This is an issue I’ve had for basically a year, but I just got my new (foreign) Mastercard and it is still not being accepted at Life, Summit, Gyomu and I’m guessing most other supermarkets.
When asked store clerks’ answers range from a shrug to “it’s not our fault, ask your bank”, even though it clearly is the fault of their shitty machines or their banking system, since stores usually accept it (with some exceptions).
Anybody who’s been experiencing the same issue?
10 comments
I let my wallet get damp in the rain. Twice.
All my cards worked, including my visa. I try to use my Mastercard, and I get an unreadable error for perpetuity. I switch my Mastercard with a new one, and as luck would have it, my wallet got damp in the rain a second time. Surely this would have no bearing on a new Mastercard, right? Wrong.
I also need a new Mastercard again. FFS.
I would not dismiss the possibility of your card being to blame out of hand so quickly. Especially since it fails reliably.
Does it have 3D secure/MC secure code? If so sign up for [D-Card Prepaid](https://d-card.jp/prepaid/) for free, charge it with your foreign CC, then use the d-card to pay for stuff. It also has iD (contactless) so if the shop supports that, that’s a faster way to pay without having to sign/etc.
If your foreign card can’t recharge d-card, then well… you’re probably shit out of luck.
Sorry but it’s not their fault.
It’s likely the fault either your card or the intermediary service that provides transaction security for the card. For some reason or another the transaction may be getting flagged as suspect.
Getting mad/upset with the shop will solve nothing.
Calling your card is the first step.
(I manage an overseas EC website, Japanese customers occasionally have the same issue as you with their card)
The problem is probably your credit card if it’s from the US. These days Japanese and European credit cards have an embedded IC chip that the card readers expect to find. Older standard credit cards that lack that chip can’t be read by the card readers used in Japan. That system hasn’t been widely adopted in the US because banks and credit card companies there don’t want to spend money on upgrading their systems.
You need to call and check with your bank. They should have visibility on all those transactions, and provide you with the reason(s) why they were declined.
The most common would be fraud prevention – where all out of country transactions are declined, unless you specifically inform your bank to permit it. In some cases, you need to whitelist the specific country country that you’ll be using the card in.
Seconding the idea that it has something to do with the 3D Secure verification – I have a Mastercard too and it’s pretty hit or miss what will and won’t accept it. Supermarkets have been fine, but Nitori and the shinkansen kiosks want the 3D Secure thing. It sounds like you’ve already had some trouble with your card outside of the supermarkets, so pinning it on the store feels shortsighted – maybe more places in your area require the extra security?
Call +226 25 49 16 00 and ask them.
I tried to use a foreign credit card once at a supermarket owned by the same company as Gyomu and the staff said they don’t take foreign cards at all due to their system. Not sure if it’s true, but I wouldn’t be surprised
I had the same issue with the Wise card. I needed to activate the card by using the card with the PIN code. Supermarkets and konbini refuse to use PIN code. I activated the card at the 7 Eleven ATM.