ahamo: what it costs, and who it accepts
ahamo's plans for people living in Japan, what it takes to sign up, and the real monthly cost including the setup fee. Everything here comes from ahamo's own official pages.
ahamo states on its official pages that it accepts foreign residents, and a residence card is accepted as ID; its lowest real monthly cost is ¥2,970 at 3GB a month (12-month cost including setup fees) (checked October 9, 2026). Whether your application is approved is the carrier's decision.
Heads up: ahamo's official application and support are in Japanese only, as far as we could confirm. You (or someone helping you) will likely need to read Japanese to sign up.
ahamo, 3GB a month, 12-month cost horizon
ahamo30–110GB
12-month total ¥35,640Setup fee ¥0 (included above)eSIM available
- Real monthly cost: the plan price, plus the one-off fees spread over 12 months, plus 20 minutes of calls a month (3 minutes per call); no discount that needs a condition.
- Whether your application is approved is the carrier's decision, not ours.
From December 1, 2026, ahamo's monthly price changes to three tiers by data used (up to 40 GB ¥3,135, up to 60 GB ¥4,125 and up to 120 GB ¥5,115, tax incl.), and this applies to current customers too. The ahamo figures on this page use the current prices (30 GB ¥2,970, 110 GB ¥4,950 a month) for all 12 months and do not include the new tiers. The 110 GB large-volume option ends on November 30, 2026, and it ends automatically for current subscribers on the same day.
Setup fee: ¥0 when you sign up on the ahamo website, which is the price used for the real monthly cost on this page. At the in-store sign-up fair counters (electronics retailers and other shops; docomo Shop counters are excluded) the setup fee is ¥4,950 (the fair's official notice).
Who ahamo suits
- You hold a residence card — this carrier states officially that it accepts residents.
- You want to use the residence card itself as ID.
- You have no Japanese credit card (the official pages list bank transfer); a condition applies, see the conditions table.
- You hold a newer-type residence card — Second-generation residence cards and special permanent resident certificates issued on or after June 14, 2026, and the My Number card-integrated types (Specified Residence Card, Specified Special Permanent Resident Certificate), cannot be used to sign up for ahamo. The official page suggests signing up at electronics retailers and other shops that run the ahamo sign-up fair (as of June 2026). The setup fee at those fair counters is ¥4,950 (tax included), while signing up on the ahamo website is ¥0 (the fair's official notice, checked October 9, 2026).
- You need English support — application and support are in Japanese only, as far as we could confirm.
- A cancellation fee is stated: ¥1,100 — only if you cancel within 1 year (365 days) of a new contract made on or after July 1, 2025, or of one made from March 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 when the line was not really used or you cancelled another line in your name within a year.
ahamo plans
Monthly price before the setup fee, tax included. The real monthly cost above is the plan price, plus the one-off fees spread over 12 months, plus the call charges for 20 minutes of calls a month (3 minutes per call) at the carrier's own per-call rate, with no paid call option and no discount that needs a condition (family, fibre bundles). Calls a plan already includes are free, and discounts with no condition are counted.
| Data | Monthly from | eSIM | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30–110GB | ¥2,970 | Yes | ¥0 |
The ahamo prices in this table are the current ones. The new tiers that start on December 1, 2026 are not included.
Sign-up conditions
From ahamo's own official pages, checked on October 9, 2026. "Not stated" means we could not find it addressed, which is different from a "no".
| Condition | What the official site states |
|---|---|
| Accepts foreign residents | Yes (stated officially) |
| Residence card as ID | Yes |
| Newer-type residence cards | Second-generation residence cards and special permanent resident certificates issued on or after June 14, 2026, and the My Number card-integrated types (Specified Residence Card, Specified Special Permanent Resident Certificate), cannot be used to sign up for ahamo. The official page suggests signing up at electronics retailers and other shops that run the ahamo sign-up fair (as of June 2026). The setup fee at those fair counters is ¥4,950 (tax included), while signing up on the ahamo website is ¥0 (the fair's official notice, checked October 9, 2026). |
| Min. remaining validity | If you are a foreign national and your My Number card has less than 3 months of validity left, you must pay by a credit card in your own name (the official page states the condition for the My Number card). |
| Support language(s) | Japanese |
| Credit card | Accepted |
| Debit card | Some debit cards only. The official FAQ says some debit cards can be used, and asks you to check with your debit-card issuer whether yours is accepted. A debit-card payment may be withdrawn from your account before the billing details are shown. |
| Bank transfer | Accepted |
| Convenience-store payment | Not accepted |
| Setup cost | ¥0 on the website; ¥4,950 at the sign-up fair counters |
| Minimum term | None |
| Cancellation fee | ¥1,100 — only if you cancel within 1 year (365 days) of a new contract made on or after July 1, 2025, or of one made from March 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 when the line was not really used or you cancelled another line in your name within a year |
The exact list of accepted ID documents is long and partly Japanese-only legal text, so we link to the source rather than translating it: ahamo official page on ID documents.
Frequently asked questions
Does ahamo accept residence-card holders, and does it run a credit check?
Yes — ahamo states on its official pages that it accepts foreign residents. Residence card as ID: Yes. Newer-type cards: Second-generation residence cards and special permanent resident certificates issued on or after June 14, 2026, and the My Number card-integrated types (Specified Residence Card, Specified Special Permanent Resident Certificate), cannot be used to sign up for ahamo. The official page suggests signing up at electronics retailers and other shops that run the ahamo sign-up fair (as of June 2026). The setup fee at those fair counters is ¥4,950 (tax included), while signing up on the ahamo website is ¥0 (the fair's official notice, checked October 9, 2026). If you are a foreign national and your My Number card has less than 3 months of validity left, you must pay by a credit card in your own name (the official page states the condition for the My Number card). Being accepted as a foreign resident is a separate question from credit screening for the line contract itself: screening terms exist; see the official page.
Can I pay ahamo without a Japanese credit card?
Yes — ahamo officially offers bank transfer. See the conditions table below for specifics. If you are a foreign national and your My Number card has less than 3 months of validity left, you must pay by a credit card in your own name (the official page states the condition for the My Number card).
Is eSIM available from ahamo?
Yes, at least one ahamo plan supports eSIM (see the plan table for which).
Sources
- ahamo official page 1 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 2 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 3 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 4 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 5 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 6 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 7 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 8 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 9 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 10 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 11 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 12 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 13 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 14 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 15 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 16 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 17 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 18 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 19 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo official page 20 (checked October 9, 2026)
- ahamo plan page (checked November 1, 2026)
Back to the resident SIM ranking · Paying without a Japanese credit card · What the residence-card requirement means · Full plan details (Japanese page)
Before you apply to ahamo
At 3GB a month the real cost is ¥2,970/month. Check the accepted ID documents and payment methods on ahamo's official site before applying.
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