Rakuten Pay & Rakuten Cash Guide: How to Earn 1.5%–2.5% Points Everywhere and Pay Japanese Tax & Utility Bills from Home

Millions of residents in Japan hold a Rakuten Card (楽天カード) or shop on Rakuten Ichiba. However, swiping a physical Rakuten Card at a supermarket checkout yields only the standard 1.0% return, and many residents still withdraw cash at ATMs to pay paper municipal tax and utility bills at convenience stores.

By pairing the Rakuten Pay (楽天ペイ) smartphone app with Rakuten Cash (楽天キャッシュ), you can lock in a 1.5% to 2.5% point return on everyday purchases and pay paper tax and utility bills from your living room—even using expiring Limited-Time Rakuten Points.

Why Rakuten Pay + Rakuten Cash Unlocks 1.5% (and Up to 2.5% Double-Dipping)

If you link your Rakuten Pay app directly to a credit card (*Credit Card Barai*), you earn only 1.0% in points. Switching your payment source to Rakuten Cash (楽天キャッシュ) boosts your everyday return to 1.5% (1.5 Rakuten Points per 100 yen):

• What is Rakuten Cash? It is the digital e-money balance inside your Rakuten ecosystem account.
• How to fund it: In the Rakuten Pay app, tap Charge (チャージ) or enable Auto-Charge (オートチャージ) from your Rakuten Card, Rakuten Bank account, or Rakuten Gift Cards purchased at convenience stores.
• Selecting “Pay with Rakuten Cash” (楽天キャッシュを支払い元に設定) while keeping regular Rakuten Point Card presentation active delivers 1.5% back at supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants.
• Double-dipping up to 2.5% (ポイント二重取り): At Rakuten Point partner merchants—including Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Cocokara Fine, Sundrug, Tsuruha Drug, FamilyMart, Sukiya, Kura Sushi, and Mister Donut—first scan the Rakuten Point Card barcode tab inside the app (earning 0.5%–1.0%), then switch to the Rakuten Pay QR/barcode tab to pay (earning 1.5%), totaling 2.0% to 2.5% back on a single receipt.

Paying Resident Tax, Car Tax, and Utility Bills at Home via “Seikyusho Barai” (請求書払い)

When municipal tax slips (Resident Tax / 住民税, Automobile Tax / 自動車税, National Health Insurance / 国民健康保険) or monthly electricity, gas, and water bills arrive in your mailbox, you can pay them in 60 seconds without visiting a convenience store:

1. Step 1: Open “Bill Payment” (請求書払い) in the Rakuten Pay App:
   • Tap the 「請求書払い」(Seikyusho Barai) icon on the Rakuten Pay home screen.
2. Step 2: Scan the Barcode or Unified Local Tax QR Code (eL-QR):
   • Point your phone camera at the standard convenience store barcode or the square eL-QR (地方税統一QRコード) printed on municipal tax slips (supports bills up to 300,000 yen per slip).
3. Step 3: Pay with Rakuten Cash or Expiring Limited-Time Points:
   • Toggle on “Use Points” (ポイントを使う) and confirm payment.
   • Unlike physical convenience store counters that require cash, Rakuten Pay Seikyusho Barai allows you to spend Limited-Time Rakuten Points (期間限定ポイント) at a full 1 point = 1 yen value toward taxes, health insurance, and utility bills.

Two Practical Precautions When Paying Paper Bills via App

• Mark the paper slip immediately to prevent duplicate payment: Because no physical store stamp is placed on the paper slip, write *”Paid via Rakuten Pay on [Date]”* across the stub so a family member does not accidentally pay it again at a convenience store.
• When applying for a Visa Renewal or Permanent Residency within 1–2 weeks: If you need an immediate stamped physical receipt (*Ryoshusho*) or an official Tax Payment Certificate (*Nozeishomeisho – 納税証明書*) from City Hall within days, pay at a convenience store counter instead, as digital eL-QR payments take roughly 1 to 2 weeks to reflect in municipal certificate systems.

How to Never Lose Expiring “Limited-Time Points” (期間限定ポイント)

Promotional points earned during Rakuten *Okaimono Marathon* or *Super Sale* events expire at the end of the month. To ensure not a single point goes to waste:

• On the main QR screen of the Rakuten Pay app, tap Point Settings (ポイントを使う → 設定) and select 「すべてのポイントを使う」(Always Use All Available Points).
• Whenever you buy groceries at supermarkets (OK Store, Seiyu, Gyomu Super) or pharmacies using Rakuten Pay, the system automatically deducts your expiring Limited-Time Points first—and you still earn the full 1.5% point return even on the portion paid with points.

References

• Rakuten Payment, Inc.: Official Rakuten Pay 1.5% Point Return Program Rules and Bill Payment (Seikyusho Barai) User Guide.
• Money Forward Media: Optimizing Rakuten Cash Auto-Charge and Municipal eL-QR Tax Payments.