This Week's Mobile Campaign Roundup (as of Oct 7): Conditions at 6 Carriers, and the Fine Print Behind the Headlines

The numbers in carrier campaign headlines look great, don’t they?

“1 yen a month.” “47 yen for 2 years.” “No activation fee.”

But read the body text, and you’ll find plenty of conditions attached.

This article collects 6 recent campaigns and writes out the conditions behind the headlines. It is based on reports and official pages as of October 7, 2026.

One thing up front: this site uses Rakuten Mobile referral links. For campaigns from carriers other than Rakuten, I also write the conditions as they are.

The 30-second summary

• Many device campaigns require you to return the device. If you don’t, your cost goes up
• “1 yen a month” applies only to the first half of the installments. In the second half, the monthly payment goes up
• Depending on where you’re switching from, you may be ineligible
• Many of these don’t state a start date or end date. Check the official page before you apply

How to read the numbers in the headlines

1. Rakuten Mobile: First-Time Sign-Up Campaign

This is from the official page (information as of October 1, 2026).

• Switching from another carrier: 10,000 points (split into 3 payments of 4,000, 3,000 and 3,000)
• New contract: 9,000 points (split into 5 payments: 2,000 x 4 and 1,000)
• Eligible: Rakuten members signing up for the first time for Rakuten Saikyo Plan (Rakuten最強プラン) or Rakuten Saikyo U-NEXT. The data-only type is not eligible

Conditions and notes

• Entry is required (within the same month as your application)
• Service must start by 23:59 on the last day of the month after your application
• You need to make a call of 10 seconds or more with Rakuten Link
• Points are not granted automatically. After a notification, you need to complete a claim procedure. They are limited-time points
• No end date is stated

The full conditions are in the campaign roundup article (not linked here).

2. SoftBank: Pixel 11, Galaxy S26, Natural AI Phone

This is from a Keitai Watch report (October 6, 2026). Prices are as of October 5. All of these assume 48 installments and switching from another carrier.

How “12 yen for 1 year” works

• You combine Benefit A of “新トクするサポート＋” (Shin Toku Suru Support+, a trade-in support program) with “買替え応援割” (Kaekae Ouen Wari, a replacement discount)
• You apply for the benefit in month 13. If the device collection and appraisal are completed by the end of the following month, the total for payments 1-12 comes to 12 yen
• The 22,000 yen benefit usage fee is offset by the replacement discount

Conditions and notes

• To use Benefit A, you must subscribe to the “あんしん保証パックサービス” (Anshin Hosho Pack Service, a device warranty service) from purchase until the application is complete (up to 2,180 yen per month)
• You must meet the collection and appraisal conditions. Depending on the device’s condition, you may not be able to use the benefit

Not stated: the period of the price revision, the cost if you don’t return the device, any extra costs beyond the monthly payment from payment 25 on, and how the remaining balance is handled.

3. au: Xperia 10 VIII (on sale October 8)

This is from a Keitai Watch report (October 5, 2026).

• Device price: 98,800 yen (au Online Shop)
• If you buy it as a device upgrade and meet the conditions, 22,000 yen is deducted (including up to 5,500 yen of the “5G機種変更おトク割” (5G Upgrade Discount)). You need to be on an eligible plan and subscribe to “故障紛失サポート ワイド with Cloud” (Breakage and Loss Support Wide with Cloud)
• With “スマホトクするプログラム＋” (Smartphone Toku Suru Program+, a trade-in program), if you apply the discount and return the device by month 25, the effective cost for a device upgrade is 37,800 yen
• For MNP from other carriers, switching from povo2.0, or a number transfer from UQ mobile, the effective cost is 47 yen (the headline says “47 yen for 2 years”)

Not stated: the monthly fee, the number of installments, the cost from month 26 on, the cost if you don’t return the device, conditions on the device’s state when returned, and whether the 47 yen is monthly or in total.

4. LINEMO: Free activation fee via referral

This is from a Keitai Watch report (October 5, 2026). It is part of the “5周年大週穫祭” (5th Anniversary Grand Harvest Festival).

• The 3,850 yen contract activation fee becomes free
• Conditions: apply through a dedicated URL issued by a referrer / MNP from another carrier or a new number / “LINEMO Best Plan” or “Best Plan V” / service starts by the end of the month after your application month
• Period: it says “until the 18th” (the article is dated October 5 and the body doesn’t state the month, but it reads as October 18)
• Switching from SoftBank, Y!mobile or LINEMobile is not eligible

It is reported as being added on top of the benefits of the existing referral campaign.

5. Y!mobile: Free activation fee with a certified pre-owned iPhone

This is from a Keitai Watch report (October 6, 2026).

• The contract activation fee, normally 3,850 yen, becomes 0 yen
• Conditions: buy a SoftBank certified pre-owned iPhone at the Y!mobile Online Store / sign a new or MNP contract for “Simple 3 S/M/L” / sign the contract at the Online Store
• Switching from SoftBank or LINEMO is not eligible
• The end date is “undecided.” A specific start date is not stated
• Examples of eligible models: iPhone SE (3rd generation) 64GB at 3,860 yen, iPhone 15 128GB at 42,040 yen

Certified pre-owned devices are reported to have been fully reset and cleaned, and can be exchanged if there is a defect within 30 days of arrival.

6. IIJmio: Giga Plan with MNP, device at the “switching price”

This is from a Keitai Watch report (October 2, 2026).

• If you sign up for the Giga Plan via MNP and buy an eligible device at the same time, a special device price applies
• Example prices: moto g06 is 4,980 yen in one payment, or 209 yen a month over 24 payments. A used good-condition iPhone SE (2nd generation) 64GB is 4,990 yen in one payment
• Conditions: one device per contract holder (mioID). There must be no application in which the special device price was applied together with a voice line contract within the past 12 months, counting the application month as month 1, among others
• The table is for “devices eligible for the campaign from October 1”

Not stated: the end date, any limit on stock or units, how to apply, installment fees, and Giga Plan pricing.

If this is you, check this

From here on, this is my own view.

• If you return your device and upgrade every 2 years: the return-based programs from SoftBank and au are candidates. But you need to check the cost if you don’t return the device
• If you want to keep using your device: an “effective cost” that assumes a return may not suit you
• If you want to cut the activation fee: LINEMO and Y!mobile offer free activation fees. Check the conditions on where you’re switching from
• If you want a cheap device: IIJmio’s “switching price.” Check the conditions, such as one device per contract holder
• If you’d rather receive points: Rakuten Mobile. Check the claim procedure and the expiry of the limited-time points

Before you apply

• Coverage at home and at work: for Rakuten Mobile, the au roaming arrangement ended at the end of September 2026. (See the related article on this site, not linked here)
• Device compatibility: how to check frequency bands and how to check for a SIM lock (see the related articles on this site, not linked here)
• Pricing basis: is the price tax-included or tax-excluded, and what are the discount conditions? (See the related article on how to read prices, not linked here)
• Carrier differences: the difference between MNO and MVNO (see the related article on this site, not linked here)

Summary

• Many device campaigns require a return. “1 yen a month” covers only the first half, and “effective cost” assumes a return
• There are restrictions on where you switch from (for example, switching from SoftBank-group carriers is not eligible)
• Many don’t state a start date or end date. Check the official page before you apply
• All conditions are based on reports and official pages. They may change or end

The links on this site are referral links for Rakuten Group employees. The official page states that the referral campaign and the “First-Time Sign-Up Campaign” cannot be combined, so check the application screen and the official page to see which one applies.

Sources: Keitai Watch, Rakuten Mobile official site

• SoftBank: 3 models including “Pixel 11” and “Galaxy S26” from 12 yen for 1 year (October 6, 2026) (in Japanese)
• au to release “Xperia 10 VIII” on the 8th: 47 yen for 2 years with MNP (October 5, 2026) (in Japanese)
• LINEMO: 3,850 yen activation fee becomes free with a referral contract, until the 18th (October 5, 2026) (in Japanese)
• Free fee with a certified pre-owned iPhone and a “Simple 3” contract: Y!mobile Online Store only (October 6, 2026) (in Japanese)
• IIJmio: smartphone discounts with a Giga Plan MNP contract (October 2, 2026) (in Japanese)
• Rakuten Mobile First-Time Sign-Up Campaign (in Japanese)

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This article contains machine translation. For official terms, please refer to the multilingual pages on the official Rakuten Mobile website.

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