Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/

---
description: Kofu’s fifth voucher round plans 148,000 digital units and 160,000 paper booklets. Merchant recruitment opened October 13; consumer spending starts in December.
title: Kofu opens fifth premium voucher round to merchants
image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-164a9f177bbd17c42f526e98748457e7.jpg
---

1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/)
2. [Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/)

# Kofu opens merchant recruitment for fifth premium voucher round

Kofu plans 148,000 digital units and 160,000 paper booklets, each providing JPY10,000 for JPY5,000, as it opens the fifth round to merchants.

By [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) October 13, 2026 3 min read [ Google News ](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=giftcard.news&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) 

Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fkofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Kofu+opens+merchant+recruitment+for+fifth+premium+voucher+round&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fkofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Kofu+opens+merchant+recruitment+for+fifth+premium+voucher+round+https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fkofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "WhatsApp") 

![Kofu City’s official website identification artwork with the Takeda Shingen statue and city name.](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-city-s-official-website-w1200.webp) 

 Municipal website identification artwork showing the Takeda Shingen statue. It identifies the voucher issuer and does not depict the fifth-round launch or customers. Photo: Kofu City 

Kofu has opened merchant recruitment for a fifth round of premium shopping vouchers, with residents due to pay JPY5,000 for JPY10,000 of local spending value. The municipal issuer began accepting participating businesses on October 13, 2026; consumer applications and spending will follow in November and December. [\[S1\]](#article-source-1)

The [City of Kofu](https://giftcard.news/organization/city-of-kofu/) plans 148,000 [PayPay](https://giftcard.news/company/paypay/) digital units and 160,000 paper booklets. Each carries the same JPY10,000 face value and 100% premium on the purchase price. Together, those allocations would represent JPY3.08 billion of spending value if fully issued, a calculation from the planned quantities rather than an observed sales total. [\[S1\]](#article-source-1)

The data behind the story 

### Planned units in Kofu’s fifth voucher round

The municipal issuer’s allocation for the fifth programme, with each digital unit or paper booklet carrying JPY10,000 of spending value.

 Planned allocation 

JPY10,000 units

Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.

Source 

Kofu City: fifth premium voucher programme

These are planned allocations for the December 16, 2026 to April 30, 2027 use period, not purchased or redeemed vouchers. Every unit costs JPY5,000\. A paper booklet consists of smaller JPY500 vouchers; the chart counts whole booklets, not individual slips.

Show data tableHide data table 

Scroll left or right to see all columns 

__Planned units in Kofu’s fifth voucher round (JPY10,000 units)__
| Category             | Planned allocation      |
| -------------------- | ----------------------- |
| PayPay digital units | 148,000 JPY10,000 units |
| Paper booklets       | 160,000 JPY10,000 units |

Residents must choose either digital or paper vouchers, with applications scheduled for November 2-25\. The maximum is three units or booklets per person, costing JPY15,000 for JPY30,000 of value. That ceiling is not a guaranteed allocation: the official FAQ allows the purchase limit to be adjusted or a lottery to be held if applications exceed supply. The scheme is not first come, first served. [\[S1\]](#article-source-1)[\[S3\]](#article-source-3)

Purchase and use are scheduled to begin on December 16, 2026 and end on April 30, 2027\. Successful digital applicants will receive a voucher code and buy through PayPay. Successful paper applicants will receive an exchange postcard and pay cash at a designated city post office. These are alternative distribution routes within the same round, rather than separate benefits a resident can combine. [\[S1\]](#article-source-1)[\[S2\]](#article-source-2)

The choice also affects redemption. Digital balances can be spent in JPY1 increments, while paper vouchers are denominated in JPY500 and do not provide change. Shops may accept digital vouchers, paper vouchers or both. The official guidance therefore directs applicants to check the relevant acceptance list before choosing a format. [\[S2\]](#article-source-2)[\[S3\]](#article-source-3)[\[S4\]](#article-source-4)

For businesses, the fifth round preserves registration from the fourth: existing participating merchants do not need to submit a new application, although the city provides a route to withdraw. New entrants can apply, and digital acceptance requires a merchant contract with PayPay. Under the programme terms, paper-voucher settlement passes through local branches of [Yamanashi Chuo Bank](https://giftcard.news/company/yamanashi-chuo-bank/); digital settlement follows PayPay’s procedures. [\[S1\]](#article-source-1)[\[S4\]](#article-source-4)

That continuity reduces repeat enrolment for existing shops while retaining two payment and settlement channels. It does not establish that the two formats have identical merchant coverage or economics. The reviewed fifth-round documents disclose planned quantities and operating rules, but no completed sales, redemptions or independently measured increase in retailer revenue. The preceding fourth round is a separate issue and cannot supply results for this one.

## In this article

### Companies

* [PayPay](https://giftcard.news/company/paypay/)
* [Yamanashi Chuo Bank](https://giftcard.news/company/yamanashi-chuo-bank/)

### Organizations

* [City of Kofu](https://giftcard.news/organization/city-of-kofu/)

### Sources and documents

* [\[S1\] Municipal fifth-round notice, opening dates and planned allocation](https://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/shoko/daigodan.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Kofu City
* [\[S2\] Complete current fifth-round implementation page](https://kofu-premium.jp/5th/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Kofu premium voucher programme
* [\[S3\] Current fifth-round consumer FAQ](https://kofu-premium.jp/5th/faq.html?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Kofu premium voucher programme
* [\[S4\] Complete fifth-round merchant terms enacted October 13](https://kofu-premium.jp/5th/shop-entry/pdf/kofu-premium5%5Fshop%5Fkiyaku.pdf?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Kofu City

Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fkofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Kofu+opens+merchant+recruitment+for+fifth+premium+voucher+round&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fkofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Kofu+opens+merchant+recruitment+for+fifth+premium+voucher+round+https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fkofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "WhatsApp") 

![Portrait of Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) 

About the author

## [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/)

Journalist — Gift Cards & Digital Gifting

Suzie Elis covers gift card products, digital gifting and distribution for Gift Card News.

From reading to building

## Your next move in gift cards.

Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you explore suitable providers.

[Find a provider ](https://giftcard.news/find-a-provider/) 

## Related articles

[Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) News 

### [Plano plans a second holiday gift-card bonus round](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/plano-downtown-holiday-gift-card-bonus-2026/)

[Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) October 29, 2026 2 min 

[Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) News 

### [Toast adds bonus gift-card balances to online purchase promotions](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/toast-bonus-gift-card-balances-online-purchase-promotions/)

[Daniel Brooks](https://giftcard.news/author/daniel-brooks/) October 21, 2026 3 min 

[Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) News 

### [Tillo adds needs-based gift cards to GiftWellSoon care registries](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/tillo-giftwellsoon-care-registry-gift-cards/)

[Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) October 21, 2026 3 min

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher","name":"Gift Card News","url":"https://giftcard.news/","description":"News and analysis covering gift cards, retail, loyalty, rewards and payments worldwide.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/icon-512.png","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/icon-512.png","width":512,"height":512,"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#logo"},"publishingPrinciples":"https://giftcard.news/editorial-policy/","correctionsPolicy":"https://giftcard.news/editorial-policy/"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#website","url":"https://giftcard.news/","name":"Gift Card News","description":"News and analysis covering gift cards, retail, loyalty, rewards and payments worldwide.","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://giftcard.news/search/?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/#person","name":"Suzie Elis","url":"https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/","description":"Suzie Elis covers gift card products, digital gifting and distribution for Gift Card News.","jobTitle":"Journalist — Gift Cards & Digital Gifting","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait.webp","width":1254,"height":1254,"caption":"Illustrated portrait representing the Suzie Elis editorial profile.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"Illustrated portrait for Suzie Elis, a Gift Card News editorial pen name","creditText":"Gift Card News / AI-generated illustration"}},{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-city-s-official-website.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-city-s-official-website.webp","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Municipal website identification artwork showing the Takeda Shingen statue. It identifies the voucher issuer and does not depict the fifth-round launch or customers.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-city-s-official-website.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"Kofu City’s official website identification artwork with the Takeda Shingen statue and city name.","creditText":"Kofu City","isBasedOn":"https://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/shoko/daigodan.html"},{"@type":"Dataset","@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#dataset","url":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/","name":"Kofu opens merchant recruitment for fifth premium voucher round: figure data","description":"Tabular data for the figures accompanying \"Kofu opens merchant recruitment for fifth premium voucher round\". Sources, units and limitations are documented with each figure.","inLanguage":"en","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#article"},"isAccessibleForFree":false,"hasPart":[{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#article-figure-1-dataset"}],"distribution":{"@type":"DataDownload","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/download.csv?article=%2Fgift-cards%2Fkofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment%2F","encodingFormat":"text/csv","isAccessibleForFree":false}},{"@type":"Dataset","@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#article-figure-1-dataset","url":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#article-figure-1","name":"Planned units in Kofu’s fifth voucher round","description":"Tabular values displayed in the figure \"Planned units in Kofu’s fifth voucher round\" and its accompanying data table.\n\nThe municipal issuer’s allocation for the fifth programme, with each digital unit or paper booklet carrying JPY10,000 of spending value.\n\nThese are planned allocations for the December 16, 2026 to April 30, 2027 use period, not purchased or redeemed vouchers. Every unit costs JPY5,000. A paper booklet consists of smaller JPY500 vouchers; the chart counts whole booklets, not individual slips.","inLanguage":"en","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#dataset"},"isAccessibleForFree":true,"variableMeasured":[{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"Planned allocation","unitText":"JPY10,000 units"}],"isBasedOn":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Kofu City: fifth premium voucher programme","url":"https://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/shoko/daigodan.html"}]},{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#article","url":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/","headline":"Kofu opens merchant recruitment for fifth premium voucher round","description":"Kofu’s fifth voucher round plans 148,000 digital units and 160,000 paper booklets. Merchant recruitment opened October 13; consumer spending starts in December.","datePublished":"2026-10-13T00:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-20T07:05:57.781Z","inLanguage":"en","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#website"},"isAccessibleForFree":false,"hasPart":[{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccessibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".reader-restricted"},{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#dataset"}],"image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-city-s-official-website.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-city-s-official-website.webp","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Municipal website identification artwork showing the Takeda Shingen statue. It identifies the voucher issuer and does not depict the fifth-round launch or customers.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-city-s-official-website.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"Kofu City’s official website identification artwork with the Takeda Shingen statue and city name.","creditText":"Kofu City","isBasedOn":"https://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/shoko/daigodan.html"}],"articleSection":"Gift Cards","keywords":["City of Kofu","PayPay","Yamanashi Chuo Bank"],"mentions":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/organization/city-of-kofu/#entity","name":"City of Kofu","url":"https://giftcard.news/organization/city-of-kofu/"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/company/paypay/#entity","name":"PayPay","url":"https://giftcard.news/company/paypay/"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/company/yamanashi-chuo-bank/#entity","name":"Yamanashi Chuo Bank","url":"https://giftcard.news/company/yamanashi-chuo-bank/"}],"wordCount":494,"citation":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"[S1] Municipal fifth-round notice, opening dates and planned allocation","url":"https://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/shoko/daigodan.html","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Kofu City"}},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"[S2] Complete current fifth-round implementation page","url":"https://kofu-premium.jp/5th/","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Kofu premium voucher programme"}},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"[S3] Current fifth-round consumer FAQ","url":"https://kofu-premium.jp/5th/faq.html","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Kofu premium voucher programme"}},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"[S4] Complete fifth-round merchant terms enacted October 13","url":"https://kofu-premium.jp/5th/shop-entry/pdf/kofu-premium5_shop_kiyaku.pdf","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Kofu City"}}],"author":[{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/#person"}],"publisher":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#webpage","url":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/","name":"Kofu opens merchant recruitment for fifth premium voucher round","description":"Kofu’s fifth voucher round plans 148,000 digital units and 160,000 paper booklets. Merchant recruitment opened October 13; consumer spending starts in December.","datePublished":"2026-10-13T00:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-20T07:05:57.781Z","inLanguage":"en","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#website"},"mainEntity":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#article"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#breadcrumbs"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/kofu-opens-merchant-recruitment-fifth-premium-voucher-round-city-s-official-website.webp#image"}},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/#breadcrumbs","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://giftcard.news/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gift Cards","item":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Kofu opens merchant recruitment for fifth premium voucher round","item":"https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/kofu-fifth-premium-voucher-round-merchant-recruitment/"}]}]}
```