Prices going up: Japan Post Bank and Telephone Cards

(tags telephone card, purchase)

Telephone cards are on the way out. Tosho (図書) cards will eventually replace them because they are redeemable in many places and the cellphone supplants the line pay phone. Still as a collectable many places make them, such as magazine art offers or Comic Market goodies.

When the Japan postal system privatized on the first of October this year, many services became inconvenient or more expensive. For example, some rural offices will close. The Japan Post was not just in the business of material delivery but it also was a bank.

There lies my irritation. One of the bank services was the Small Fixed-Rate Money Order (定額小為替), which in 400, 500, and 1000 denominations, was the de facto standard for magazine goodies. Previously the cost for a money order slip was 10 yen, but now its 100 yen. So my usual monthly order of telephone cards consisting of Megami Magazine (メガミマガジン), Animedia (アニメディア), Animage (アニマージェ), etc increases by about the cost of another telephone card. Buying those money orders used to be as easy as breathing, but now it makes me think twice. Moving money around shouldn't be so expensive, but I suppose moving money around safely isn't easy.