Has anyone who is already living in Japan successfully obtained a credit card, ideally a point card like JAL? I’m moving next week, and would like to get a card as soon as possible, as I’ve read that some online purchases can be difficult with foreign cards. If it helps, I’m middle aged and have a good salary. I’ve also been with my company in the US for over a decade. I’m not sure how much of that matters in Japan.
Any cards easier to get for foreigners than others, and can I apply for a JAL card in person somewhere?
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>Has anyone who is already living in Japan successfully obtained a credit card, ideally a point card like JAL?
Yes, many of us have. But be aware, point programs here are nowhere near as good as in the US. You might be used to 2x, 3x, 5x points per dollar. Here, most programs give, at best, 0.5X.
>I’m moving next week, and would like to get a card as soon as possible, as I’ve read that some online purchases can be difficult with foreign cards.
You won’t be able to get a card right away, as you have no credit history in Japan and card issuers here are very leery of foreigners. A lot of foreigners (especially English teachers) have run up huge balances and then just returned home without ever paying.
>If it helps, I’m middle aged and have a good salary. I’ve also been with my company in the US for over a decade. I’m not sure how much of that matters in Japan.
The only part of that which might help is having a good salary, assuming that salary is from a Japanese company. None of the rest of it matters. You’re basically at zero.
>Any cards easier to get for foreigners than others, and can I apply for a JAL card in person somewhere?
Amazon and Rakuten are typically the easiest, but even with a fantastic salary, I was still denied for both for about a year and a half. If you have had an AMEX in the US for a while, you can use your history with AMEX to improve your chances. They don’t consider US credit score, only your specific history with AMEX. I’d had one for over 10 years with a spotless record, so I was able to get an ANA AMEX almost right away. However, some places don’t that AMEX.
>I’ve read that some online purchases can be difficult with foreign cards.
I’ve never had a problem using either my US issued Visa or Mastercard for online purchases in Japan. Unless you are ordering from some pretty niche websites, you should have no problem. The few websites that don’t accept credit cards will have other options for payment.
Never had a problem with using my US cards in person either. Granted, we do most of our daily purchases with cash or PayPay, but sometimes I do use my card for larger purchases like appliances and it’s never been turned away because it’s from the US.
Maybe if you were using some sketchy credit company from a less developed country you may have a problem. But anything Visa or Mastercard should be accepted anywhere that accepts credit cards.
Just like in America, the first credit card is always the most difficult to obtain. You’ll need to get a Japanese starter card first like the Amazon Prime card or the Rakuten Card. Once you’ve established yourself, and have a salary from a Japanese company, you can get a point card. I’m not sure how it works if you work remotely or get paid from an American company but I assume it would go by tax history. But anything regarding credit history and salary in the US isn’t really considered here. They have their own system.
JAL standard card give you 1 point every 200 yen. There’s additional paid package (I think it’s 3300yen per year) that bump that to 1 point even 100 yen, but that’s it.
Getting your first card in Japan can be a bit problematic. Ideally it would be best to wait a while (6 month) before applying for easier card (Amazon or Rakuten) first. I have seen anecdote of people getting cards immediately, and people keep getting rejected for years.
For online purchase, I don’t think any of the big box retailer reject foreign card anymore. Smaller or independent sellers are another story though.
Your credit history in the US don’t have any effect here in Japan. You will start without any credit history here (also called スープーワイト)
Epos gtn card is easy as hell to obtain.
I was rejected for a number of cards (amex,rakuten,amazon) however once I had a card through work I never had an issue. Not sure what your company is like but having a company credit card made things much easier for me, I didn’t use it for personal purchases but it built the credit profile and had no issues getting a card after that. Was in Japan about 3 months.
The other option for getting a card quickly can be the deposit cards if anyone is still offering them. It’s a credit card where they hold the balance. It isn’t prepaid, still credit however they have the limit in security so it is low risk to them. Should again build the history so you can get another card.
If you have issues or concerns about getting a credit card, you can possibly grab a debit card depending on your bank account. Not the same thing obviously, but for online purchase concerns it mostly works.
When I was living there, UFJ was my lifesaver on this.
I have Japanese issued cards from my Japanese banks as well as a Japanese issued high tier proper Amex. I make sure I have a combination of at least one of each of Mastercard, Visa, Amex and JCB at gold level or higher in my wallet.
For your first card it is probably wise to start off with Rakuten or Amazon and build your credit for at least a year before going for a department store card (Saison…) or an Epos card and then wait another year for the bank issued cards or Japan issued Amex.
Right now the exchange rate is in favor of using US money, so in the beginning I’d just use your Venture card for big purchases, and used your bank for rent. See if you can get a debit card.
Most people are using cashless apps here for a lot of payments which also should be easy.
Often for online purchases you can order online and pay at the convenience store by whatever method they accept (there might be a time limit on the payment, say 60 minutes).
I know it sucks that it’s hard to get a credit card but it doesn’t necessarily mean you are locked out of online purchases. If you can’t get a credit card, you needn’t lose sleep over it!
I’m a university student and got my card with SMBC after being in Japan for like 2 months. I was also 18 at the time. Applied online too.
I never had any troubles with my foreign credit cards (MasterCard and AMEX), but I also applied for an AMEX in my first month in Japan and received it in the post a week later. My foreign buddy got the same AMEX within a week he applied. I feel getting an AMEX is pretty straightforward in Japan; at least if you’re making a good salary which you seem to make too.
The only card I’ve never been able to obtain is any JCB-card (but why would you even bother with a JCB-card lol)