Credit cards in Japan are about to take a leap into the 21st century as they abandon signatures. But what does this mean for tourists using foreign cards when they travel to the country?
According to CNET Japan, the Japan Credit Card Association (JCA) released version 5.0 of its credit card security guidelines in March 2024. Up until now, Japanese credit cards have supported both entering a PIN code and using signatures. By default, transactions require entering your PIN. However, customers who’ve forgotten their PIN can ask to perform a PIN bypass and use a signature instead.
As of March 2025, the JCCA is calling for merchants to eliminate the PIN bypass procedure for local credit cards. The goal is to strengthen purchase security and crack down on credit card fraud.
The new rule doesn’t apply to purchases under 10,000 yen (USD $64), which will continue to not require a transaction.
So what do you do if you’re a foreign traveler from a country – such as the United States – that primarily uses signature security for credit card transactions?
Not to worry, say experts. The new regulations only apply to cards with PIN security. Foreign credit card transactions will be detected as such and will default to signature.
The move to strengthen credit card security comes as more people in Japan move to cashless transactions. This includes “electronic money” options such as PayPay and credit card – particularly tap-to-pay – transactions. Recently, Japan Railways East announced its intention to transition its famous Suica IC card from an IC card into a full-fledged electronic money payment service.
Sadly, outside of IC cards, Japan’s electronic money options are generally unavailable to foreigners. (There are exceptions – e.g., PayPay integrates with popular Chinese cashless payment service Alipay.) That means most travelers will be using credit cards – and earning an opportunity to practice their signatures – during their stay here.
Just be sure to have cash on you as well. The number of places that accept cards has increased in the past decade, but it’s nowhere zero 100%.
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