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Phone plans in Japan without a credit card
Rakuten Mobile, ahamo, LINEMO, UQ mobile, Y!mobile, Goen Mobile and Sunsyscon (サンシスコン) take automatic payment from a Japanese bank account in your own name. With no Japanese bank account, Sakura Mobile, Lyprimo and Sunsyscon take convenience-store payment, and Mobal takes a card or PayPal. IIJmio, mineo, LIBMO and DTI SIM need a credit card. Each cell below comes from the provider's own page.
Read from each provider's payment pages on October 13, 2026.
On this page
Which phone plans take payment without a credit card?
16 providers, one row each. Yes means the provider says it takes that method. Limited means it takes it with a condition, listed under conditions. No means the provider says it does not, or its own list of payment methods leaves it out. Checking means the pages we read do not say.
| Provider | Credit card | Debit card | Bank account debit | Convenience store or bank transfer | Card issued abroad | Support in English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakuten MobileCarrier brand | Yes | Limited | Yes | Limited | Limited | Checking |
| IIJmioDiscount carrier (MVNO) | Yes | No | No | No | Limited | Nomystery shopper reply |
| mineoDiscount carrier (MVNO) | Yes | Limited | No | No | Checking | Checking |
| ahamoCarrier brand | Yes | Limited | Yes | No | Limited | Nomystery shopper reply |
| povo2.0Carrier brand | Yes | No | Limited | Limited | Checking | Checking |
| LINEMOCarrier brand | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Checking | Checking |
| UQ mobileCarrier brand | Yes | Limited | Yes | No | Limitedmystery shopper reply | Nomystery shopper reply |
| Y!mobileCarrier brand | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Checking | Checking |
| BIGLOBE MobileDiscount carrier (MVNO) | Yes | Checking | Limited | Checking | Checking | Checking |
| MobalBuilt for foreigners | Yes | Yes | No | No | Checking | Yes |
| Sakura MobileBuilt for foreigners | Yes | Yes | No | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| LyprimoPrepaid | Yes | Checking | No | Yes | Limitedmystery shopper reply | Nomystery shopper reply |
| LIBMODiscount carrier (MVNO) | Yes | No | No | No | Limitedmystery shopper reply | Nomystery shopper reply |
| DTI SIMDiscount carrier (MVNO) | Yes | No | No | No | Checking | Checking |
| Goen MobileDiscount carrier (MVNO) | Yes | Checking | Yes | Limited | Limitedmystery shopper reply | Nomystery shopper reply |
| Sunsyscon (サンシスコン)Rental | No | Checking | Yes | Yes | Checking | Nomystery shopper reply |
Each "Yes", "Limited" and "No" links the provider page it was read from, or says it is a reply to a mystery shopper. For support in English, "No" means the provider says on its page, or told a mystery shopper, that it has no English support or is Japanese only. We did not sign up with any provider. Payment is one of two checks. The other is ID: see the residence card online verification tracker before you pick.
This page fits you if
- You live in Japan and want a phone number, but have no credit card, or a card the provider will not take
- You want to know the payment rules before you spend time on an application
Not for you if
- You are a visitor who needs only data. The SIM card guide covers data eSIMs
- You want prices. They are on the SIM card guide and each review, not here
Which plans take a Japanese bank account but no credit card?
Rakuten Mobile, ahamo, LINEMO, UQ mobile, Y!mobile, Goen Mobile and Sunsyscon (サンシスコン) take automatic payment from your own Japanese bank account. Five are carrier brands (ahamo, LINEMO, UQ mobile, Y!mobile and Rakuten Mobile); Goen Mobile and Sunsyscon are smaller providers. ahamo tells people without a credit card to use bank debit (ahamo's payment FAQ).
The account has to be at a bank the provider lists. ahamo's list includes Japan Post Bank, Rakuten Bank, Sony Bank, Aeon Bank, GMO Aozora Net Bank, au Jibun Bank, Seven Bank and SBI Shinsei Bank. It does not support some credit cooperatives (信用組合, shinkumi), labor banks (労金) or fishing cooperatives (ahamo's bank list). LINEMO's list includes Japan Post Bank, Rakuten Bank, PayPay Bank, Aeon Bank and many shinkin banks (信用金庫, regional credit associations) (LINEMO's payment page). Which bank to open and when is in the bank account guide.
Check the time left on your period of stay before you choose bank debit. UQ mobile asks for at least 90 days left when you buy a SIM or phone outright and pay by bank debit, and has no such condition for a credit card (UQ mobile's list of documents). A mystery shopper was told that ahamo takes a new contract with under 3 months left only if you pay by a credit card in your own name.
What about a debit card instead of an account?
LINEMO and Y!mobile take Visa, Mastercard and JCB debit cards, but not J-Debit (LINEMO, Y!mobile). UQ mobile takes Visa debit, JCB debit and JCB prepaid cards; Mastercard debit is not named (UQ mobile). All three say the money can leave your account before the bill is shown. Rakuten Mobile takes Rakuten Bank debit cards and some from other banks. IIJmio, povo2.0 and LIBMO refuse debit cards.
Where bank debit has a catch
- Rakuten Mobile: bank debit pays the monthly fee but not a phone. Rakuten says to use cash on delivery for the device.
- Goen Mobile: the first payment, before the SIM ships, is a bank transfer. Monthly payments are then by debit.
- mineo: bank debit works only if you also have an eo hikari (eo光, a fiber line from the same company) paid by debit.
- BIGLOBE Mobile: bank debit is for a data-only SIM, which has no phone number.
Rakuten Mobile bills the monthly fee to a Japanese bank account
Opens Rakuten Mobile's site (Japanese; English version too)
Which plans work with no Japanese bank account and no credit card?
Sakura Mobile, Lyprimo, Sunsyscon and, through Paidy, povo2.0 take convenience-store payment as an ordinary method. Mobal takes a card or PayPal and no cash. Of these, Sakura Mobile and Mobal support you in English. Lyprimo and Sunsyscon told a mystery shopper they do not, and we have not confirmed povo2.0's support language.
- Sakura Mobile: pay monthly in cash at Lawson, FamilyMart, Ministop and other stores, using a payment number it emails (a Smart Pit number). A resident Voice+Data plan needs a ¥20,000 deposit, which Sakura Mobile applies to your last two bills (Sakura Mobile's payment page). It sells in English.
- Lyprimo: credit card, bank transfer or convenience store. A first purchase must be paid within 14 days of ordering (Lyprimo's terms page). Its phone and email support are basically Japanese only, according to its reply to a mystery shopper.
- Sunsyscon (サンシスコン): bank transfer, convenience store or bank debit (its legal notice). It does not list a card. It told a mystery shopper it has no English support.
- povo2.0: if you have no card, set up Paidy and pay by bank debit, bank transfer or convenience store. The convenience-store fee is up to ¥390 (povo2.0's Paidy page). Paidy's own help page, read on 3 October 2026, still says it cannot verify second-generation residence cards, though it gave around September 2026 as the planned date (Paidy). povo says that check is needed for Paidy's 3-, 6- and 12-installment options.
Sakura Mobile fits you if
- You want to sign up in English and pay in cash at a convenience store, or with a card from your own country
- You can lend ¥20,000 as a deposit on the Voice+Data plan
Not for you if
- You want no deposit. Cash payment on a Voice+Data plan adds ¥20,000 on top of the one-time registration fee
What happens after you click: Sakura Mobile's English order page opens. You pick a plan, give your ID and choose to pay by card or in cash. Plans, ID rules and prices are on our Sakura Mobile review.
See Sakura Mobile's plans and sign up in English
What about Mobal and PayPal?
Mobal's legal notice lists "Credit/Debit card and PayPal" and nothing else (Mobal). A PayPal account can be funded from a bank account, but that is PayPal's feature and we did not test it with Mobal. Mobal's support is in English.
Order a Mobal SIM card for pickup or delivery
Will a card issued outside Japan work?
Only Sakura Mobile says it accepts cards from your own country, and even it adds that approval depends on your card provider (Sakura Mobile). Five providers say a card issued abroad may fail, and three of them say you cannot check beforehand.
- IIJmio: its payment page says a card issued abroad may not work. A mystery shopper was told it cannot be checked in advance, and that a phone purchase places a temporary charge of the full list price, which IIJmio then cancels.
- ahamo: may be refused as a fraud precaution, and the card must pass 3-D Secure 2.0 (a one-time-code check by the card issuer).
- UQ mobile: a mystery shopper was told some cards issued abroad work and some do not, with no way to check first.
- LIBMO: a mystery shopper was told it cannot say until you register the card at signup. If registration fails, register another card.
- Lyprimo: a mystery shopper was told a card issued abroad is basically usable, but the issuer's security can block the payment. Then pay at a convenience store or by bank transfer.
- Goen Mobile: a mystery shopper was told a card is registered online at signup, and any card that registers successfully can be used.
- Rakuten Mobile: its guide for foreign residents tells people with a card issued abroad to switch to a usable one before leaving Japan, so such cards can be set up. The issuer decides.
mineo, povo2.0, LINEMO, Y!mobile, BIGLOBE Mobile, Mobal, DTI SIM and Sunsyscon (サンシスコン) say nothing about cards issued abroad on the pages we read, so they show as Checking.
Where does each cell come from?
Each cell comes from the provider page linked in it. Open a provider below to see every fact in our words, with its conditions and the page it came from. Where an entry says "mystery shopper", the answer is a reply the provider gave to a customer-style question.
Rakuten Mobile Carrier brand
- Credit card: Rakuten lists credit and debit cards, bank debit, cash on delivery for devices and Rakuten Points as its payment methods. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: A Rakuten Bank debit card, and some debit cards from other banks. A card can register and still fail at billing; the issuer decides. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Automatic debit from a bank account you register, around the 27th of the month after use. Not available for paying for a phone. Rakuten's main payment page says to use cash on delivery for the device. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Only as a fallback: Rakuten offers a convenience-store payment slip to a leaver with no usable card. (provider page, read October 13, 2026)
- Card issued abroad: The guide for foreign residents tells people with a card issued abroad to switch to a usable one before leaving Japan, so such cards can be set up. Whether yours works is the issuer's call. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
IIJmio Discount carrier (MVNO)
- Credit card: Credit card in your own name as an individual. A card that needs staff to approve each payment is refused. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Not accepted. Prepaid cards that cannot bill monthly, such as V-Preca, are refused too. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Not offered. IIJmio says credit card is the only payment method. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not offered as a regular method. The same list names only credit cards. IIJmio sends an invoice payable at a convenience store only when a card payment fails (iijmio.jp/invoice/letter.html); we did not read that page. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Card issued abroad: IIJmio says a card issued abroad may not work. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Support in English: Japanese only. Its support chat page says so. (reply to a mystery shopper)
mineo Discount carrier (MVNO)
- Credit card: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club or American Express, in the contract holder's name. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Debit and prepaid cards may be refused. mineo asks for a credit card, and says a debit card can be charged before the bill is shown. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Not for a mineo-only contract. Bank debit is possible only if you also have an eo hikari (eo光, a fiber line from the same company) paid by bank debit. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not offered. mineo says a mineo-only contract pays by credit card only. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
ahamo Carrier brand
- Credit card: Cards with the Visa or Mastercard mark, plus a list of Japanese brands. The card must pass 3-D Secure 2.0 (a one-time-code check by the card issuer). (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Some debit cards cannot be used. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: ahamo tells people without a credit card to use bank debit. The account must be in your own name. A mystery shopper was told that with under 3 months left on the period of stay, a new contract is possible only if you pay by a credit card in your own name. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not offered. If the card or account stops working, ahamo mails an invoice to the contract address and charges ¥253 (tax included) for it. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Card issued abroad: ahamo says a card issued abroad may be refused as a fraud precaution. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Support in English: No English support, in chat or elsewhere. Staff suggested a translation tool. (reply to a mystery shopper)
- Banks: The list includes Japan Post Bank, Rakuten Bank, Sony Bank, Aeon Bank, GMO Aozora Net Bank, au Jibun Bank, Seven Bank and SBI Shinsei Bank, plus the megabanks and most regional banks. Some credit cooperatives (信用組合), labor banks (労金) and fishing cooperatives are not supported. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
povo2.0 Carrier brand
- Credit card: Credit card, or Paidy (a Japanese buy-now-pay-later service) if you have none. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Not accepted. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Only through Paidy, which lets you pay its bills by bank debit. Paidy's own help page, read on 3 October 2026, still says it cannot verify second-generation residence cards or cards that double as a My Number card (特定在留カード), with planned dates of around September 2026 and 2027 (cs-support.paidy.com, article 150000230716: "現在、ペイディでは第二世代在留カードと特定在留カードを利用した本人確認に対応しておりません。"). povo says the ID check is needed for Paidy's 3-, 6- and 12-installment options. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Only through Paidy. Paidy's convenience-store payment costs up to ¥390 in fees, and its bank transfer fee depends on the bank. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
LINEMO Carrier brand
- Credit card: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express or Diners Club, in the contract holder's name, with 3-D Secure 2.0. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Debit cards with the Visa, Mastercard or JCB mark. J-Debit is not accepted, and the money can leave your account before the bill is shown. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Bank debit. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not offered. LINEMO names two methods, credit card and bank debit. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Banks: The list includes Japan Post Bank, Rakuten Bank, PayPay Bank, Aeon Bank and the megabanks, plus many shinkin banks (信用金庫, regional credit associations). (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
UQ mobile Carrier brand
- Credit card: Credit card or bank debit, in the contract holder's name. With a credit card the remaining period of stay does not matter when you buy the SIM or phone outright. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Visa debit, JCB debit and JCB prepaid cards only. Mastercard debit is not named. The money can leave your account before the bill is shown. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Bank debit, but buying a SIM or phone outright needs at least 90 days left on your period of stay. A credit card has no such condition. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not offered. UQ says you choose bank debit or credit card. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Card issued abroad: A mystery shopper was told that some cards issued abroad work and some do not, and that UQ cannot check in advance: you find out by applying. (reply to a mystery shopper)
- Support in English: No English channel for people who have not signed up yet. (reply to a mystery shopper)
Y!mobile Carrier brand
- Credit card: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express or Diners Club. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Debit cards with the Visa, Mastercard or JCB mark. J-Debit is not accepted, and the money can leave your account before the bill is shown. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Bank debit. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not offered. Y!mobile names credit card or bank debit for the monthly payment. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
BIGLOBE Mobile Discount carrier (MVNO)
- Credit card: Credit card in your own name, billed through KDDI. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Only if you order a data-only SIM with no voice number. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
Mobal Built for foreigners
- Credit card: Credit or debit card. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Debit cards are named in the same list as credit cards. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Not offered. Mobal lists card and PayPal. PayPal can be funded from a bank account; that is PayPal's feature, not a Mobal one, and we did not test it. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not offered. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Support in English: English support from its own team. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
Sakura Mobile Built for foreigners
- Credit card: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, JCB, American Express or Diners Club. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Credit and debit cards are accepted. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Not offered. The page lists two methods: cards and convenience-store cash. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Monthly payment in cash at Lawson, FamilyMart, Ministop and others. A resident Voice + Data plan needs a ¥20,000 deposit, applied to your last two bills. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Card issued abroad: Cards from your own country are accepted, but approval depends on your card provider. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Support in English: Sign-up in English, according to Sakura Mobile. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
Lyprimo Prepaid
- Credit card: Credit card, bank transfer or convenience store. Lyprimo is prepaid: you pay before each period, not monthly after use. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: No automatic debit. Bank transfer is a manual payment for each purchase. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Bank transfer or convenience store. A first purchase must be paid within 14 days of ordering. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Card issued abroad: Lyprimo told a mystery shopper that a card issued abroad can basically be used, but the issuer's security checks can block the payment. Then pay at a convenience store or by bank transfer. (reply to a mystery shopper)
- Support in English: Phone and email support are basically Japanese only. (reply to a mystery shopper)
LIBMO Discount carrier (MVNO)
- Credit card: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express or Diners Club. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Not accepted. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Not accepted. LIBMO's page was last updated 1 May 2023. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not offered. LIBMO says only credit cards can be set as the payment method. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Card issued abroad: A mystery shopper was told LIBMO cannot say whether a card issued abroad works until you register it at signup. If it fails, register another card. (reply to a mystery shopper)
- Support in English: Japanese only in its support chat. (reply to a mystery shopper)
DTI SIM Discount carrier (MVNO)
- Credit card: Credit card in your own name. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Debit card: Not listed. DTI says credit card is the only method. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Not listed. DTI says credit card is the only method. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Not listed. DTI says credit card is the only method. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
Goen Mobile Discount carrier (MVNO)
- Credit card: Credit card in your own name. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Bank debit in your own name. The first payment, before the SIM ships, is a bank transfer. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Only the first payment, as a bank transfer before shipping. No convenience-store payment is listed. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Card issued abroad: A mystery shopper was told a card issued abroad is registered online at signup, and any card that registers successfully can be used. (reply to a mystery shopper)
- Support in English: Japanese only. (reply to a mystery shopper)
Sunsyscon (サンシスコン) Rental
- Credit card: Not on its list of payment methods. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Bank account debit: Bank debit. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Convenience store or bank transfer: Convenience-store payment and bank transfer are both on its list. (provider page, read October 3, 2026)
- Support in English: No English support. (reply to a mystery shopper)
How we checked
We read each provider's own payment, FAQ or legal-notice page on October 13, 2026. Every Yes, Limited and No is tied to a sentence on that page, saved in our data file with its address and date. Where a provider's pages did not say, the cell reads Checking. We have not signed up with any provider on this page, so none of this is first-hand experience.
Not covered: docomo, au and SoftBank themselves, OCN, NUROmobile and HIS Mobile (its help pages refused our reader, so we left it out rather than guess). LIBMO's page was last updated on 1 May 2023, the oldest source here. Banks' own rules for who may open an account are on the bank account guide.
The Sakura Mobile and Mobal buttons on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through one, the provider pays us a commission and your price stays the same. Neither provider saw this page before it went up. We do not link Lyprimo, Goen Mobile, Sunsyscon or any carrier brand from here. Read our editorial policy.
Phone plans without a credit card: FAQ
Can I get a phone plan in Japan without a credit card?
Yes. Rakuten Mobile, ahamo, LINEMO, UQ mobile, Y!mobile, Goen Mobile and Sunsyscon (サンシスコン) take automatic payment from your own Japanese bank account. Without a Japanese bank account, Sakura Mobile takes cash at a convenience store, and Lyprimo and Sunsyscon take convenience-store payment or bank transfer. IIJmio, mineo, LIBMO and DTI SIM need a credit card.
Can I pay for a Japanese SIM with a debit card?
Some carriers accept it. LINEMO, Y!mobile, Mobal and Sakura Mobile list debit cards. LINEMO and Y!mobile take Visa, Mastercard and JCB debit cards but not J-Debit (Japan's domestic bank debit card). IIJmio, povo2.0 and LIBMO refuse them. See the table for the conditions.
Can I pay in cash for a phone plan in Japan?
Only through a convenience store (konbini) payment, and only at a few providers. Sakura Mobile lets you pay monthly at Lawson, FamilyMart and Ministop with a payment number it emails you, and asks a ¥20,000 deposit on a resident Voice+Data plan. povo2.0 offers convenience-store payment through Paidy (a Japanese buy-now-pay-later service), with a fee of up to ¥390.
Do prepaid cards work for a Japanese phone plan?
Mostly not. IIJmio refuses prepaid cards that cannot bill monthly, such as V-Preca. mineo says debit and prepaid cards may be refused. UQ mobile accepts JCB prepaid cards, Visa debit and JCB debit.
Will a credit card from my home country work?
Sometimes. Sakura Mobile says it accepts cards from your own country, with approval up to your card issuer. IIJmio, ahamo, UQ mobile, LIBMO and Lyprimo say a card issued abroad may fail, and IIJmio, UQ mobile and LIBMO say you cannot check beforehand. See the foreign card section.
Do I need a Japanese bank account to pay by bank debit?
Yes. Automatic bank debit means a Japanese bank account in your own name, and several carriers publish the banks they accept. If you have no account yet, the bank account guide covers who can open one and when.
Set Up in Japan is an independent guide, not a carrier's site.
See Sakura Mobile's plans and sign up in English