Best QR-payment apps compared
PayPay, Rakuten Pay, d払い, au PAY, and Merpay by coverage, funding, and earning.
PayPay has the broadest acceptance and no ordinary-point expiry, Rakuten Pay is best for Rakuten users, d払い for docomo/d POINT, au PAY for Ponta/au, and Merpay for active Mercari users.
Key points
- PayPay: broadest merchant coverage; ordinary points do not expire.
- Rakuten Pay: best for Rakuten users; up to 2.5% with point-card presentation.
- d払い: best for docomo/d POINT; ~1% with eligible d Card funding.
- au PAY: best for Ponta/au; withdrawal free at au Jibun Bank.
- Merpay: best for active Mercari buyers and sellers.
How the wallets compare
The five main QR wallets differ by acceptance, funding options, and earning. PayPay has the broadest merchant coverage (around ten million stores) and ordinary points that do not expire, but Step earning requires KYC and excludes point-funded portions. Rakuten Pay is best for Rakuten users and can reach up to 2.5% with eligible point-card presentation and qualifying Rakuten Cash payment. d払い is best for docomo and d POINT users, earning about 1% with eligible d Card funding, though other-card funding earns no ordinary d払い points. au PAY is best for Ponta and au users, with free withdrawal at au Jibun Bank. Merpay is best for active Mercari buyers and sellers rather than as a universal points app.
Who this is for
- Mobile-payment users choosing a wallet
What this is not
- People expecting one wallet to win every category
- Merchant acceptance and earning rules change — verify the current app terms before relying on a rate.
Frequently asked questions
Which QR-payment app is best?
PayPay for the broadest coverage and no ordinary-point expiry, Rakuten Pay for Rakuten integration, d払い for docomo/d POINT, au PAY for Ponta/au, and Merpay for active Mercari users. Choose by the ecosystem you already use rather than the headline rate.
Does charging PayPay earn card points?
Not automatically. ATM cash top-ups and excluded-card charges generally earn no reward; only specifically eligible routes qualify. A card being accepted as a funding source does not prove the issuer awards points for the funding transaction — verify each layer on the transaction date.