ことら送金 Complete Guide
Japan’s Free Instant Transfer Service
418+ supported institutions · Send via phone number or email · Up to ¥100,000 per transfer
Stop paying ¥220–990 in bank transfer fees — forever
📑 Table of Contents
- What is ことら送金?
- How to use ことら送金
- Supported institutions & apps
- Fee comparison: How much can you save?
- Transfer limits by bank
- Five key advantages
- Comparison with PayPay, 楽天キャッシュ, and others
- Point-earning strategies (ポイ活)
- Campaigns & promotions
- 10 things ことら送金 can’t do
- Latest developments
- Action plan
- FAQ
What is ことら送金?
ことら送金 (COTRA) is Japan’s zero-fee, instant person-to-person bank transfer service. Launched in October 2022, it lets you send ¥1–¥100,000 from your smartphone banking app to another person’s bank account using their phone number, email, or account number — 24/7, 365 days a year, completely free.
🏢 About the service
The name “ことら” stands for 小口トランスファー (small-amount transfer), with the English brand name COTRA = Cooperative Transfer System. It’s operated by Cotra Ltd. (est. July 2021, ¥1.7B capital, Tokyo Nihonbashi). Five megabanks co-founded the company:
Mizuho Bank ｜ MUFG Bank ｜ SMBC ｜ Resona Bank ｜ Saitama Resona Bank
How the technology works
ことら送金 does NOT use the traditional 全銀システム (Zengin System) for individual transactions. Instead, it’s built on the existing J-Debit infrastructure using NTT Data’s CAFIS network — Japan’s first cloud-based financial settlement infrastructure.
Fund clearing still happens through the Zengin System twice daily, but individual real-time transactions bypass it entirely — which is why transfers are free and instant.
20 institutions at launch (Oct 2022) → 207 (Aug 2023, ¥100B cumulative) → ~390 (Aug 2024, ¥522B) → ¥1.5 trillion (Jun 2025) → 418+ institutions (Feb 2026)
According to a 2025 MMD Research survey (10,000 respondents), awareness is at 28.7% (+3.6% YoY), usage at 10.2% (+2.5%), and user satisfaction at an impressive 86.0%. Top use cases: transferring between own accounts (95.7%), family transfers (70.3%), and friend transfers (65.3%).
How to use ことら送金
Before you start
You need three things:
-
A bank account at a participating institution
Any personal account among the 418+ supported institutions
-
A compatible smartphone banking app
e.g. SMBC app, Bank Pay, SBI Sumishin Net Bank app, etc.
-
Recipient must register their phone/email (for phone/email transfers)
The recipient needs to link their phone number or email in their app. Not needed for account number transfers.
Three ways to send money
📱 Method 1: By phone number or email (recommended)
Open your banking app → Select “ことら送金” → Enter the recipient’s phone number or email → The system finds their linked account → Confirm recipient’s name → Enter amount (¥1–¥100,000) → Add a message (up to 128 characters, emoji supported) → Authenticate → Send. Instant arrival.
✅ No need to share bank account details (privacy) ｜ ✅ Message support
🏦 Method 2: By bank account number
Select account number transfer → Enter bank name, branch, account type, and number → The system shows the account holder’s name for verification (名義確認照会) → Enter amount → Authenticate → Send.
⚠️ Note: Messages cannot be attached with this method
💳 Method 3: Pay Account ID (J-Coin Pay only)
Send to the recipient’s J-Coin Pay balance via their account ID. Limited use case.
How to receive money
By account number: No setup needed — money arrives automatically.
By phone number/email: You must register your phone number or email in your ことら-compatible app under the receiving settings (ことら送金受取設定). One phone number/email can only be linked to one receiving account.
⚡ Important: The auto-switch feature
You can manually switch back to a regular transfer on the confirmation screen (important for point-earning strategies — see below).
Supported institutions & apps
As of February 2026, 418+ financial institutions support ことら送金:
| Type | Key institutions |
|---|---|
| Five megabanks | Mizuho, MUFG, SMBC, Resona, Saitama Resona |
| Japan Post Bank | ゆうちょ銀行 |
| Trust bank | Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank |
| Internet banks | SBI Sumishin Net Bank, SBI Shinsei Bank, Minna no Ginko |
| Regional banks | Yokohama Bank, Chiba Bank, Fukuoka Bank, Shizuoka Bank, and 50+ more |
| Shinkin banks | 200+ |
| Credit cooperatives | 70+ |
| Labor banks | Multiple regions across Japan |
| Fund transfer operator | BANKIT (Aplus / SBI Shinsei Group) First non-bank participant |
Rakuten Bank and PayPay Bank do NOT support ことら送金 as of February 2026 (neither sending nor receiving). For free transfers to these banks, use AirWallet (エアウォレット).
Key compatible apps
| App | Banks covered | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bank Pay | Widest coverage (all megabanks + hundreds more) | Best fallback if your bank lacks its own app support |
| SMBC App | SMBC only | |
| MUFG Bank App | MUFG only | Added own-app support Oct 29, 2025 |
| J-Coin Pay | Mizuho + partner banks | Wallet-based charging |
| SBI Sumishin Net Bank App | SBI Net Bank + NEOBANK partners | Auto-switch feature |
| SBI Shinsei Bank App | SBI Shinsei Bank | Auto-switch feature |
| ゆうちょ通帳アプリ | Japan Post Bank | ⚠️ 5 transfers/month limit |
| Minna no Ginko | Minna no Ginko | Popular for point-earning |
| Wallet+ | Fukuoka Bank, Kumamoto Bank + 4 others |
Fee comparison: How much can you save?
Every single one of the 418+ institutions charges ¥0 for ことら送金 (confirmed Jul 2025). Compare with traditional transfer methods:
| Transfer method | Same bank | Other bank (≤¥30,000) | Other bank (>¥30,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ ことら送金 | ¥0 | ¥0 | — (max ¥100,000) |
| Bank window | ¥0–330 | ¥660–990 | ¥880–990 |
| ATM (card) | ¥0–110 | ¥220–440 | ¥440–660 |
| Internet banking | ¥0 | ¥110–150 | ¥110–330 |
5 cross-bank ATM transfers/month (¥440 each) → Save ¥26,400/year
If using bank windows (¥880 each) → Save ¥52,800/year
Additional benefit: at SBI Sumishin Net Bank and SBI Shinsei Bank, ことら送金 does not consume your monthly free regular transfer quota, effectively giving you unlimited free small transfers on top of your existing allocation.
Transfer limits by bank
The per-transaction limit is ¥1–¥100,000 (non-adjustable). Daily and monthly limits vary by bank:
| Bank / App | Per transfer | Daily limit | Monthly limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUFG Bank | ¥100,000 | ¥500,000 | None | Highest daily limit among megabanks |
| SMBC | ¥100,000 | ¥0–500,000 | None | Requires SafetyPass to raise limit |
| SBI Sumishin | ¥100,000 | ¥500,000 | None | Fixed, no transaction count limit |
| SBI Shinsei | ¥100,000 | ¥100,000 | None | |
| Japan Post Bank | ¥100,000 | — | 5 times/month | ⚠️ Most restrictive limit |
| Bank Pay | ¥100,000 | ¥100,000 | None | |
| Wallet+ | ¥100,000 | — | ¥300,000/30 days |
Five key advantages
✅ 1. Direct bank account deposit = Real cash
Unlike PayPay (deposits to e-wallet) or 楽天キャッシュ (deposits to Rakuten wallet), ことら送金 deposits directly into the recipient’s bank account. The money can be withdrawn at ATMs, used for automatic bill payments, or mortgage deductions — no “cash-out” step needed.
✅ 2. Cross-platform interoperability
SMBC app → Minna no Ginko, Bank Pay → SBI Sumishin — any supported app can send to any other. PayPay only works with PayPay users, Rakuten only with Rakuten users. ことら breaks these walls.
✅ 3. Privacy protection
When sending by phone number or email, the recipient doesn’t need to share their bank account details. Safer for splitting bills and peer-to-peer transactions.
✅ 4. True 24/7/365 instant settlement
Traditional internet banking transfers may be delayed outside business hours. ことら送金 arrives instantly even at midnight, on weekends, and holidays.
✅ 5. Zero fees across all institutions
All 418+ institutions charge nothing. No more calculating “same bank or different bank?” or “over or under ¥30,000?” — it’s always free.
Comparison with PayPay, 楽天キャッシュ, and others
| Feature | ことら送金 | PayPay Transfer | 楽天キャッシュ | Bank transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | ¥0 | ¥0 | ¥0 | ¥110–990 |
| Max per transfer | ¥100,000 | ¥100,000 | ¥100,000 | Millions of yen |
| Speed | Instant | Instant | Instant | May be next business day |
| What recipient gets | Bank balance (cash) | PayPay balance (e-money) | 楽天キャッシュ (e-money) | Bank balance (cash) |
| Cash-out fee | ¥0 (already cash) | ¥100 PayPay Bank excepted | ¥0 (Rakuten Bank only) | ¥0 |
| Cross-platform | ✅ Any supported app | ❌ PayPay only | ❌ Rakuten only | ✅ All banks |
| Coverage | 418+ institutions | PayPay users only | Rakuten users only | All banks |
Note: LINE Pay’s domestic personal transfer service ended on October 22, 2024, making ことら送金 an increasingly important alternative.
Point-earning strategies (ポイ活)
The “bank circulation” strategy (銀行ぐるぐるポイ活)
A popular strategy among savvy savers in Japan:
- Send regular bank transfers (which count as 被振込) to banks that reward incoming transfers → Earn points
- Use ことら送金 to recover the funds for free → Zero cost
- Repeat monthly → Ongoing passive income
Sending bank → Regular transfer
(uses free quota) → Target bank
Earn points ✨ → ことら送金
Free recovery ¥0 → SBI Sumishin
Funds returned
Banks that pay for incoming transfers
| Bank | Condition | Monthly max |
|---|---|---|
| V NEOBANK | ¥10,000 × 25 incoming transfers | 500 points |
| Dai-ichi Life NEOBANK | ¥10,000 × 25 incoming transfers | 500 points |
| Rakuten Bank (regular + Dai-ichi Life branches) | ¥3,000 × 5 transfers × 2 branches | ¥300 |
| SBI Shinsei Bank | ¥10,000 × 5 incoming transfers | ¥250 |
| Minna no Ginko | ¥1,000 × 10 incoming transfers | ¥100 |
| JAL NEOBANK | ¥30,000 × 15 incoming transfers | 150 miles |
⚠️ How to prevent auto-switch (essential for ポイ活)
Since SBI Sumishin Net Bank auto-switches qualifying transfers to ことら送金 (which won’t count as 被振込), point-earners use these workarounds:
Method 1: Don’t agree to ことら terms on your sending branch (e.g., Fruits branch), while enabling ことら on a separate NEOBANK branch for fund recovery.
Method 2: Change the sender name by one character (e.g., add a space) to break the auto-switch condition.
Method 3: On the confirmation screen, tap “振込に変更する” to manually switch back to regular transfer.
Other smart uses
🍽️ Bill-splitting for credit card points
At group dinners, one person pays the full bill with a high-reward credit card (earning 1–3% back), and everyone reimburses via ことら送金 for free. The organizer earns credit card points on the whole amount.
🏠 Save on rent transfers
If your landlord is an individual (not a management company) with a personal account at a supported institution and monthly rent is ¥100,000 or less, use ことら送金 for zero-fee rent payments. Save ¥3,000–6,000/year.
Note: Does not work for corporate/management company accounts (ことら doesn’t support business accounts)
🔗 ことら + AirWallet combo
These two services are complementary: ことら covers 418+ institutions (but not Rakuten/PayPay Bank), while AirWallet covers Rakuten Bank (but slower and only for own accounts). Use ことら for everything possible, AirWallet for Rakuten Bank.
Campaigns & promotions
Since ことら送金 is already free, dedicated campaigns are relatively rare. Most promotions come from individual banks. Notable recent campaigns:
🏦 SBI Shinsei Bank Cash Present Program
Active through Mar 31, 2026
Cash bonuses for various banking activities. ことら送金 helps preserve your free regular transfer quota for other point-earning activities.
🏦 Minna no Ginko Winter 2025 Bonus
Active through Apr 15, 2026
Deposit ¥100,000+ in a designated box → Enter lottery for ¥10,000 (100 winners). ¥500,000+ gets a W Chance. ことら送金 is officially recommended as a free funding method.
🏦 Minna no Ginko Special Interest Rate
Active through Apr 30, 2026
New account holders get 1.3% annual interest (1.5% for Premium members) on up to ¥1,000,000 for 4 months.
10 things ことら送金 can’t do
- Transfer over ¥100,000 — Hard cap per transaction, cannot be changed
- Send to corporate/business accounts — Person-to-person (P2P) only
- Cancel or reverse a transfer — Once sent, it’s irreversible. Always verify the recipient name first
- Send internationally — Domestic Japan only; non-resident accounts excluded
- Transfer to/from Rakuten Bank or PayPay Bank — These banks are not participants
- Use via ATM, bank window, or PC — Smartphone app only
- Send to PayPay, 楽天ペイ, or other e-wallet balances — Bank accounts only (exception: BANKIT wallet)
- Attach messages with account number transfers — Messages only work via phone/email
- Count as “被振込” for bank rewards — Does not trigger incoming transfer bonuses
- Send from overseas — Requires a Japanese mobile environment and compatible app
Latest developments
📱 MUFG Bank own-app integration (Oct 29, 2025)
Japan’s largest retail bank enabled ことら送金 directly in its own app with a generous daily limit of ¥500,000 — the highest among megabanks. Previously required Bank Pay as an intermediary.
📱 BANKIT joins ことら (Apr 21, 2025)
Aplus (SBI Shinsei Group) became the first non-bank fund transfer operator to join, opening the door for future payment apps like PayPay or 楽天ペイ (no timeline announced).
📵 LINE Pay domestic transfers ended (Oct 22, 2024)
LINE Pay’s domestic P2P transfer function was permanently discontinued, pushing users toward ことら送金 as an alternative.
Looking ahead, NRI (Nomura Research Institute) has noted potential expansion into B2C store payments and B2B merchant settlements, positioning ことら as a low-cost payment rail that could complement the traditional Zengin System.
Action plan
ことら送金 has grown into a 418+ institution, ¥1.5 trillion infrastructure. Here’s how to get started:
-
Open accounts at ことら-supported banks
Recommended combo: SBI Sumishin Net Bank (auto-switch + many free transfers) + SMBC (Olive ecosystem) + Minna no Ginko (point-earning)
-
Install the banking app and enable ことら送金
Agree to the ことら terms in the app and register your phone number/email for receiving
-
Stop paying transfer fees immediately
Bill splitting, family transfers, moving money between your accounts — all ¥0 with ことら
-
Advanced: Bank circulation ポイ活
Use ことら for free fund recovery, earning ¥2,000+/month in incoming transfer rewards
-
For Rakuten/PayPay Bank: Use AirWallet
The two unsupported banks can be reached via AirWallet for free transfers
FAQ
❓ What is ことら送金?
A zero-fee, instant person-to-person bank transfer service in Japan, operated by Cotra Ltd. (founded by five megabanks). Supports 418+ institutions with transfers up to ¥100,000. No standalone app — it’s built into banking apps.
❓ Is it really completely free?
Yes. All 418+ participating institutions charge ¥0. Each institution can set their own fee, but as of now, every single one has chosen zero.
❓ Does my bank support it?
All five megabanks, Japan Post Bank, SBI Sumishin, SBI Shinsei, and Minna no Ginko are supported. Rakuten Bank and PayPay Bank are NOT supported. Check the full list at ことら’s official site.
❓ How is it different from PayPay Transfer?
The biggest difference: ことら送金 deposits into the recipient’s bank account (cash), while PayPay Transfer deposits into their PayPay balance (e-wallet) — withdrawing costs ¥100. ことら works across different apps; PayPay is PayPay-to-PayPay only.
❓ Can I earn points?
ことら送金 itself doesn’t generate points, and incoming transfers don’t count as 被振込. However, it’s essential for the bank circulation ポイ活 strategy, which can earn ¥2,000+/month when combined with regular transfers.
❓ Can I cancel a wrong transfer?
No. ことら送金 transfers are irreversible once sent. Always verify the recipient’s name using the 名義確認照会 (name verification) feature before sending.