Konbini: Japan's voucher / cash
Japan's convenience-store cash payment rail — an e-commerce reference paid at 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart and others.
How the Konbini flow works
At checkout the merchant's PSP generates a Konbini reference (a store code and payment number, sometimes a barcode) with an expiry — typically several days.
The shopper takes the reference to any participating konbini and pays in cash at the register or at an in-store kiosk (Loppi, Famiport).
The store transmits the payment to the network operator; the merchant's PSP receives a webhook confirming the payment, typically within minutes to hours.
Konbini remains a meaningful e-commerce rail in Japan despite growing card and QR-wallet adoption, thanks to the cultural preference for cash and the density of the konbini network.
Typical use cases
- Japanese e-commerce serving cash-preferring or card-averse consumers.
- Gaming top-ups, digital goods, ticketing.
- High-ticket categories where a portion of the buyer base won't complete on card.
Consumer reach
Tens of thousands of konbini across Japan (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart, MiniStop, Seicomart, Daily Yamazaki).
Universal recognition and reach beyond the banked/carded population.
Who should accept Konbini
- Any Japanese e-commerce serving a broad demographic.
- Cross-border merchants selling into Japan.
- Digital goods and gaming merchants where cash top-up UX matters.
Operational detail
The operational half of every method profile — settlement, refunds, disputes, PSP coverage and licensing — is reserved for Payment Methods List founding partners. It's the part vendor sites won't publish and the part that actually decides whether Konbini works for your stack.
Settlement time
The gap between the payer's cash payment at the point of sale and funds arriving in the merchant account, how reconciliation files are delivered, weekend and holiday behaviour in Japan, and the aggregators that shorten the cycle.
Book a founding-partner call →Refund mechanics
Whether Konbini supports refunds at all once the cash leg is complete, the payout mechanism used in practice (bank transfer to the payer, store credit, or manual ops), the SLA to the consumer, and PSPs that automate it.
Book a founding-partner call →Chargeback exposure
Whether Konbini generates any dispute exposure once the cash leg has settled, the fraud vectors that do exist (voucher resale, refund abuse, insider fraud at the retail network), and observed loss patterns.
Book a founding-partner call →PSP coverage matrix
The retail network footprint Konbini rides on, which aggregators integrate the payout leg cleanly, effective all-in cost per ticket, and coverage in tier-2/3 cities in Japan.
Book a founding-partner call →KYC & licensing notes
Licensing status of the Konbini operator and the retail network in Japan, AML and cash-handling rules that flow to the merchant, the KYC posture on payer-side data, and MoR alternatives when direct acceptance isn't viable.
Book a founding-partner call →