Originally Posted by
freecia
Thanks! Documentation states "You can add credit and prepaid cards to Apple Pay on iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and Apple Watch Series 2 to make payments in stores using QUICPay or iD."
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206638 Good to know that prepaid doesn't seem to work, yet.
I spent part of yesterday hunting around for a Japanese sms enabled sim other than Softbank or Telecom Square's Wi-Ho, which both have voice prepaid sim (barely) obtainable with visitor visa. Wi-Ho seems to have a fixed 14 day expiration. OCN and IIJMio have data + sms, no voice sims on
monthly subscriptions meant for the domestic market which may allow sign up with a (foreign) credit card. No identity card needed. I guess they take the resident restriction on voice pretty literally rather than as a phone number. Line's MVNO requires identity verification for their data and data + sms sims.
A non-expiring no min contract data sim, sms, and a few other ways to carry currency seems useful for repeat visits.
Well, it might not be appropriate to say that all prepaid doesn't work. But both of the cards I have are issued by Credit Saison, which is a listed Apple Pay compatible issuer. The Lawson JCB gives me a "not eligible" error right after the card number, and the Visa prepaid goes as far as asking for expiry and CVV before telling me the issuer doesn't support it. But that means that the two easiest prepaid cards for a foreign visitor to get and set up are out of the picture if the goal is to have a Japanese "credit" card on Apple Pay.
Cocokara Fine- ask at the till to sign up for a point card. Fill in a name and Japanese address, then deposit some funds. The card is ready to use at physical stores straight away and will be ready to use on the internet in a few days. I got this one when it first came out, but I don't use it much anymore.
Lawson- They usually have packets containing the cards at the till next to the d-Point cards. Grab one, deposit some funds to it, it's ready to use in person straight away for payment and point earning, and it'll be ready to use on the internet (and redeem Ponta points) as soon as you register it online with your name and address. This one has become my main Japanese prepaid card since Ponta points are redeemable for games and UFO catcher credits at Sega arcades (roughly at a rate of 50 points = 100 yen), and it can be loaded in any amount above 1000 yen. I usually load it with my leftover yen as I depart KIX or NRT.
And as for the SMS-enabled SIM, I just got a SoftBank prepaid SIM as soon as it was allowed for visitors. My visiting patterns don't justify having a monthly subscription that has to be paid for even when I'm not there.