Selling online to Japan: cards, JCB, konbini, PayPay and bank transfer

Japan looks simple from a distance: a large, wealthy market where people own credit cards. It is also a market where a shopper may pick an item online, take a code to a convenience store and pay in cash, or split a card purchase into instalments with their card company. Many of the features Japanese shoppers expect are limited, at some providers, to merchants with a Japanese entity.

This article covers how Japanese shoppers pay online, why cards and JCB come first, how instalments, konbini, PayPay and bank transfer work, and what a foreign merchant needs before launch. For how a voucher method fits a checkout in general, see OXXO and cash vouchers in Mexico, which shares many of the same mechanics. For currency and ordering, see checkout localisation.

How do Japanese shoppers pay online?

Mostly by card, with several strong alternatives. Stripe’s guide to online payment methods in Japan cites a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Respondents could give several answers, so the figures do not add up to 100%.

Payment method	Share of respondents
Credit card	79.8%
E-money	43.5%
Konbini (convenience store)	33.7%
Bank or post office counter and ATM	23%
Internet banking	23%
Carrier payment	16.3%
Cash on delivery	16.1%

The same guide cites the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which put consumer e-commerce sales at JPY 26.1 trillion in 2024, up 5.1% on the year before. Our Japan guide covers the wider market.

The reading for a foreign store is plain. Cards reach most buyers, but a third of respondents have used konbini and many have used e-money. A checkout with only a card form works, but it leaves out shoppers who prefer not to enter card details online.

Why do cards, JCB and instalments come first?

Because cards are the one method a foreign merchant can usually reach without a Japanese entity. Start there, and make sure the form takes JCB as well as Visa and Mastercard.

JCB is a Japanese scheme with international reach. Stripe said in November 2023 that JCB gave businesses access to 154 million cardholders, and that it was available to Stripe users in 39 countries and territories. Ask your acquirer whether it processes JCB for your entity, because scheme support varies. Check it on your payment form too: the card logo, the validation and the routing should all recognise it.

Instalments are the harder part. Stripe’s guide says cards are popular partly for rewards points and for instalment, revolving and bonus payment options. These plans are chosen at checkout, and the merchant’s setup decides whether they appear.

Brand at Stripe	Instalments	Revolving	Bonus
Visa and Mastercard	Up to 60	Yes	Yes
JCB	Up to 24	Yes	Yes
American Express	No	No	No
Diners Club	No	Yes	Yes

Stripe’s documentation is explicit on eligibility: instalments are supported only for Stripe Japan accounts, in JPY, on credit cards issued in Japan. Debit and prepaid cards are excluded. The merchant receives the full amount, as with a standard card payment, and the card company provides the credit and collects it over time. Stripe charges no extra fee, and the customer may pay interest, which typically does not apply to two instalments or bonus plans.

Bonus plans follow the calendar. Stripe says they are unavailable from 16 June to 15 July and from 16 November to 15 December. A customer who starts in one window and pays after it closes will see the payment fail.

Without a Japanese entity, ask each provider whether it can offer these plans at all. Our local vs cross-border acquiring article explains why features like this depend on where the payment is processed.

How does konbini work for a foreign store?

Konbini is a cash payment at a convenience store. Stripe describes the flow: the customer selects konbini, receives payment codes and a confirmation number, takes them to a store and pays in cash before they expire. The merchant is told immediately after the store payment, and funds are available for payout after 4 business days. Stripe lists FamilyMart, Lawson, Ministop and Seicomart. Stripe’s guide adds that unpaid orders are cancelled automatically at the deadline.

Access is the first question, and the answers differ.

	Stripe	Antom
Merchant location	Japan only	Singapore, Hong Kong, the US, the EEA, the UK, Japan
Amount	JPY 120 to 300,000	JPY 1 to 300,000
Time to pay	Expiry shown in the payment instructions	7 days by default
Refunds	By bank transfer, after the customer sends details	Not supported
Chargebacks	No	No

Three details change how you run it.

The order stays open. A konbini order is unpaid until the shopper reaches a store, so stock must be held or released on a rule. Antom recommends showing shoppers an expiry shorter than your real order timeout, and warns that a receipt printed at the final timeout can leave the buyer 30 minutes to pay. A transaction you have already closed could still be paid.

Cash has no return path. Stripe emails the customer for bank details and sends the refund as a transfer, and the refund waits until they respond. Antom does not support refunds. Our article on refunds across local methods covers how to plan for methods like this.

Your business is reviewed. Stripe says its financial partner and the store chains can reject a business at their discretion. It lists excluded categories, such as personal import facilitation and e-cigarettes, and website requirements that include a complete Specified Commercial Transactions Act disclosure. Its Commerce Disclosure guidance adds that the website must be in Japanese for konbini, with a landline or connected 050 support number and support hours on show.

Can a foreign store accept PayPay?

Check first, because the answer may be no. PayPay is large: it reports 75 million registered users on 9 August 2026, and says its 8.88 billion payments in 2025 were more than 20% of Japan’s 43.5 billion cashless transactions, across cards, QR codes, e-money and debit.

Stripe lists PayPay for Japanese accounts only and marks it as not cross-border. Amounts run from JPY 50 to JPY 1,000,000, and the PayPay-side authorisation expires 5 minutes after the redirect. Refunds can be submitted for 365 days and complete instantly, and customers cannot file a chargeback. The site needs a complete disclosure page.

PayPay’s merchant page sets out two routes: a direct application, or an application through a payment service provider or cart platform. On a direct contract, it lists no fixed costs, a fee of 3.8% on physical goods and 10% on digital content, and one payout a month at month end. It says a review takes about 2 weeks to a month, followed by about 5 business days before use. It accepts only business-to-consumer commerce. The page does not say whether a company outside Japan can apply, and we found no provider documentation that confirms a route for foreign entities. Ask any provider that claims PayPay coverage which entity would hold the contract.

Where do bank transfer and carrier billing fit?

Bank transfer, or furikomi, is a long-standing option: in the survey above, 23% used internet banking and 23% a bank or post office counter or ATM. Stripe’s guide describes it as a domestic transfer in which the sender enters the recipient’s name, bank, branch, account type and number. Most transfers clear through the Zengin system. Funds typically arrive within one business day, and same-day payments need to be made before a 3:30 p.m. cutoff. Daily limits for individuals run from about JPY 500,000 to JPY 10 million, depending on the bank and account type.

The operating issues are familiar. The customer pushes the money, so the amount may not match the order, and Stripe’s guide says transfers generally cannot be reversed by the sender after processing. Stripe’s bank transfer product addresses this with a virtual account number per customer and a balance that handles overpayment and underpayment, but it lists JPY transfers for Japanese accounts only. Ask any provider how it matches each transfer to an order, and who handles the difference when a shopper sends the wrong amount.

Carrier billing is the other option in the survey, at 16.3%. Stripe’s guide says charges are added to the customer’s mobile phone bill, which suits frequent smartphone users, but spending limits make it unsuitable for large purchases, only lump-sum payment is available, and rules vary by carrier. It fits small digital purchases better than a basket of physical goods. Treat it as an addition, once your main methods are running.

In what order should a foreign store add methods?

Follow access first, then demand. Start with Visa, Mastercard and JCB, priced in JPY, because they usually need no Japanese company. Add konbini next if a provider will onboard your entity, since a third of survey respondents have used it. Add PayPay and bank transfer when you have a route to them, or a Japanese entity. Our guide to which local methods to add first shows how to score each step against your own numbers.

What does a foreign merchant need before launch?

Work through this list in order:

1. Decide your entity. Find out what each provider will offer to the entity you have. If instalments, konbini and PayPay all need a Japanese company, weigh that against your expected volume.
2. Publish a Commerce Disclosure page. Stripe says Japan’s Specified Commercial Transactions Act requires one from businesses selling at a distance, and that businesses accepting payments through Stripe must show the same information even if the Act does not apply to them. It lists legal name, address, phone, email, head of operations, extra fees, returns, delivery time, accepted methods, payment period and price including consumption tax.
3. Check your 3-D Secure position. Stripe says the requirement covers Japanese businesses from the end of March 2025, and that businesses outside Japan selling to Japanese customers are not subject to it. Checkout.com describes it as covering all online card payments in Japan. Ask your acquirer what it expects. Our guide to 3-D Secure exemptions for cross-border shops covers the mechanics.
4. Price in JPY. Disclose the tax-inclusive price, as the disclosure page requires.
5. Plan for Japanese support. Stripe’s konbini rules show what a local partner expects: a Japanese site, a working phone number and published support hours.
6. Map refunds per method. Decide who collects bank details for cash payments, and how long you keep orders open.
7. Agree settlement. Ask for currency, FX spread and timing, per method. PayPay’s own month-end cycle shows they can differ a lot.

How does Omno support payments in Japan?

Omno puts the providers you choose behind one integration, and each provider onboards you separately. Where a connected provider offers JCB, konbini or PayPay, your team can show them in the no-code checkout builder for Japanese shoppers in JPY, with minimum and maximum amounts set per method, and write routing rules by card BIN, currency or amount. The hosted checkout page shows how it works.