Rakuten Mobile Employee Referral: 14,000/13,000 Points Guide

The Rakuten Mobile employee referral is an official Rakuten Mobile campaign for people who apply through a referral link shared by a Rakuten Group employee. Foreign residents in Japan can use it under the same conditions as everyone else.

If you apply for a smartphone line (Rakuten SAIKYO Plan or Rakuten SAIKYO U-NEXT) and meet the conditions, you receive 14,000 Rakuten Points if you switch from another carrier and keep your number (MNP), or 13,000 points if you apply any other way, such as with a new number. Returning customers and additional lines qualify too, and the amount is decided the same way: 14,000 for MNP, 13,000 otherwise.

The step that matters most comes first: open the employee referral link and log in with your Rakuten ID before you apply. That login registers you for the campaign, but it does not complete your application and does not guarantee the points on its own.

This is a personal, unofficial guide written by a Rakuten Group employee. The campaign is run by Rakuten Mobile, and Rakuten Mobile’s official Japanese campaign rules always take priority.

Rakuten Mobile employee referral at a glance

The Rakuten SAIKYO Plan (Data Type) is also listed as eligible, but Rakuten Mobile has paused new applications for it since March 5, 2026.

14,000 or 13,000 points: which applies to you?

The amount depends only on how you apply, not on your nationality or whether you have used Rakuten Mobile before.

• 14,000 points — you move your existing Japanese phone number from another carrier to Rakuten Mobile (MNP).
• 13,000 points — any other eligible application, such as getting a new Japanese number.

The same rule applies if you are rejoining Rakuten Mobile or adding another line: moving a number from another carrier earns 14,000 points, and a new number earns 13,000.

These amounts apply to applications made on or after September 17, 2026, 00:00. The points are not paid in one go. They arrive in three installments, counted from the month you logged in through the referral link — not the month you applied.

For example, if you log in through the referral link in December, the points arrive around the end of April, May and June the following year. They are limited-time points, valid for six months including the day they are credited, so check the expiry date each time you receive them.

Rakuten Turbo pays 7,000 points over the same three months (2,000 / 2,000 / 3,000). Applications other than MNP made between September 1, 2025, 00:00 and September 16, 2026, 23:59 fall under the previous amount of 11,000 points. If your points have not arrived when expected, our points troubleshooting guide (in Japanese) lists what to check.

Who can use the employee referral?

There is no separate version of the campaign for foreign residents. If you live in Japan and can pass Rakuten Mobile’s identity verification, the points and conditions are the same as for any other applicant.

• Used Rakuten Mobile before? You can still qualify. Rakuten Mobile states that past customers are eligible if the newly applied line meets the conditions.
• Adding another line? Each new smartphone line can qualify, up to five lines per person (for applications from June 1, 2024). This is a limit on the campaign reward, not on how many lines you can have.
• Just changing your phone? A device change on an existing line is not a new application, so it does not qualify.
• Rakuten employees cannot use the campaign themselves, and the employee who shares the link cannot refer themselves.
• Where you apply matters. Applications through a Rakuten Mobile shop, Rakuten Mobile’s own website, or the official Rakuten Mobile store on Rakuten Ichiba are eligible.

How to apply with the employee referral, step by step

Follow these steps in order, using the same Rakuten ID throughout. If the ID you log in with and the ID on your application differ, the referral may not be applied.

1. Open the employee referral link. Use the link or QR code a Rakuten Group employee shared with you, or the button on this page. You do not need to type campaign code 2162 anywhere.
2. Log in with your Rakuten ID. This is the “referral login.” A confirmation email is sent to the address registered to your Rakuten account. If you don’t have a Rakuten ID yet, you can create one for free first.
3. Apply with the same Rakuten ID. Choose the Rakuten SAIKYO Plan or Rakuten SAIKYO U-NEXT online or at a Rakuten Mobile shop. Rakuten Mobile’s official English online application guide walks through the screens. If you are keeping your number, finish the whole transfer — see our MNP guide on mobile-start.jp for how it works.
4. Activate your line. Start using the new SIM or eSIM. The first activation has to be done in Japan.
5. Make an outgoing call of 10 seconds or more with Rakuten Link. Call from the Rakuten Link app on your new line. Calls made with your phone’s standard dialer, or calls you only receive, don’t count, and neither do calls to excluded numbers such as 0570 numbers or 188. Our Rakuten Link setup guide on mobile-start.jp covers installation.

For a screen-by-screen walkthrough, see our full application guide (in Japanese).

Preparing from outside Japan? Wait before you log in

Your deadline starts from the month of your referral login, so logging in too early can leave you short of time. Rakuten Mobile accepts applications from outside Japan but recommends applying from within Japan. More importantly, the first activation must be done in Japan for both SIM cards and eSIMs, and SIM cards, devices and start guides must also be received in Japan — Rakuten Mobile does not ship SIM cards overseas.

In practice, open the referral link once you are in Japan, or at least once you are sure you can apply, activate and make the Rakuten Link call before the deadline. If you plan to bring a phone from abroad, check it first with our overseas phone compatibility guide on mobile-start.jp. Rakuten Mobile’s own answer on applying from overseas is available in Japanese.

Using other campaigns? Decide before you log in

The employee referral can only be combined with the campaigns listed as combinable in Rakuten Mobile’s official rules. Rakuten Mobile’s rules state that if you log in through an employee referral link first, the standard Rakuten Mobile referral campaign (campaign code 1784) will not be applied. If you are comparing offers, choose one before you open any referral link.

Having used a different Rakuten Mobile campaign in the past does not disqualify you. What matters is whether a non-combinable campaign is applied to the new line. If you want to use a device offer at the same time, check the campaign name and code against the combinable list on the official campaign page (in Japanese). Our referral campaign comparison (in Japanese) sets the options side by side.

ID documents and names for foreign residents

Most foreign residents verify their identity with a Residence Card or a Special Permanent Resident Certificate with a photo. The points below affect whether you can finish the application online or should go to a shop. For the full list of documents and a walkthrough, see our ID requirements guide on mobile-start.jp and Rakuten Mobile’s official English ID verification page.

• Newer card types: Rakuten Mobile’s document list says Specified Residence Cards, second-generation Residence Cards and the equivalent Special Permanent Resident Certificates can also be used for its smartphone-based online verification (Simple Mobile ID Verification). Our companion guide notes this was added on September 1, 2026.
• Address on the card’s IC chip: online verification reads the chip. If you reported a change of address on or before June 13, 2026, the new address was not written to the chip, so online verification may fail. In that case, apply at a Rakuten Mobile shop or have the card information updated first.
• Your name: register exactly the name on your Residence Card or Special Permanent Resident Certificate. If the card shows both kanji and Roman letters, enter it all in Roman letters. Your address must also match your ID.
• Commonly used names: online applications must use your legal name. A shop may accept a commonly used name only under specific conditions, such as never having had a Rakuten Mobile line and the name being printed on your ID alongside your legal name.

For payment options, see our payment methods guide on mobile-start.jp.

Frequently asked questions

Other languages

This guide is also available in the languages below, and in simple Japanese.

• 한국어
• Tiếng Việt
• 简体中文
• 繁體中文
• Português
• Bahasa Indonesia
• မြန်မာဘာသာ
• नेपाली
• やさしい日本語
• 日本語

Before you open the referral link

• You are in Japan, or sure you can apply, activate and make the Rakuten Link call before the deadline.
• Your Residence Card or other ID and the name and address you will enter match exactly.
• You have decided not to use a campaign that can’t be combined with the employee referral.
• You will use the same Rakuten ID for the referral login and the application.

The employee referral campaign is operated by Rakuten Mobile, Inc. This page is a personal, unofficial guide written by a Rakuten Group employee and is not Rakuten Mobile’s official website. It includes the author’s employee referral link. Rakuten Mobile’s services are provided in Japan under Japanese law. If anything here differs from Rakuten Mobile’s official Japanese pages, the official Japanese version applies.

Sources (checked September 26, 2026): official employee referral campaign rules (Japanese; the page states its information is as of September 17, 2026), ID documents, common ID verification issues, updating the IC chip address, commonly used names, applying from overseas and the my Rakuten Mobile app merger. The campaign may change or end without notice.

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