Aug 16, 2020
Japanese Credit Card Recommendations?
I am planning on applying for a Japanese credit card. I am looking to choose one with no annual fee. What do you guys recommend?
Teacher, Traveler, Dancer -
Currently living in Gifu -
I love Japan, dance, cats, food, and fashion!
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on Aug 16
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on Aug 17
@JapanRamen I'm curious about the Amazon card now - maybe you could do a how-to about applying for it and some of the benefits! I'd be interested in reading it!
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on Aug 17
A lot of cards have no annual fee upon the condition that you use them once a year. Which one is best for you kind of depends on your shopping habits as most cards come with certain benefits for shopping at certain stores. If there is a certain shopping centre or an online store where you buy frequently I would check whether they have a credit card. I do a lot of shopping on amazon so I use an Amazon credit card.
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on Aug 17
If you travel a lot (maybe not these days) then getting a gold card with an annual fee may pay off. You get way more points on gold cards and they come with many benefits, like being able to use lounges at airports or being insured when traveling abroad. Travel insurance is EXTREMELY expensive in Japan. It saves me at least 40.000 yen in travel insurances in normal years. You also get free dial medical assistance, a bicycle insurance...
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on Aug 17
@genkidesu Haha good idea, I am working on another money-saving thing someone else suggested to me, so your recommendation will be the next How-To :)
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on Aug 18
When I started a new job, my employer paid direct deposit to MUFJ Mitsubishi, so I had to open an account at the nearest branch. The bank signed me up for a credit card. It has no fees. Credit limits are low here at Y100,000, but some credit card companies allow you to adjust it. Before I travel, I phone the bank and raise the credit limit for the duration of my trip.
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on Aug 18
If you are in the Rakuten ecosystem, you should use Rakuten Gold Card. It gives you about 1~2% cashback on store purchases, and 3~10% on Rakuten online shop. On top of that if you use Rakuten mobile and other services, you can earn more points on each purchase. One more trick I do every year is Furusatonozeiふるさと納税 with Rakuten marathon campaign, so the cashback is close to 20%!!
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on Aug 25
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on Sep 3
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on Sep 6
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on Sep 23
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on Oct 3
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on Nov 4
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on Nov 10
I compared Waon, MUFG (I have an account there too), and Amazon. I haven't really used Rakuten, but that seems like it's a good option if you use it. Because of the 1-1.5% cashback, the Classic Amazon card sounds the best for me. The other two only get .5% cashback. The Waon emoney cards get the same .5% cashback benefits and bonuses as their credit card, so I will probably get one of those for grocery shopping.
14 Answers