I was surprised that Tigerair does not accept JCB cards, and I am starting to worry that it might be difficult to get any cash from ATMs using my JCB card outside of Japan.
Outside of Japan, are JCB cards accepted by all ATMs, or only a portion of them, or like only at a particular bank in each capital city?
I am especially interested in Taiwan/China/Korea, but information for other countries also very appreciated.
JCB cards, whilst not being as widespread as Visa / MasterCard / American Express, are still able to be used at any ATM in the world that features a JCB, JCB Cards or Cirrus logo. ATMs that display this are available in countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Australia, Russia, UAE, US, UK, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Denmark (and more), however not all ATMs/vendors in a country accept the JCB card and your mileage may vary. It appears also, that the cards are accepted by certain banks (and their ATMs) rather than non-specific ATMs.
Currently worldwide coverage is increasing (according to the increasing number of JCB monthly press releases).
The JCB website itself does not manage a list of ATMs (at least not on either their Global or Japanese websites), however the periodic press releases seem to mention which banks provide JCB card service. For example:
OCT 14, 2016: Bank Saint Petersburg to Start Accepting JCB Cards;
"...The bank network includes 7,100 POS terminals and 700 ATMs located not only in Saint Petersburg but also throughout the Leningrad region, in Moscow and Kaliningrad."SEP 26,2016: Bank of Bhutan to start accepting JCB Card;
"With this launch, JCB cards are accepted at more than 480 locations and it covers 90% of POS terminals and ATMs in the market."
If you search specifically for the country you are looking to travel to, you should find a press release stating the JCB acceptance.
Global Website Search Page can be accessed HERE.
JCB's May 2016 World Report has a map of JCB offices:
While compatible ATMs might be available elsewhere, it is reasonable to imagine that at least one compatible ATM is available at each of these places. However, some countries have compatible ATMs but no JCB office. Note the quasi-absence of offices from South/Central America and Africa, which presumably indicates a lower number of compatible ATMs in these areas. Actually this map is strikingly similar to the main travel destinations of Japanese people, which makes sense after all.
The same document boasts 30 million merchants, but it is difficult to know what they list as a merchant, and a large proportion of these are probably in Japan.
In Taiwan, while paying at restaurants/stores was no problem, most ATMs refused my JCB card. I finally found a Standard Chartered ATM that accepted it and gave me some cash.
In South Korea, look for a "Global ATM." It should be printed on a sign above the ATM. I have had issues with domestic ATMs not accepting my US ATM card here even though it was issued by MasterCard.
I can't guarantee that a Global ATM will accept your JCB card, but that will be your best chance.
