Foreign Residents × Point Activity: The Complete 2026 Guide
Foreign residents can profit too
Foreigners living in Japan can start point activity with hardly any trouble if they have a residence card, a Japanese bank account, and a Japanese address. As routing for daily shopping and saving on living costs, a return of a few thousand to tens of thousands of yen a month is within reach. This article organizes "what foreign residents can do," "what you need," and "cautions." Pointnavi supports Japanese, Chinese, English, Vietnamese, and Korean, so you can compare cashback in your native language.
Offers foreign residents can do
| Offer type | What you need | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Routed shopping | Email registration only | Easy (anyone) |
| Free sign-ups / app DL | Email only | Easy |
| Surveys | Japanese reading | Medium |
| Card issuance | Residence card + bank account | Medium (depends on status) |
| Bank / securities account | Residence card + address | Medium |
Start with "routed shopping." Just route Amazon, Rakuten Ichiba, and net supermarkets through a point site, and your living-cost shopping becomes cashback. This is possible for anyone regardless of residency status. See the food chapter.
What you need to start
- A Japanese address: needed for point-site registration and card applications.
- A Japanese bank account: the destination for cashing out. Japan Post Bank, online banks, etc.
- A residence card: usable as ID for card and finance offers.
- A Japanese email setup: for offer notifications and ID verification.
Cautions specific to foreign residents
- Card screening depends on residency status: permanent residents, long-term residents, and long visa statuses pass more easily. A short residence period can make it harder. Start with fee-free retail-affiliated cards.
- Tax follows the same "resident" rules: residents with an address in Japan have point earnings under Japanese tax rules (filing if over 200,000 yen a year, etc.). See the tax chapter.
- Beware scam sites: hard to spot if you're not used to Japanese. Use only the majors (Moppy/Hapitas, etc.). The safety chapter.
- Keep your info accurate: match the name/address on your residence card with your registration.
FAQ
Can I do it even if my Japanese is weak?
Can students do it?
What about cashing out when I return home?
This article was written from publicly available information on each point site as of May 2026. Cashback rates, campaign terms, and redemption rules can change without notice — always check each site's official page for the latest. This site uses each point site's referral program, but going through a referral link never changes the rate you receive.