viviON, the company running major Japanese digital content platform DLsite, announced on December 19 that it will launch its own official credit card, meant to ensure consumers can use DLsite and related services “with peace of mind.” Offered through the domestic credit card company JCB, the “viviON JCB Card” appears to be yet another effort by the company to offer self-reliant methods of payment.
DLsite is home to a range of content – both adult and SFW – including comics, games, doujinshi and ASMR published by indies and big companies alike. In April 2024, the platform ran into trouble with international payment processors (after refusing to do away with its 18+ content), leading to payments via VISA, Mastercard and American Express being suspended on the platform. To this day, the domestic JCB is the only credit card brand supported on the site.
Likely to counter this, viviON has decided to issue its own credit cards. Specifically, the viviON JCB card is a so-called virtual credit card users can create through a dedicated mobile app free of charge (opting for a physical card comes with a $20 fee). To encourage adoption, the company will be offering a 4% point return rate for purchases made on DLsite and other viviON services from January 26 to July 31, 2026.
Interestingly, this comes after viviON launched a semi-in-house direct payment method called Minna no Ginko in October this year. It seems the company is trying to secure as many alternatives as possible after losing the widely adopted Visa and Mastercard.
Related articles: Japan’s DLsite launches experimental service for playing SFW and adult doujin PC games on mobile devices
