Rakuten Credit Card: Steps on How to Apply in English
- November 28, 2021
Enjoy Shopping Perks with a Rakuten Card!
Rakuten Card is the most popular credit card among foreigners living in Japan. There are few restrictions when applying, and foreigners including international students can also use it.
In this article, we will introduce the application procedure and the benefits of using Rakuten Card.
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)How to Apply for a Rakuten Card
You can complete your Rakuten Credit Card application online. Select the card type and enter information such as name, gender, date of birth, phone number, and email address.
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)Step 1: Choose to not a Rakuten member
Step 2: Choose the type of card you desire.
They offer VISA, Mastercard, JCB and American Express. However, we recommend choosing a VISA or Mastercard as it can be used in almost all countries.
Step 3: Choose a design for your Rakuten Credit Card.
We recommend choosing a simple design.
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)Step 4: Enter your name
You can use katakana in both the first and second row, while the last row is for the romaji/alphabet characters. The alphabetic characters inputted in the last row will be printed and displayed on your card.
Step 5: Choose a gender and date of birth.
Step 6: Fill in an active Japanese phone number.
※You do not need to enter a second phone number.
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)Step 7: For the email address portion, you can either input an email address from your mobile carrier or your regular email.
※Only one is fine.
Step 8: Choose to Opt-in for Newsletters
Below the email address field, there is a section titled “Rakuten Card and Rakuten Point Card Newsletters.” Select whether to opt-in or opt-out from e-mail newsletters detailing exclusive event and other notifications.
Step 9: Enter the postal code of your address in Japan.
You should input your current address data because the card will be sent to that address.
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)Step 10: Input your family information.
Step 11: How many members are living with you.
Step 12: Input the status of your place of residence.
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)Step 13: How long you have lived in that particular place.
Step 14: Choose “支払いあり” if you have loans, or select “支払いなし” if you do not have any.
Step 15: Select your occupational status
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)Step 16: Enter the savings amount and select the bill to be sent to your home. After that, you can choose the purpose of the card.
※either for shopping（普通のお買い物等に利用）or cash withdrawal（現金のお借り入れ等に利用)
Step 17: They will ask whether you borrowed money from other companies or not.
Please choose “あり” if you are borrowing or “なし” if you’re not borrowing anything. Next, please choose “希望する” to add the Edy feature on the card or select “希望しない” if you’re not interested.
※We don’t think edy is needed.
Step 18: Link your bank account to Rakuten Credit Card.
Simply choose the bank you are using and input your bank account info. In order to make sure there are no mistakes upon inputting your information, carefully confirm your cash card or bank book details.
As mentioned earlier, on the 27th of every month, the credited cash of the previous month will be deducted from your bank account. In case of default payment from your bank account, interest will be charged on the amount of the default payment.
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)Step 19: Enter your PIN code.
Step 20: Confirm and agree to the terms and conditions.
Once you are done with the online application, you only need to wait for a confirmation phone call from Rakuten within two to three business days. They will confirm your basic information such as your name, date of birth and home address according to the ID card/residence card you inputted. This call will be in Japanese. If you input your bank information online, it will take about a week after the phone confirmation to receive the Rakuten Credit Card. If you choose to fill out your bank account information via snail mail, don’t forget to send the form back to Rakuten to complete your Rakuten Credit Card application.
Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese) Apply for a Rakuten Card (Japanese)