Virtual Visa Debit Card Program Launched in Japan

Visa has announced the launch of the first virtual Visa Debit card program in Japan. Japan Net Bank’s (JNB) two million customers will be able to use a virtual Visa Debit card to make payments at any online merchant that accepts Visa globally.

Under the program, upon a customer’s request JNB will issue a unique 16-digit Visa Debit account number which will draw funds from a nominated JNB bank account. This ‘virtual’ Visa Debit card can be used for purchases of up to the value of US$1,0001 and are valid for 10 days. Upon expiry the customer can request a new virtual Visa Debit card number. There will be no plastic card issued as part of the program.

Brian McGrory, Head of Debit Products, Asia Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, Visa said the launch tapped into consumer demand for a way to better manage online spending.

“Whether it is to search online or to spend online, Japanese consumers have named the internet as the number one item they could not live without2,” McGrory said. “Team their passion for the internet with the ‘buy now, pay now’ convenience of Visa Debit and JNB’s virtual Visa Debit card program taps into an existing demand for Japanese consumers.”

The program marks JNB’s entry into the Visa Debit card marketplace in Japan.

Mitsuhiro Komura, Senior Executive Managing Director, Japan Net Bank said: “With the launch of JNB’s Virtual Visa Debit service, we are able to provide our customers with a convenient and safe way of making payments at online merchants. JNB was established in October 2000 as Japan’s first internet-only bank and already has two million customers. The new Virtual Visa Debit service is a strategic product which will help us to expand the payment business and our customer base.“