Mail & Bill-Pay for your Home in Japan

MailMate lets overseas property owners pay Japanese bills without a Japanese bank account. Your property mail and bills arrive in a MailMate virtual mailbox with English summaries; you approve each payment or turn on auto-pay, a credit card on your account funds the bill, and MailMate arranges payment to the Japanese biller.

MailMate helps overseas owners with electricity, gas, and water bills, property tax payments, contractor invoices from plumbers and electricians, condo management fees and repair reserve funds, internet bills, home insurance premiums, and trash collection, bulky-item disposal, and neighborhood fees. Payments must be to a vendor or service provider, and your plan must support the payment type.

A MailMate virtual mailbox receives the Japanese mail for your property and shows each bill and letter online as it arrives. You can open the original scan next to an English summary of who sent it, the amount, and the date that matters, then pay the bill or decide what needs a reply from wherever you are.

Yes. MailMate can arrange supported convenience-store (konbini) payments and domestic bank transfers in Japan on your behalf, following the payment instructions on your bill. You do not need a Japanese bank account.

Your plan must support the payment type. Payments must be to a vendor or service provider, rather than personal money transfers.

If your Japanese bill shows the Pay-easy logo or payment numbers, send MailMate the payment instructions at support@mailmate.jp. We will confirm whether we can process that bill and what information is needed before you request payment.

A valid credit card on your MailMate account funds each bill payment. MailMate then arranges payment to the Japanese biller, so you do not need a Japanese bank account.

Foreign-card acceptance depends on your card and issuer. Contact support@mailmate.jp if you would like to check your card before getting started. A card authorization or charge is separate from confirmation that the biller has been paid; check the bill’s payment status in MailMate.

Both are possible with MailMate. You can use auto-pay for supported bills within your chosen limit, so each bill is paid as it arrives, or turn it off and request payments individually. Review your mailbox’s auto-pay setting and payment limit during setup.

You can turn auto-pay off in your billing settings to stop new automatic payment requests. If a payment is already being processed, contact us to check whether it can still be stopped.

Yes. MailMate helps overseas owners of condos in Japan with management fees (管理費), repair reserve funds (修繕積立金), parking, and the building’s other mail, such as owners’ association meeting notices, votes, and minutes. Each item appears in the app with an English summary, and you decide what needs a payment or a reply.

Contact MailMate at support@mailmate.jp with the bill and its deadline, even if you are not yet a customer. We will check whether we can help and whether a scan is sufficient or the original payment slip is needed.

If the deadline is close or has passed, tell us before requesting payment. Some bills need updated payment instructions or a replacement slip; sending us a bill does not extend its deadline.

Check the bill’s payment status in MailMate alongside the original document. A payment request or card authorization does not by itself mean the biller has been paid.

If you need a particular receipt or proof of payment for your records, ask MailMate at support@mailmate.jp to confirm what is available for that payment method.

Yes. Eligible MailMate property plans include help communicating with electricity, gas, and water providers in Japan to arrange setup, then paying the ongoing bills. Requirements and any necessary appointments depend on the property and provider.

Arrange mail forwarding where available, or register your MailMate address directly with your providers and other senders in Japan. We’ll explain the receiving arrangements during onboarding. You can then view incoming mail online and request opening, scanning, and English summaries.

Yes. MailMate also offers a tax representative service for property owners in Japan, covering property tax notices, English explanations, and payments without a Japanese bank account. Compare the property plans to see which services are included.