This page sorts 19 credit cards into 3 "Recommended", 10 "Up to you" and 6 "Not recommended", using the rates, annual fees and conditions on each issuer's or airline's own page. The yardstick is the Recruit Card: no annual fee and a 1.2% return. A card is "Recommended" or "Up to you" if it beats that for people in a clearly stated situation (a use, an age, a spending level); it is "Not recommended" if, on rewards alone, most people lose to it.
How to read the verdicts
| Verdict | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Recommended | For people who fit the stated condition, it beats a free 1.2% card. The condition is simple and the cost of the fee is small. |
| Up to you | It wins if conditions such as yearly spend, age, card-funded investing or the value of a mile line up; otherwise a free 1.2% card wins. |
| Not recommended | On rewards (points or miles) alone, it loses to a free 1.2% card at almost every spending level. People who use the perks are the exception. |
The numbers are as of the date shown in each card's entry. Rates and fees change often, so confirm on the issuer's page before applying. Anything that could not be confirmed on an official page is labelled "Assumed" in the calculators (as of 9 October 2026 everything has been confirmed, so nothing is labelled). To test your own pattern, enter your monthly spending in the card-combination calculator.
All cards at a glance
| Card | Verdict | Annual fee | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruit Card (JCB) | Recommended | ¥0 | A flat 1.2% with no annual fee — the same rate on utilities and phone bills, and the yardstick the other cards are measured against. |
| Rakuten Card | Up to you | ¥0 | 1% as a base, 0.2% on utilities and taxes. Built for people who use Rakuten's own services (Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Mobile) — the Rakuten ecosystem card. |
| JCB Card W | Up to you | ¥0 | 1% base, 2% at Amazon. 10.5% at some partner routes (Starbucks card top-ups, McDonald's mobile orders, tapping a card on trains and buses), but the conditions are narrow and registration is needed. |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Card (NL) | Recommended | ¥0 | 7% at eligible convenience-store and restaurant chains when you pay by phone contactless, 0.5% everywhere else. A card to carry as a second card. |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Card Gold (NL) | Up to you | ¥5,500 | Spend ¥1,000,000 in a year and the fee becomes free, with 10,000 bonus points every year. It beats a free 1.2% card at roughly ¥1M–¥2.5M a year; above that, the free card wins. |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Card Platinum Preferred | Up to you | ¥33,000 | For people who spend ¥3M+ a year and put about ¥100,000 a month into card-funded investing: investing earns 2% at ¥3M of card spend and 3% at ¥5M. |
| Epos Gold Card | Up to you | ¥5,000 | A 10,000-point bonus at ¥1,000,000 a year. For people who want lounge access and travel insurance and land near ¥1M. |
| JRE CARD | Up to you | ¥524 | 1.5% on mobile Suica top-ups and 5% on mobile Suica commuter passes. For JR East commuters who use mobile Suica. 0.5% on everyday spending. |
| Saison Pearl American Express Card | Up to you | ¥0 | 2% when you pay by QUICPay through Apple Pay or Google Pay, up to ¥300,000 a year. Everything else earns 0.5% or less — a side card. |
| d CARD (standard) | Not recommended | ¥0 | From January 2027 the base rate drops from 1% to 0.5%. Not a main card unless you pay through d Payment. |
| Luxury Card Titanium | Not recommended | ¥75,000 | A flat 1.0% — lower than a free 1.2% card. The fee is only worth it if you use the hotel, dining and similar perks. |
| Luxury Card Black | Not recommended | ¥150,000 | A flat 1.25%. The gap to a free 1.2% card is 0.05 points, so winning back the ¥150,000 fee would take ¥300 million of spending. |
| Luxury Card Gold | Not recommended | ¥295,000 | A flat 1.5%. It beats a free 1.2% card by only 0.3 points, so winning back the ¥295,000 fee would take about ¥100 million of spending. |
| ANA JCB CARD FIRST | Recommended | ¥0 | 2 miles per ¥200 (1 mile per ¥100), free for five years. After that it becomes the ANA JCB standard card (¥2,200 a year). For under-30s who fly ANA, nothing beats it. |
| JAL Card (standard) + Shopping Mile Premium | Up to you | ¥7,150 | ¥7,150 a year for 1 mile per ¥100. It beats a free 1.2% card if you can use a mile for about ¥1.5 or more. |
| ANA VISA Card (standard) + 2x course | Up to you | ¥8,800 | ¥8,800 a year for 1 mile per ¥100. The same maths as JAL — pick by the airline you fly. Under 30, ANA FIRST is cheaper. |
| ANA VISA Platinum Premium Card | Not recommended | ¥96,800 | 1.5 miles per ¥100, but a ¥96,800 fee. Even valuing a mile at ¥3, it needs about ¥6M a year to beat the ¥7,000-range 1-mile cards. A card for ANA elite-status perks. |
| Marriott Bonvoy American Express Premium Card | Not recommended | ¥82,500 | As miles: 1.0–1.25 miles per ¥100. At ¥82,500 a year, it is a card for people who will use the hotel free-night award (up to 75,000 points once conditions are met). |
| American Express Gold Preferred Card + ANA course | Up to you | ¥45,100 | For everyday spending: 1 mile per ¥100, up to 40,000 miles a year. A card for people chasing a welcome-offer campaign. |
Points cards with no annual fee (or a fee waived on conditions)
The 1.2% baseline card and cards that pay a lot only on particular spending.
Recruit Card (JCB)Recommended
Annual fee: No annual fee, ever. Checked: 2026-10-09.
No annual fee, and 1.2% even on utilities and phone bills. On ¥3M a year that is ¥36,000 (the 1% Rakuten Card earns ¥30,000), and it is the baseline every other card is measured against. A good first card, or the one to put everything on.
Its weak points: mobile Suica top-ups earn 0.75% (up to ¥30,000 a month) and there are no card-funded investing points. The 1.2% is stated on the JCB brand's page and on Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos' page (Nicos issues the Visa and Mastercard versions). Recruit's site carries a notice of 31 October 2025 about some Visa/Mastercard services being suspended; what was suspended could not be read, so this site's numbers use the JCB brand's terms.
Sumitomo Mitsui Card (NL)Recommended
Annual fee: No annual fee, ever. Checked: 2026-10-09.
7% at eligible convenience-store and restaurant chains when you pay with the phone's contactless, 0.5% everywhere else. If you spend ¥4,320 or more a month at those chains, adding it as a second card to a free 1.2% card earns at least ¥3,000 a year more; at ¥10,000 a month it is ¥6,960. The conditions and the real overall rate are in the guide to NL's "up to 7%".
Everyday spending earns only 0.5%, so as the only card it loses to a 1.2% card. It is a second card.
Rakuten CardUp to you
Annual fee: No annual fee, ever. Checked: 2026-10-09.
A 1% base, 0.2% on utilities and taxes and 0.5% on phone bills and insurance. On ¥3M a year it earns ¥30,000, ¥6,000 less than the Recruit Card.
The reason to hold it is the Rakuten ecosystem — extra points on Rakuten Ichiba, Travel and Mobile through the SPU scheme — which this site does not calculate. If you use Rakuten services heavily, it is worth more than shown. Treat it as an ecosystem card, not a flat-rate card.
JCB Card WUp to you
Annual fee: No annual fee, ever (join at 18–39). Checked: 2026-10-09. You can apply at 18–39 (and keep the card, still free, after 40).
1% as a base, 2% at Amazon, no annual fee for life, and open to ages 18–39. Unless Amazon and similar spending is more than 20% of what you spend, it is below a 1.2% card. The 10.5% at partner stores has narrow conditions and needs advance registration. The under-30/under-40 guide has the table and JCB's own example.
JRE CARDUp to you
Annual fee: Free the first year, then ¥524 (free if you pay JR East Sports monthly fees by card). Checked: 2026-10-09.
1.5% on mobile Suica top-ups, 5% on mobile Suica commuter passes, and a ¥524 fee from the second year. Everyday spending earns 0.5%. From about ¥5,800 a month of top-ups it beats Recruit's 0.75%.
It is a Suica-only card for people on JR East lines who use mobile Suica. Physical, non-registered-name Suica is not eligible. The Suica guide also compares tapping a credit card on the train.
Saison Pearl American Express CardUp to you
Annual fee: Free if you use it at least once a year (¥1,100 in the first year). Checked: 2026-10-09.
QUICPay payments through Apple Pay or Google Pay earn 2% up to ¥300,000 a year (¥6,000), which is ¥2,400 more than a 1.2% card; everything else is 0.5% or less in Eternal Points.
The fee is free if you use it once a year. It is a side card for people who want to put up to ¥300,000 a year of small QUICPay purchases on it, not a main card. Points are valued at the best case of ¥5 each. Taxes, electricity, gas and water earn 0.25% and mobile Suica top-ups earn nothing.
d CARD (standard)Not recommended
Annual fee: Free (from January 2027, ¥1,650 in a year after a year with no use). Checked: 2026-10-09.
From January 2027 the base rate drops from 1 point per ¥100 to 1 per ¥200 (0.5%), and a year of no use triggers a ¥1,650 fee. At ¥1.2M a year the points halve from 12,000 to 6,000, ¥8,400 below the Recruit Card. See the d Card guide.
Using it as the funding card for d Payment (effectively 1%), and spending d Points on Docomo bills, still make some sense. As a main card, it is not recommended.
Gold and platinum: cards where you pay a fee and win it back on conditions
Cards that start to pay off once yearly spend passes a line (¥500,000, ¥1M, ¥3M or ¥5M).
Sumitomo Mitsui Card Gold (NL)Up to you
Annual fee: ¥5,500. Free from the next year once you spend ¥1,000,000 or more in a year. Checked: 2026-10-09.
Spend ¥1M or more in a year and the fee becomes free from the next year, with 10,000 bonus points every year. On everyday spending alone it beats a 1.2% card from ¥1M to about ¥1.43M, and with ¥10,000 a month at the chains, to about ¥2.54M. The Gold (NL) guide has the table and the spending that does not count toward ¥1M.
If you do not reach ¥1M you pay the ¥5,500 fee and get no bonus. Above ¥3M, a free 1.2% card is better.
Epos Gold CardUp to you
Annual fee: ¥5,000. Free from the next year once you spend ¥500,000 or more in a year. Checked: 2026-10-09.
The fee is free from the next year once you spend ¥500,000 in a year, and ¥1M earns a 10,000-point bonus, so at ¥1M a year the card yields 1.5%. On everyday spending alone, it beats a 1.2% card from ¥1M to about ¥1.43M.
A good fit if you land near ¥1M and want lounge access and overseas travel insurance. At ¥3M a year the rate falls to 0.83% because the base is 0.5%. The "choose your own bonus shops" boost (up to 2×) is not included.
Sumitomo Mitsui Card Platinum PreferredUp to you
Annual fee: ¥33,000. Checked: 2026-10-09.
¥33,000 a year with a 1% base. If you do not invest through the card, it never beats a free 1.2% card at any spending level. It pays off only when you invest ¥100,000 a month with yearly card spend of at least ¥3M (¥4M at ¥50,000 a month). See the Platinum Preferred break-even guide.
The overseas 3% and the partner-site boosts (up to +9%) are not in this site's calculation. If you do not invest and spend under ¥3M a year, there is no reason to pick it.
Miles cards
Break-even depends on what you think a mile is worth.
ANA JCB CARD FIRSTRecommended
Annual fee: Free for 5 years (ages 18–29, excluding students). Checked: 2026-10-09. For ages 18–29 (excluding students).
For ages 29 and under (students excluded): no annual fee for five years and 1 mile per ¥100. If you can use a mile for more than ¥1.2, it beats a free 1.2% card at any spending level. The under-30/under-40 guide works an example: ¥28,800 a year against ¥17,280 for a free 1.2% card, at ¥1.44M and ¥2 a mile.
After five years it switches to the ANA JCB standard card (¥2,200 a year, subject to screening), whose default earns 0.5 miles per ¥100; 1 mile per ¥100 needs a ¥5,500 a year 2-mile course. Best for people who fly ANA at least once a year.
ANA VISA Card (standard) + 2x courseUp to you
Annual fee: ¥2,200 (free the first year) + ¥6,600 transfer fee for the 2x course. Checked: 2026-10-09.
A ¥2,200 fee plus the ¥6,600 2x course buys 1 mile per ¥100. At ¥3M a year it beats a free 1.2% card when a mile is worth more than about ¥1.49. The only difference from the JAL card is the ¥1,650 higher fee.
For ANA flyers. If you are 29 or under, the same 1 mile per ¥100 with no fee on ANA JCB CARD FIRST is better.
ANA VISA Platinum Premium CardNot recommended
Annual fee: ¥96,800. Checked: 2026-10-09.
1.5 miles per ¥100, but a ¥96,800 fee. At ¥3M a year, a mile has to be worth more than about ¥2.95 to match a free 1.2% card.
It is a card for the ANA elite-status perks (50% flight bonus, lounges) used beyond the fee, not for the mile rate. The fee was raised from ¥88,000 to ¥96,800 for payments from 10 December 2025.
American Express Gold Preferred Card + ANA courseUp to you
Annual fee: ¥39,600 + ¥5,500 ANA course fee. Checked: 2026-10-09.
A ¥39,600 fee plus ¥5,500 for the ANA course buys 1 mile per ¥100, up to 40,000 miles a year. On everyday spending alone it loses to the cheaper JAL and ANA cards.
It suits people chasing a welcome-offer campaign and reviewing the card in a year or two, not people who want a yearly return. The size of welcome offers changes with time and conditions, so this site does not quote one.
Luxury Card
A card you pay for the perks, not the rewards.
Luxury Card TitaniumNot recommended
Annual fee: ¥75,000 (now ¥55,000; the new fee applies to new applications from 1 Jan 2027 and to existing members from February 2027 billing). Checked: 2026-10-09.
A flat 1.0%, so no amount of spending lets the rate cover the fee against a 1.2% card. From January 2027 the fee is ¥75,000 (now ¥55,000). At ¥6M a year, you need ¥87,000 of perks to match the free card.
It suits only people who use hotel, dining and airport-lounge perks well beyond the fee. See the Luxury Card fee guide.
Luxury Card BlackNot recommended
Annual fee: ¥150,000 (now ¥110,000; the new fee applies to new applications from 1 Jan 2027 and to existing members from February 2027 billing). Checked: 2026-10-09.
A flat 1.25%, only 0.05 points above a 1.2% card. To win back the ¥150,000 fee (from January 2027; now ¥110,000) on the rate gap alone, you would need ¥300 million a year on the card. At ¥6M a year, you need ¥147,000 of perks to match the free card.
Points convert to ANA, JAL or United miles at 0.6 miles per point, free and with no cap — 0.75 miles per ¥100 on Black.
Luxury Card GoldNot recommended
Annual fee: ¥295,000 (now ¥220,000; the new fee applies to new applications from 1 Jan 2027 and to existing members from February 2027 billing). Checked: 2026-10-09.
A flat 1.5%, 0.3 points above a 1.2% card. To win back the ¥295,000 fee (from January 2027; now ¥220,000) on the rate gap alone, you need about ¥98M a year of spending. At ¥6M a year, you need ¥277,000 of perks to match the free card.
It pays the same rate on utilities and top-ups, but after the fee it is the biggest loser of the three tiers on rewards. A card for people who will use the perks in full.
What this site's calculation leaves out
Welcome offers, airport lounge, insurance and hotel perks, economic-zone boosts such as Rakuten's SPU, JCB W's 10.5% at partner stores, Sumitomo Mitsui's Reward Up, airline partner-store miles, revolving payments, and family-card pooling. Card-funded investing points are included for the Sumitomo Mitsui and Rakuten cards. Each card carries a check date and a re-check deadline, and the tests fail once a deadline passes.
Sources
- Recruit Card (official, Japanese) — 1.2% rate, also on utilities and phone bills
- Recruit Card (official, Japanese) — electronic-money top-ups (nanaco, mobile Suica) earn 0.75%, up to ¥30,000 a month, from 16 February 2022
- Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos (Japanese) — Recruit Card Visa/Mastercard: 1.2% on shopping
- Rakuten Card (official, Japanese) — 1% rate, no annual fee
- Rakuten Card (official, Japanese) — uses with different rates (utilities and taxes: 1 point per ¥500; mobile Suica: not eligible)
- Rakuten Securities (Japanese) — point rates for card-funded fund purchases
- JCB Card W (official, Japanese) — 1.0% base, Amazon 4× points, no annual fee, ages 18–39
- JCB (Japanese) — J-POINT and J-POINT partner stores (conditions)
- JCB (Japanese) — uses that earn no J-POINT (mobile Suica and other e-money top-ups, annual fees, cash advances)
- Sumitomo Mitsui Card (Japanese) — V Point Up Program (eligible stores, phone contactless, conditions)
- Sumitomo Mitsui Card (Japanese) — card-funded investing: conditions and rates (NL and standard cards)
- Sumitomo Mitsui Card (Japanese) — Gold (NL): free from the next year at ¥1M a year, 10,000 points every year
- Sumitomo Mitsui Card (Japanese) — card-funded investing: conditions and rates (Gold)
- Sumitomo Mitsui Card (Japanese) — Platinum Preferred (yearly bonus, overseas, Reward Up)
- Sumitomo Mitsui Card (Japanese) — card-funded investing: conditions and rates (Platinum Preferred)
- Epos Card (Japanese) — Epos Gold Card (annual fee; free from the next year at ¥500,000 a year)
- Epos Card (Japanese) — Gold Card yearly bonus points (2,500 at ¥500,000; 10,000 at ¥1,000,000)
- Epos Card FAQ (Japanese) — how points are calculated (1 point per ¥200 incl. tax) and which uses earn none
- Epos Card (Japanese) — end of points on top-ups of payment services (mobile Suica etc.) from 1 August 2026
- JR East (Japanese/English) — JRE CARD (1.5% on Suica top-ups, ¥524 annual fee)
- View Card FAQ (Japanese) — uses that earn no JRE POINT (mobile Suica is not among them)
- JR East (Japanese) — utilities and phone bills on a View card (5 points per ¥1,000 = 0.5%)
- Saison Card (Japanese) — Saison Pearl American Express (QUICPay up to 2%, ¥300,000 a year)
- Saison Card FAQ (Japanese) — uses with no points or different rates (taxes, electricity, gas, water and NHK: 1 point per ¥2,000; mobile Suica top-ups: none)
- NTT Docomo (Japanese) — d Card point-rate and annual-fee changes (January 2027)
- NTT Docomo (Japanese) — d Card point notes (mobile Suica and other top-ups excluded; utilities and taxes eligible)
- Luxury Card (official, Japanese) — points programme (rates, mile exchange)
- Luxury Card (official, Japanese) — annual-fee revision notice (January 2027)
- ANA (Japanese) — ANA card list (annual fees, shopping miles)
- JCB (Japanese) — ANA JCB CARD FIRST renewal notice (automatic switch to the ANA JCB standard card after five years)
- JAL Card (Japanese) — standard card (annual fee, shopping miles, Premium)
- Sumitomo Mitsui Card (Japanese) — ANA card mileage transfer (2x course, ¥6,600 fee)
- Sumitomo Mitsui Card (Japanese) — ANA VISA Platinum Premium annual-fee revision (¥88,000 → ¥96,800 for payments on or after 10 December 2025)
- American Express (Japanese) — Marriott Bonvoy points (3 points per ¥100)
- American Express (Japanese) — Marriott Bonvoy Premium Card (¥82,500 annual fee)
- Marriott Bonvoy (Japanese) — points to miles (3:1, 5,000 bonus miles per 60,000 points)
- American Express (Japanese) — Gold Preferred Card (¥39,600 annual fee)
- ANA (Japanese) — American Express Membership Rewards ANA course
- American Express (Japanese) — Membership Rewards (1 point per ¥100; some merchants excluded or 1 point per ¥200)