1. Quick Overview
Mobal is a UK-based SIM/eSIM provider built for foreigners in Japan. It gives you a real Japanese phone number without a residence card or Japanese bank account, and you can order it before you even land.
Two product lines matter here:
- Voice-Only — phone number + SMS, no data. (Mobal actually recommends turning off mobile data on your device for this plan, since it can’t handle data traffic and stray usage could rack up charges.)
- Voice+Data — phone number + SMS + mobile data (this is the popular one)
| Plan | Monthly Fee |
|---|---|
| Voice-Only (no data) | ¥1,430 |
| Voice+Data 1GB | ¥1,650 |
| Voice+Data 5GB | ¥3,190 |
| Voice+Data 10GB | ¥3,630 |
| Voice+Data 15GB | ¥3,795 |
| Voice+Data 30GB (most popular) | ¥4,378 |
| Voice+Data 50GB | ¥5,280 |
On top of the monthly fee, every SIM or eSIM has a one-time hardware price:
- SIM/eSIM price: ¥4,455 (currently discounted from ¥4,950)
All prices include tax. No hidden fees get added at checkout. One more thing worth flagging: payments are processed in Japanese yen. If you see prices in dollars or another currency somewhere on Mobal’s site, that’s just a rough conversion for reference — what actually hits your card is the yen amount. Figures below are based on Mobal’s official pricing as of August 2026 — always double-check the live price on Mobal’s site before you buy, since promotions change.
2. What You Pay on Day One (Purchase)
Here’s the whole cost structure in three lines, before we get into the details:
- The SIM/eSIM price is a one-time cost — think of it like a sign-up fee, not a recurring charge.
- Your first month is pro-rated — you only pay for the days you actually used the service, so there’s no way to overpay.
- From month two onward, you pay the full monthly plan price — same amount, same day, every month, until you cancel.
Now, the specifics. When you order online, you’re charged for one thing only: the SIM or eSIM itself.
- Amount charged today: ¥4,455
- Not charged today: your monthly plan fee
Mobal states this plainly on its own checkout page — “SIM Card Price, pay today” is shown separately from “Monthly Fee, pay on activation.” Your card is charged ¥4,455 at purchase, and nothing more until you switch the service on.
One clarification worth making: Mobal doesn’t call this an “activation fee.” It’s simply the price of the physical SIM or the eSIM access code. Mobal’s FAQ says it directly: “We don’t charge activation fees… we don’t charge termination fees either.” The ¥4,455 is hardware, not a service charge.
Payment methods: credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Mobal does not accept cash.
3. What You Pay From Month One Onward
This is the part that trips people up, so here’s a concrete timeline.
Example — eSIM, Voice+Data 5GB plan (¥3,190/month)
| Date | What Happens | What Gets Charged |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 15 | Order online, ID verified, eSIM code issued | ¥4,455 (SIM price) — charged immediately, before shipping |
| Oct 20 | Install eSIM, activate service — phone number assigned | Nothing yet |
| Nov 1 | First invoice is generated, combining your pro-rated October charge (Oct 20–31, ≈¥1,236) with November’s full plan fee (¥3,190), paid in advance | — |
| Nov 8 | Card is charged for the combined amount (≈¥4,426), plus any outgoing call/SMS charges from October that have already reached Mobal | ≈¥4,426+ |
| Dec 1 | Invoice generated for December’s full plan fee, paid in advance | — |
| Dec 8 | Card is charged for December’s fee, plus any remaining October or November usage charges | ¥3,190+ |
Mobal bills on a fixed monthly cycle — invoiced on the 1st, charged on the 8th — rather than on a date tied to your personal activation day. Because of that, your very first invoice typically bundles two things together: the pro-rated charge for your partial first month, and the full fee for the month that’s about to start, paid in advance. (Voice-Only SIMs follow a slightly simpler cycle, charged directly on the 1st.)
Outgoing call and SMS charges run on a separate, slower track — Mobal’s own support pages note usage data can take 1–2 months to arrive from the network, so a given month’s call charges might not land on your bill until one or two cycles later.
This isn’t a Japan-specific quirk, by the way — combining a pro-rated partial period with the next full month on one invoice is standard practice for subscription billing worldwide.
Why the first month is cheaper: you only pay for the days between your activation date and the end of that calendar month. Activate on the 20th, and you pay for 12 days, not 31. Activate on the 1st, and you pay the full month. Incoming calls and incoming SMS are always free, no matter what. You can check itemized charges any time in your MyAccount.
4. What You Pay If You Cancel
- Termination fee: none
- Minimum contract term: none
- When cancellation takes effect: end of the current billing month
Cancel through your online account whenever you like. You won’t be billed for the month after you cancel, and there’s no penalty for leaving early — a real advantage over most Japanese carriers, which typically lock you into a multi-year contract.
5. How to Order: From Purchase to Activation
- Order online. Choose Voice-Only or Voice+Data, pick a data plan if relevant, and choose delivery or airport pickup.
- Pay the SIM price. ¥4,455 by card or PayPal — this is your only charge today.
- Verify your ID. A passport is required for any Voice product (SIM or eSIM with a Japanese phone number). Upload it before shipping, or bring it to your pickup counter.
- Receive your SIM/eSIM. Pickup is same-day at major airports (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, and others); international shipping is free but can take 2–30 business days depending on your country.
- Activate in MyAccount. This starts your monthly billing clock. You have until the end of the second month after dispatch or pickup to do this, so you can time it to your actual arrival in Japan.
- Use your phone. Your Japanese number is assigned the moment you activate.
6. Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my data plan later? Yes, from your MyAccount, effective the 1st of the following month.
Is an eSIM faster to activate than a physical SIM? Generally yes — once your ID is verified, Mobal emails you the access code, so you can install the profile before you fly.
Does the price include tax? Yes, all listed prices are tax-inclusive.
Can I keep an existing Japanese number? No — Mobal cannot port in existing Japanese numbers.
What if I don’t need voice, just data? Mobal also sells data-only eSIMs, which skip the ID/passport requirement entirely.
7. Bottom Line
Mobal’s pricing has two separate moving parts: a one-time SIM price (¥4,455, paid at purchase) and a monthly plan fee (from ¥1,430) that starts, pro-rated, on the day you activate. There’s no activation fee stacked on top, and no termination fee if you leave. The trade-off is that Mobal isn’t the cheapest option in Japan — domestic MVNOs can beat these prices — but Mobal is one of the few SIMs you can buy from overseas with just a passport, before you even land.
