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Electronic money and payment apps

Electronic money​

###Kyash

Kyash is a prepaid card and budgeting app. The card can be charged by credit card, online banking (once your identity is verified), or cash at an ATM. It earns 0.5% cashback, which has to be manually redeemed. One key advantage is that you only need a Japanese mobile phone number to sign up; ID is only required for the full Kyash Card account. There are three different types of cards:

Virtual: You get a Visa card number in the app and you can add a QuiCPay card to your Apple Pay or Google Pay wallets for in-person transactions. You're limited to 30k yen per transaction, 120k yen spending per month, and 1 million yen spending over the lifetime of the card (until the expiration date)

Lite: Card costs 300 yen to issue unless there's a promotion going on, on top of the above you get a physical Visa card that can be used at stores that don't take QuiCPay, and the per-transaction limit is 50k (monthly and lifetime limits remain). The card is sent as regular mail, so no ID is required to receive it.

Kyash Card: Card costs 900 yen to issue, ID required (the app will walk you through the process of verifying your identity, and you can use a Japanese driver's license, My Number card, or residence card). Per-transaction limit is 300k yen, monthly limit is 1 million yen, no lifetime limit on spending. This also enables withdrawals at 7-Eleven ATMs and by bank transfer (220 yen fee per withdrawal).

This can be a handy alternative to a debit or credit card.

Payment apps​

PayPay​

PayPay is one of the most popular payment apps in Japan. It is connected with the Yahoo ecosystem. It can be charged through an online bank, ATM or by converting T-Points. It also has a buy-now-pay-later option, and can be linked with a PayPay credit card. The PayPay card will give you bonus points when using Yahoo Shopping or LOHACO. Note that you can sign up without ID, and deposit cash, make payments, and earn points, but the buy-now-pay-later, credit card, and certain additional features require verification with a My Number card or driver's license.

AU Pay​

AU Pay is connected with the AU ecosystem, though it can also be used by those whose cell phone carrier is not AU. It offers Ponta points, which can be used at Lawson, KFC and for AU services, among others. It can be charged through an online bank, ATM or credit card. AU users can also set the "Auto charge" feature. By connecting AU pay with Jibun Bank, you can attain an additional 0.05% on your regular bank account savings.

Rakuten Pay​

Rakuten Pay is connected with the Rakuten ecosystem, and as the name suggests, earns Rakuten points, which can be used at FamilyMart, McDonalds, and for Rakuten Mobile service, among others. It can be charged through online banking (Rakuten Bank only), Rakuten gift cards, Rakuten points, Rakuten Rakuma earnings, or at ATMs. It can also be directly linked to credit cards (Rakuten or otherwise) for payment at stores without charging the account. The app doubles as your Rakuten point card as well, even if you pay with another method of payment.

Be aware that there are two types of Rakuten points: normal points and "limited-validity" points. Many bonus campaigns earn the second type of points, which must be used by the end of the month after they're earned, and can only be used at stores or on Rakuten Marketplace (as opposed to normal points, which can be converted to ANA/JAL miles or other companies' point systems).