the original usage data amount will be refunded.
Please note that if a transfer has been made between your accounts using our Yen assist function, the subsequent refund will be made to your corresponding Foreign currency savings account.
Refunds
- Refunds may take up to about 45 days to process.
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There are two ways to process a refund after you have made a purchase using Sony Bank WALLET.
- Refund following receipt of cancellation data from the merchant
- Refund when confirmed sales data has not been received from the merchant within 45 days
If you are in a hurry to receive your refund, please refer to the following information and contact the merchant where you used your Sony Bank WALLET.
- Japanese
- Visaデビットでの注文をキャンセルしたのですが、まだ返金されていません。
オーソリゼーションの取り消しをお願いします。注文に関する情報は次の通りです。
・注文番号：______________
・注文日：________________
・金額：___________
・名前：____________________
- English
- I canceled my purchase via Visa Debit, but have not yet received a refund. Please kindly process an authorization (*) reversal (cancelation). The details of my payments are as follows:
・Order Number：______________
・Order Dates：________________
・Payment Amount：___________
・Name：____________________
Authorization refers to the process of checking whether your card can be used for the purchase amount when a payment using your card is processed and ensuring that the usage limit will not be used for other purchases or payments.