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What credit cards are accepted in Japan?

Here are the types of credit cards you can use to make payments when you visit Japan!

Here is a list of credit cards that can be used for shopping, staying in hotels, eating, etc. in Japan!

We will provide you with useful information not only when you are traveling to Japan, but also when you are thinking of visiting Japan for business or immigration.

What brands of credit cards Japan accept?

In Japan, the following list of credit card brands are accepted for payment.

The higher up the list you are, the more stores you can use.

【1】VISA

【2】JCB

【3】MasterCard

【4】American Express

【5】Diners Club

【6】Discover

【7】Union Pay(銀聯Card)

Cards from the top three brands can be used to pay at all kinds of stores.

The fourth and subsequent card brands are supported by slightly fewer stores.

What is the payment process?

You can use your credit card anywhere in Japan, including convenience stores, restaurants, souvenir shops, shopping stores, hotels, and cabs.

Note : Smaller stores and some other stores may not accept card payments.

When paying by credit card, follow the steps below to complete the payment procedure.

The third and fourth steps are special and will be explained later.

1. Tell them you will pay by credit card.

2. Please hand your card to the store staff.

3. If store staff asked, "Would you like to pay in installments?",but say "one time payment".

4. If you can choose to pay at your own country's currency or Japanese yen rate, please follow the indication on the payment device and operate the button.

5. Complete the payment with your PIN or signature.

6. When the payment is complete, the store staff will hand back the card to you, so wait until then.

7. Finally, when you receive your receipt, your payment is complete.

Keep the receipt you receive at the end of the transaction for at least one month, as you will need it to return the product if there is a problem with your purchase or to correct the payment if it was made incorrectly.

Step 3 and Step 4 are explained below.

As stated in Step 3, in Japan, you may be asked about "whether you want to pay in installments" when paying by credit card.

Credit cards issued in Japan allow you to select multiple payment methods when making a payment, making it a unique payment method in Japan.

Basically, credit cards issued in Japan can be used for lump-sum payments, two-time payments, installment payments, revolving payments, etc.

However, credit cards issued outside of Japan can only be used for one-time payment by payment devices in Japan, so you need to answer "one time payment" when making a payment.

Step 4 is a system that allows you to choose between payment in your own country's currency or in Japanese yen.

The payment device is equipped with green/yellow/red buttons, and you need to follow the instructions on the screen to operate it yourself.

If the store staff does not guide you, you can ignore steps 3 and 4.

Will be denied access to some types of cards.

There are magnetic card type and IC chip type credit cards, but in recent years, magnetic card type cards are sometimes refused for payment in Japan for security reasons.

Also, if the signature on the back of the card is not written, the payment cannot be made.

You may be asked to present documents that can verify your identity, such as your passport.

When using a credit card in Japan, it is recommended that you use a VISA/JCB/Master Card that has an IC chip.

If you move to Japan and want to issue a credit card in Japan.

If you are thinking of moving to Japan and want to get a credit card in Japan, please pay attention to the following points.

First, you must have completed the procedures to immigrate to Japan and have a job in Japan.

Next, apply for a credit card through the website of the credit card company you wish to get issued.

After that, the review process takes one to two weeks.

The items to be reviewed are as follows

・Whether or not you have completed the necessary procedures to reside in Japan.

・Whether or not you have a job with a steady income.

・The employment status of the job (company director, full-time employee, contract employee, part-time employee)

・Annual income

・Age

・The size of the company you belong to and the stability of its business

・Years of job

・Type of residence (owner-occupied, rented)
・Family Structure

If you pass the screening, you will receive a credit card at home.

Once your credit card arrives, go shopping!

There is a caveat when using a credit card issued in Japan.

In Japan, there is a "credit information agency".

This is an agency that monitors and compiles a database of credit card and loan contracts and payments.

If fall behind on your credit card payments, the delinquency information will be recorded in the database.

Once the delinquency information is recorded, you will not be able to get another credit card or rent a property.You will also not be able to take out a loan for the purchase of a car.

The databases of "credit information agency" are used by all the financial institutions in Japan for screening purposes.

Delinquent information is recorded for up to five years, so you need to be very careful.

Useful Japanese phrases

You can learn useful and basic Japanese.

●お願いします [onegaishimasu]

　Meaning : Please.

●ありがとうございます [arigatou gozaimasu]

　Meaning : Thank you very much.

●1回払い [ikkaibarai]

　Meaning : One time payment.

●私の仕事は◯◯です。 [watashi no shigoto wa ◯◯desu]

　Meaning : My job is ◯◯.

●私は◯◯歳です。 [watashi wa ◯◯sai desu]

　Meaning : I'm ◯◯ years old.

If there's any other Japanese you'd like to know, just ask in the comments or on Twitter（@The_ROJ）!