Japanese Credit Cards. What’s in your wallet?

[JimNasium]

I don’t really spend much money, so I just have one card. It’s an Amazon card. Every once and a while when I need to get something on Amazon I use whatever points I have on there.

[Quinoa]

JAL JGC Club-A View - main card for most purchases, for accumulating JAL miles, holding JAL Global Club status, and for Suica/JRE purchases
ANA Super Flyer's Wide Gold Mastercard - main card for iD payments, for accmulating ANA miles, holding ANA Super Flyer's status, and for Costco runs
dCard Gold - for earning dPoints, and +5 GB / month on ahamo

[Chibalass]

Here is what I have:

Amazon (regular, used for prime membership)
Rakuten premium (using for points from monthly spending to the monthly NISA contributions, and for furusato nozei)
AEON Gold card
ANA (regular)

[CluelessToshika]

Just one warning about Rakuten. I have the Rakuten Gold Mastercard and had set it as my card for using Uber while in the US on a business trip last week. Rakuten flagged almost every use of the card for Uber as suspicious activity and locked the card. When I called to report that the activity was legitimate they would unlock the card for about a day and then lock it again the next time I used Uber. No matter how many times I told them in advance where I would be and whom I would be paying they repeated that process. Probably some of the worst service I've seen on a credit card. It still works fine for the Rakuten ecosystem of points for furusato nozei but I no longer rely on Rakuten cards for overseas travel.

This happens with a lot of cards here unfortunately. Way too sensitive. My wife had an Eneos card she used for her business, and every time we tried to pay for ads on Facebook they would lock the card. Incredibly frustrating.

I have an Odakyu Visa card (mainly because it's the first one I was able to actually get hold of) and Amazon via Sumitomi-Mitsui; have never had them blocked while abroad or making payments on overseas websites etc.. I do occasionally run into the problem that the "3D authentication" doesn't work with an overseas website with one of them, but usually the other will go through.

[Adamakin86]

Nice idea for a discussion.

JAL visa
Saison gold Amex
Saison international MasterCard (only applied for the sign up bonus)
Ana gold jcb
Rakuten visa

Going to apply for the platinum preferred card soon. Massive points for tsumitate nisa. Massive point for Expedia and can be transferred to miles.

[TJKansai]

This is a good topic. I wish I could get have my travel paid enough to get that ANA card with lifetime Star Gold...

Japan Cards
Saison UA Mastercard (Costco, great United earnings with 'mile-up' option: ¥1,000=15miles)
Rakuten Premium Gold (for Priority Pass, but will probably dump it next year as the whole Rakuten system is too confusing)
DC Gold (for domestic lounges, no fee)

US Cards
IHG Chase (2 cards, a legacy and a premier, free nights with each)
Marriott Chase Personal (free night, elite nights)
Marriott Amex Biz (free night, elite nights)
Hyatt Chase (free night)

I am considering picking up the Japanese Marriott Premium Amex for the elite nights, which stacked with the US cards will make continuing platinum a breeze.

[TJKansai]

Blimey. Everyone seems to have a lot of cards. Don't you find it too much hassle to manage them all?

I just have the one - Japan Post Bank.

All the payments are auto-transfers from banks, so not an issue.
It does take some effort to make sure benefits like free hotel nights don't expire.

[hitsuji182]

Rakuten as my main card. Actually, I have 2 Rakuten CCs, made one extra when they had 4000 points promo. I gave it to my girlfriend so we can easily track our combined expenses.

For konbinis and chain restaurants, I use SMBC Olive with touch payment, getting 10% points back is a pretty good deal.

Looks like I'll be getting Amazon card next.

[TJKansai]

After promoting the Saison UA Mileage card for ages as one of the best deals out there, today I got this message.

Fees increasing, earnings going down. I suspect the earnings ratio change is in part tied to the weak yen.

いつもMileagePlusセゾンカードをご利用いただきありがとうございます。
このたび、「MileagePlusセゾンカード」について、2024年7月4日(木)お引き落とし分より順次、年会費およびマイル付与条件改定、サービス内容の変更をさせていただきます。
何卒ご理解賜り、今後とも「MileagePlusセゾンカード」をご愛顧くださいますようお願い申しあげます。


■年会費改定内容

MileagePlusセゾンカード
1,650円(税込)⇒3,300円(税込)

マイルアップメンバーズ年会費
5,500円(税込)⇒11,000円(税込)

MileagePlusセゾンゴールドカード
22,000円(税込)⇒33,300円(税込)

MileagePlusセゾンプラチナカード
変更ございません


■マイル付与条件改定内容

税金および公共料金の利用
MileagePlusセゾンプラチナカード/MileagePlusセゾンゴールドカードの付与条件
1,000円につき15マイル⇒1,000円につき5マイル

マイルアップメンバーズの付与条件
1,000円につき10マイル⇒付与対象外

電子マネーおよびプリペイドカードチャージの利用
MileagePlusセゾンカードの全カード
1,000円につき15マイル⇒付与対象外

▼その他サービス変更・改定時期など詳細はこちら▼
https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/mileage/ua-renewal2024

[RetireJapan]

Ouch, that is brutal. I used to have one of those cards and was idly considering whether to get it again.

Decision made