Rakuten Mobile Overseas Roaming Free 2GB: How to Use It Abroad as a Foreign Resident in Japan
If you live in Japan and travel back to your home country occasionally, you probably know the frustration of dealing with expensive international roaming fees or scrambling to buy a local SIM every time you land. Rakuten Mobile has quietly become one of the best options for foreign residents in Japan — not just for its affordable unlimited domestic plan, but also for its free overseas roaming feature that most people don’t fully take advantage of.
In this article, we’ll break down exactly how the overseas roaming works, how to set it up, and why switching to Rakuten Mobile right now — especially through a referral link — is worth seriously considering.
What Is Rakuten Mobile’s Free Overseas Roaming?
Rakuten Mobile offers 2GB of free data roaming per month in over 3 countries and regions abroad. This is included automatically in your standard monthly plan — there’s no separate contract or extra fee to activate it.
Here’s a quick overview of what you get:
- 2GB of free roaming data per month while abroad
- Available in 70+ countries and regions worldwide
- Roaming kicks in automatically when you land — no manual setup required in most cases
- After 2GB, data continues at reduced speeds (up to 128kbps), which is enough for messaging apps like LINE or WhatsApp
For short trips home, 2GB is genuinely enough to get through a week of moderate use — checking maps, messaging family, and browsing lightly. It won’t stream Netflix, but it covers the essentials without costing you a yen extra.
How to Set Up Roaming Before Your Trip
Setting up overseas roaming on Rakuten Mobile is straightforward, but there are a few things to confirm in advance so you don’t land abroad without connectivity.
Step 1: Enable Data Roaming on Your Phone
Before you leave Japan, go into your phone’s settings:
- iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data → Mobile Data Options → toggle on “Data Roaming”
- Android: Settings → Connections → Mobile Networks → toggle on “Data Roaming”
This is a simple step but easy to forget. If your phone doesn’t have roaming toggled on, you won’t connect even if Rakuten’s roaming is active.
Step 2: Check Your Country Is Covered
Rakuten Mobile’s roaming coverage changes periodically. Before traveling, visit the official Rakuten Mobile international roaming page or check the “My Rakuten Mobile” app to confirm your destination is on the list. Most major countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania are covered.
Step 3: Monitor Your 2GB Usage
Once abroad, you can check your remaining roaming data through the My Rakuten Mobile app. The 2GB resets at the start of each calendar month, so if you’re on a trip that spans two months, you’ll technically get access to a fresh 2GB as the month rolls over.
Step 4: Use Wi-Fi Calling and Messaging Apps
Even at 128kbps after the 2GB limit, you can use LINE, WhatsApp, iMessage, and similar messaging apps comfortably. For voice calls, Rakuten Link (Rakuten Mobile’s free calling app) also works over Wi-Fi abroad, so you can call Japanese numbers for free even when overseas.
Why Foreign Residents Should Consider Rakuten Mobile
For foreign residents in Japan, the value of Rakuten Mobile goes beyond just the overseas roaming perk.
The monthly plan is ¥3,278 (tax included) for unlimited domestic data. That’s one flat price — no tiered pricing, no hidden throttling under a certain threshold. For people who use data heavily (streaming, video calls with family abroad, navigation), this is hard to beat.
And honestly, if you’re already paying ¥5,000–¥8,000 per month with another carrier, the math is pretty clear. If you want to see how much you could save by switching your whole household, this breakdown on Rakuten family plan savings is worth a read.
The Referral Campaign: How Many Points Can You Earn?
Here’s where things get interesting for anyone thinking of switching now.
Rakuten Mobile is currently running a referral campaign that gives new subscribers a significant points bonus when they sign up through a referral link. The numbers are:
| Signup Type | Via Referral Link | Normal Campaign |
|---|---|---|
| MNP (carrier switch) | 14,000 points | 13,000 points |
| New number signup | 11,000 points | Lower |
Using a referral link gives you 1,000 extra points on top of the standard MNP campaign, which is a meaningful boost. These points are paid out in 3 installments, starting 4 months after the month you first log in via the referral link. So the points don’t arrive all at once, but they do arrive reliably.
Rakuten Points are genuinely useful in everyday Japan life — you can spend them at thousands of stores, on Rakuten Ichiba online shopping, at convenience stores via Rakuten Pay, and more. If you want ideas on how to actually use those points strategically, this guide on using 14,000 Rakuten Points as a foreign resident covers it in practical detail.
One more thing worth noting: you can have up to 5 lines per person on Rakuten Mobile, so if you have family members or a partner in Japan who also wants to switch, each person who signs up through a referral link can earn their own points bonus.
Is 2GB of Roaming Actually Enough?
This is the honest question worth addressing. For some people, yes — and for others, not quite.
2GB is probably enough if you:
- Travel for short trips (3–7 days) and mainly use messaging apps
- Have access to Wi-Fi at hotels or family homes
- Don’t need to stream video content while abroad
2GB might not be enough if you:
- Work remotely while traveling and need constant connectivity
- Travel frequently for 2+ weeks at a time
- Rely heavily on video calls or streaming data
In those cases, you’d either want to supplement with a local SIM or a pocket Wi-Fi abroad. But for the typical foreign resident visiting family once or twice a year, the 2GB free roaming is a genuine perk that saves real money.
How to Sign Up via Referral Link
If you’ve been thinking about switching, now is a reasonable time to do it — the referral bonus is available, and the overall plan value is strong.
To get the 14,000-point bonus for MNP or 11,000 points for a new number, you need to sign up through a referral link. The process is simple:
- Click the referral link to open the Rakuten Mobile signup page
- Log in with your Rakuten account (or create one if you don’t have one)
- Complete your application — choose MNP if you’re switching from another carrier
- Points will be added to your Rakuten account in 3 installments starting 4 months after your login month
If you’d like to use an employee referral link to get the boosted point offer, you can sign up here:
👉 Apply for Rakuten Mobile via Referral Link
Final Thoughts
For foreign residents in Japan, Rakuten Mobile checks a lot of boxes: an affordable flat-rate plan, free overseas roaming in 70+ countries, and a referral campaign that hands you a meaningful points bonus just for switching. The 2GB roaming isn’t unlimited, but it’s a solid starting point — and it costs nothing extra.
If you’re currently paying more than ¥3,278 per month and traveling internationally at least once a year, it’s worth running the numbers for yourself.