Try to get a credit card in Japan

By Jeremy Blackman

As is the case with many people, coming to Japan was a real change of pace for me. After finishing uni and deciding that the land of the long, white tobacco cloud was not for me, I said goodbye stable home life and hello freedom. For the first time, I was living alone, paying things called “rent” and “bills,” and enjoying the next step in my young, innocent life.

I’ve always been a cash man, so there was no adjustment necessary when I moved to Japan.

If I wanted something, I paid cash. If I didn’t have money, I waited until I did. If I was in urgent need of a loan, then it was on the phone to the folks Down Under to beg for a U.S.-style financial bailout.

The problem with this good economic sense is that the world expects you to be packing plastic. Whether hiring a Lexus, booking a room at the Peninsula, or subscribing to dubious Internet sites, it’s almost a requirement that you have a credit card.

The final straw came when I was holidaying overseas and went to check in to my hotel.

“Sir, can I please see your credit card?” asked the receptionist.

“Um, I don’t have one….”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I don’t know what was more embarrassing — her response, or me having to leave, tail between my legs.

So despite having lived an almost trouble-free 24 years sans card, I decided it was time to take on the responsibility. Almost like a rite of passage.

In Japan, applying for a credit card is easy. A trip to my local Super Autobacs had me crossing paths with the in-store credit card man who, to my delight, spoke English. This and the gift of 1,000 Autobacs yen sealed the deal: my application was away. Three to five weeks later, I was awoken by a call from Visa. Exactly what was said, I don’t know, but after 10 painful minutes it was clear that I was being rejected.

A few months passed until I got around to applying again, this time at my local UFJ bank. Having been a loyal customer for well over a year, I thought I was a shoe-in. Again, helpful staff, again waiting period, and again rejection. The 500 yen shopping voucher the bank gave me was of little consolation.

The quest continued. First Mizuho told me to get lost. OK, that’s not quite true — they “suggested” I try the local SMBC. Which was unmanned. So I went back to Mizuho and, ultimately, got rejected, but picked up a bank account I didn’t need. Next, Citibank was happy to speak to me. This went well until I realized their fees would probably drag me below the poverty line. So it was back to UFJ, which this time around gave me a cheap clock and once again filed my application under “fat chance, gaijin.”

Now, all of this seems a bit suspect. I can’t remember the last time I entered a shopping center without passing the credit card table. Banks are always advertising them. You’d think it’s a shoppers’ market. On top of that, I am seemingly part of an in-demand demographic: I’m young, have a steady job, have lived years at the same address, and have no bad credit history because I have had… no credit. Right around now, most of you are probably thinking that the deciding factor in these repeated rejections is my fair hair and pasty-white complexion. I hope that’s not true, but I’m running out of ideas.

So what other options do I have? If it’s fast cash I’m after, I could try a credit financing firm like Aiful or Acom. But I avoid these loan sharks because of their high interest and potential for fast-mounting debt. Another idea is to organize a credit card from Australia. Assuming I’m accepted, though, I then have to worry about fluctuating exchange rates and whether the card would be accepted in Japanese stores.

If I’m really eager for a Japanese card, there’s one other thing I can do: call the local credit companies, who will advise me to visit one of their counselors, often found in big department stores. This representative would no doubt explain that having a Japanese spouse, job stability, solid local residency and a guarantor would do wonders for my application.

But what if you’re unmarried, between jobs, new to Japan and don’t like others to be accountable for your actions? Or what if you’re simply a lowly foreigner who just wants the chance to reply “credit” once in a while? Do like I do: tap your ruby slippers three times, apply for everything and, at worst, snap up all the free gift vouchers, clocks, laundry powder, happoshu, bags, calendars and aprons you can.

You might get lucky. And if not, you might as well cash in.

Jeremy Blackman is a freelance writer and photographer living in Chiba.

This commentary originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).

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Latest 15 of 97 Total Comments Show All

butterfly1 at 12:06 AM JST - 3rd December

I recommend the OMC card... mine is Green and has Hello Kitty on it ;P
jinjapan at 07:29 AM JST - 4th December

i found getting a japanese credit card from an american airlines like united or american air, seemed to go smoothly. you also get mileage for using the card which is a nice added bonus . they also usually give you a mileage signing bonus when (if) you are accepted.
bdiego at 10:19 AM JST - 4th December

Yeah it's ironic how the first time you arrive in the States (or if it's been 7 years) nobody wants to touch you. Students who came to the US to study had to give $400 deposit just to buy a cell phone because the phone company is afraid they'll rip them off.

Then you establish credit you get an offer a month for a CC - from the same people who rejected you. Can't blame them, otherwise it's too easy to skip town forever.
ThonTaddeo at 04:17 PM JST - 4th December

Hiko, I just managed to get a 3M yen home renovation loan from Mitsubishi UFJ after being rejected by six or seven other banks previously. Supposedly, the branches that were run by Mitsubishi prior to their merger with UFJ are more accepting of foreigners than the ex-UFJ branches are.

I'll be getting a credit card with this loan when I open the required bank account, though I don't know what my credit limit will be once the loan is finished.

And MUFJ, to their credit, lent me the money to be repaid over three years despite my visa being up for renewal next year. No other bank would consider lending any money past that date, despite the fact that I'm a [i]seishain[/i] whose visa has been successfully renewed several times before.
USAkuma at 10:56 AM JST - 5th December

Thanks for the info about the Saison card. If I get to Ikebekuro station, whereabouts underground should I hunt for this wonderous Credit Card giving machine?

But having been burned by bad credit-rate-elevating card companies in the States, I have to wonder what the rate is for the Saison card? I don't know I want to deal with 24% like in the states.

I was also under the impression (from my own rejection calls) that foreigners are considered high risk unless you have permanent residency visa because they fear that we'll flee in the middle of the night.

Also, I heard that all J-Credit cards are like AMEX in that you are expected to pay off the full amount at the end of the month, not carry a revolving debt like in the states. So those who have had revolving debts would be considered a bad risk... Anybody able to confirm that?
cleo at 11:18 AM JST - 5th December

Japanese credit cards charge no interest if you pay the full amount owing at the end of the month. This is what most people do. You can also choose to pay over a fixed number of months, or pay in full in the bonus month. I don't think these charge interest, but I'm not sure.

If you choose to go revolving, my Saison info says that the interest rate for your shopping balance is 13.8%pa, for cashing 18%. If you need to make a large purchase that you won't be able to pay off in one go, there are often more interest-friendly options than a credit-card.

But you get more points for revolving.
seesaw at 01:26 PM JST - 5th December

The best service from a credit card company is OMC. Yearly fee is 1050 yen. Staff are polite, know their job well. Plus I get to change my points to JAL mileage. I've cancelled my long time American Express card in favour of OMC.
dagbrown at 03:24 PM JST - 5th December

It took me no effort at all to get my credit card (and it has an absurd ¥700,000 limit, way bigger than my credit card in Canada has).

Then a few weeks later, I applied for a small loan (to pay for the ETC reader I had had installed in my motorcycle--I would've been happy just to pay that off, but whatever), and received another credit card entirely by accident.
archmiel at 03:28 PM JST - 5th December

Per the request of friends, I am posting my experience.

I have never had a problem getting a credit card in this country. After filing for bankruptcy last year (massive tax messups and loss of a higher paying job the previous year), I had another credit card issued to me not 3 months later (Saison card sent from Mizuho). I have never had a really high paying job, but for some reason credit card companies keep sticking credit card offers in my face (when signing up at Tipness, my company arranged for another one)
Asara at 02:59 AM JST - 6th December

I guess those card application processors are more patriotic and/plus don't understand english (fr,de,es) that is why an applicant highly suggested to write the application in japanese.
sangetsu at 09:42 AM JST - 6th December

I arrived in Japan in April of this year to begin teaching English at an Eikaiwa. Immediately after arriving, I obtained my alien registration card and opened an account at the local JP bank. I was quickly sent a EDY ATM/debit card which worked just about nowhere, so I returned to the bank and in very poor, broken Japanese asked if I could get a Visa branded ATM/debit card. I was given an application to fill out, which I completed (or so I thought) and handed back in. 5 days later I received a call at my workplace from JP bank verifying my employment. A few days later I was sent another application as apparently I had forgotten to fill in a few items on the first one. I filled out the second application and sent it in, and 4 weeks later I received a Visa credit card with a limit of 500k yen. The card is a JP bank Visa, but is apparently issued by SMBC. I was surprised to be approved, and even more surprised by the rather high credit limit.
cwhite at 08:34 PM JST - 6th December

as I said before you don't need any proof of anything to get a credit card in Japan. Just sign up online with Rakuten or any of the other ones you can fill out online and they will send you the card and a tired postman will pretend to check your whatever form of ID and hand over the package. No questions asked no need to set up a bank account (pay at the convenience store) and definitely no hassle. Great if you want to use a Japanese name to buy stuff online with no hassles.
cwhite at 08:41 PM JST - 6th December

500k is around the minimum for gold cards, 5million is on the high end for gold cards and anything above would be platinum or black cards.
Weasel at 11:24 AM JST - 8th December

500k is around the minimum for gold cards, 5million is on the high end for gold cards and anything above would be platinum or black cards.

Guess the concept of Visa Signature or MasterCard World accounts do not exist in Japan?
miffy06 at 05:09 PM JST - 14th December

can a housewife apply for credit card? wat are the documents i need to submit besides my alien card? how does the saison card machine works??