Why your receipt names an unfamiliar company
Under the new system a shop can hand the purchase records and the refund to an operator approved by the National Tax Agency, to a separate refund company, or pay the refund itself. The Japanese government charges no fee for the refund.
The government does not publish a list of these companies. The Japan Tax-free Shop Association publishes a list of its member operators, but says it is based on what each company declared, for shops’ reference, and is not an approval or guarantee.
Refund companies travellers may meet (checked 3 November 2026)
| Company | What you see | How you are paid | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Blue TFS Japan | Global Blue app and Mobile Customer Care | Card or e-wallet; cash at about 15 city refund points and at Cash Japan counters in 6 airports | Shows refund status in real time |
| J&J Tax Free | J-TaxRefund website, opened from the shop’s QR code | Credit card, bank transfer or QR payment apps | No app |
| Smart Technologies & Resources | JPrefund (Smart Detax) | Credit card, Alipay+, WeChat Pay, bank transfer | Refund account must be in the passport holder’s name |
| Pie Systems Japan | PIE VAT app | Credit or debit card, bank transfer, PayPal, WeChat Pay | Fees of 1.5–3.0% plus 0.28–0.32% of the price before tax |
| Ocean | Ocean Tax Refund | Through a LINE or WeChat mini app (media reports) | The official website is for shops |
| Global Tax Free-Planet | Global TaxRefund, with au Financial Service | Visa, Mastercard, Alipay; ATMs at Narita, Haneda and Naha airports | WeChat Pay planned |
| WAmazing | WAmazing app or website | Card, mobile wallets, bank transfer, MoneyGram cash pickup abroad | Fee of 20% of the refund, at least ¥300 |
| Tourego Japan | Tourego | Not stated on its website | Says it is an approved operator |
| Japan Tax Free | 日本免税 app | Cash, card or e-money, according to its website | – |
| IntaSect Communications | InTaxFree | Not stated on its website | – |
| Digital Wallet | TAX REFUND JAPAN | Card, mobile wallets, bank transfer, cash at partner counters abroad or airport terminals in Japan | Registered funds transfer business; pays refunds for other companies such as SAMURAI TAX |
| Cash Japan | Cash Japan airport counters | Yen cash at 6 airports | For Global Blue, J&J, Smart Detax and IntaSect refunds |
| Glory and Japan Airport Terminal | Self Tax Refund machines | Yen cash at Haneda, Narita and Naha | Only for refund companies that work with the service |
How to tell a real refund site from a fake
- Register only through the QR code or link the shop gives you or prints on the receipt; do not search for the registration page
- Check that the web address matches the company’s official website in the table above
- The Japanese government charges no fee for the refund; the refund companies above take their fees out of the refund, not in advance
- Japan’s National Tax Agency does not send links by SMS and never asks you to use an ATM to receive a refund
- Never send your full card number, card security code or a password by email or chat
Useful before you fly
Airport transfer when you have a lot of shopping bags
Luggage storage in Tokyo for the hours before an evening flight
Fake tax refund emails are already going round
Taiwanese TV channel NextTV reported on 27 October 2026 that many Taiwanese travellers had received refund scam emails signed as Japan’s National Tax Agency, offering large amounts. Your refund is paid by the refund company you registered with, not by the National Tax Agency. In Taiwan, call the 165 anti-fraud hotline.