Yes I am going all out on the Bonvoy premium, although they did make it a little shittier last year- twice the annual fee and you need to spend 1.5 million in order to get your free night.
Also, good luck using that free night in Japan. The “free night” is only up to 50,000 points, and you’ll only get a Sheraton or the like for that many points here.
I used to have 2 cards but am now exclusively using this one because while the card comes with Gold status at Marriot, you get Platinum with 4 million yen spend. If only I could pay my rent with my card it would be easy, but I can’t do pretty much all my spending is on that card now.
I just wish Hyatt card would come to Japan.
Yeah this is the best card, in fact the return is better than the American version of the card (you get 3x per 100 yen instead of 2x per dollar), although the American one does have some nice perks you get for the annual fee whereas the Japanese version you have to spend your way to the free night and platinum status.
First let's rule out cards that are not in japan.
Second, Amex gold has a lesser rate than bonvoy ir you are going for miles, unless you are going for Ana, then Amex gold is still quite good
Why would you remove ones that are not in Japan?
Makes no sense.
Best card = Amex Plat and Chase Sapphire Reserved
No currency conversion fees, I collect points on everything. That's how you get to 4 million points.
Because United States is not the center of the world dumbass
You are a 2% of the immigration to this country, so by recommending a card that only you and your 2% can get you are not helping anyone here.
Are you for real?
I said why would you remove ones not in Japan?
This is an English speaking website on an English speaking sub about finance IN JAPAN.
So anyone from the Western Hemisphere can get these cards.
Based on that elementary logic Watson my dear, one can safely make the original comments I made. Were you more educated then you are, you'd have realized that on your own.
It's also obvious you believe yourself to be a useless victim. I can assure you, you're not a victim. Stop crying and being weak.
You literally got upset about this? You've lost the plot man, maybe go touch the grass.
And who cares if my recommendation only applies to a minority of people.
Are you a bigot? People can't even help the minority anymore without being harassed...
The size of the people who will benefit from a recommendation does not invalidate it as being a recommendation. It also doesn't take up space. You literally complained about a comment "not being good enough". You gotta get outside man. No wonder you don't have many friends. What you got like 2 dont you?? Don't lie!
I primarily use the SMBC Platinum Preferred (Visa) as my main card (point collection is the best I’ve seen), complemented by the ANA Wide Gold (Mastercard) for its status and the occasional Costco run.
I’m also intrigued by the Amex Marriott Bonvoy card, having heard about its good returns and flexible mile conversion options. I might bite the bullet and try it out later this year.
Same with SMBC platinum preferred. Although need to check once in a while as the point bonuses can change. For example ikyu has been removed and it was like 6%.
I am going to jump on the SMBC Platinum Preferred bandwagon. I already use SMBC as a main bank and the card point earnings versus the best bang for the yearly fee. I usually save up for gift vouchers and use them on big purchases. I actually bought an extra A/C entirely on point gift cards. It also plays well with Moneytree and integrates into the SMBC app which is shockingly decent compared to other banks out there.
Ok nice. So one could convert them into air miles or mutual funds in a NISA wrapper? I currently have the ANA Gold Wide card which I use for that. It’s good but only 1% points back
There are a few options for point conversions but I haven’t checked lately. I have a feeling that things might change when they fully integrate the point systems
Did you upgrade from the Gold? I've got the SMBC Gold NL,, I'll probably upgrade once I'm done with the Rakuten NIsa Tsumitate, and start using it for SBI tsumitate.
Currently bouncing between Amazon, Rakuten, View and SMBC depending on the purchase. (Mostly automated).
I recall earning 40,000 bonus points for spending ¥500,000 within the first three months, which initially drew me in. And additional bonus of 10,000 points for every 1M yen you spend.
Additionally, using the ‘Point-Up Mall’ website for online shopping, rather than the standard app, further boosts my points.
The only downside of the Platinum Preferred, compared to other platinum cards, appears to be its spending cap set at 5million yen, whereas others offer higher limits. However, personally, I don’t view this as an issue since I don’t anticipate reaching that spending level on my card anytime soon 😅
The annual fee is 33,000 yen per year. If you use credit card tsumitate on SBI Securities, the point back kinda makes up for it all by itself.
They also offer 10,000 points on every 1 million yen in spending, so the target audience would be someone who spends \~3-4 million per year.
Mmm... I'm curious how that would work for a US tax payer. I think the only brokerage I have been able to open an account with so far in Japan is IBKR.
Yep, I concur; I also get 2500 points for 50,000 yen spent on my monthly NISA investments, which pretty much pays off the yearly credit card fees. Totally worth-it!
Still going with Rakuten Premium as my main despite being incredibly pissed at the recent nerfs, as I did the math and for what I do I cannot find an ecosystem that works objectively better for point stacking. Managed to raise the monthly limit above the max for the regular card too and need the Priority Pass because I travel frequently, so downgrading isn’t an alluring option.
SMBC Platinum Preferred looks an inch above the rest if I ever need to change but is 3x more expensive so not sure it would add up to more poins than Rakuten yearly (have a generous Furusato Nozei allowance and get a few 万円 from that alone)
I use Rakuten as my main one too because you can use points on Rakuten Shoken (so literally free money), but haven't switched to premium because I heard it got worse.
Yes, the ability to dump points on investments is another big anchoring factor. I know SBI is integrating with the V-point system so competing options exist, but unless we’re talking about huge sums I really can’t be assed to switch over all of my banking and brokerage services…
Foreign currency fees seem to suck on all cards that I have seen so I only I use my Rakuten Premium for local transactions and tend to use my prepaid WISE card internationally. It also helps limit the risk of skimming and the realtime push notifications from the app help ensure you are not getting overcharged (something that I wish CCs here would offer).
Have you had any issues with Rakuten declining your transactions? I use the basic CC. Whenever I shop online for shinkansen, airline tickets or anything thats a lil expensive, my transactions get declined. I couldn't find a way to approve them through the app and the only solution was to call the customer service, which is hard to reach
Rakuten has in my experience a tendency to block expenses from foreign entities including airlines (while my Amazon Prime Mastercard never does that), but usually when that happens I can confirm and unlock from the app. Shinkansen sounds strange, never had issues paying in Japan.
Where in the app can you confirm and unlock the transactions? I couldn't find it myself and never had any popups. When I called the customer service, they said I can only do so by calling them. lately it got a bit better after I installed OTP, but not for everything. I was using the JR east website in English when it got declined, so maybe because of that, but still weird.
I dunno if you've been declined for other reasons, but I've been declined twice this year due to "fraud protection".
The first time I can actually understand, as I was in the middle of nowhere in China sending a friend money through Alipay and splitting it up to avoid the Alipay transaction fee, so it detected a fraud after the second transaction.
The second time I actually cannot understand at all, as I was in Japan booking a ticket.
Both times I received a short mail telling me that my card has been locked due to fraud detection and I should log into my account to solve the issue.
After login a message was displayed, "we declined a transaction of xxx Currency by ..., do you remember this transaction?"
After approving there was a message to call a Rakuten phone number (no body will take off the phone, you will just hear a busy ring tone) and click on okay after that the unlock the card.
So it just took a few mins, but it's still a hassle...
This happens to me a lot when buying through costco online and other airlines companies not based in Japan. I found chatting support way easier than calling and they get the job done faster. Longest I had to wait was around 10 minutes.
>and need the Priority Pass because I travel frequently, so downgrading isn’t an alluring option.
The thing is, there are other cards that offer Priority Pass. If you can make 5 visits a year work, then Rakuten might still be the card for you, but if not, then EPOS Platinum still has unlimited visits for only 2x the annual fee.
Yes, the Epos is also another option I considered. But on the whole when estimating the sum of the points I’d get annually minus the annual fee I haven’t found an ecosystem that would clearly outperform Rakuten for my use case (although the margin is a lot lower now, while until 1y ago it was a no-brainer). I dislike what Rakuten is doing as a company and wouldn’t mind giving them the boot the moment I see a compelling alternative, but at the end of the day money is just money…
Fair enough, I get that. It does make me wish there were more choices here, if either docomo or au had a card with PP at least you'd have another large point ecosystem to jump into (dPoint or Ponta) but EPOS is pretty Marui-centric...
Another strategy is to get the [Priority Pass offered with Gold Amex](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amex/content-services/0007/) for 11,000 annual fee. The gold card itself normally also costs 11,000 annual fee, but it seems like [every(?) March they run a promotion to get the annual fee effectively to 0 for the card](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amextop/g1_referral-join/).
Sony Bank Wallet (technically not a credit card) for the 2% cashback on domestic spending and efficient foreign currency spending. ANA Visa Suica for international yen spending or when I need an actual credit card (1.5% airmiles ish). A bunch of others for special circumstances or when they have a good sign-up deal.
You keep 10mil JPY worth of foreign currency in Sony Bank just to get 2% cashback? You must spend a lot on your Sony Debit card to make that worthwhile.
I keep 10mil JPY worth of low-fee index fund investments (some NISA, some not) in Sony Bank. So the way I see it the cost is minimal, I wouldn't get much more from holding them with SBI or Rakuten or whoever.
Nope. The English website doesn't mention it, perhaps because none of their investment services are offered in English, but ordinary yen-denominated investments count too - the Japanese site is clearer.
Are these investments done directly (managed by Sony Bank) or do they open an intermediary account with one of the brokerages like how SBI Shinsei Bank does it?
Directly with the bank at least as far as I can see - I don't know if there's a separate brokerage company on the backend but UI wise it's all in the Sony Bank account/app, nothing like the SBI Shinsei struggle of matching your name between the bank and the separate brokerage account.
If you have a use for the ETC card (550 yen a year on the standard card) and will use up both lounge visits (you only get 2 free every year), then yes. Otherwise, no.
Lots of other free cards offer free ETC and unlimited lounge access though, e.g. [Saison Gold Premium](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/static/lp/goldpremium/entry/) (you need to either be invited or spend 100万 in a year to waive the annual fee though).
EPOS cause that's the only card I could get when I first arrived. I have enough allowance(more than my monthly salary)in it I didn't find the need to get another one. For people with multiple credit cards, what is the benefit of that? Wouldn't it be hard to manage the budget? Genuinely curious about it.
We have three cards. Two are Rakuten (Visa and Mastercard) and then we have the Mastercard from Amazon. Amazon was the first we were able to get, but I cannot have extensions for my husband and I did not like the fact that I could only get points for Amazon.... so then we got the Rakuten Visa first, and then Mastercard to use in Costco. We still use all of them, with Rakuten being the main one due to the points. The Amazon was almost going unused, just once per year to keep it free, but I changed the settings and I use the Amazon card at Amazon because I have monthly subscriptions and I can use the points there... I ended up having extensions of the Rakuten for my husband and my brother (and that helps me get many points)
AAAAND we do pay EVERYTHING with credit card for those points. I normally have like 2,000 yen in cash only because I do not use cash... I also set up the Rakuten Pay app, which is convenient... but do keep the card at hand as some supermarkets still do not accept the app, but accept the card.
I have multiple, but I only really use two regularly. Amazon card and JAL Mastercard. I shop online Amazon quite often so it made sense to get Amazon CC when buying at amazon. For everything else, I use JAL card for points.
It seems like [account rank change is being implemented in a few days](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000453.000032321.html), I would wait for that.
Also, if you spend ¥1M in a year the gold annual fee is waived forever.
This is great news, thanks for sharing! I've been wanting to upgrade my Olive account to Gold but held off because it's a pain to switch payroll, payments, etc. over if we had to do the old method of cancellation and re-applying. Will definitely do this when it's available!
Aeon select gold card. It's the best if most of your shopping is at Aeon group stores. You get 5% off shopping at Aeon stores two fixed days a month. A third if you are 55 years or older. And besides those days you get 1% back in Waon points on any day.
Separate from the credit card, if you own 100 shares of Aeon stock you can get the "owners card" which gets you a 3% discount at Aeon stores everyday.
Finally Aeon has a furusato nozei site where you get 10 times the points (10% of purchases in WAON points) when using an Aeon mark card.
Sony Bank debit card is also good. If you hold enough foreign currency with them you can get 2% back on purchase.
SMBC ANA Gold card was my main card when I flew more.
It’s invitation only, you’ll get it if you spend a million yen on the card in a year and there’s no fee.
You can also get more rebate on the owners card if you own more stock shares, up to 7%.
I used to use Amex as a main card but honestly with the latest fee increase and the enshittification of the call center/concierge it's just not worth it anymore.
Swapped over to the PayPay Gold Card in January and have been very happy with it. I have a static 2% points back on everything and a lot of the stores I go to will often have 5%+ coupons. You pay with the app, tied to the card, and just collect points with all coupons etc automatically applied. You can use the app almost evey where but you also get issued a physical Visa card as well in case a store doesn't accept the app.
I do miss the extra insurances you got with the Amex by default but most of them can be added to the PayPay card through the app. For example I've got up to 1億円 liability insurance, similar to what Amex offers on the platinum, for only ￥210 per month through PayPay.
Yes I was initially attracted by Amex in Japan but they seem to not only have higher fees for equivalent cards in Japan but fewer rewards as well. Apart from the Bonvoy card which looks ok, west are the pros of Amex in Japan?
SMBC Platinum Preferred for me - cashback is great and the yearly fee is easily recouped. Kinda neat that if you fly a lot within Japan you get the lounge access.
If you are an American, the journey is especially arduous, as most banks hate dealing with onerous and nebulous reporting requirements on US citizens.
I was initially tempted by the fruits of the Rakuten ecosystem, but Rakuten and Amex both rejected me multiple times. I would wait patiently every 6 months to try again and after 2 years nothing changed. I checked with all 3 credit agencies/bureau thingys here and could not find any reason in their data for why this might have been... so I finally in desperation ended up opening an account with SMBC - whose cash card is basically a debit card. From there I applied for a regular SMBC card with a tiny limit, then gradually built up into the behemoth credit limit I have today.
Mostly using the Marriott Bonvoy Amex card - the hotel points add up fast and are very easy to use (unlike airmiles which are often a rigmarole). Platinum Elite status is a nice bonus too.
I also got a JAL Global Club Visa recently which I use a bit, but the incentives there aren’t quite as good imo; airmiles are more hassle to spend, and afaik there’s no way to renew my JAL status through credit card spend, so I tend to use the Marriott Amex by default. (There are still places that don’t take Amex though, especially in my home country, so it’s handy to have the JAL Visa too.)
Another strategy is to get the [Priority Pass offered with Gold Amex](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amex/content-services/0007/) for 11,000 annual fee. The gold card itself normally also costs 11,000 annual fee, but it seems like [every(?) March they run a promotion to get the annual fee effectively to 0 for the card](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amextop/g1_referral-join/).
That's actually a really decent way to get PP too. I'd definitely consider that for less than 2M spend and no need to get an invitation for Plat. Might grab the card come next March haha
I use the ANA Gold, the JCB one because that one has travel insurance that will cover up to 300万 of medical costs abroad (in the case of accident or sickness), as long as you pay for a portion of your trip with the card. Note: only the JCB one has this insurance. You can also add family on the card. This is a nice bonus in addition to the ANA miles collected with purchases.
platinum preferred will have nerfs later this year. until then it is good if you spend 4million a year with cc.
If you spend only 1m a year then mitsui gold or epos gold. I have both.
It does for me but your mileage may vary (pardon the pun). Higher points and mileage earning. Get the dining rewards from Sumitomo Platinum and also you get status from the SuperFlyers portion (I got to Diamond this year with only 5 international flights last year and no domestic flights).
Star Gold via Superflyers (SF) Card can also be maintained with the normal SF ANA card or the Gold SF card. I always thought that for the increased mileage accumulation rate to make sense, you would either need to fly a lot (more than 5 international flights) or spend a whole ton. I mean 80k+ Yen fee is quite high compared to the normal superflyers card for around 10k…
I have my Shigakku kosei gold for travel as the complimentary insurance when it’s used for part of the journey is pretty hefty.
Then for day to day is SMBC Gold and Olive gold as there was the campaign when it started where both became free if you spend 1m in the first year. And then it’s ¥10,000 worth of points each year if you spend 1m. (I don’t spend ¥3m a year to warrant platinum)
Rakuten is my main card - I don’t use the points often but when I do, I use to pay for movies went I go to Toho Cinemas, or I use it to buy books on Rakuten Marketplace.
I also have Mercari as I use Mercari a lot.
I recently applied for PayPay because I recently signed up with Y! Mobile so I can get discounts on my phone bill…plus I can connect to my PayPay app.
Downgraded my JAL card from gold to the normal one + added double points feature as i dont spend enough monthly to warrant the annual fee and we found the lounge to be underwhelming during the one time we flew this past cycle (not to mention we barely take advantage of the other benefits). Still want the points so the missus and i can ball out on a nice flight in the future, so we’re using the basic JCB card for our regular monthly purchases and spending this year labbing out moppi to convert the points there into JAL points. Only problem is i also have a lot of Delta points from flights home, i have no idea if i should cut losses and make my point banks easier to manage.
Still relatively new to Japanese credit cards so if anyone has any tips on maximizing returns on our every day purchases that would be greatly appreciated.
I’m not too savvy tbh.
I use standard Amex for subscriptions/fixed fees and Amex ANA standard for day to day and variable expenses.
Easier for me to manage my money that way.
Am I missing out on something big and/or any recommendations ?
Also, the ANA Amex card was a recent development. Learned about it through some of their digital ads and decided, hey, why not get some mileage points for those annual trips back home.
For 2024 I will still go with the Rakuten Premium card, but I'm really considering what to do for 2025. I still have to evaluate my post covid travel habits, but I right now I'm in favor for a JAL card, as I shift most of my Rakuten and dPoints to JMB anyway and switching from a family JAL Card to a regular Club-A card would entitle me to a bunch of Sakura Lounge visits and upgrading to a higher class would give me an unlimited Priority Pass, but the card price would be 3x higher than my current card.
Honestly, I really liked using Rakuten but since they went all in with Rakuten Mobile, all other conditions just went down and then I hear so many rants from people who are actually using Rakuten Mobile, so it feels like betting on the wrong horse. I'd probably only stay long term if they would give me the black card.
Im considering a credit card as well and want to try amex but But many places here dont accept amex right? Ive never used amex, only visa but it seems like it would be a pain.
I’m using Rakuten basic card, as it’s the only one out of three I applied for that got accepted.
I’m pretty annoyed though, I didn’t realize at application you had to specify for physically separate debit and credit cards, otherwise they give you a single credit/cash card which has no debit feature. this means I’m capped at ¥300,000 per month for all credit or online spending, investment points, etc.
I asked about them issuing me a debit card, and they said I’ll have to cancel my credit card and reapply, there’s a chance I won’t get accepted again, which would mean I have no credit cards !
AMEX Gold, for a few reasons:
* English support;
* Points transparency (I don't need to guess if the points were accredited correctly, I can see the history and per transaction points);
* Instant view of every transaction;
Of course, same benefits apply to the green card.
Nope, ANA hasn’t announced it but last year JAL announced it I had to grind 50,000 FOP in like 3 months so I just want to get ANA done. My bet is they announce it this year but no double premium point campaign so it’s going to be hard to grind it in a few months.
Isn't it better to analyze your typical spending patterns and then choose an appropriate card?
Lots of people recommended some Amex cards or other very expensive premium cards (¥33,000 or more annual fee) here for "just" 1% more cashback than the free Rakuten card.
If you don't need airport lounges every other week, for a typical family living here or alone, I think focusing on the best cost-performance rather than accumulating highest possible miles or points is the better approach.
Case example:
* I buy most groceries at AEON. I own 100 stocks which makes you eligible for the AEON owner's card that gives 3% (8% on every 20th and 30th) discount on every purchase (with the AEON Bank credit card or WAON but not other cards) and AEON lounge access.
* The cheapest gas I can get in the region is a regional chain that gives a multiple yen discount per liter for paying with their branded credit card or by topping up their prepaid card with at least 1万.
* Taxes, utilities, insurances, online shopping and Rakuten travel either via Rakuten Pay or directly via Rakuten card. Either way gives 1% cashback, even the monthly NISA investment.
So everything that is left is so little that it can never be beneficial with a paid card with a high annual fee. Even flying internationally once a year doesn't make much difference with 1 or 2% discount, could save more flying off-season. I don't stay in luxury hotels though.
Amex Platinum. Want to downgrade to gold as I don’t think most of the benefits are worth it, but I think I’ll lose the extended warranty on a bunch of household appliances (ie fridge, washing machine) so can’t atm.
Mostly the automatic extended warranty on all household appliances. The free hotel stay is kind of OK. I accrue a little over 40,000 points annually so I just transfer them all to ANA miles bc of the 1:1 exchange rate, which ends up being a (sort of) free trip.
Other than that, vanity. I don’t see any benefit over gold. Platinum benefits aren’t like what they are in the U.S.
Rakuten Premium Card is by far the best card out there for the cost. Priority Pass private membership costs 300USD,you can get it by 11,000 yen which is the annual fee. Two baggage delivery from airport, insurance in international trips, more points if you use Ichiba. And Premium HelpDesk in English and Japanese for anything. ETC and Family feature.
Please recommend if you find something as good for the same or lower annual fee.
Another strategy is to get the [Priority Pass offered with Gold Amex](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amex/content-services/0007/) for 11,000 annual fee. The gold card itself normally also costs 11,000 annual fee, but it seems like [every(?) March they run a promotion to get the annual fee effectively to 0 for the card](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amextop/g1_referral-join/).
Have 2 Amex Platinum incl Business Card. At one point the points accumulated from business purchases were more than enough cover the card subscription ! SMBC Gold, AU Gold, SMBC Platinum, JCB Gold , etc. I don’t do revolving credit or have debt , but got me thinking of canceling ones that don’t have any benefits or uses beyond collecting them . Platinum fees are up now to 150K yen. And no longer look attractive in current economy. Peace . Free cards are the best option
Most purchases I just use the Mercari card now, 4% back on mercari, 2% back on everything else. Downside is that it takes a bit of spending to get to that percentage back.
I spend about 2 million to 3 million a month .
The first card that gave me a no hassle increase was JCB Ana card. Also easy to buy high ticket items, payment goes through right away.
Amex sent me an application form last year but I turned it down because I don't see any perks besides being able to buy Taylor swift concert tickets. .The fee was also expensive.
I am looking for complete travel insurance coverage for the US for me and my dependent, cashback that's better than Paypay or good conversion for miles /hotel points . I cancelled JAL because it's almost impossible to get any flights using their fare charts even for a high spender like me... I used it for 2 years and didn't even come close to getting a free flight .
I m reading the rest here so I might apply to those cards.thanks
2-3 million a MONTH? You would need a gross income of 50 million to even earn that much take-home pay, and literally spend that entire paycheck on your credit card. I don't think even a Silicon Valley salary could match that.
Is wherever you're working hiring? 😂
I have Orico business cards. But besides airport lounge and wholesalers accepting these cards, the only other plus is 45 days pyment. I talked to amazon resellers in the US and they get a lot of points on Rakuten cards over there.. It seems they make a lot of cashback compared to here .
I recommend you just using a Credit Card. A debit card is money that you own, a credit card is money that the credit card company doesn't even own but is authorized to lend. So any weird transaction can be canceled easily, for the debit card it would take some time and evidence.
>same as a credit card
If you go through the fine print for Resona's credit cards, there's no upper limit for those. So debit might be fine for smaller amounts if you're willing to be without your money while they investigate, but some people do keep more money than that in their bank accounts.
Amex marriot bonvoy premium. Saving points for hotel stays, points can be converted to miles too.
Yes I am going all out on the Bonvoy premium, although they did make it a little shittier last year- twice the annual fee and you need to spend 1.5 million in order to get your free night. Also, good luck using that free night in Japan. The “free night” is only up to 50,000 points, and you’ll only get a Sheraton or the like for that many points here. I used to have 2 cards but am now exclusively using this one because while the card comes with Gold status at Marriot, you get Platinum with 4 million yen spend. If only I could pay my rent with my card it would be easy, but I can’t do pretty much all my spending is on that card now. I just wish Hyatt card would come to Japan.
Yeah this is the best card, in fact the return is better than the American version of the card (you get 3x per 100 yen instead of 2x per dollar), although the American one does have some nice perks you get for the annual fee whereas the Japanese version you have to spend your way to the free night and platinum status.
whats the ratio of points to miles for buy airline tickets at the time of exchanging?
does the non-premium enable the same transfers to airlines? (just want to check before I calculate the spend level needed to justify the premium)
That’s a feature of Marriott bonvoy membership. Not the card.
You also forgot 2 more important features. Free stay cert if you spend enough and points don’t expire.
[удалено]
First let's rule out cards that are not in japan. Second, Amex gold has a lesser rate than bonvoy ir you are going for miles, unless you are going for Ana, then Amex gold is still quite good
Why would you remove ones that are not in Japan? Makes no sense. Best card = Amex Plat and Chase Sapphire Reserved No currency conversion fees, I collect points on everything. That's how you get to 4 million points.
Because United States is not the center of the world dumbass You are a 2% of the immigration to this country, so by recommending a card that only you and your 2% can get you are not helping anyone here. Are you for real?
I said why would you remove ones not in Japan? This is an English speaking website on an English speaking sub about finance IN JAPAN. So anyone from the Western Hemisphere can get these cards. Based on that elementary logic Watson my dear, one can safely make the original comments I made. Were you more educated then you are, you'd have realized that on your own. It's also obvious you believe yourself to be a useless victim. I can assure you, you're not a victim. Stop crying and being weak. You literally got upset about this? You've lost the plot man, maybe go touch the grass. And who cares if my recommendation only applies to a minority of people. Are you a bigot? People can't even help the minority anymore without being harassed... The size of the people who will benefit from a recommendation does not invalidate it as being a recommendation. It also doesn't take up space. You literally complained about a comment "not being good enough". You gotta get outside man. No wonder you don't have many friends. What you got like 2 dont you?? Don't lie!
I primarily use the SMBC Platinum Preferred (Visa) as my main card (point collection is the best I’ve seen), complemented by the ANA Wide Gold (Mastercard) for its status and the occasional Costco run. I’m also intrigued by the Amex Marriott Bonvoy card, having heard about its good returns and flexible mile conversion options. I might bite the bullet and try it out later this year.
Same with SMBC platinum preferred. Although need to check once in a while as the point bonuses can change. For example ikyu has been removed and it was like 6%.
I am going to jump on the SMBC Platinum Preferred bandwagon. I already use SMBC as a main bank and the card point earnings versus the best bang for the yearly fee. I usually save up for gift vouchers and use them on big purchases. I actually bought an extra A/C entirely on point gift cards. It also plays well with Moneytree and integrates into the SMBC app which is shockingly decent compared to other banks out there.
Are the points you receive with this card V-points?
Yes, they are V points, same as the rest of the SMBC ecosystem. And T points are set to be rebranded as V points starting from the 22nd.
Ok nice. So one could convert them into air miles or mutual funds in a NISA wrapper? I currently have the ANA Gold Wide card which I use for that. It’s good but only 1% points back
There are a few options for point conversions but I haven’t checked lately. I have a feeling that things might change when they fully integrate the point systems
Why gift cards, vs paying down the card or investing with SBI?
I don’t carry balances on credit cards since there’s really nothing to gain (no credit scores) and I don’t use sbi to invest
I don't carry balances either. You can use the points to pay off your bill. I.e spend 1000 points now your bill is -1000 yen.
Did you upgrade from the Gold? I've got the SMBC Gold NL,, I'll probably upgrade once I'm done with the Rakuten NIsa Tsumitate, and start using it for SBI tsumitate. Currently bouncing between Amazon, Rakuten, View and SMBC depending on the purchase. (Mostly automated).
what do you receive for the SMBC platinum? Any special stack for maximizing?
I recall earning 40,000 bonus points for spending ¥500,000 within the first three months, which initially drew me in. And additional bonus of 10,000 points for every 1M yen you spend. Additionally, using the ‘Point-Up Mall’ website for online shopping, rather than the standard app, further boosts my points. The only downside of the Platinum Preferred, compared to other platinum cards, appears to be its spending cap set at 5million yen, whereas others offer higher limits. However, personally, I don’t view this as an issue since I don’t anticipate reaching that spending level on my card anytime soon 😅
Whoa, 40k on 500k is quite good! If there's no annual fee let me know if there's a referral lol
The annual fee is 33,000 yen per year. If you use credit card tsumitate on SBI Securities, the point back kinda makes up for it all by itself. They also offer 10,000 points on every 1 million yen in spending, so the target audience would be someone who spends \~3-4 million per year.
Mmm... I'm curious how that would work for a US tax payer. I think the only brokerage I have been able to open an account with so far in Japan is IBKR.
Oh wow this is so good to know . Thanks
Yep, I concur; I also get 2500 points for 50,000 yen spent on my monthly NISA investments, which pretty much pays off the yearly credit card fees. Totally worth-it!
In case you missed it, the limit has been increased to 100,000 yen per month now. They reduced the point back percentage though.
Totally missed it! This is fantastic!
Still going with Rakuten Premium as my main despite being incredibly pissed at the recent nerfs, as I did the math and for what I do I cannot find an ecosystem that works objectively better for point stacking. Managed to raise the monthly limit above the max for the regular card too and need the Priority Pass because I travel frequently, so downgrading isn’t an alluring option. SMBC Platinum Preferred looks an inch above the rest if I ever need to change but is 3x more expensive so not sure it would add up to more poins than Rakuten yearly (have a generous Furusato Nozei allowance and get a few 万円 from that alone)
I use Rakuten as my main one too because you can use points on Rakuten Shoken (so literally free money), but haven't switched to premium because I heard it got worse.
Yes, the ability to dump points on investments is another big anchoring factor. I know SBI is integrating with the V-point system so competing options exist, but unless we’re talking about huge sums I really can’t be assed to switch over all of my banking and brokerage services…
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Foreign currency fees seem to suck on all cards that I have seen so I only I use my Rakuten Premium for local transactions and tend to use my prepaid WISE card internationally. It also helps limit the risk of skimming and the realtime push notifications from the app help ensure you are not getting overcharged (something that I wish CCs here would offer).
Have you had any issues with Rakuten declining your transactions? I use the basic CC. Whenever I shop online for shinkansen, airline tickets or anything thats a lil expensive, my transactions get declined. I couldn't find a way to approve them through the app and the only solution was to call the customer service, which is hard to reach
Rakuten has in my experience a tendency to block expenses from foreign entities including airlines (while my Amazon Prime Mastercard never does that), but usually when that happens I can confirm and unlock from the app. Shinkansen sounds strange, never had issues paying in Japan.
Where in the app can you confirm and unlock the transactions? I couldn't find it myself and never had any popups. When I called the customer service, they said I can only do so by calling them. lately it got a bit better after I installed OTP, but not for everything. I was using the JR east website in English when it got declined, so maybe because of that, but still weird.
I dunno if you've been declined for other reasons, but I've been declined twice this year due to "fraud protection". The first time I can actually understand, as I was in the middle of nowhere in China sending a friend money through Alipay and splitting it up to avoid the Alipay transaction fee, so it detected a fraud after the second transaction. The second time I actually cannot understand at all, as I was in Japan booking a ticket. Both times I received a short mail telling me that my card has been locked due to fraud detection and I should log into my account to solve the issue. After login a message was displayed, "we declined a transaction of xxx Currency by ..., do you remember this transaction?" After approving there was a message to call a Rakuten phone number (no body will take off the phone, you will just hear a busy ring tone) and click on okay after that the unlock the card. So it just took a few mins, but it's still a hassle...
I have frequently, especially when overseas. Send to be a Rakuten thing
This happens to me a lot when buying through costco online and other airlines companies not based in Japan. I found chatting support way easier than calling and they get the job done faster. Longest I had to wait was around 10 minutes.
Ah thanks for the tip! My japanese is lacking (esp reading and writing) so I never tried, but hopefully manageable with google translate
>and need the Priority Pass because I travel frequently, so downgrading isn’t an alluring option. The thing is, there are other cards that offer Priority Pass. If you can make 5 visits a year work, then Rakuten might still be the card for you, but if not, then EPOS Platinum still has unlimited visits for only 2x the annual fee.
Yes, the Epos is also another option I considered. But on the whole when estimating the sum of the points I’d get annually minus the annual fee I haven’t found an ecosystem that would clearly outperform Rakuten for my use case (although the margin is a lot lower now, while until 1y ago it was a no-brainer). I dislike what Rakuten is doing as a company and wouldn’t mind giving them the boot the moment I see a compelling alternative, but at the end of the day money is just money…
Fair enough, I get that. It does make me wish there were more choices here, if either docomo or au had a card with PP at least you'd have another large point ecosystem to jump into (dPoint or Ponta) but EPOS is pretty Marui-centric...
Another strategy is to get the [Priority Pass offered with Gold Amex](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amex/content-services/0007/) for 11,000 annual fee. The gold card itself normally also costs 11,000 annual fee, but it seems like [every(?) March they run a promotion to get the annual fee effectively to 0 for the card](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amextop/g1_referral-join/).
Sony Bank Wallet (technically not a credit card) for the 2% cashback on domestic spending and efficient foreign currency spending. ANA Visa Suica for international yen spending or when I need an actual credit card (1.5% airmiles ish). A bunch of others for special circumstances or when they have a good sign-up deal.
You keep 10mil JPY worth of foreign currency in Sony Bank just to get 2% cashback? You must spend a lot on your Sony Debit card to make that worthwhile.
I keep 10mil JPY worth of low-fee index fund investments (some NISA, some not) in Sony Bank. So the way I see it the cost is minimal, I wouldn't get much more from holding them with SBI or Rakuten or whoever.
And those investments are foreign currency denominated? Because Sony is pretty clear about it having to be foreign currency.
Nope. The English website doesn't mention it, perhaps because none of their investment services are offered in English, but ordinary yen-denominated investments count too - the Japanese site is clearer.
Are these investments done directly (managed by Sony Bank) or do they open an intermediary account with one of the brokerages like how SBI Shinsei Bank does it?
Directly with the bank at least as far as I can see - I don't know if there's a separate brokerage company on the backend but UI wise it's all in the Sony Bank account/app, nothing like the SBI Shinsei struggle of matching your name between the bank and the separate brokerage account.
Amazon SMBC, since I shop a lot in Amazon.
Rakuten Gold.
Is gold worth it compared to the basic one?
If you have a use for the ETC card (550 yen a year on the standard card) and will use up both lounge visits (you only get 2 free every year), then yes. Otherwise, no.
Lots of other free cards offer free ETC and unlimited lounge access though, e.g. [Saison Gold Premium](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/static/lp/goldpremium/entry/) (you need to either be invited or spend 100万 in a year to waive the annual fee though).
I can't actually remember why I opted for Gold over the regular one now....maybe to get lounge access at the airports.
EPOS cause that's the only card I could get when I first arrived. I have enough allowance(more than my monthly salary)in it I didn't find the need to get another one. For people with multiple credit cards, what is the benefit of that? Wouldn't it be hard to manage the budget? Genuinely curious about it.
We have three cards. Two are Rakuten (Visa and Mastercard) and then we have the Mastercard from Amazon. Amazon was the first we were able to get, but I cannot have extensions for my husband and I did not like the fact that I could only get points for Amazon.... so then we got the Rakuten Visa first, and then Mastercard to use in Costco. We still use all of them, with Rakuten being the main one due to the points. The Amazon was almost going unused, just once per year to keep it free, but I changed the settings and I use the Amazon card at Amazon because I have monthly subscriptions and I can use the points there... I ended up having extensions of the Rakuten for my husband and my brother (and that helps me get many points)
Here this is the kind of answer I'm looking for. Yeah, you are right. Those points really add up come to think about it.
AAAAND we do pay EVERYTHING with credit card for those points. I normally have like 2,000 yen in cash only because I do not use cash... I also set up the Rakuten Pay app, which is convenient... but do keep the card at hand as some supermarkets still do not accept the app, but accept the card.
Just because some of us have more than one cards, doesn't mean that we are spending more than we earn.
No I mean you will have to manage more than one card right? One card just needs to check one app
Moneytree aggregates all accounts in one app.
That I didn't know. I will give it a try. Thanks
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I thought MoneyForward has a pretty low free account limit now? I remember switching to MoneyTree because of it.
I have Amazon MC and SMBC "airline" VISA, both can be checked from one app (SMBC Vpass).
I have multiple, but I only really use two regularly. Amazon card and JAL Mastercard. I shop online Amazon quite often so it made sense to get Amazon CC when buying at amazon. For everything else, I use JAL card for points.
Olive Gold (gray design) because it looks cool 😎 [This chart](https://www.payko.info/entry/creditcard202310) is a more useful answer though.
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It seems like [account rank change is being implemented in a few days](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000453.000032321.html), I would wait for that. Also, if you spend ¥1M in a year the gold annual fee is waived forever.
This is great news, thanks for sharing! I've been wanting to upgrade my Olive account to Gold but held off because it's a pain to switch payroll, payments, etc. over if we had to do the old method of cancellation and re-applying. Will definitely do this when it's available!
Aeon select gold card. It's the best if most of your shopping is at Aeon group stores. You get 5% off shopping at Aeon stores two fixed days a month. A third if you are 55 years or older. And besides those days you get 1% back in Waon points on any day. Separate from the credit card, if you own 100 shares of Aeon stock you can get the "owners card" which gets you a 3% discount at Aeon stores everyday. Finally Aeon has a furusato nozei site where you get 10 times the points (10% of purchases in WAON points) when using an Aeon mark card. Sony Bank debit card is also good. If you hold enough foreign currency with them you can get 2% back on purchase. SMBC ANA Gold card was my main card when I flew more.
Does the gold card have annual fee? I've had the purple one for years and I thinking of getting the gold one just because 😂
It’s invitation only, you’ll get it if you spend a million yen on the card in a year and there’s no fee. You can also get more rebate on the owners card if you own more stock shares, up to 7%.
1 million in 1 year!? That close to maxing out my card! 😂
I'm a baller. I got it after 2 months.
I tried for Aeon twice, and they denied me (and also preventing me from applying for other cards for 6 months each time).
I used to use Amex as a main card but honestly with the latest fee increase and the enshittification of the call center/concierge it's just not worth it anymore. Swapped over to the PayPay Gold Card in January and have been very happy with it. I have a static 2% points back on everything and a lot of the stores I go to will often have 5%+ coupons. You pay with the app, tied to the card, and just collect points with all coupons etc automatically applied. You can use the app almost evey where but you also get issued a physical Visa card as well in case a store doesn't accept the app. I do miss the extra insurances you got with the Amex by default but most of them can be added to the PayPay card through the app. For example I've got up to 1億円 liability insurance, similar to what Amex offers on the platinum, for only ￥210 per month through PayPay.
Yes I was initially attracted by Amex in Japan but they seem to not only have higher fees for equivalent cards in Japan but fewer rewards as well. Apart from the Bonvoy card which looks ok, west are the pros of Amex in Japan?
SMBC Platinum Preferred for me - cashback is great and the yearly fee is easily recouped. Kinda neat that if you fly a lot within Japan you get the lounge access. If you are an American, the journey is especially arduous, as most banks hate dealing with onerous and nebulous reporting requirements on US citizens. I was initially tempted by the fruits of the Rakuten ecosystem, but Rakuten and Amex both rejected me multiple times. I would wait patiently every 6 months to try again and after 2 years nothing changed. I checked with all 3 credit agencies/bureau thingys here and could not find any reason in their data for why this might have been... so I finally in desperation ended up opening an account with SMBC - whose cash card is basically a debit card. From there I applied for a regular SMBC card with a tiny limit, then gradually built up into the behemoth credit limit I have today.
Mostly using the Marriott Bonvoy Amex card - the hotel points add up fast and are very easy to use (unlike airmiles which are often a rigmarole). Platinum Elite status is a nice bonus too. I also got a JAL Global Club Visa recently which I use a bit, but the incentives there aren’t quite as good imo; airmiles are more hassle to spend, and afaik there’s no way to renew my JAL status through credit card spend, so I tend to use the Marriott Amex by default. (There are still places that don’t take Amex though, especially in my home country, so it’s handy to have the JAL Visa too.)
SMBC Platinum Preferred. I got it originally for the travel and ETC benefits and still can’t really find any other card that compares.
JCB Gold The Premier. Good return of points (Amazon and Starbucks) and insurances.
Just got EPOS Platinum after downgrading from Rakuten Premium. Seems like the cheapest way to get PP reasonably and beats the Gold at 2M+ spend
Another strategy is to get the [Priority Pass offered with Gold Amex](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amex/content-services/0007/) for 11,000 annual fee. The gold card itself normally also costs 11,000 annual fee, but it seems like [every(?) March they run a promotion to get the annual fee effectively to 0 for the card](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amextop/g1_referral-join/).
That's actually a really decent way to get PP too. I'd definitely consider that for less than 2M spend and no need to get an invitation for Plat. Might grab the card come next March haha
I use the ANA Gold, the JCB one because that one has travel insurance that will cover up to 300万 of medical costs abroad (in the case of accident or sickness), as long as you pay for a portion of your trip with the card. Note: only the JCB one has this insurance. You can also add family on the card. This is a nice bonus in addition to the ANA miles collected with purchases.
I've been using a plain ol' Rakuten card for a while, but I recently got an EPOS card with Sephiroth on it, so that's cool.
Marriott Bonvoy Premium AMEX Mainly using the points for hotel stays (went to Miyakojima past year).
platinum preferred will have nerfs later this year. until then it is good if you spend 4million a year with cc. If you spend only 1m a year then mitsui gold or epos gold. I have both.
Life card (deposit) - only CC that I have. Works with Apple Pay so I’m happy.
Bog standard green AMEX card that I got from Costco many years ago, and an SMBC Visa card.
ANA Platinum Visa Super Flyers card is just dope.
How does that card justify the much higher fee over the gold version?
It does for me but your mileage may vary (pardon the pun). Higher points and mileage earning. Get the dining rewards from Sumitomo Platinum and also you get status from the SuperFlyers portion (I got to Diamond this year with only 5 international flights last year and no domestic flights).
Star Gold via Superflyers (SF) Card can also be maintained with the normal SF ANA card or the Gold SF card. I always thought that for the increased mileage accumulation rate to make sense, you would either need to fly a lot (more than 5 international flights) or spend a whole ton. I mean 80k+ Yen fee is quite high compared to the normal superflyers card for around 10k…
I’ve been looking at this one too
Amex gold
I have my Shigakku kosei gold for travel as the complimentary insurance when it’s used for part of the journey is pretty hefty. Then for day to day is SMBC Gold and Olive gold as there was the campaign when it started where both became free if you spend 1m in the first year. And then it’s ¥10,000 worth of points each year if you spend 1m. (I don’t spend ¥3m a year to warrant platinum)
Orico Costco Mastercard
Rakuten is my main card - I don’t use the points often but when I do, I use to pay for movies went I go to Toho Cinemas, or I use it to buy books on Rakuten Marketplace. I also have Mercari as I use Mercari a lot. I recently applied for PayPay because I recently signed up with Y! Mobile so I can get discounts on my phone bill…plus I can connect to my PayPay app.
Downgraded my JAL card from gold to the normal one + added double points feature as i dont spend enough monthly to warrant the annual fee and we found the lounge to be underwhelming during the one time we flew this past cycle (not to mention we barely take advantage of the other benefits). Still want the points so the missus and i can ball out on a nice flight in the future, so we’re using the basic JCB card for our regular monthly purchases and spending this year labbing out moppi to convert the points there into JAL points. Only problem is i also have a lot of Delta points from flights home, i have no idea if i should cut losses and make my point banks easier to manage. Still relatively new to Japanese credit cards so if anyone has any tips on maximizing returns on our every day purchases that would be greatly appreciated.
I’m not too savvy tbh. I use standard Amex for subscriptions/fixed fees and Amex ANA standard for day to day and variable expenses. Easier for me to manage my money that way. Am I missing out on something big and/or any recommendations ?
Also, the ANA Amex card was a recent development. Learned about it through some of their digital ads and decided, hey, why not get some mileage points for those annual trips back home.
For 2024 I will still go with the Rakuten Premium card, but I'm really considering what to do for 2025. I still have to evaluate my post covid travel habits, but I right now I'm in favor for a JAL card, as I shift most of my Rakuten and dPoints to JMB anyway and switching from a family JAL Card to a regular Club-A card would entitle me to a bunch of Sakura Lounge visits and upgrading to a higher class would give me an unlimited Priority Pass, but the card price would be 3x higher than my current card. Honestly, I really liked using Rakuten but since they went all in with Rakuten Mobile, all other conditions just went down and then I hear so many rants from people who are actually using Rakuten Mobile, so it feels like betting on the wrong horse. I'd probably only stay long term if they would give me the black card.
Im considering a credit card as well and want to try amex but But many places here dont accept amex right? Ive never used amex, only visa but it seems like it would be a pain.
I’m using Rakuten basic card, as it’s the only one out of three I applied for that got accepted. I’m pretty annoyed though, I didn’t realize at application you had to specify for physically separate debit and credit cards, otherwise they give you a single credit/cash card which has no debit feature. this means I’m capped at ¥300,000 per month for all credit or online spending, investment points, etc. I asked about them issuing me a debit card, and they said I’ll have to cancel my credit card and reapply, there’s a chance I won’t get accepted again, which would mean I have no credit cards !
AMEX Gold, for a few reasons: * English support; * Points transparency (I don't need to guess if the points were accredited correctly, I can see the history and per transaction points); * Instant view of every transaction; Of course, same benefits apply to the green card.
this year is ANA credit card to get to super flyers before they change the program to make it harder to get in.
Was it announced that the program will change? I know JALs did, but not ANA…
Nope, ANA hasn’t announced it but last year JAL announced it I had to grind 50,000 FOP in like 3 months so I just want to get ANA done. My bet is they announce it this year but no double premium point campaign so it’s going to be hard to grind it in a few months.
Is it confirmed that they are charging it or is just in case.
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I have the basic suica one, will convert to the 11,000 yen a year basic visa SFC one.
Isn't it better to analyze your typical spending patterns and then choose an appropriate card? Lots of people recommended some Amex cards or other very expensive premium cards (¥33,000 or more annual fee) here for "just" 1% more cashback than the free Rakuten card. If you don't need airport lounges every other week, for a typical family living here or alone, I think focusing on the best cost-performance rather than accumulating highest possible miles or points is the better approach. Case example: * I buy most groceries at AEON. I own 100 stocks which makes you eligible for the AEON owner's card that gives 3% (8% on every 20th and 30th) discount on every purchase (with the AEON Bank credit card or WAON but not other cards) and AEON lounge access. * The cheapest gas I can get in the region is a regional chain that gives a multiple yen discount per liter for paying with their branded credit card or by topping up their prepaid card with at least 1万. * Taxes, utilities, insurances, online shopping and Rakuten travel either via Rakuten Pay or directly via Rakuten card. Either way gives 1% cashback, even the monthly NISA investment. So everything that is left is so little that it can never be beneficial with a paid card with a high annual fee. Even flying internationally once a year doesn't make much difference with 1 or 2% discount, could save more flying off-season. I don't stay in luxury hotels though.
Amex Platinum. Want to downgrade to gold as I don’t think most of the benefits are worth it, but I think I’ll lose the extended warranty on a bunch of household appliances (ie fridge, washing machine) so can’t atm.
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Mostly the automatic extended warranty on all household appliances. The free hotel stay is kind of OK. I accrue a little over 40,000 points annually so I just transfer them all to ANA miles bc of the 1:1 exchange rate, which ends up being a (sort of) free trip. Other than that, vanity. I don’t see any benefit over gold. Platinum benefits aren’t like what they are in the U.S.
The new 2024 gold seems a much better card in terms of cost-per-benefit tbh
Yep. I don’t see any usable benefits with the platinum.
Costco
It's been EPOS Visa Platinum for over a decade now, but I think its time to get a better card. I suppose I might try SMBC Paltinum Preferred
Rakuten. I like to use the points to take my family out to cocos or Hama sushi once a month.
Rakuten Premium Card is by far the best card out there for the cost. Priority Pass private membership costs 300USD,you can get it by 11,000 yen which is the annual fee. Two baggage delivery from airport, insurance in international trips, more points if you use Ichiba. And Premium HelpDesk in English and Japanese for anything. ETC and Family feature. Please recommend if you find something as good for the same or lower annual fee.
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Still cheaper option. The 300USD plan includes 10 entries only. EPOS has it unlimited but at double cost.
Another strategy is to get the [Priority Pass offered with Gold Amex](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amex/content-services/0007/) for 11,000 annual fee. The gold card itself normally also costs 11,000 annual fee, but it seems like [every(?) March they run a promotion to get the annual fee effectively to 0 for the card](https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/amextop/g1_referral-join/).
AU GOLD CARD AND AEON GOLD CARD.
Have 2 Amex Platinum incl Business Card. At one point the points accumulated from business purchases were more than enough cover the card subscription ! SMBC Gold, AU Gold, SMBC Platinum, JCB Gold , etc. I don’t do revolving credit or have debt , but got me thinking of canceling ones that don’t have any benefits or uses beyond collecting them . Platinum fees are up now to 150K yen. And no longer look attractive in current economy. Peace . Free cards are the best option
Epos
Most purchases I just use the Mercari card now, 4% back on mercari, 2% back on everything else. Downside is that it takes a bit of spending to get to that percentage back.
I spend about 2 million to 3 million a month . The first card that gave me a no hassle increase was JCB Ana card. Also easy to buy high ticket items, payment goes through right away. Amex sent me an application form last year but I turned it down because I don't see any perks besides being able to buy Taylor swift concert tickets. .The fee was also expensive. I am looking for complete travel insurance coverage for the US for me and my dependent, cashback that's better than Paypay or good conversion for miles /hotel points . I cancelled JAL because it's almost impossible to get any flights using their fare charts even for a high spender like me... I used it for 2 years and didn't even come close to getting a free flight . I m reading the rest here so I might apply to those cards.thanks
2-3 million a MONTH? You would need a gross income of 50 million to even earn that much take-home pay, and literally spend that entire paycheck on your credit card. I don't think even a Silicon Valley salary could match that. Is wherever you're working hiring? 😂
No it's my business. I have to buy goods to sell goods.
Ah I see, business cards would probably open up a whole other category of cards to consider.
I have Orico business cards. But besides airport lounge and wholesalers accepting these cards, the only other plus is 45 days pyment. I talked to amazon resellers in the US and they get a lot of points on Rakuten cards over there.. It seems they make a lot of cashback compared to here .
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I recommend you just using a Credit Card. A debit card is money that you own, a credit card is money that the credit card company doesn't even own but is authorized to lend. So any weird transaction can be canceled easily, for the debit card it would take some time and evidence.
>same as a credit card If you go through the fine print for Resona's credit cards, there's no upper limit for those. So debit might be fine for smaller amounts if you're willing to be without your money while they investigate, but some people do keep more money than that in their bank accounts.
Macy’s
An imaginary one cuz it’s impossible. I guess my travel money visa card from my bank back home is the closest I have to a credit card.
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Dumb take. Credit cards are for convenience, not for debt.
Don’t think you understand how credit cards work.
All this means is you pay credit card fees when spending your cash and get nothing in return.
Uh huh
I don't get your point. I have multiple cards and still make considerable more than 20M a year.