...But cheaper though. Despite of the ads everywhere there is no such things as a 0 yen iPhone.
But 2 discounts are done, one on the price of the phone itself : 30720 yen (1280*24) and one on the packet price being reduced to 4410 yen from 5995 yen, so : 1585*24 = 38040 yen. The whole discount (after 2 years) is about 70000 yens. It's a good discount but not a 0 yen iPhone.
After these 2 discounts the price difference between the 8 and the 16Go iPhones is only of 11520 yen, that's why I chose the 16 Go. Once you understood this, you go to Yodobashi Camera, you buy the iPhone and you come back at home happy like a kid who just received his Christmas presents... wait wait, it can't be that easy !!
Because you are a gaijin :D
Ok, let's say if you are a gaijin with a visa still valid for 27 months (which is quite unusual (*)) and a credit card(**)) you don't have any problem.
If you have the credit card but not a "valid" visa (in the eyes of softbank) : it's still ok you can buy the iPhone, but only in cash and not in 24 times. So for a 8 Go you must give 30720 yen and for a 16 Go : 42240 yen which is not 0 yen.
If you don't have a credit card AND don't have a 27 month visa or driving license : you need a wife! (or someone who really trust you).
For Japanese people having a credit card is easy, almost everyone have more than one so no problem for them.
So my yasashii (gentle) wife applied for me to pay the iPhone but still, as I am the "official" user of it, I had to show my ID card (gaijin card) plus my insurance card! (yes we are still talking about buying a phone...).
Then I will save you the details of the payment procedure but the whole story took more than 1 hour.
All I can say : if you are a gaijin, it's way easier to get married in Japan than to buy an iPhone!!
(Well, actually if you want to read a story of a "difficult" wedding registration you can read Adrian's blog with an interesting and funny article)
But this story has a happy end as I got a present from Softank : a talking dog :D Yep! No more no less. Explanation :
Otosan ((お父さん, meaning "Dad") is a dog and also the father in an unusual Japanese family used in Softbank commercials for quite a while now (2 years?).
Here is Otosan who got an iPhone and try to hide :
And not only he can talk, but also he can speak French!
And here is the figurine mascot I got as a "puresento" :
For sure it made me forget the process to get it! ah ;-)
* : visa for foreigner can be 1 year or 3 years usually. Of course you can renew it without a problem if you need. So people who have a valid visa for the 27 months are the ones who just received their 3 years visa or who have a permanent visa, I don't think it is the majority of the gaijin here...
** : For a foreigner to get a credit card can be a long, very long journey. Even with a good salary you can be rejected many times to an application for a credit card. And I must say the reasons are most of the times "not fair". I think the "easiest way" to get one is to go to the bank with a representative of your company (if possible a Japanese).
Thank you for the informative article. You just saved me a trip to softbank. I think I would have
been pissed off if I was put through the ringer like you were...so I'm really lucky that I saw this
post...and so is someone at Softbank.
I live in Sapporo... been here 3 years now... had no problem getting a CC.
When
I went for the iPhone they asked to see my gaijin card.. I said No.. as per their rules (at the
time) a drivers licence was satisfactory.. so I showed them my Japanese drivers licence... and
walked away with my iPhone.
They gave me the phone without a credit card or indeed any fuss at all. I have been with softbank
since back when they were j-phone though. That might have helped. However.....
when I
asked for, nay pleaded with them for the talking dog they point blank refused.
Yet another article talking about how "hard" it is to get an iPhone eh? Sorry, but this has
nothing to do with the iPhone specifically - its about making a new contract with Softbank. You
would have the same problem whatever keitai you chose.
I on the other hand, had
no such problem - since I've been using Softbank for about 5 years from back when it was JPhone,
then Vodafone.... My Visa was never questioned - a good thing too as it only had less than a month
left on it at the time.
As for a credit card - you might not even be able to get
one with your japanese bank. You just have to live here a while and pay your bills on time. I guess
its a reward for being a long-termer!
I think everyone has a different story about getting a phone here, there is no unique pattern (and
it's true for many things : getting a visa, getting married, find an appartment etc etc...)
So if you got it easily : good for you! It was just my own experience nothing more.
@FrugalistaJapan : Actually I first wrote this article just to explain the
discount and notice that it has been "smoother"(?) to get married here than to buy the iphone
(technically I could not, my wife did) which is in my opinion, weird.
(Plus I also could
add that I was already a Softbank client for more than 2 years...)
Hmm that's too bad about the problem you had in signing up. Do you speak any Japanese? That usually
plays a big factor in how easy things go.
I just got an iPhone, and I got an
excellent deal.
I paid the up front fee which was reduced due to me being a long time
Softbank customer. Ended up paying 15,000 yen, but after 2 years of 1600 yen discount per month for
the 8 GB I'll actually come out ahead.
I pay using a bank account btw, they
don't even have a CC of mine on record. And actually I have it set up so that they don't even take
the payment directly out of my account, I get the bill and pay it myself. Another benefit of being
able to talk to the Softbank people one on one instead of going through a interpreter.
And I never had to show any ID except gaijin card. Never been asked for an insurance card,
passport or anything else.
Yes, I can speak Japanese ( I am not fluent though but enough to work in a Japanese company). I
wonder if all you guys bought it from a Softbank shop or from a Softbank counter in Yodobashi or
Bic? I bought it from yodobashi camera to get some points. Maybe their rules are different. As for
the bill, I was actually paying my previous softbank keitai from my own bank account automatically
every month without any problem...
KP, I guess you have a long terme visa ?
By mark, office worker
Japan
http://
Sep 7, 2009 21:13:11
Howz it going? I finally found an article about purchasing an Iphone in Japan. I had ordered a 3GS
and yesterday I went to the local Softbank shop with a BIG smile on my face not knowing I would be
leaving dissapointed. Unfortunately, my period of stay is not 27 months(who thought of this
number??) and I do not have a credit card. So, they would not let me purchase the Iphone. Now, I
realize its my fault for not checking this out beforehand but I had gone to this local shop prior to
ordering and explained I was a Gaijin and these people had no idea on these special rules made up by
Apple. I have a few choices, get a credit card, change my citizenship, or purchase the phone without
going through this (Iphone for everybody)campaign but now I am so dissapointed that I might just
stick with my DOCOMO phone. Life SUX sometimes huh!!
If you are at Docomo I can just advise you to get an Android HTC, it's a very good alternative to
the iPhone (and even better fro some stuff imho) and maybe you'll have less trouble...
Good evening,
first I want to remind you that this article was written on March 09, so the
current campaign certainly differs.
As for yodobashi camera, it was interesting for me as I
use their point card. Paying cash the phone I could receive some points... That's all ...
Thank you! Although, it seems that the terms of the campaign haven't changed much. I will have to
pay full discounted price to buy an iPhone, as people with 27 month visas can pay in chunks. Anyway,
this doesn't matter much. For me the problem is more like if I should buy an iPhone at all or wait
for some nice Android phones to appear on the market.
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