Some cards are open only to younger applicants, and can beat the ones open to everyone on fees. ANA JCB CARD FIRST is for ages 18–29 (students excluded): no annual fee for five years and 2 miles per ¥200 (1 mile per ¥100). JCB Card W is open to ages 18–39 and has no annual fee for life; it earns 1% as a base and 2% at Amazon.
ANA JCB CARD FIRST (29 and under)
With no annual fee and 1 mile per ¥100, it beats a free 1.2% card (¥1.20 per ¥100) whenever a mile is worth more than ¥1.2. For example, at ¥1.44M a year (¥120,000 a month) and a mile worth ¥2, it earns ¥28,800 a year, against ¥17,280 for a free 1.2% card.
- Eligibility is ages 18–29, students excluded. After five years, at the card's expiry and subject to screening, it switches automatically to the ANA JCB standard card (you may not be issued one if you do not pass). The fee then is ¥2,200 for the main member; the default is the 1-mile course (0.5 miles per ¥100), and the 2-mile course (1 mile per ¥100) costs ¥5,500 a year, per JCB's notice.
- Miles take time to build and use, so it works best for someone who flies ANA at least once a year.
JCB Card W (39 and under)
The base is 1% (2 points per ¥200), below the Recruit Card's 1.2%. It wins on Amazon (2%) and at partner stores (J-POINT partners). Here is the yearly difference from the Recruit Card at ¥1.2M a year, by the share spent at Amazon.
| Share at Amazon | JCB W points a year | Difference from Recruit |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | ¥12,000 | −¥2,400 |
| 10% | ¥13,200 | −¥1,200 |
| 20% | ¥14,400 | +¥0 |
| 30% | ¥15,600 | +¥1,200 |
| 50% | ¥18,000 | +¥3,600 |
The difference reaches zero at 20% Amazon; below that, Recruit is ahead. The 10.5% at partner stores (Starbucks, McDonald's, Sukiya, tapping on trains and so on) has narrow conditions and needs advance registration. JCB's own example, ¥36,000 a month — ¥5,000 at Starbucks, ¥2,000 each at McDonald's, Yoshinoya and Gusto, ¥20,000 at Amazon and ¥5,000 on trains and buses — earns 2,080 points a month.
The same ¥36,000 on the Recruit Card earns ¥432. JCB's example assumes every condition is met: Starbucks must be card top-ups, eGift or mobile orders (in-store payments and top-ups at the counter are excluded), and McDonald's is limited to mobile orders and delivery. Check that you would actually meet them before choosing.
Both are only open for a limited time
ANA FIRST can only be applied for up to age 29 and JCB W up to age 39 (JCB W stays free for life if you join by 39). If you qualify, decide before the age cut-off. For comparisons with other cards, pick your age band in the miles card calculator. The verdict list is in Credit card verdicts.
Sources
- ANA (Japanese) — ANA card list: ANA JCB CARD FIRST (ages 18–29 excluding students, five years free, 2 miles per ¥200)
- JCB (Japanese) — ANA JCB CARD FIRST renewal notice: after five years it switches automatically to the ANA JCB standard card (¥2,200)
- JCB (Japanese) — JCB Card W (ages 18–39 to apply, no annual fee, 1.0% base, Amazon 4× points, partner stores up to 21×)
- JCB (Japanese) — J-POINT and J-POINT partners (conditions, advance registration, the ¥36,000-a-month example)
- Recruit Card (official, Japanese) — 1.2% rate, no annual fee (the baseline)