日本で14年間目生活している永住権者を持っている韓国人です。 WEBマーケティングを主な職業としており、日本留学時代から現在までの経験をもとに多くの外国人の方々に役立てればと思い、外国人の日本生活において役立つ情報を掲載しています。

This article is for you if you are a frequent user of Rakuten’s services in Japan, or if you have been repeatedly rejected by other credit card companies.

We’ll show you all the features of the famous Rakuten card, which is easy for students and housewives to get approved, from pros to cons.

Apply Rakuten Card

Features of Rakuten Card


First of all, as a credit card user, I think the most interesting feature of Rakuten Card is that it is easy to be approved. In the case of credit cards introduced on other websites, they generally target Japanese people to explain about the card, so there is not much information for foreigners. So the author writes about Rakuten Card, which foreigners can also apply for and have actual experience of using.

    • 1% points return
    • High points offer for new members
    • Double your points when you shop at Rakuten Market
    • A variety of designs for different brands
    • A card for women

→Not only design of cards, but we also offer a various of services

Regardless of the time period, when you use your Rakuten card, you will be rewarded with 1% points, and at the same time, there is also a campaign where you can get 7,000 points when you join a new membership. These points can be used to purchase Rakuten Ichiba products online or can be used for other Rakuten services.
※Confirmed in January 2022
In addition, Rakuten Ichiba members can use their Rakuten Card to earn more points, which is very attractive for those who buy household goods and other items at Rakuten Ichiba.

And compared to other credit cards, Rakuten Card is very popular among both genders because it has quite a variety of designs, including cards targeted at women and cards designed by the famous Disney character.

No matter how attractive the card is, it’s useless if you don’t know how to apply for it.
So let’s take a look at what you need to know in order to apply for a Rakuten Card and what you need to be aware of when applying.

How to Apply Rakuten Card for Forginers.


In general, many foreigners have the stereotype that it is difficult to get a credit card in Japan.
Along with the author’s opinion that this is definitely not the case, here is what you need to know when applying for a Rakuten card.

Information you need to know in advance

Rakuten Card is basically applied online.
After you apply, there are following cases.
Case 1: Presentation at the time of credit card delivery.
You will be required to pick up your credit card in person and present your identity document to the courier.

Case 2: Sending of identification documents
This is for those who have been contacted by Rakuten to confirm that the name and address information on the application is correct.

Identity Document【A】official document or【B】you might be asked to send copy of Identity document.

※Both of these documents must show that your name, address and date of birth are consistent with the details of your application.
Also, please make sure that any identity documents with an expiry date are within the expiry date.

Identity documents required for case 1

    • Japanese driver’s license
    • Pastport
    • Basic Resident Registration Card
    • Residence card *Available within the validity period
    • Individual Number

Passports applied for on or after 4 February 2020 do not have an address field (holder’s field) and therefore cannot be treated as a single identity document.

Identity documents required for case 2

  • 【A】Official Document(Ant 1 item)
  • Recidence certificate
  • Certificate of seal registration
  • 【B】Copy of Identity Document(Any 2 items)
  • Copy of residence certificate
  • Certificate of seal registration
  • Driver`s license
  • Individual Numbe
  • Recidence Card
  • Health Insurance Card
  • Japanese Passport

If your current address is different from the address shown on the documents, you will also need to submit receipts for utility bills or national and local taxes as supporting documents.
【A】&【B】Both documents must be issued within the last 6 months. The name, current address and date of birth must be written on the document.
Supporting documents must also have a date of receipt.

Things to note

    • Must have a Japanese address
    • If you have a record of using other companies’ credit cards that are overdue or suspended, you may not be approved.
    • If you have previously cancelled your Rakuten Card at your own will, you may not be approved.

→Excludes cancellations due to card design changes

  • If you are staying for a short period of time, you will not be able to get a card
  • Do not enter any false Information

Now that you’ve reviewed the information and requirements you need to know before applying for a Rakuten Card, we’ll start to explain how to apply for a Rakuten Card in earnest.
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Rakuten Card Application Notes


If you are applying for a credit card in Japan for the first time, here are some of the most common and confusing questions you may have.
The explanation is based on the Rakuten Card application page above, so please check the page above first.

Differences between brands

If you look at the first section of the application page, you will be asked to choose a brand, but many people do not know which brand is best for them, so here is an explanation.
There is no difference in the basic features of the brands you can apply for with Rakuten Card, but there are differences in the design you can choose for each brand and in the fees for using the card overseas.
After all, when you use your card in Japan, it doesn’t make much difference which brand you choose.
However, if you want to change the design of your card after you have applied, you will have to cancel the card itself, so choose your brand and card design carefully.

Different designs of cards available

Visa has only two designs to choose from.
This is the simplest and leanest card design.
The MasterCard is the most popular with women, as you can choose from a variety of designs, including the previously popular Rakuten original characters such as the Shopping Panda, Rakuten Eagles and FC Barcelona, while the JCB has the Shopping Panda, Rakuten Eagles, FC Barcelona and even a Disney design.

Overseas card usage charges

Visa:1.63%
JCB:1.60%
MasterCard:1.63%

Below is an explanation of some of the areas where you may have trouble entering your personal information.

Additional information on how to fill in each mandatory field

Japanese is different from other countries in that we use three types of names: Kanji, Hiragana and even English names on our credit cards.
However, foreigners don’t have hiragana family names, so you may be wondering how to fill in the hiragana field.
We have the answer for you!

  • 姓:Last Name
  • 名:First Name
  • せい:Last Name in Hiragana
  • めい:First Name in Hiragana

※If you have a difficult family name and are unsure how to fill in the hiragana, please check the following page.
Convert English names to hiragana

Convert your Korean name to hiragana

  • 姓(Last name):Please enter your English surname as it appears in your passport in CAPITAL LETTERS.
  • 名(First name):Please enter your English first name as it appears in your passport in CAPITAL LETTERS.

※Please make sure that you do not make a mistake in this section. The reason for this is that when using a credit card abroad, it can be inconvenient if the first and last names do not match those in your passport.

In case your name is too long to be included in the list, you can contact Rakuten Contact Center after you apply for and receive your credit card and it is not accepted because of the name difference.

Rakuten Contact Center (open from 9:30am to 5:30pm)

0570-66-6910

※If there is a busy line, the phone may hang up, in which case please call back.

Applying for the card as an individual is recommended rather than as a family.

Other companies are able to issue a family card when you apply for a family unit, which is convenient and good. However, Rakuten card offers many points when you apply for a card as an individual, so we recommend you to apply individually and get all the point benefits instead of applying for a family card.

Information about credit cards and points to know more

About using points


The difference between Rakuten Card and other companies’ cards is that you can earn up to 15 times more points when you purchase products at Rakuten Ichiba, a large shopping mall, and those points can be converted into Rakuten Edy, as well as Rakuten Ichiba, and used like cash.
The following services also accept Rakuten points, so please check them out for reference.

The main services you can use Rakuten Points for

  • Rakuten Travel(Hotels, flights, package tours and more)
  • Rakuten Books
  • Rakuten Net Super
  • Rakuma
  • Rakuten BEAUTY Etc.

There are many other services that Rakuten offers and you can use your points for more than what I have summarized.

What are some of the benefits that are available only to Rakuten card holders?

Features of Rakuten Cards


The Rakuten card is keen and quick to respond to new services. Like the Debut Plus card, the Rakuten card allows you to register for Apple Pay.

We’ve recently learned that a surprisingly large number of business people use Apple Pay. If you have an Apple Watch Series 2 or higher, we hope you’ll register and use it.

If you have a Rakuten card, you can also use Rakuten Edy to save money.
Rakuten Edy is a combination of Rakuten Card and Rakuten Edy, so for every 200 yen you spend on your card, you can earn 1 point in Rakuten Edy.
You can use your points as a cash alternative when you shop at convenience stores.

You can also earn points earn points when you shop at Rakuten Ichiba.
Not only that, but when you use your points at PointPlus merchants, you’ll get a higher-than-usual return on your points, so you can use them online as well as offline.

Finally, we’ll explain what the disadvantages of the Rakuten card are.

Disadvantages of Rakuten Card


1. there is an annual fee to issue an ETC card
If you live in Japan and use your car frequently, this is applicable to you.
Rakuten Card has a disadvantage that you have to pay 540 yen for ETC card every year.

However, if you are a Premium Card holder of one of the Rakuten Cards, you can use the Rakuten ETC Card with no annual fee.
If you are a Diamond or Platinum member of Rakuten Market, you also pay no annual fee.

2. You will receive a lot of emails when you sign up
When you sign up for Rakuten Card, you will receive a lot of e-mails to introduce your services. If you have a Rakuten email address, you can use it to manage your emails.

3. Travel insurance is not automatically added
If you are a frequent traveller and are concerned about travel insurance, you will need to purchase it separately each time you travel abroad. If you are a frequent traveler and you are concerned about the accident insurance, you need to purchase it separately every time.
※If you are using Rakuten Premium Card, you don`t need to worry about it because it is added automatically.

Apply for Rakuten Card

1 COMMENT

  1. Hi Michelle,

    I need your dear advice here.
    I just received my Rakuten credit card here, but I am so lost.
    So many questions I have yet I could not find it online.
    Wondering if you could help me.

    Here you go:
    1. Do we need to activate the card?
    2. When will we get our credit card bill?
    3. How to make payment for our credit card bill?
    I did link it to my bank account during the application process, will they deduct it from my bank directly?

    Really really thanks in advance!

    Best Regards,
    Jessica

    (Btw, I try to contact ‘through this form’, but it was an error)

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