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Topics: Credit Cards, Point Systems

I decided to get a Japanese credit card, because sending money overseas to pay the bill costs money itself, not to mention the exchange rate. I heard that a non-Japanese friend of a friend was turned down by a bank so I wasn't very optimistic. But during a department store credit card promotion, I was offered an application form (there is a choice of Visa, MC, Amex, and the useless JCB). I was surprised, but the staff member assured me that it wasn't impossible. After I'd sent it in, they phoned and told me they needed an "emergency contact person". This person must be (a) over 30 years old; (b) married; and (c) have a permanent home telephone number. Guess this represents "stability"? They didn't say the person had to be Japanese (but I'm sure it makes it easier if they can at least speak the language), and this is actually a requirement for everyone, Japanese or otherwise. Luckily I have a Japanese friend who fits this description and she was happy to help me.

The moral of the story is: the department stores don't care where you come from as long as you want to shop! Bonus - it is also a point card.

BTW the payment method may be different to what you're used to. The balance will be debited from your bank account every month on a set date. There is no "minimum payment" option. If you want to split the payment up, you must tell the store at the time of purchase that you want "ribo" (that's katakana for "revolving loan", and sometimes they will actually ask you if you want it) and they will input this information with the charge. Not sure how they work out the payment term, but if you want to know what to expect you can ask at your dept store's credit card counter. Of course, you'll have to pay interest.

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