Today I want to talk about the time I missed a bill payment in Japan. It's embarrassing, but mistakes do happen!

Last month, I accidentally tucked away my bills (due to having a guest over) and then forgot about them. Once I remembered that I hadn't paid those bills and then set out to find them, it was two days pass one of the bill's due date.

Now, learn from my mistakes!

EXPIRATION/DUE DATE
Most bills that allow you to pay using the convenience store have an expiration date on them. After that date passes, you may not be able to pay at the convenience store. As for my gas bill, obviously, this is the case. However, I've paid for my internet bill using an expired slip before! Be careful though and always try to pay before the expiration date.

TRY ALTERNATE METHODS
If you have missed a payment and can no longer pay at the convenience store, you might be able to pay another way, such as online, at the post office, or at the actual company/storefront. You can find instructions on the actual bill or company website. For example, if you've missed paying your water bill, you might have to go to the water company to pay the late bill.

CONTACT THE COMPANY
In my case, I missed my gas bill. I immediately contacted the company (through e-mail), and they replied back to me within 12 hours! Therefore, it's important not to just ignore the missed payment. Explain what happened to the company, and they can give you options and tell you how to proceed.

FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS
The gas company told me that the missed payment would be added onto the next month's bill. They also told me that the gas would not be cut, as of now. Therefore, all I needed to do was wait and then pay both bills at the same time, ON TIME.

REAP THE CONSEQUENCES
After a month passed, I received the meter reading that included the amounts due for the previous and current month. I also received a letter (no envelope, so hopefully you don't have nosy neighbors) that stated the same exact thing I was told by the company plus the consequences if I don't pay on time.

Consequence #1: If you don't pay by the due date the gas will be cut (in some cases immediately)
Consequence #2: If the gas is cut, you will need to pay a 3,000yen reinstatement fee
Consequence #3: Also, if you don't pay by the due date, we will stop issuing convenience store payment slips. Therefore, you will be forced to pay by credit card or bank account.

PAY ON TIME
If you, for some reason, don't pay on time again, your service will probably be cut and you'll be forced to sign up for auto-debit. I have heard of this happening in real life to my co-worker's boyfriend. He didn't pay his bill for like three months, they cut his service, and he had to apply for auto-debit, which was a nightmare because banks are notoriously bureaucratic and if things don't line up exactly on the auto-debit application form with what they have in their files, they will deny it (after two weeks of you waiting for approval, of course) and then you'll have to apply again, hoping to not make the same mistake, because, of course, they won't tell you why it was denied (signature didn't match, name order was wrong, etc.)

So, a two week wait to get your gas turned on, might turn into a month easily! So, please try to avoid that catch-22 mess and pay your bills on time by any means necessary.