How to Create a LUUP Account for Japan Ride Passes (2026 Guide)

A LUUP ride pass works only while you are in Japan, in a city on LUUP’s pass list. You need the LUUP app, a phone number that receives SMS (LUUP does not say whether foreign numbers work) and a payment card; LUUP warns that overseas-issued cards may be refused. No refunds. This guide is based on LUUP’s own help pages and terms, and on customer reports where we say so, as of October 2026.

What you need

• A smartphone with iOS 16 or later, or Android 10 or later, with working GPS, camera and internet access. LUUP documents sign-up only in the app; it describes no web sign-up.
• A phone number that receives SMS. LUUP verifies every account with a code sent by international SMS. This is the only method. LUUP publishes nothing on foreign numbers, and reports differ: one user reports that a US number worked after changing the country setting; others report that the SMS never arrived on UK and French numbers, and one that the number was rejected as invalid. Users also report that data-only travel eSIMs do not work, because they have no phone number.
• A payment card. LUUP says a pass cannot be used on its own: a payment method must be registered. It accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and Discover. LUUP warns that overseas-issued, debit and prepaid cards may not work, depending on the issuer. In practice, users report that foreign cards work for some people and fail for others, and that Apple Pay is not offered.
• Your name, date of birth and e-mail address. LUUP’s registration article does not mention a postal address.
• An eligible city. Check the list under “Rules and limits worth knowing” before you buy.
• For e-scooters only: an age document showing you are 16 or older, and a passed traffic rule test. E-bikes need neither.

If you cannot receive the SMS code, LUUP’s help page says the service cannot be used. If no card of yours is accepted, the pass cannot be used either. Consider this before you buy, because the code cannot be returned.

Creating the account

LUUP’s terms allow one account per person, registered by yourself with true and current information. An account may not be lent, transferred or sold.

The app offers English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Users report that some screens stay in Japanese in English mode. LUUP documents the sign-up labels only in Japanese, so they are shown in Japanese below; in English mode the wording on your screen may differ. The LUUP help pages linked in this guide are in Japanese.

In the LUUP app (iPhone and Android)

Before you start:

• Use the phone number you will still have while you ride. LUUP does not let you change the number later. The only way is to delete the account and register again. Ride history and coupons are not carried over, and a deleted account cannot be restored.
• Turn off any VPN. LUUP says a VPN connection can restrict SMS.
• Make sure airplane mode is off and your plan allows international SMS.

1. Install LUUP – RIDE YOUR CITY by Luup, Inc. from the App Store or Google Play. The iPhone app is listed in App Store storefronts outside Japan. We could not confirm that the Android app is offered in every country’s Google Play store.
2. Open the app and tap アカウント登録/ログイン (Register account / Log in).
3. Enter your phone number. One user reports that the country had to be switched to their own before the number was accepted; we cannot confirm what that selector is called.
4. Tap 次へ (Next).
5. Enter the 認証コード (verification code) from the SMS.
6. On the profile screen, enter your 氏名 (name), 生年月日 (date of birth) and メールアドレス (e-mail address). The account is now registered.
7. If an offer screen appears, LUUP limits this free-ride benefit to residents of Japan, judged by its own criteria. If you do not live in Japan, tap 特典を受け取らずにはじめる (start without the benefit). The other button is 受け取ってはじめる (accept the benefit and start).
8. Tap 支払い方法を登録する (Register a payment method).
9. Add your card.

If you will only ride e-bikes, you are finished. LUUP’s own steps are in its account registration article.

Extra steps for e-scooters

Users report that foreign passports and driver’s licenses often fail the scan. LUUP lists the driver’s license, passport, residence card and My Number card as accepted documents, but says nothing about foreign documents. E-bikes avoid this step.

1. Tap the banner on the map. It may not appear until a card is registered.
2. Tap 年齢確認書類の提出 (Submit age-verification document).
3. Choose your document type. It must be your own document.
4. Scroll to the end of the identity-check terms and agree.
5. Photograph the document.
6. Wait for 提出が完了しました (submission complete). LUUP says the result can take from a few minutes up to about 3 hours.
7. Tap 交通ルールテストを受ける (Take the traffic rule test).
8. Answer はい (Yes) or いいえ (No) to each question. You must answer all of them correctly in a row to see 合格 (Passed). Reports differ on whether the test appears in English.

Redeeming the code

The 3 or 12 hours start the moment you register the code, not when your first ride starts. LUUP recommends registering it just before you ride. Do not enter the code at home or at your hotel. Register it before you start the ride: LUUP bills a ride if the code is registered after the ride has started.

1. Go to the vehicle you want to ride, in an eligible city.
2. Open the app and tap the menu button at the top left.
3. Tap Coupon (クーポン).
4. Tap Enter coupon code + (+クーポンコードを入力) at the bottom of the screen.
5. Type the code exactly as it appears in our e-mail. Upper and lower case matter.
6. If a notice about validity appears, read it before you confirm.
7. Wait for クーポン追加完了 (coupon added).
8. Start your ride. The app shows the coupon that will be applied at ride start. It applies automatically; you cannot hold it back for a later ride.
9. End every ride before the 3 or 12 hours run out.

LUUP’s own instructions are in its coupon registration article.

Problems and fixes

• The SMS code does not arrive. Check the number. Turn off VPN and airplane mode, and try again with Wi-Fi off. Allow international SMS on your plan. Update the app and the phone’s system, then restart. After several requests, wait about a day. LUUP’s SMS help article says that if none of this helps, the service cannot be used.
• The number is rejected as invalid. LUUP offers no fix. One user reports that changing the country setting solved it.
• The app says it is not available in your region. One user reports this, and another that the app did not recognize they were in Japan while roaming. The cause is unknown and we know of no fix.
• The card is refused. Check the expiry date order and the security code, then try another card. LUUP says it cannot tell you why a card failed.
• A ride is marked as failed and you cannot start the next ride. The ride shows Payment failed (決済失敗). Open the menu, tap Ride History (ライド履歴), select the failed ride and follow the screen. See LUUP’s payment error article.
• The code gives an error. Check upper and lower case. If it still fails, send a screenshot of the error to support@japan-codes.com.
• You were charged in full despite the pass. The usual causes are a city where the pass does not apply, a ride that ended after the window, or a code registered after the ride had started.
• The document scan fails. Submit a sharper photo, or ride e-bikes only.
• The pass ran out before you rode. This cannot be undone.

Rules and limits worth knowing

• What is covered: ride fares for rides that end inside the 3-hour or 12-hour window. You can take any number of rides and change vehicles.
• What is not covered: LUUP’s coupon article says a ride whose end time is past the expiry is not covered, and its pass article says ride time outside the window, or a code registered after the ride has started, is billed to your card. The normal rate is a base fee of 50 yen plus 25 yen per minute in Tokyo, 20 yen in Osaka and Shin-Osaka/Esaka, and 15 yen elsewhere.
• Not divisible: the hours run in one block and cannot be split across days.
• Deadline: LUUP says the code must be registered in the app within 6 months of purchase. We cannot say from LUUP’s pages how that date is counted for a code bought through a reseller, so do not count on the full 6 months: buy close to your trip and use the code on that trip.
• No refunds: LUUP states that passes cannot be returned, exchanged, cashed out, reissued or refunded, and unused time is not paid back.
• Eligible areas, per LUUP’s ride pass article: Tokyo, Osaka (not Kindai University), Shin-Osaka/Esaka, Kyoto (not Maizuru), Yokohama, Kawasaki, Kobe, Asagiri, Utsunomiya, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Sendai, Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Onojo, Takamatsu, Hamamatsu, Naha, Sapporo, Tsu and Saitama. One Japanese retail listing for these passes also excludes Nesta Resort Kobe; LUUP’s own page does not mention it, so treat it as a possible exclusion.
• Areas where the pass does not work: the “LUUP for Community” areas, which include Takayama, Maizuru, Toyama, Yamanakako/Fujiyoshida, Biei and others. Check LUUP’s list of these areas. Okazaki appears on both of LUUP’s lists; the newer page excludes it, so plan as if the pass does not work there.
• Residence: LUUP’s terms contain no rule on residence, overseas users or VPN use. Residence in Japan is required only for its promotions (the new-account free rides and the first free month of the subscription plan).
• Parking: end each ride in the LUUP port you booked in the app. LUUP’s fare page says a penalty, separate from the fare, applies for breaches of its terms. Users report 30,000 yen for parking outside the port; we have not confirmed the amount on LUUP’s pages.
• Subscription plan: the app also sells a monthly plan that renews automatically. Users report signing up by accident. You do not need it to use a pass. LUUP says auto-renewal must be stopped in the app by the day before the renewal date, and the monthly fee is not refunded.
• Height: LUUP does not allow anyone under 140 cm to ride.
• Scooters: riders must be 16 or older and must consent to the police sharing violation data with LUUP.

FAQ

Can I use the pass outside Japan?

No. The pass covers LUUP rides in the listed Japanese cities and nothing else.

Can I create the account before I travel?

LUUP does not document whether sign-up or card registration can be completed from outside Japan, so we cannot say. If you try, do not enter the pass code until you are standing at a vehicle in Japan.

Will my home phone number work?

It is uncertain. LUUP has no published statement, and user reports go both ways. If your number cannot receive the SMS, the alternative is a SIM or eSIM that comes with an SMS-capable number.

Do I need a passport or driver’s license?

Not for e-bikes. LUUP sets no age limit, ID or test for them, but riders must be at least 140 cm tall. E-scooters need an age document and the traffic test, but no driver’s license.

Can I buy the pass inside the app?

No. LUUP sells these passes only as codes through outside retailers, and users confirm there is no in-app purchase.

Can two people share one pass?

LUUP’s terms forbid letting another person use your account, and a code is registered to one account. Plan on one account and one code per rider.

You can find the 3-hour and 12-hour codes on our LUUP ride pass page. General questions about orders and delivery are answered in our FAQ. For anything else, write to support@japan-codes.com.

Last updated: October 2026. Screens and menu names change. If something looks different, check the provider’s help pages linked above.