Hi — I’m a Rakuten Group employee, and this page explains a program most foreigners in Japan have never heard of: the Rakuten Mobile Employee Referral Campaign. Sign up through an employee’s referral link and you receive up to 14,000 Rakuten Points — about ¥14,000 of spending power at convenience stores, supermarkets, Rakuten Ichiba, or toward your own phone bill.
I wrote this specifically for foreign residents. That means it covers the things that actually decide whether your application succeeds: paying without a credit card, the residence-card exact-match rule, calling your home country for free, and how to cancel cleanly before you leave Japan. Everything here is checked against Rakuten’s official pages, and I update it when the terms change.
⏱ THE 30-SECOND VERSION
- 14,000 points for switching carriers (MNP) / 11,000 points for a new number or re-contract — up to 5 lines per person
- Apply with a Residence Card or Special Permanent Resident Certificate; online eKYC supported
- No credit card required — debit cards and bank direct debit are officially accepted
- One plan: ¥1,078/month (≤3GB) to ¥3,278/month (unlimited), no contract binding, cancel anytime free
- Rakuten Link app: free calls in Japan and free calls to 66 countries including the US, China, Korea and the UK
- After activation: one 10-second call on Rakuten Link (deadline: end of the 2nd month after login) — that’s the condition people miss
No code to enter — log in with your Rakuten ID first, then apply
1. What the campaign is (and the numbers)
Rakuten Mobile runs a public referral program anyone can use (code 1784: 13,000 points for MNP), and a separate, larger program reserved for Rakuten Group employees (code 2162). Because employees don’t cost Rakuten advertising money, the reward for the person they refer is higher:
| How you sign up | Employee referral (this site) | Standard public referral |
|---|---|---|
| Switching carriers (MNP) | 14,000 pt | 13,000 pt |
| New number / re-contract | 11,000 pt | 10,000 pt |
| Lines per person | Up to 5 (max 70,000 pt) | First contract only |
Referrals are a mainstream way to join Rakuten Mobile, not a fringe trick: Rakuten’s official referral page reports over 600,000 referrers (as of the end of January 2025) and states that among heavy-data users, roughly 1 in 3 joined through a referral. Re-contracts — coming back after cancelling — are also eligible, which is rare among Japanese carriers.
2. Is this legitimate? How to verify it yourself
A stranger’s link promising ¥14,000 deserves skepticism, so here is how to check it:
- Check the domain. After opening the referral link, the campaign page and application form are on network.mobile.rakuten.co.jp — Rakuten’s official domain. Look at your address bar before logging in.
- The campaign has an official code (2162) shown in the campaign terms after you log in. You are reading Rakuten’s own terms, not mine.
- The referrer sees none of your personal information. Your name, address, ID documents and payment details go only to Rakuten Mobile. What I can see is only an anonymous count of referrals.
- Nothing is paid to me by you. Rakuten pays employees a referral reward from its marketing budget. Your price is identical with or without the link — the only difference is whether you receive the points.
3. Eligibility & documents for foreign residents
Plans, prices and campaign conditions are identical to those for Japanese customers. Two practical notes that decide most foreign applications:
⚠️ The #1 reason foreign applicants fail screening
Your name and address must match your Residence Card exactly, character for character. If the card says「1-1-1-101」, typing「1-1-1-101号室」can fail the review by itself. Copy the address exactly as printed, and enter your name in the same format as the card.
4. Payment: no credit card needed
This is where many English blogs are simply wrong, so here are the official rules:
| Method | Accepted? | Notes (official) |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card (Japan-issued) | ✅ | Smoothest option; required for device installment plans |
| Debit card | ✅ | Officially accepted for monthly fees |
| Bank direct debit（口座振替） | ✅ | ¥110/month fee for non-Rakuten-Bank accounts (free with Rakuten Bank); cannot pay device installments; Rakuten Points cannot be applied with this method |
| Rakuten Points | ✅ | Can be applied to your monthly bill (with card payment) |
| Foreign-issued credit card | △ | Not officially confirmed. Some overseas Visa/Mastercard/JCB reportedly work, but a Japanese card or bank account is the reliable route |
5. How to apply — 6 steps
Create a free Rakuten ID
If you shop on Rakuten Ichiba you already have one. The referral is tied to your Rakuten ID.
Open the referral link and log in FIRST
This login attaches campaign 2162 to your account — there is no code to type. Do not open other campaign links (e.g. the “Mikitani campaign”) first: whichever you log into first wins.
Choose plan and SIM type
One plan (Rakuten Saikyo Plan): ¥1,078 ≤3GB / ¥2,178 ≤20GB / ¥3,278 unlimited, tax included. Choose eSIM for same-day activation if your phone supports it.
Verify identity (eKYC)
Photograph your Residence Card and your face with your phone. Remember the exact-match rule from section 3.
Keep your number (MNP) if switching
From docomo, au, SoftBank, ahamo, povo or LINEMO, one-stop MNP completes the port-in inside Rakuten’s form — no reservation number. Some MVNOs still require one (valid 15 days).
Activate — then make the 10-second call the same day
Install Rakuten Link, make one outgoing call of 10+ seconds, done. Details next.
6. The 10-second call condition (don’t skip this)
- Must be outgoing and from the Rakuten Link app — your phone’s standard dialer does not count
- Not counted: toll-free 0120/0800, 0570, 188, emergency numbers, 104, international numbers, and 3-digit codes like 117/177
- No one to call? Dial the Rakuten automated line 050-5434-4653 (24h) from Rakuten Link, listen 10+ seconds, hang up
- Then confirm the call shows in Rakuten Link’s history as outgoing, 10+ seconds
Everyday bonus: Rakuten Link makes all domestic Japanese calls free — city hall, clinics, delivery drivers, restaurant reservations.
7. When the points arrive & how to use them
Use them at Rakuten Ichiba, with Rakuten Pay at convenience stores, drugstores and restaurants, or apply them directly to your Rakuten Mobile bill — effectively months of free phone service.
8. Why Rakuten Mobile fits life as a foreigner
- Free international calls to 66 countries. Calls from the Rakuten Link app to designated numbers in 66 countries/regions — including the US, China, Korea, Taiwan and the UK — are free. For many people this alone replaces a calling app subscription. (An unlimited international option for other cases costs ¥980/month.)
- 2GB of free overseas data every month in 107 countries/regions — your Japanese SIM works when you visit home, no setup fee.
- No lock-in, no cancellation fee. Leaving Japan? Cancel online via my Rakuten Mobile anytime.
- English support exists: dedicated English phone line 0800-805-0805 (9:00–17:00 JST, 365 days), official site pages in English/Chinese/Korean/Vietnamese/Indonesian/Portuguese, and an English UI in the Rakuten Link app.
⚠️ Before you leave Japan: cancel first
Billing continues until you cancel, and the English support line may not be reachable from overseas. Cancel (or MNP out) from my Rakuten Mobile before your departure — unpaid Japanese phone bills can follow you as credit-record damage if you ever return.
9. Honest comparison: ahamo, Mobal, Sakura Mobile
| Rakuten Mobile | ahamo (docomo) | Mobal / Sakura Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly (light use) | ¥1,078 (≤3GB) | ¥2,970 (30GB flat) | ~¥1,650–4,000+ |
| Unlimited data | ¥3,278 | — (110GB max, ¥4,950) | — |
| Sign-up bonus | Up to 14,000 pt | Varies, usually smaller | None |
| Support language | EN phone line + multilingual site | Japanese-centric | Full English support |
| Best for | Cost + points + calls home | docomo-network stability | Zero-Japanese, just-arrived users |
Honest guidance: if you have just landed with no Rakuten ID and no Japanese payment method, foreigner-first providers like Mobal or Sakura are the easier first step — many people start there, then switch to Rakuten Mobile by MNP once settled, which conveniently earns the full 14,000-point MNP reward.
10. The honest drawbacks
- Points are not instant — they start about 4 months after login. This is a discount on your first year, not cash at sign-up.
- Coverage is weakest indoors/underground in some areas. It has improved with Rakuten’s 700MHz “platinum band,” but if you live deep in the countryside, check the official area map first.
- Support beyond the English line is Japanese-first. Complex issues may take patience.
No contract binding means trying it is low-risk: if the coverage disappoints you, leaving costs nothing.
MNP: 14,000pt / New or re-contract: 11,000pt — up to 5 lines per person
11. FAQ
Can I sign up without a credit card?
Yes — debit cards and bank direct debit are officially accepted (¥110/month fee for non-Rakuten-Bank direct debit; device installments need a card).
Does the referrer see my personal information?
No. Your details go only to Rakuten Mobile. The referrer sees an anonymous count.
I already had Rakuten Mobile before. Am I eligible?
Yes — re-contracts qualify for 11,000 points (14,000 if you MNP in from another carrier).
Can I do everything in English?
The official site has English pages and the Rakuten Link app has an English UI. Some steps of the application flow show Japanese; this page’s step-by-step covers what each step asks for, and the English line 0800-805-0805 can help during business hours.
What if I forget the 10-second call?
Miss the deadline (end of the 2nd month after login) and the points are not granted. Do it the day you activate — 050-5434-4653 takes 15 seconds of your life.
📝 Summary
- Open the referral link → log in with your Rakuten ID first → apply (code 2162 attaches automatically)
- Residence Card + exact-match name/address; no credit card required
- After activation: one 10-second Rakuten Link call by the end of the 2nd month (050-5434-4653 works)
- 14,000 pt (MNP) / 11,000 pt (new or re-contract), in 3 installments from ~4 months; free calls to Japan and 66 countries from day one
- Leaving Japan someday? No binding, no fee — just cancel before you fly
Conditions can change without notice — the campaign page you see after logging in through the referral link is always the final authority. This page reflects Rakuten Mobile’s official terms as of July 31, 2026.
日本語版：従業員紹介キャンペーン完全ガイド 中文版：中文指南
This site is independently run by a Rakuten employee. Applications through the referral link may earn the author a referral reward paid by Rakuten; your price is unaffected. Applicants’ personal information is handled solely by Rakuten Mobile.