2026 Guide
Cheapest Mobile Plans in Japan for Foreign Residents
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If you only read this part
The cheapest flat-fee plan in Japan with a real number and major-network coverage is LINEMO at ¥990/month for 3GB. The cheapest theoretical plan is povo 2.0 at ¥0 base — but you'll buy data toppings most months, so real cost is ¥390 to ¥2,700.
For most foreign residents who want one predictable monthly bill, LINEMO ¥990 (light user) or ¥2,970 (30GB with calls) are the practical sweet spots. Going cheaper than ¥990 usually means worse speed, worse service, or contract friction not worth saving ¥200 a month.
Section 01
"Cheap" depends on what you want.
Japanese mobile pricing has two different cheap. There's the base-fee cheap — plans like povo 2.0 that advertise ¥0/month, perfect for someone who barely uses data. And there's the flat-rate cheap — plans like LINEMO ¥990 that give you one predictable bill regardless of how light or heavy a month gets. These two kinds of cheap don't compete with each other so much as suit different people.
The people who actually save with povo's ¥0 base are a narrow group: second-phone owners, people whose primary connection is home Wi-Fi, or those who use a data-only tablet that mostly sits in Wi-Fi range. The people who save with LINEMO's ¥990 are everyone else — anyone who wants to stop thinking about their phone bill and just pay the lowest fixed price that works.
Both are dramatically cheaper than the big-carrier flagship plans (docomo's eximo, au's Tsukai-Houdai MAX, SoftBank's main plans) that you might still see in physical stores. Those exist primarily for people who want in-store support, bundled discounts with home internet, or who don't realize cheaper options exist. For a foreign resident reading English-language guides like this one, you're already past that point.
Section 02
The actual cheapest plans, ranked.
Verified June 2026 from each carrier's official pricing page. All prices tax included.
| Rank | Plan | Base / month | Realistic monthly | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | povo 2.0 au, online only | ¥0 | ¥390–2,700 | App in Japanese only; must buy data every 180 days or cancelled |
| 2 | LINEMO Mini SoftBank, online only | ¥990 | ¥990 | 3GB only; pay-per-call |
| 3 | Rakuten Mobile Saikyo Plan, ≤3GB tier | ¥1,078 | ¥1,078–3,278 | Auto-scales with usage; rural coverage thin |
| 4 | LINEMO Standard | ¥2,090 | ¥2,090 | 10GB; pay-per-call |
| 5 | ahamo docomo, online only | ¥2,970 | ¥2,970 | Japanese-only support; eSIM requires permanent residence |
| 6 | LINEMO Plus | ¥2,970 | ¥2,970 | 30GB + 5-min free calls; the best balanced pick |
| Tax included. Verified June 2026. Plan names and pricing change — confirm on each carrier's official site. | ||||
Notably missing from this list: the big carriers' flagship plans (docomo eximo, au Tsukai-Houdai MAX, SoftBank Merihari Mugen+). They start around ¥7,000 to ¥8,000 per month and aren't on the "cheap" list at all. They exist for people who specifically want in-store support and bundled discounts — not for cost-conscious foreign residents.
Section 03
The two real winners, explained.
povo 2.0 at ¥0 — for the right kind of person
povo's ¥0 base fee is genuinely free. What it gives you for free is a Japanese phone number that can receive calls and SMS, plus data at 128 Kbps — fast enough for plain-text messaging and not much else. To get usable speeds you buy data "toppings": ¥390 for 1GB / 7 days, ¥2,700 for 20GB / 30 days, ¥330 for 24-hour unlimited, and a few other combinations.
The math works beautifully for some people: a backup phone, a tablet line, a kid's first phone, or someone whose primary connection is always home or office Wi-Fi and rarely needs cellular data. If a normal month for you is 1–2GB on cellular, you might genuinely pay ¥390–780/month with povo while keeping a real Japanese number.
The catches are real. The app and account management are entirely in Japanese, so you'll need translator software or Japanese-reading help. There's a 180-day rule: if you don't buy any topping for 180 days, the line is cancelled. And once you actually need data, the topping prices stack up — a heavy user pays more on povo than on a flat-rate plan.
LINEMO at ¥990 — the sweet spot for most foreigners
For a foreign resident who wants one predictable monthly bill, full English-friendly sign-up, and a real major-network plan, LINEMO's ¥990 plan is hard to beat. It gives you 3GB of high-speed data per month on SoftBank's network, plus a real Japanese number. Calls are pay-per-second so if you barely call, your bill stays at ¥990 every single month.
The "right" answer between LINEMO ¥990 and povo ¥0 comes down to a simple question: do you use roughly 3GB or less per month, predictably? If yes, LINEMO at ¥990 is the predictable, English-friendlier choice. If your usage varies a lot month to month — sometimes 0, sometimes 5GB — povo's pay-per-topping model fits that variance better.
See our full LINEMO review for the deeper case, and our Rakuten Mobile review if you want the unlimited tier instead.
Section 04
If you don't have a Japanese credit card yet.
This is the catch nobody warns you about until you've already started signing up. All four of the genuinely cheap domestic plans — LINEMO, povo, ahamo, Rakuten — require a Japanese-issued credit card or bank account, and don't reliably accept foreign cards. If you've just arrived in Japan and haven't set up a Japanese bank account yet, the cheapest options on this page are simply not available to you.
The bridge solution is Mobal — slightly more expensive at ¥990 to ¥3,190 depending on plan, but accepts foreign credit cards, PayPal, and even convenience-store cash payment, and gives you a real Japanese phone number from day one. Once your Japanese bank account is set up, you can switch to LINEMO or povo using an MNP transfer and keep your number.
Our full guide to getting a SIM without a Japanese credit card covers all the options in detail.
Section 05
What about MVNOs — can they go cheaper?
MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) lease capacity from the major carriers and resell it at lower prices. Brands like IIJmio, mineo, BIGLOBE Mobile, and HISmobile offer plans starting around ¥800/month for small data tiers. On paper, that beats LINEMO's ¥990.
In practice, MVNOs have three structural disadvantages that make the ¥200 saving expensive:
- Speed throttling during peak hours. MVNOs get the leftover bandwidth after the host carrier's own customers, so noon and 6–8pm speeds can drop noticeably. Fine for messaging; frustrating for video.
- Customer service in Japanese only. Almost all MVNOs operate exclusively in Japanese. For a foreign resident, this turns any account issue into a multi-hour ordeal.
- Contract minimums and cancellation fees in some plans. A few MVNOs still impose 12-month minimums or cancellation charges. LINEMO and povo have neither.
Our honest take: unless you specifically know what you're doing with Japanese MVNOs and have a Japanese-speaking friend on call, the ¥200/month saving over LINEMO isn't worth the operational headache. The major-carrier online brands won the price war for a reason.
Section 06
How to actually save money on Japanese mobile.
Beyond picking the right plan, there are a few habits that reduce your bill in ways most foreign residents never realize:
- Use Wi-Fi calling for international callsCalling your home country from your Japanese number is expensive on every domestic plan. Use WhatsApp, FaceTime, LINE, or Signal over Wi-Fi or cellular data instead. Free, and often clearer quality.
- Don't bundle a phone purchase with a plan unless you really need toCarrier-bundled phones often have lock-in clauses and hidden price escalation. Buying an unlocked phone separately and using it with a cheap SIM is almost always cheaper over two years. See our unlocked phones in Japan guide.
- Audit your data usage after three monthsMost people overestimate how much data they need. After 90 days on any plan, check your actual usage in the carrier app. If you're chronically under your tier, downgrade.
- Skip the "all-you-can-call" add-on unless you call dailyMost foreign residents make fewer than five voice calls per month — Japanese voice traffic has largely moved to LINE. Pay-per-call usually beats the unlimited-call add-on for under-30-minute monthly callers.
- Cancel when you leave JapanCancel before you leave, not after. Cancelling from overseas after your residence card expires is significantly harder, and some carriers will keep billing you. See our cancel your SIM guide.
For a side-by-side ranking of the top picks across categories, see our main SIM guide for foreign residents — it covers the full decision tree from tourist eSIM to long-term resident plan.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest mobile plan in Japan?
Strictly by base fee, povo 2.0 is ¥0 per month — you pay only for the data 'toppings' you buy on demand. For a flat monthly bill with reasonable data, LINEMO's ¥990 for 3GB is the cheapest from a major-network online brand. Rakuten Mobile starts at ¥1,078 if you use under 3GB. The right answer depends on how predictable your data usage is.
Is povo really free?
The base fee is genuinely ¥0, but it's free only if you accept the strict conditions: 128 Kbps speeds (slow even for messaging), and you must buy at least one data 'topping' every 180 days or your line is cancelled. For practical daily use you'll buy toppings, which puts the real monthly cost somewhere between ¥390 and ¥2,700 depending on usage.
How much should I actually expect to spend per month?
For most foreign residents in cities, ¥990 to ¥3,000 per month is the realistic range. Light users (under 3GB) at ¥990 to ¥1,100. Average users (10–20GB) at ¥2,000 to ¥2,700. Heavy users (unlimited or 30GB+) at ¥2,970 to ¥3,278. The big domestic carrier shops (docomo, au, SoftBank flagship plans) start much higher and aren't worth the price difference for most people.
Why are Japanese mobile plans expensive compared to my home country?
By global standards, Japan's plans actually got significantly cheaper after government pressure starting in 2020 — that's why LINEMO, povo, and ahamo exist. They were created specifically as cheap online-only brands by the big carriers. The catch is that the 'cheap' plans skip in-store support, English-language service, and many bundled extras.
Is there a way to pay less than ¥990?
Realistically, no — for a usable plan with a real phone number on a major network, ¥990 is roughly the floor in 2026. Cheaper MVNOs exist but typically have throttled speeds during peak hours, more Japanese-only support, and contract minimums. The price/quality cliff is steep below ¥990; the savings rarely justify the friction.
Do cheap Japanese plans include calls?
Most don't include unlimited calls in the base price. LINEMO ¥990 charges per call by 30 seconds. LINEMO ¥2,970 includes 5-minute free calls. Rakuten Mobile gives free domestic calls through its Rakuten Link app. povo lets you buy a call topping for unlimited 5-minute calls at extra cost. Calculate based on how much you actually call — most foreign residents barely make voice calls and use messaging apps instead.