Finally, even in Okinawa Prefecture!
You can now pay your automobile tax by credit card! ＼(^▽^)／
Some other prefectures have already implemented this, and while I’ve been thinking, “That’s so cool~~,” I’m thrilled that Okinawa Prefecture has finally made it possible starting in Reiwa 2♪
By the way, it seems there are three ways to pay your taxes from home:
- Credit Card
- Online Banking
- LINE Pay
LINE Pay was a bit of a surprise.
Why just LINE Pay…? lol
Since I don’t use LINE Pay, it basically comes down to credit cards or online banking
Of course, I only have credit card payments—which earn points—in mind, so I looked into those
For those who want to know about LINE Pay or online banking, I’ve included a link to the prefectural government’s website below, so please check it out there… <(_ _)> https://www.pref.okinawa.lg.jp/site/somu/zeimu/documents/r2jidoushazeitokusetupe-ji.html#kureka
There were two important points to note, so I’ll list them here
Note 1: There’s a fee!
Before I explain how to pay your auto tax with a credit card, I’m mentioning this first because I think it’s important
Credit card payments incur a fee ( ；∀；)
I figured some of you might think, “Wait, if there’s a fee, I’d just pay in cash!” after I go through all the details, so I wanted to mention this first
By the way, the fee varies depending on the amount you’re paying
(Quoted from the Okinawa Prefecture website)
If you use a credit card that earns 1 point per 100 yen spent, paying 10,800 yen in taxes would earn you 108 points, but the service fee would be 165 yen—so you’d end up in the red.
Conversely, if you pay 29,500 yen in taxes, you’ll earn 295 points, and the fee is 275 yen, so you’ll come out slightly ahead
It probably won’t save you a lot of money, but you aren’t losing anything either—and above all, it’s just so convenient.
Note 2: This method likely does not apply to light vehicles
For standard vehicles, taxes are paid to Okinawa Prefecture, so you can use this method to pay by credit card. However, for light vehicles, taxes are paid to the municipality, so if the municipality does not accept credit card payments, this method will not work.
Incidentally, payment slips issued by Miyako City trigger an error message, so they’re probably not supported.
It’s a bit sad, since Okinawa Prefecture has so many kei cars. ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡
Paying by credit card is easy
First, you’ll need an app that can scan the barcode on the payment slip
The app is “Mobile Register,” shown below.
You can scan the QR code to download it
(Quoted from the Okinawa Prefecture website)
After downloading, simply launch the app and scan the barcode with your camera
The Okinawa Prefecture website also provided a clear explanation with illustrations
(Quoted from the Okinawa Prefecture website)
It’s incredibly simple.
If this is all it takes to complete the payment, I think paying by credit card is a good option
Though you’ll want to weigh the fees against the points you’ll earn…
I hope this article helps someone with their points-earning efforts
Thank you for reading all the way to the end!
