Shuttle Pay（シャトルペイ） is a prepaid card service for children in Japan. It is operated by シャトル株式会社, with cards issued by TOMOWEL Payment Service株式会社. Its core positioning is not general payment acquiring or a business wallet, but a family-oriented tool for managing children’s pocket money and helping them build healthy financial habits. Children can use the card for online and offline purchases at Mastercard merchants, while parents can transfer money, view spending, and manage the card through the app.
The product offers separate, optimized apps for parents and children; if a child does not have a phone, they can use the card only. Parents can transfer money to the child’s card using an existing credit card, with support for Mastercard, VISA, JCB, American Express, and Diners Club. Spending on the child side relies on the Mastercard merchant network, although the website notes that some merchants may not accept the card. Management features include real-time spending notifications, visualized spending history, monthly category reports, an automatic pocket-money ledger, savings goals, scheduled automatic transfers, and reward-based pocket money for completing chores or tasks.
The website currently shows a 1-month free trial and explicitly states that money can be sent “at any time with no transfer fee,” meaning parents are not charged a fee when transferring money to their child. However, monthly fees, card issuance fees, top-up fees, refunds, cross-border transactions, and foreign-exchange-related costs are not disclosed. On the compliance side, only the card issuer and operating company are disclosed; there is no visible license number, safeguarding information, KYC process, or explanation of identity verification for minors. Risk controls are mainly positioned around parental supervision, such as real-time alerts, early detection of unusually large spending, and the ability to pause card usage in the app, rather than disclosure of a professional anti-fraud system.
Its strengths are its focused use case and well-rounded design around children’s spending education, making it suitable for Japanese families that want to reduce cash-based pocket money and help children develop budgeting and saving habits. The Mastercard network also gives it relatively broad usability. Its limitations are the lack of transparency around fees and compliance details. At present, up to 2 cards are supported, while support for 3 or more cards is still planned. Limits, settlement times, and customer support details are also not disclosed.
The website does not provide information on access, card issuance, or payment support for mainland China, so availability from China is unknown. For families in China looking for similar options, more practical alternatives usually include children’s bank accounts, family-shared bank cards, Alipay/WeChat family cards, or pocket-money management features. Comparable international products include Greenlight, GoHenry, Revolut <18, and Kyash.
⚠ This review is compiled from public sources and does not constitute a purchase recommendation. Verify all facts on the vendor's official site. Verify on shuttlepay.jp official site.
shuttlepay.jp is an Japan Payments provider. TG4G tracks its product information, an overall rating of 6.0/10, and a China-accessibility score of Limited (proxy recommended). Click "Visit Official Site" to reach shuttlepay.jp directly.