Rakuten Mobile's Pricing Plans, Fully Broken Down (2026 Edition)

Quick take for Japan newcomers: Rakuten Mobile is genuinely one of the most straightforward and wallet-friendly carriers in Japan — no hidden fees, no confusing tiers, and no lock-in contract to worry about.

Rakuten Strongest Plan — How the Pricing Works

It's a clean 3-tier system based on actual usage. You only pay for the data you use that month:

No bill shock: Your monthly cost hard-caps at ¥3,278 no matter how much data you burn through. Stream all you want, tether your laptop, work remotely — the price doesn't budge.

What You Actually Get

Unlimited Data: The plan tops out at ¥3,278/month (¥3,168 with the family discount). Streaming, tethering, and working from home are all covered with no extra charges.

Free Domestic Calls: All domestic calls within Japan are completely free when you use the Rakuten Link app — no time limit, no per-minute billing. Just keep in mind that special numbers starting with 0570 or 0180 aren't included. If you skip Rakuten Link and use your phone's default dialer instead, calls run ¥22 per 30 seconds.

Zero Initial Fees: No contract setup fee for your first 4 cumulative lines. No minimum contract period. No cancellation fee — walk away whenever you want, no strings attached.

Perfect if you're on a temporary assignment in Japan: No lock-in and no exit fees mean you can sign up for exactly as long as you need, then leave without paying a yen extra.

SPU (Super Point-Up Program): Just being a Rakuten Mobile subscriber bumps your Rakuten Ichiba (online shopping) point return by +4x, capped at 2,000 points per month. If you're already shopping on Rakuten anyway, that can easily translate to ¥1,000–2,000/month in real point value.

Rakuten Strongest Family Discount (最強家族割): Every family member on Rakuten Mobile saves ¥110/month. The definition of "family" is pretty relaxed — you don't have to live together or share a surname. Up to 20 lines can be linked under one group.

How Does Rakuten Stack Up Against the Big Three?

Japan's three major carriers (docomo, au, SoftBank) typically land anywhere from ¥5,000 to ¥9,000/month for unlimited plans, even after discounts. Here's a rough side-by-side:

A family of 3 switching to Rakuten Mobile can save more than ¥120,000 a year in a lot of real-world scenarios — and for long-term residents in Japan, that adds up fast.