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- Rakuten Mobile
Rakuten Mobile: what it costs, and who it accepts
Rakuten Mobile'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 Rakuten Mobile's own official pages.
Rakuten Mobile states on its official pages that it accepts foreign residents, and a residence card is accepted as ID; its lowest real monthly cost is ¥1,078 at 3GB a month (12-month cost including setup fees) (checked October 11, 2026). Whether your application is approved is the carrier's decision.
Language support: Japanese, English. There is an English website and an English online-application guide, and some shops offer multilingual support. Phone support is in Japanese only.
Rakuten Mobile, 3GB a month, 12-month cost horizon
Rakuten Mobile3GB–Unlimited
12-month total ¥12,936Setup 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.
Who Rakuten Mobile 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 and debit card).
- A cancellation fee is stated: ¥1,078 — only if you cancel within 1 year of starting service on a line applied for on or after April 1, 2025 (the maximum for most plans; ¥1,100 flat on the U-NEXT plan).
Rakuten Mobile 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3GB–Unlimited | ¥1,078 | Yes | ¥0 |
Sign-up conditions
From Rakuten Mobile's own official pages, checked on October 11, 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 |
| Min. remaining validity | Not specified by the provider |
| Support language(s) | Japanese, English. There is an English website and an English online-application guide, and some shops offer multilingual support. Phone support is in Japanese only. |
| Credit card | Accepted |
| Debit card | Accepted |
| Bank transfer | Accepted |
| Convenience-store payment | Not stated |
| Payment fees | Paying by bank debit costs ¥110 each month (charged when the bill is debited), and Rakuten Points cannot be used for that bill. |
| Setup cost | ¥0 |
| Minimum term | Not specified by the provider |
| Cancellation fee | ¥1,078 — only if you cancel within 1 year of starting service on a line applied for on or after April 1, 2025 (the maximum for most plans; ¥1,100 flat on the U-NEXT plan) |
Identity verification at home when the SIM is delivered is for Japanese nationals only. If the correct address is not registered on the IC chip of your residence card, you cannot use the Simple Mobile ID Verification until the chip is updated (see the official page).
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: Rakuten Mobile official page on ID documents.
Frequently asked questions
Does Rakuten Mobile accept residence-card holders, and does it run a credit check?
Yes — Rakuten Mobile states on its official pages that it accepts foreign residents. Residence card as ID: Yes. Identity verification at home when the SIM is delivered is for Japanese nationals only. If the correct address is not registered on the IC chip of your residence card, you cannot use the Simple Mobile ID Verification until the chip is updated (see the official page). 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 Rakuten Mobile without a Japanese credit card?
Yes — Rakuten Mobile officially offers bank transfer and debit card. See the conditions table below for specifics. Paying by bank debit costs ¥110 each month (charged when the bill is debited), and Rakuten Points cannot be used for that bill.
Is eSIM available from Rakuten Mobile?
Yes, at least one Rakuten Mobile plan supports eSIM (see the plan table for which).
Sources
- Rakuten Mobile official page 1 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 2 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 3 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 4 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 5 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 6 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 7 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 8 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 9 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile official page 10 (checked October 11, 2026)
- Rakuten Mobile 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 Rakuten Mobile
At 3GB a month the real cost is ¥1,078/month. Check the accepted ID documents and payment methods on Rakuten Mobile's official site before applying.
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