This is an English translation of our Japanese article. The Japanese version, the Nakano City website and the official Naka Pay site are authoritative. Terms change without notice and campaigns can be amended or ended early, so check the official notices before relying on any figure here.
Last updated: 4 September 2026. Based on Nakano City's official page on the Naka Pay digital local currency and the terms published on the official Naka Pay site. Rates, periods and conditions change without notice.
The short answer. Nakano's Naka Pay is currently running a 3% top-up reward (noon, 3 August 2026 to 31 January 2027). Unlike the payment-based apps in this series, the reward locks in the moment you top up — before you spend anything in a shop. No application is needed; topping up 50,000 yen a month earns 1,500 points a month. The catch is the expiry: points die at the end of the month after next, counted from the top-up month. Top up late in a month and you effectively get two months. This article works through the official terms: how much comes back, and by when you must spend it.
The reward is decided before you reach the till
This series covers one municipal digital local currency at a time. Shibuya's Hachi Pay and Setagaya Pay reward the amount you spend in shops. Naka Pay, like Saitama City's Sai Coin, is a top-up type: 3% in points arrives when you load money into the app — officially within about 10 minutes to an hour of the charge. No sign-up is required.
The top-up type has one clear advantage over the payment type: the rate is the same wherever you spend. Setagaya Pay pays 3% at independents and 0% at large stores; Naka Pay's 3% is fixed at top-up time, regardless of where the money goes afterwards.
| Item | Terms |
|---|---|
| Period | Noon, 3 August 2026 to 31 January 2027 |
| Rate | 3% of the amount topped up (no application needed) |
| Top-up units | Units of 1,000 yen, up to 50,000 yen per top-up |
| Balance limit | Up to 100,000 yen of money balance |
| How to top up | Cash at Seven Bank ATMs, or credit card (My Number card verification required) |
| Who can use it | Residents, workers, students and visitors alike — not residents only |
Credit-card top-ups require identity verification with a My Number card. Cash top-ups at Seven Bank ATMs need no verification, so the app works without a My Number card too. Using the card as the identity layer of a local currency is an emerging pattern — Hachi Pay and Setagaya Pay do the same.
Working out the return
The reward applies to the amount topped up, not the amount spent, so the arithmetic is simple. No cap on points is published; the practical limits are on the top-up side (50,000 yen per charge, 100,000 yen balance).
10,000 yen a month
10,000 yen × 3% = 300 points a month
30,000 yen a month
30,000 yen × 3% = 900 points a month
50,000 yen a month
50,000 yen × 3% = 1,500 points a month
The campaign runs six months, August 2026 to January 2027. By monthly top-up amount:
| Pattern | Monthly top-up | Monthly points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 yen a month | 10,000 yen | 300 points | 1,800 points |
| 30,000 yen a month | 30,000 yen | 900 points | 5,400 points |
| 50,000 yen, full period | 50,000 yen | 1,500 points | 9,000 points |
| 50,000 yen, from September | 50,000 yen | 1,500 points | 7,500 points |
Theoretical values calculated by our editorial team from the rate and top-up limits published by Nakano City. The campaign may be amended or ended without notice, so actual amounts may be lower.
Note that these figures only materialise if you can actually spend what you load: Naka Pay works only at participating shops inside Nakano. If you visit Nakano only occasionally, a big top-up leaves you with points that expire before you use them — which brings us to the expiry rule.
The shortest point lifetime in this series
Points from the 3% campaign expire at the end of the month after next, counted from the month you topped up. Top up in August — on the 1st or the 31st — and the points die on 31 October. That means three months at best, about two at worst.
Set against the other apps in this series, the difference is stark.
Worse, while Hachi Pay and Sai Coin extend the clock every time you use them, Naka Pay's deadline is fixed. Daily use changes nothing: August's points still die at the end of October. Each month's top-up runs its own separate clock, so saving points up for a big purchase simply means the older ones lapse first.
The money itself expires too. Topped-up balance is usable until the end of the year after the year you charged it. Far longer than the points, but not indefinite — unlike a bank balance or most cashless wallets, money parked here eventually lapses.
The fix is a single habit: top up in the month you spend, only what you will spend. The reward locks in at top-up time, so charging early or in bulk earns nothing extra.
It doubles as a hometown-tax return gift
Naka Pay has one route the other apps in this series lack: since August 2025 it has been a return gift in Nakano's furusato nozei (hometown tax donation) programme.
| Item | Terms |
|---|---|
| Gift | Naka Pay points worth about 30% of the donation (e.g. 3,000 points for 10,000 yen) |
| Who qualifies | Only people living outside Nakano City |
| Where points work | Only participating shops that make goods or provide services within Nakano — a narrower list than regular member shops |
| How to apply | 12 portal sites including Furusato Choice, Rakuten and Satofull |
| How you receive it | Scan a mailed QR code with the Naka Pay app |
Because this is furusato nozei, everything above 2,000 yen of the donation is credited against income and residence tax, within limits set by your income and family situation. For someone living outside Nakano who regularly eats or shops there, that is roughly 30% back for a net cost of 2,000 yen. Check the eligible-shop list before donating — it is narrower than the regular network.
Six municipalities, six designs
A cross-comparison putting the rates, caps and periods of all six schemes in a single table is also in Japan's Municipal Pay Apps: 6 Reward Schemes Compared.
| Municipality | Type | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Nakano — Naka Pay | Top-up reward | 3% on top-ups, expiring the month after next (to 31 Jan 2027) |
| Saitama — Sai Coin | Top-up reward | 3% on top-ups (2% cash), 180-day rolling expiry |
| Shibuya — Hachi Pay | Payment reward | 8% verified residents / 4% others, 8,000 points a month |
| Setagaya — Setagaya Pay | Payment reward | 3% independents / 0% large stores, 1,000 points a month |
| Minato — Minato Pay | Campaign burst | Up to 20% in campaign months |
| Kita — Hoku Pay | Premium issue | 30% premium (from 5 October 2026) |
Compare the two top-up types and the same 3% splits into two philosophies: Sai Coin's clock extends with use — a 3% you may save; Naka Pay's is fixed and short — a 3% built to be spent now.
On tax: small points earned incidentally through everyday payments are normally treated as a discount, not income, so no filing is needed. See our article on benefits, points and tax.
FAQ
Can I use Naka Pay if I do not live in Nakano?
Yes. Nakano City states the app is open to residents, workers, students and visitors alike, and the 3% top-up reward has no residence condition. The shops, however, are all inside Nakano City, so it has little value if you never go there.
Is there a cap on the 3% reward?
No monthly or total point cap is published. The practical limits sit on the top-up side: 50,000 yen per charge and a balance ceiling of 100,000 yen. The city also notes the campaign may be changed or ended without notice.
If I top up at the end of August, when do the points expire?
At the end of the month after next, counted by calendar month — so 31 October, whether you topped up on 1 August or 31 August. A late-month top-up leaves roughly two months. The deadline is fixed and does not extend with use.
Does the charged money itself expire?
Yes. Topped-up balance can be used until the end of the year following the year of the charge. That is much longer than the points, but not indefinite, so it is not a place to park money you have no plan to spend.
Will the 20% or 30% premium sales come back?
Nothing has been announced as of September 2026. Two 30% premium sales and a spring 2026 sale at 20% (applications 15 April to 13 May) have all ended. Any new round would be announced by Nakano City and the official Naka Pay site.
Sources
This article is general information about a municipal scheme. Rates, periods and conditions change without notice. Check Nakano City and the official Naka Pay site for the latest terms before use, and consult a tax professional for individual advice.
