Getting a credit card in Japan

Hi everyone. I’m sorry, this post ended up longer than I expected.
I would like to ask a few questions about the credit card process in Japan. But first of all a little bit about my situation.

This is my first time in Japan and I have been living here for a little over a year (1 year and a month to be exact). I have a full time job and and I have been working for this company for a year too. I applied for credit cards at different stores and companies during the past year only to be rejected each time. I’ve lost count of how many times I got rejected, perhaps a dozen times, including twice by Rakuten, twice by AEON and twice by LIFE car...companies where it is supposedly easy for foreigners to acquire a credit card. Other credit cards include, ESPOS, SOLENA (at Izumiya store), Japan Post Bank (my bank)...

I understand the difficulty foreigners encounter when applying for credit cards. I also understand fulfilling some official (and perhaps non official) criteria, such as full time job, good salary, number of years spent in Japan, validity period of the 在留カード(mine expires in 2 years time), having a spouse, might make it easier to get a credit card.

Except for not having a spouse and perhaps the number of years I’ve spent in Japan (1 year), I believe I fulfill most if not all the criteria.

I’m not pent up on why I couldn’t get the card, though if you have some ideas on why I couldn’t, it’d be helpful. Perhaps you read something between the lines and found out that I’m missing something. What I would like to know is:


1. I applied to most of these credit cards online and not on site. Is this detrimental to acquiring a credit card? Because I didn’t even get to send them my documents and I get refusal mails almost instantly, like in the next 2 or 3 days.

2. Reapplying to the same company in a short time span after been previously rejected might automatically result in another rejection. But would applying to the a different company result in a rejection? For example if Rakuten rejects me today, applying again to Rakuten during a span of say 3-6 months is futile but is applying tomorrow or next week to AEON also futile?

3. I do not have a credit score in Japan, I guess. But from what I’ve been reading on some forums it seems like I do have a credit score in Japan even though I don’t have a credit card. Is this true?

4. As I mentioned above I have received several rejections. Will this work against me when trying to secure a credit card in the future?

5. Though my salary is a little bit higher than average when compared to people that have the same qualification and years of experience as me, the company I am working for isn’t a multinational. I see that they always ask for the number of employees in the company and the company’s capital stock. Is working for a small to medium firm a disadvantage?

Also if you have any other tips that can increase my chances of getting a credit card , I’d be grateful if you can mention them.
Thanks for reading this long post.

tl;dr It`s probably based on luck and mood of the card company staff handling your application.

One theory is that after the 2011 Tsunami, a lot of foreigners left Japan entirely along with their credit card payments (no actual research into this though)

I can only speak from personal experience and it all seems random and based on luck:
*A friend recommended ANA JCB (I wanted VISA but no such luck with 10+ other companies), I applied completely online and I got the ANA JCB card which I still use now. Prepaid VISA is getting better now so I`m finding less difficulty using JCB.
*I accompanied an Indonesian friend to the nearest SMBC, went to the counter and have the clerk help us fill in the form while I translate. He got the SMBC VISA card in go.
*I accompanied 2 Vietnamese friends to the same SMBC branch and probably even the same clerk, one of them got the card while the other one got rejected.

Ask foreigners around you about what card they have and try again. One thing everyone seems to agree with is that once you get your 1st Japanese card the next ones are easier since you now have a local credit score, which I realize is less of a consolation since getting that 1st card is hard and random. Try not to feel as frustrated since pretty much all foreigners went through the same ordeal.

Good luck.

One thing everyone seems to agree with is that once you get your 1st Japanese card the next ones are easier

That's good to know; mine is through my university so it will expire when I graduate...

Firas,
really ? I think it will not expire. the company will give you a new card, if you have a job.

once you are rejected, wait for a while, at least 6 months, preferably one year. they share the data.
if you have a record of non-payment (or delaying payment ) of cell phone with 2 year contract, it could be a serious disadvantage.

really ? I think it will not expire. the company will give you a new card, if you have a job.

Oh, yes, maybe. I'll have to look into that further.

You have made your situation worse by applying for so many times.
Every time the credit card company refers to your credit informations shared among credit companies, banks, cell phone companies and so on, your rank decreases. You should have given up after a few times and stayed quiet.

You are not a citizen, so will leave the country and a bad credit risk - it's that simple (from what I've researched). If you had PR you might get one.

(and I'm sure some people have managed to get Japanese cards, but those might be exceptions to the rule)

Thank you all for your input.

@DQ28 : Thanks for your input. Yeah it's all about luck but it seems like I've made my case worse by applying several times. I also had a friend who applied to Rakuten 6 months after he arrived in Japan and he got accepted straight away. He is working for a big company though. I wonder if this also has an effect.

once you are rejected, wait for a while, at least 6 months, preferably one year. they share the data.
You have made your situation worse by applying for so many times
That's what I thought! I think I'd have to stay low for some time now.

if you have a record of non-payment (or delaying payment ) of cell phone with 2 year contract
I don't even have a telephone contract to begin with.
That's the main reason I want to get a credit card. I've been to all telephone service providers and they all refused to give me a contract because I don't have a credit card. I can't even use my bank account to get a telephone contract.


Does anyone know if working for a big company is an advantage?

"Does anyone know if working for a big company is an advantage?"
Yes. definitely.
here, in this forum, many foreigners look for a high salary company. but, Japanese want to have a job position,正社員(no determination of working term, you can work until retirement), in a big company, because it is the easiest way to get the trust from the society. the salary is the second.

if you work in a big company, I am sure that you can also renew your visa easily.

It is very crazy to try to understand things in Japan. It is hard to give an explanation on how to get a Japanese credit card. Some people may get it easily while others will have a hard time before having it. It is somehow case by case.

This reminds exactly on how to get 3 years visa extension. When I first came to Japan, I got 1 extension for 4 years!

I am married to a Japanese and I was always until now doing a part time job.I never got a full time job.

I applied several times for a Japanese credit card. I was always rejected. In the past I used to apply online for credit card. It was refused! I also applied through letters from home, applications were always rejected.

Just two months ago, I was in UFG bank to withdraw some money. I saw JAL credit card staff standing. She looked at me! I was somehow interested to give it a try.She told me would you try to apply for JAL CC? I replied in a very formal Japanese using 敬語also尊敬語, well, yes I want to apply but the problem I am always get it rejected. haha! She told me, who knows!just try to apply this time and wait to see the result.

I was alone and filled the application writing everything in Japanese Kanji. Before my finish, I got a call from my wife. I told her that I am applying for JAL Visa credit card, would you like to join, my wife arrived to UFG. After finishing my application, the staff advised my wife to apply as well and she recommended that I apply for a Japanese family credit card as well.

I ended applying for my personal credit card and also for another credit card with my wife.
After one month, I got the result.

-Credit Card for me linked with my bank account
-Credit card for me linked with my wife bank account
-Credit card for my wife ;)

Here is the surprise.Last week, I saw ANA master card. I looked at the staff smiling and told her can I have also ANA credit card (master card)?. She said, yes sure! you can apply. I applied and they sent me a letter today telling me that you got it approved. The woman was also begging me to make my wife have ANA credit card as well. I told her since my wife is not with me today, I don't want to apply on her behalf.But, she may apply later since she won't pay annually any membership money (free for my wife if it is me the main, holder of the bank book from which the money will be withdrawn).

Now I have the total of 3 Japanese credit cards!

Here is what I concluded to

To be continued.

Hmm one has to work for a big company in order to get trust from the society.
By the way I'm a 正社員 with all the benefits and stability that comes with it. The only difference would be that the company I'm working for isn't a big company. Though ridiculously outdated, I understand their point of view. It just sucks that this train of thought still exists in this day and age.

if you work in a big company, I am sure that you can also renew your visa easily.
On a side note I'm kind of skeptical about this.
The company I'm working for is a small company but they are the one that sponsored my COE and hence my visa.
Do you mean that I'll find it hard to renew my visa if I continue working in this company ?

It is very likely that I got approved because.
-I created my bank book almost four years ago
-I have about 2000000 YEN in my bank book
-I do part time job but with one of the 上場企業listed company (on a stock exchange)
-I can speak and write Japanese on the business level.
-Married
-Yes, I do only part time job!

One more thing, do not waste your time applying for credit cards that takes only 20 minutes to be approved. I had no chance with that. Looks like they just check names,if they know you are a gaijin, they usually automatically reject it.

I guess all what they want to confirm is that you have strong ties to Japan.So, you cannot leave Japan easily. This explains why some people may get it in the first month(s) with no Japanese skill or others, basically if someone is working with a great company with a huge salary, they know he has no reason to quit his job or leave Japan(even he quits his job,they know he can find a better one). So, they give him a credit card easily.

If you get refused you multiple times, I recommend you to wait. Work more on your Japanese, continue to pay taxes and put more money in your bank account. I am sure after two years, you can easily get a credit card. I got them just because I was rejected many times. Now, I do not have any reasons to use all those credit cards!

I wish you all the best.

Do you mean that I'll find it hard to renew my visa if I continue working in this company ?
As long as you are working in the field that allows you to get your visa sponsored, then you will always have your visa extended.
The length of the contract you have with the company, your salary, they type of job you do are great factors.
Some people may get always 1 year visa extension. Others may get 3 or 5 years.
So, it depends.
It does not make any sense to me to have your visa denied if you are working for a small company. Small companies have the right to grow using foreign work forces. So, I assume your visa will never be denied if your company is small. However, the visa extension length may be affected by the above mentioned factors.
This is my simple understanding!

Honorifics and kanji things don't have anything to do with approval.
The standing credit company staff are assessed only by number of application paper they got. They don't have any authority, maybe they are just part time worker for the credit card company.

Being married a Japanese for years must be a big advantage because those foreigners with Japanese family are not expected to run out of Japan without paying their debt easily.

If being married to a Japanese was enough to get credit card, I should have got it 4 years ago . There are multiple factors that may lead them to approve credit cards. No one really knows! I read somewhere that writing the application in Japanese is a great plus.

This topic is open to discussion as no one knows how the process things. I remember that I was asked by the person who invited me to apply whether if I can write Kanji. Basically, if you can't write Kanji, you have no chance to apply. Japanese is required! if you lose your card or have any issues, will you contact them talking in English?I doubt they have an English customer support as when I called them recently, I had no option to choose English!

They don't have any authority, maybe they are just part time worker for the credit card company.

I am not sure you got the point right. Even if they might be only part timers, even if they possibly don't process the credit card application.It is very possible that it is part of their workflow that they assess whether the applicant Japanese communication level.They won't allow a crazy person to apply and have a credit card. It is not about them having the authority or not.

"Do you mean that I'll find it hard to renew my visa if I continue working in this company ?"
No.
if you don't work in a big company, you have to stand in a long waiting line.
but, if you work as 正社員 in a famous big company, you are in rapid processing line. so getting easily.

the reason is that immigration (and the government) trusts the famous company more than the applicants.

I'm not completely sure, but I suspect ken is right in that the company you work for has a big influence. I've noticed that here in Japan, as soon as I mention what company i work for, everything becomes instantly easier.

I work for a famous keiretsu company. I had my CoE processed and sent to me in only 2 weeks. Got a visa for 5 years. Got two credit cards approved (SMBC and MUFG) two weeks after landing in Japan. Even when i was looking for apartments through a 不動産, we would try to inquire with owners that didn't accept foreigners at first, and then would change their minds when they learned who my employer was.

Also, none of my foreign co-workers, even those with low salaries or no history at all in Japan, have had a credit card application rejected. While other friends living in Japan for years, but working as freelancers or for small-medium companies, still can't get one.

I know it sounds unfair and outdated, but this seems to be the situation here.

Wow thanks everyone for your input!
Seems like there are a lot more unofficial criteria that apply to getting a credit card.
I could decide to work for a large corporation but I'm not ready, if ever I will, to work overtime and become a slave to the a corporation, as most of these so called big companies are ブラック企業...though there are exceptions, but I digress.

I'm thinking of getting a VISA debit card. Rakuten offers a JCB, VISA and GOLD VISA debit cards. Does anyone have any experience dealing with any of these cards?

Also I see that one can rack up points pretty quickly using the JCB as opposed to either of the VISA cards. The JCB also has no annual fee. How different is the JCB from the VISA?
Should I go the VISA route, which of the VISA cards do you advice me on choosing? Thanks!

Being a Japanese company JCB is more domestic oriented. While it is improving, compared with VISA MASTERCARD AMEX, JCB has less coverage especially outside Japan (not sure about other countries but in Indonesia stores accepting JCB are rare). I forgot the site, but to my surprise there was even a Japanese site/service I tried that only accepted VISA and MC.

Theoretically being less major than VISA MASTERCARD AMEX, JCB should be easier to apply to because they want more customer. My 1st card is JCB after failing several times applying for VISA. Still, there is no guarantee you will get one if you apply for JCB.

I would suggest concerning less about points miles gifts etc. and concentrate more on getting ANY Japanese card for the 1st time. You can always get another card after that.

Reading the other replies:
*Waiting 6 months until your next application is preferable. And have a Japanese person advise you when filling out the application.
*If you want to apply ASAP, perhaps try JCB if you haven`t applied for JCB before