[Japan] LINE Pay Partners with Visa to Launch Co-Branded Credit Card Zero Annual Fees and 3% Reward Points for the First Year

2019.01.29 LINE Pay

● Instant payment notifications through the LINE app will provide users with peace of mind

● Users will also be able to make QR code and barcode payments by linking the card with their LINE Pay account

 

TOKYO – January 29, 2019 – LINE Pay Corporation has partnered with Visa, a global leader in payment solutions, to launch a co-branded credit card this year for LINE Pay, a mobile remittance and payment service available through the LINE messaging app.(http://line.me/pay).

 

Users will be able to use the credit card on its own or link it with their LINE Pay account to use the "Pay with my Code" feature. With this, the two companies aim to provide a brand new credit card service which is optimized for mobile payments, and further drive the establishment of a cashless society in Japan. 

Launched in December 2014, LINE Pay allows users to top up their accounts at convenience stores, ATMs, or via bank transfer, and use these funds to send money or shop in physical and online stores. Requiring no separate app download and no sign-up, users can start using the service by simply accessing the LINE messaging app and agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of Use. This quick and easy setup has led a broad range of users to take up LINE Pay, with many responding positively to the prepaid style of the service. In developing these various payment options, LINE Pay has endeavored to ensure users are able to make cashless payments at any of the stores they visit.

 

As the latest addition to the lineup of cashless options, the co-branded credit card will come with Visa's contactless payment feature,*1 which allows users to make fast and secure payments at any Visa merchant in Japan or abroad. In the first year, users will be given 3% back in LINE Points when they use their card. Additionally, users who link their cards to LINE Pay can use their smartphones to make payments at any LINE Pay affiliated stores without needing to top up their account first.

 

In future, the card will offer a host of other perks based on a user's card activity, such as LINE Points combined with "My Level", a tiered incentive program which provides benefits to the more active LINE Pay users. More details will be announced at a later date.

 

*1 Visa contactless payments utilizes the global standard in secure authentication technology and is available in 200 countries and regions worldwide, including Japan. Users simply tap their card on a reader at the cash register to make fast and secure payments without signatures or PIN numbers. (However, transactions which exceed a certain amount will require the customer to enter their PIN or sign for payment.)

 

Credit Card Overview

Card name: LINE Pay-Visa Credit Card (tentative) 

Card brand: Visa

Merchants: Over 53.9 million domestic and international merchants (based on reports from financial institutions and other sources)

Approval process: Applications will be reviewed for approval

Features:

① Within the first year, users who make payments with their card will receive 3% back in LINE Points.

② As with other LINE Pay-based payment methods, users can receive instant notifications from the LINE Wallet account when they have made a payment. This feature makes it easier for users to remain conscious of their spending and track their payments.

③ Registering the credit card with a LINE Pay account will also enable smartphone payments.

 

Important Notice

・Regardless of how the LINE Pay Credit Card will be used, initial setup requires users to link the card with LINE Pay once it has been issued.

・Linked credit cards cannot be used to send money to LINE friends. It can only be used to make payments (e.g. at stores or for online shopping).

 

LINE Pay closes the distance between people, money, and services by eliminating existing pain-points – time, effort, fees, and more – of circulating money, and aims to lead the mobile FinTech industry as the world moves increasingly towards a cashless and walletless society. It is also aiming to lead the mobile Fintech world in anticipation of a cashless, walletless society.

 

LINE Pay Corporation Overview (as of May 11, 2018)

Company name: LINE Pay Corporation

Head office: JR Shinjuku Miraina Tower 23F, 4-1-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Yongsu Ko, Representative Director and Chief Executive Officer

Capital: JPY 3.6 billion

Established: May 9, 2014

Primary business:

- Issuance, sales, and management of e-money, other electronic monetary value, and advance payment methods, provision of digital payment systems, and funds transfer

- Sales and operation of LINE@

- Operation of LINE Kakeibo

- Service development

- Advertising agency

 

LINE Pay Corporation is a registered member of the following organization and has obtained the following registrations in association with the launch of its business:

- Issuers of Prepaid Payment Instruments for Third-Party Business (Registration number: the Director of the Kanto Finance Bureau 00669, Registration date: October 1, 2014)

- Funds Transfer Service Providers (Registration number: the Director of the Kanto Finance Bureau 00036, Registration date: October 1, 2014)

- Japan Payment Service Association (http://www.s-kessai.jp, Admission date: August 6, 2014)

- Electronic Payment Service Provider (Registration number: the Director of the Kanto Finance Bureau [Electronic Payment Service Provider] No. 10, Registration date: December 20, 2018)