Rakuten Travel Terms of Use

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 (General Provisions)

1.   These Rakuten Travel Terms of Use (“Terms”)set forth matters to be complied with by users (“User”) of “Rakuten Travel” (as defined in Article 2), a travel reservation website operated by Rakuten, Inc. (“Rakuten”).

2.   When using Rakuten Travel, the User shall comply with these Terms, and any supplementary terms, rules, guidelines, etc., and if the User is a Rakuten member, shall also comply with the Terms and Conditions for Rakuten Membership (collectively “Terms, etc.”).

3.   When the User uses Rakuten Travel, the User shall be deemed by Rakuten to have agreed to these Terms.

Article 2 (Rakuten Travel)
“Rakuten Travel” refers to an Internet general travel website which provides Accommodations Reservation Services, Air Ticket Reservation Services, Organized Tour Implementation Services, Organized Tour Reservation Services, Bus Tour Reservation Services, Transportation Vehicle Reservation Services, Car Rental Services, and other transportation reservation services (collectively “Reservation Service”), along with tourist and leisure information, tour advertisements, user questionnaires, posted information, and service information posted by service providers (defined in Article 10, Paragraph 2), and other travel-related information (collectively “Travel Information Service”).

Chapter 2 Reservation Services

Article 3 (Accommodations Reservation Service)

1.   Accommodations Reservation Service refers to the service of arranging affiliated accommodations facilities provided by Rakuten or a person who makes the entire or partial arrangement on behalf of Rakuten (“Arrangement Agent”) as an intermediary, in accordance with the Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Arranged Tour Contracts), or the service of planning and implementing the accommodations service of Rakuten in accordance with Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Agent-organized Tour Contracts).

2.   The contents and conditions of Accommodations Reservation Service shall be as provided by the Terms, etc., as well as the Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Arranged Tour Contracts) or Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Agent-organized Tour Contract), and Tour Terms and Conditions separately issued or presented to the User by Rakuten.

Article 4 (Air Ticket Reservation Service)

1.   Air Ticket Reservation Service refers to the service of arranging the purchase excursion air tickets and discount air tickets that the User uses for travel in Japan or overseas by Rakuten or Arrangement Agent through an affiliated transportation organization, in accordance with Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Arranged Tour Contracts).

2.   The contents and conditions of Air Ticket Reservation Service shall be as provided by the Terms, etc., as well as the Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Arranged Tour Contracts) and Tour Terms and Conditions separately issued or presented to the User by Rakuten.

Article 5 (Organized Tour Implementation Service)

1.   Organized Tour Implementation Service refers to the service of planning and implementing a travel service of Rakuten by arranging affiliated accommodations facilities and transportation organizations by Rakuten (including an Arrangement Agent of Rakuten) provided to the User in accordance with Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Agent-organized Tour Contracts).

2.   The contents and conditions of Organized Tour Implementation Service shall be as provided by the Terms, etc., as well as the Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Agent-organized Tour Contracts) and Terms and Conditions separately issued or presented to the User by Rakuten.

Article 6 (Organized Tour Reservation Service)

1.   Organized Tour Reservation Service refers to the service in which Rakuten acts as a consignment travel agency on behalf of a travel company and concludes travel contracts relating to the planning and implementation of agent-organized tours by a travel company contracted with Rakuten, in accordance with Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Agent-organized Tour Contracts).

2.   The role of Rakuten in relation to the Organized Tour Reservation Service shall be limited to concluding travel contracts concerning the implementation of agent-organized tours by a travel company as an agent of the travel company, and assumes no liability with respect to said travel contracts themselves.

3.   The contents and conditions of travel contracts set forth in Paragraph 1 shall be as provided by the Terms, etc., as well as the Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts and Tour Terms and Conditions separately issued or presented to the User by the travel company.

Article 7 (Bus Tour Reservation Service)

1.   Bus Tour Reservation Service refers to the travel contract conclusion service in which Rakuten Travel Service, Inc. accepts reservations and, on behalf of a travel company it is partnered with, concludes contracts with the User for organized travel products relating to the planning and implementation of organized express bus and bus tours by the travel company. Rakuten acts as an intermediary for the conclusion of a travel contract between the User and Rakuten Travel Service, Inc. on behalf of the travel company, by using Rakuten Travel.

2.   The role of Rakuten in relation to the Bus Tour Reservation Service shall be limited to acting as an intermediary for the signing of travel contracts between a User and Rakuten Travel Service, Inc. on behalf of a travel company, and the role of Rakuten Travel Service, Inc. in relation to the Bus Tour Reservation Service shall be limited to the signing of contracts for organized tour products with the User as an agent of a travel company. Rakuten or Rakuten Travel Service, Inc. assumes no liability with respect to said travel contracts themselves.

3.   The contents and conditions of travel contracts set forth in Paragraph 1 shall be as provided by the Terms, etc., as well as the Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts and Tour Terms and Conditions separately issued or presented to the User by Rakuten Travel Service, Inc. or the travel company.

Article 8 (Transportation Vehicle Reservation Service)

1.   Transportation Vehicle Reservation Service refers to the service in which Rakuten Travel Service, Inc. accepts reservations from tourists via a reservation system of Rakuten Travel and arranges transportation of buses, taxis, marine vessels, and other transportation vehicles (collectively, “Transportation Vehicles”) operated or piloted by a common omnibus operator or a vessel operator (collectively, “Operators”) affiliated with Rakuten Travel Service, Inc., as an intermediary, in accordance with the Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts (Arranged Tour Contracts).

2.   The role of Rakuten in the Transportation Vehicle Reservation Service shall be limited to providing the User with a reservation platform and permitting use of a system for the reservation of Transportation Vehicles, etc., and Rakuten does not become a party to the contract concerning the reservation or use of Transportation Vehicles, etc., and assumes no liability whatsoever for the reservation or use of Transportation Vehicles, etc.

3.   The contents and conditions of the Transportation Vehicle Reservation Service shall be as provided by the Terms, etc., as well as the Standard Terms and Conditions of Travel Contracts and Tour Terms and Conditions separately issued or presented to the User by Rakuten Travel Service, Inc. or the Operators.

Article 9 (Car Rental Reservation Service)

1.   Car Rental Reservation Service refers to a service that uses the reservation system of Rakuten which allows the User to make a reservation through Rakuten Travel for a rental car or any other optional services (“Car Rental Services”) provided by car rental companies affiliated with Rakuten.

2.   The role of Rakuten in the Car Rental Reservation Service shall be limited to providing the User with a reservation platform and permitting use of a system for the reservation of Car Rental Services, and Rakuten does not become a party to the contract concerning reservation or the use of the Car Rental Service, and assumes no liability whatsoever for the reservation or use of the Car Rental Service.

3.   The contents and conditions of Car Rental Services shall be as provided separately by the individual car rental companies.

Chapter 3 Use of “Rakuten Travel”

Article 10 (Method of Use)

1.   When using the Reservation Service or Travel Information Service at Rakuten Travel, the User shall read and understand the contents of the Terms, etc. before using such services.

2.   When using services provided by any accommodations facilities, transportation companies, car rental companies, activity companies, or any other travel-related service provider (collectively, “Service Provider”) of travel services (“Services”) with which Rakuten has entered into a contract, the User shall thoroughly check the terms and conditions, general conditions, rules and guidelines, and other stipulations provided by the Service Provider before using such Services.

3.   To use the Reservation Service, the User shall, as a rule, agree to Terms and Conditions for Rakuten Member and register as a Rakuten member.

4.   When using Rakuten Travel, the User shall, in a manner prescribed by Rakuten, register their name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and other current and accurate information specified by Rakuten.

Article 11 (Acceptance of Reservations by the Call Center)

1.   Rakuten Travel has a separate provision within Reservation Services in which the User can conduct procedures separately provided by Rakuten, such as making a reservation and changing and canceling the reservation without using the Internet, but via Rakuten’s Call Center.

2.   When making, changing, or canceling, etc. a reservation in accordance with preceding paragraph, the User agrees to comply with the “Rakuten Travel Reservation Center Terms of Service” , which is a part of the Terms, etc.

Article 12 (Issuance of Tour Terms and Conditions, etc. Through the Internet)
Rakuten may, and the User agrees in advance that Rakuten will, in lieu of issuing a document explaining transaction conditions as provided in Article 12-4 paragraph 2 of the Travel Agency Act and a document stating the terms of contract as provided in Article 12-5 paragraph 1 of the same Act, provide the User with the information to be stated in such documents, by either of the following methods, in accordance with the provisions of Article 12-4, paragraph 3 and Article 12-5, paragraph 2 of the same Act:

(1)  By posting the information on a specific website of Rakuten Travel when the User makes a reservation; or

(2)  By sending the information via email to the email address registered by the User.

Chapter 4 Rakuten points

Article 13 (Rakuten points)

1.   Rakuten will allocate Rakuten points (“Points”) to the User (but shall be limited to users who have registered as Rakuten members upon agreement to Terms and Conditions for Rakuten Membership, which shall apply hereinafter in this chapter) according to a ratio determined by Rakuten when the User uses service eligible for Points provided separately by Rakuten.

2.   The User shall be able to use the Points for up to 100% of the cost of the price in the Reservation Service. However, Points may not be used if, at the time of booking, a website posts clearly stating that it is not eligible for Points or in other instances specified by Rakuten.

3.   The allocation and use of points on Rakuten Travel for items not stipulated in these Terms shall be in accordance with the “Rakuten points Terms of Use” as stipulated by Rakuten.

Article 14 (Calculation of Charged Amounts and Used Points)

1.   Points that are used shall be calculated at a predetermined ratio by Rakuten.

2.   If a reservation is paid by Rakuten points and an actual service is received, newly-allocated Points shall be based on the travel fee (including consumption tax, VAT, and other taxes) including the used Points, provided, however, that this shall not apply in cases otherwise specified by Rakuten.

Article 15 (Method of Specifying Used Points)

1.   The limit of the number of Points that can be used for one booking and the limit of the number of Points that can be used within one month (including use at Rakuten Travel, Rakuten Ichiba, and other services of Rakuten) shall be complied with as stipulated separately by Rakuten.

2.   The User shall specify the number of used Points in accordance with the method predetermined by Rakuten, and shall not be able to specify Points by any other method.

3.   The used Points specified when making a reservation shall be promptly deducted from the number of Points held by the User after the reservation is completed.

Article 16 (Changing the Number of Used Points)

1.   The User shall not be able to change or cancel the number of used Points specified when a reservation is made.

2.   If the User changes the content of a reservation and the number of used Points specified when the reservation was made exceeds the charged amount after changing, as a rule, the difference in the number of Points shall be automatically transferred to the balance of Points held by the Rakuten member. However, the processing of the Points may take until the following day, provided that the Rakuten member directly contacts the service suppliers or providers.

3.   If the User changes the content of the reservation and the number of used Points specified when the reservation was made is lower than the charged amount after changing, the number of used Points will not change and shall be applied as is for the charged amount after changing.

4.   When a User changes or cancels a reservation, the Points shall be applied to payment of the change fee or cancellation fee. However, if stipulated separately by Rakuten, the Points may not be applied to payment of the change fee and cancellation fee.

Chapter 5 (Payment)

Article 17 (Reference Price)

1.   In accordance with the payment method of the User, Rakuten may convert the fee paid by the User to Rakuten or Service Provider into a fee denominated in a currency Rakuten deems to be optimal for the User based on a predetermined exchange rate of Rakuten, and display it as a reference price.

2.   Notwithstanding the reference price set forth in the preceding paragraph, the User shall confirm the final fee displayed on the reservation screen and confirm the reservation.

Article 18 (Method of Payment)
In using the Reservation Service, the User shall pay the usage fee of the service in accordance with the following items. Items that do not comply with the following provision shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Tour Terms and Conditions.

(1)    A credit card or other payment method provided by Rakuten when paying at the time of making a reservation of a service (“Pay in Advance”) (2)    Cash or other method provided by Service Provider when making a payment when using a service (“Pay at Local”)

Article 19 (Settlement by a Credit Card)

1.   If an individual Reservation Service has restriction on a credit cards that can be used, such provision shall take precedence.

2.   A credit card that can be used for the settlement shall be limited to a credit card in the name of the User him/herself (if the person who makes a reservation and the person who actually receives the service are different, the person who makes the reservation; the same shall apply hereinafter in this Chapter).

3.   The User shall not use other people’s credit card, enter false credit card information, or engage in any act that is deemed by Rakuten to be inappropriate. Rakuten may seek damages from the User, if Rakuten suffers from any damages due to such act committed by the User.

4.   If a card company refuses to accept the use of a credit card used or selected to be used by the User for the settlement of payment for whatever reason, or if Rakuten considers, based on the standards specified by Rakuten, that the use of the credit card is inappropriate, Rakuten may change the method of settlement, cancel the reservation, or take any other measures Rakuten considers necessary without the User’s consent, and Rakuten assumes no liability whatsoever for any damages arising therefrom incurred by the User.

Article 20 (Adjustment of Fees for Change or Cancellation)

1.   The User shall pay the fees for change or cancellation incurred by the change or cancellation of the content of a reservation by the User in accordance with the method provided by Rakuten, except when stipulated separately by an individual Reservation Service.

2.   The method provided by Rakuten under the provision of the preceding paragraph shall be as follows:
(1)    A method of withdrawing or settling with a credit card specified by the User for the settlement by a credit card when the User selects Pay in Advance (only when selecting settlement by a credit card). (2)    A method of withdrawing or settling by a credit card specified by the User to use the service of Rakuten when the User selects Pay at Local. However, this shall be limited to where the User selects such withdrawal or settlement method.

Chapter 6 Precautions when Using Services

Article 21 (Method of Communication with the User)
Rakuten and the Service Provider may contact the User using the email address, address, telephone number, or other information obtained at the time of reservation or membership registration, as needed. The method of contact shall be selected by Rakuten or Service Provider who contacts the User at its discretion.

Article 22 (Personal Information)
If the User is a Rakuten member, Rakuten shall handle personal information of the User in accordance with its “Privacy Policy” which separately provides for the handling of personal information of the User, and the User shall agree with that.

Article 23 (Prohibition)

1.   The User shall not engage in any of the following acts (including any act Rakuten considers to be likely to fall under such acts) in using Rakuten Travel: (1)    Violate the Terms, etc.; (2)    Infringe upon the rights of, create disadvantages to or bring discomfort to Rakuten and other Rakuten group companies, the Service Provider, other users, and other third parties; (3)    Fail to perform obligations to the Service Provider or Rakuten including payment of travel fees, usage fees, change fees and cancellation fees; (4)    Prevent the Service Provider or Rakuten from contacting the User by registering false or fictitious contact information, or by intentionally refusing to respond; (5)    Use Rakuten Travel for holding a tour, resale the tour to others, or for other commercial purposes; (6)    Use Rakuten Travel for any method other than the methods approved by Rakuten; (7)    Send spam mail, chain mail, junk mail, or other inappropriate mail; (8)    Any act by a User who is a person under the age of 18 (“Youth”) who uses content prohibited by Rakuten or allows a Youth to use a service provided by a Service Provider through said content; (9)    Violate laws, regulations or ordinances, or engage in any act that is against public order and morals; (10)   Engage in any act that is prohibited or considered inappropriate by Rakuten.

2.   When Rakuten considers that the User’s act falls under any of the acts described in the items of the preceding paragraph, Rakuten may suspend the User’s use of Rakuten Travel and/or cancel the membership of the User without prior notice to the User, and Rakuten assumes no liability whatsoever for any damages arising therefrom incurred by the User.

Article 24 (Use of Services by Minors)

1.   If the User is a minor, the Reservation Service shall be used with the consent of a person with parental authority or a guardian.

2.   Notwithstanding the provision of the preceding paragraph, in the event that it is found that the User is a minor using the Reservation Service without the consent of a person with parental authority or a guardian, Rakuten may cancel all or part of the reservation established by such use without prior notice to the User.

Article 25 (Suspension or Interruption of Rakuten Travel)
Rakuten reserves the right to stop or suspend the provision of entire or partial services of Rakuten Travel without prior notice to the User if regular or emergency maintenance of the system needs to be made, the system load is concentrated, the User’s security needs to be ensured, or any other event which is deemed by Rakuten to require such measure.

Article 26 (Force Majeure)
No failure or delay by Rakuten in the performance of an obligation contained in these Terms, etc. shall create any liability for Rakuten when the cause or causes are beyond the control of Rakuten, including, without limitation, acts of God; fires, natural disasters, walkouts, terrorism, wars, suspension, delay, or interruption of systems or loss of data due to defects in communications lines as well as computers, or unauthorized access to data.

Article 27 (Exclusion of Liability)

1.   Rakuten makes no warranty that email sent from the website, server, domain, etc. of Rakuten Travel or the contents of the Reservation Service or Travel Information Service do not contain any computer virus or any other harmful programs.

2.   Rakuten has no obligation to actively monitor the truth, accuracy, reliability, or other nature of the travel-related information posted on Rakuten Travel by Rakuten or the Service Provider as a travel information service.

3.   Rakuten may translate and present travel-related information in the preceding paragraph into a language predetermined by Rakuten, but Rakuten makes no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, and purposiveness of the translation to the User.

4.   Any trouble, dispute, or any other issue between the User and the Service Provider shall be resolved directly between the User and the Service Provider, except in cases otherwise specified in travel contracts or these Terms, etc.

5.   In the event that Rakuten has a responsibility with respect to the User’s use of Rakuten Travel, the liability of Rakuten shall be limited to direct and actual damages, and Rakuten shall indemnify a User against such damages within the limits of a charge payable by the User to Rakuten or the Service Provider, except in cases of willful misconduct or gross negligence, or otherwise specified in travel contracts.

6.   In any of the below cases, the User shall be liable for any loss or damage incurred by the User. (1)    In the event that the User has failed to settle payment by the settlement due date; (2)    In the event that there are defects in the User’s communication routes (including but not limited to email environments) or communication environments; (3)    In the event that the User has committed prohibited conducts set forth in Article 23, Paragraph 1; (4)    In the event that the User has violated any provision of these Terms, etc.; or (5)    Any other case attributable to the User.

Article 28 (Amendments to the Terms, etc.)

1.   Rakuten may amend the Terms, etc. without prior notice to the User, and the amended Terms, etc. shall apply after the amendment of the Terms, etc. If the User uses Rakuten Travel after amendment, the User shall be deemed to have agreed to the amended Terms, etc.

2.   Rakuten may, at its discretion, change or cancel entire or partial services of Rakuten Travel without notifying or contacting the User in advance.

Article 29 (Governing Law and Jurisdiction by Agreement)
The Terms, etc. shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of Japan, and the parties agree that if any litigation in relation to the Terms, etc. needs to be initiated, such litigation shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Tokyo District Court as the court of the first instance.

Article 30 (Language Used for The Terms, etc.)
The Terms, etc. shall be drafted and construed in Japanese. Should Rakuten offer a translation of the Terms, etc. in another language, said translation shall be offered as nothing more than a reference, and the User affirms and agrees that neither party shall be bound in any way by it. Should any discrepancies appear in the Japanese and a translated version of the Terms, etc., the Japanese version shall prevail.

Enacted: September 14, 2004
Revised: May 30, 2016
Revised: October 29, 2018
Revised: March 2, 2020