Debit Cards in Japan

- Never Stop Dreaming -

Mention debit card (DC) here in Japan and you will find yourself in a totally new conversation with the locals. Debit cards here in Japan are unlike those that we already know off like in U.S. or in good old SG. DCs in Japan are not VISA or MASTER embedded and they are simply just plain POSB ATM cards that allow you access the ATM and purchase items via the "cashless" feature like NETS in SG. But the catch is that the Japanese label this feature of the ATM as a DC. So in layman terms, the NETS that we are all so familiar with is actually called DC in Japan.

Yeah it's definitely weird that concerning DC issues, we are playing a different ball game altogether. And one must also note that since sometime ago there was actually a government ban on Banks in Japan issuing credit cards which was only reversed sometime later, most credit cards offered here are not issued by banks themselves but rather their subsidiaries or a third party company.

Because I wanted to apply for a DC so I could purchase stuffs online, I find myself discovering more about the Japanese system. They use cash over cards and signatures are replaced by a ink stamp. So if you lose your stamp, you are pretty much doom. Most pin securities are simply a 4 digit number as opposed to the usual 6 digit. Well I am not really sure if this is a serious security flaw but maybe the Japanese simply are comformists and crimes rarely surface, at least in this rural town that I am in.

So in anycase if you ever want a VISA enabled card without the hassle and risk of a credit card, try EBANK as they are probably the only company that I know that actually issue VISA embedded DCs in Japan. However it's all in Japanese so go figure.