Yes, credit and debit cards are widely accepted across Japan. Travel cards without foreign transaction fees provide added value when purchasing items abroad.
American AAdvantage offers attractive award flight rates to Tokyo and other Japanese destinations through its loyalty programs, making Japan easier to access.
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred
Booking award flights to Japan shouldn’t be difficult. Chase Sapphire Preferred provides an impressive sign-up bonus and benefits, including no foreign transaction fees (an important consideration when traveling across borders). Plus, its Ultimate Rewards portal lets you easily accrue dining and travel rewards as well as high redemption rates with airlines or hotel loyalty programs.
Reaching Japan using credit card rewards points can be relatively cost-effective, as frequent flyer programs often provide economy award tickets at discounted rates. Even ANA, their flagship airline from the West Coast has reasonable fares beginning at 40,000 miles round-trip; first class tickets can also be reasonably priced when compared with premium carriers’ premium charges; however ticket prices increase during high season.
2. Hyatt Credit Card
Hyatt loyalists who travel frequently will find the World of Hyatt Credit Card an ideal hotel rewards option. Offering generous sign-up bonuses, earning rates and automatic elite status status advancement, this cobranded card also boasts no foreign transaction fees – something uncommon among hotel credit cards.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card requires both good credit score and income in order to be approved, but its generous credit limit and annual fee often outweigh its annual cost for many travelers. If Hyatt isn’t your preferred brand however, an alternative reward card might better meet your needs; especially one without foreign transaction fees that will save money when dining or commuting abroad.
3. Orico The Point Card
As its name implies, this card rewards its users with spendable points for every JPY spent, without incurring annual fees or membership dues. With over 11 million cards issued so far and no annual fees imposed by the company itself – it has quickly become one of the most sought-after cards in Japan with no annual fees ever charged and over 11 million issued already! Furthermore, they offer other financial services such as loans and guarantee products. They recently announced a partnership with Capcom in honor of Mega Man’s 35th Anniversary; you can even have your credit card printed with Mega Man himself!
When moving to Japan, making life simpler can be made much simpler with the assistance of Transferwise multi-currency accounts and debit cards. You can hold and convert 55+ currencies without incurring fees; furthermore, all exchange rates are transparent with no markups added on top.
4. Amazon Mastercard
Travel money cards offer several advantages when visiting Japan, such as reduced or no foreign transaction fees and access to support networks in case your card is lost or stolen. Furthermore, these cards can be used at ATMs and online vendors alike for cash withdrawal and purchasing purchases.
While Japan is becoming more of a credit-card society, many areas still rely on cash as currency. As such, you should always bring some cash with you, as well as having another network credit/debit card issued such as JCB Card that’s easily accessible within Japan with its convenient point system and useful point system.
5. Rakuten Card
Rakuten Card is an excellent solution for frequent shoppers on Japanese ecommerce website Rakuten.com. Each dollar spent will earn points that you can redeem against campaigns and perks offered by this card, providing an incentive to shop more frequently at Rakuten.com.
Rakuten boasts an impressive network of over 50 partner companies – such as airlines, hotels and video game publishers – making it simple for you to earn rewards quickly while on the move! You don’t even have to keep track of multiple reward cards!
Rakuten Card’s transition to Payara Server Enterprise three years ago was remarkable in that no production issues have arisen – quite an achievement for any credit card company! Furthermore, Rakuten offers an app which enables account management and payments on-the-go.
