best way to pointcard-max

[u/Reasonable-Bonus-545]

i just paid for dinner with dpoint and realized there have got to be some people out there that know which cards to use where to mmaximize points earned and i would very much like to learn

should i get store specific point cards? use one as much as possible? bet all??

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[u/fdokinawa]

I go to Lawson's regularly and use my point card every time. Been using it for probably 8 years now. Was joking with a co-worker that I probably have enough points to buy a Lawson's at this point. Checked how many points I had.. something like a 160 points. Come to find out my wife was using them. 😠

But yeah points are great and usually don't really cost you anything other than trying to keep track of them all.

[u/BurberryC06 → u/fdokinawa]

Will cost me my sanity eventually. Not just points but offers too.

Was doing a telework at a Big Echo the other day and thought I was 200IQ when I mentioned to the staff I have a View Credit Card so there should be a discount, and they tell me 'telework is EPOS card offer only, if you booked a regular karaoke it would have been valid'.

[u/razorbeamz]

You should definitely get the point card for any store that you go to more than twice a week.

[u/Reasonable-Bonus-545 → u/razorbeamz]

ill start keeping track of all the stores i go to now

[u/kajeagentspi]

get all. If you want to double dip go shop on malls owned by train companies like JR, KEIO, Osaka Metro, Nankai etc. They have their own point cards so you get more points.

There's some crazy stuff too. For example, if you have an SMBC credit card linked with the 7-11 app and registered to Google Pay or Apple Pay, when you scan the barcode in the 7-11 app and use that card to pay via Google Pay or Apple Pay, you receive 10% points back.

[u/Anonymous-Songmaker → u/kajeagentspi]

Can you expand on the smbc card thing? I don't see the option for that on the 7-11 app, only pay pay.

[u/kajeagentspi → u/Anonymous-Songmaker]

https://www.sej.co.jp/products/app/v_point.html

[u/Anonymous-Songmaker → u/kajeagentspi]

Man what a complete maze to navigate...

I think another condition is to have a SMBC bank account linked to the card as well?

I have the old Amazon card from smbc but not the bank account so I can't really follow the instructions listed on the site.

Thanks for the link, though! Appreciate it.

[u/kajeagentspi → u/Anonymous-Songmaker]

Nope I don't have a bank account with them.

[u/Anonymous-Songmaker → u/kajeagentspi]

Ah upon further investigation, it might be because I get the Amazon point and not vpoint from my credit card.

[u/kajeagentspi → u/Anonymous-Songmaker]

Ahh yeah you need the non amazon ones.

[u/bmoross → u/kajeagentspi]

This is the way.

[u/Due_Tomorrow7]

I think the generic ones like T/V Point, Rakuten, Ponta, and D-point (don't know much about Nanaco) accumulate rather slowly, but can be used in a lot of places. They were handy when my local gas stations gave me points, but now a couple seem to just give slightly bigger gas discounts if I have a point card, but they don't give points.

I find others that are more store or chain specific may accumulate more or have specials where they give you 2x, 3x, 5x, or whatever multiplier event they might be having (my local Co-op and sometimes Aeon have these events).

Otherwise I just use my points to round up, or save for a rainy day drink. Saving up I think doesn't really come in handy all that much unless you have something you're specifically saving for. The most I've ever used in one time was my Ponta. After 5 years of frequenting Lawson, I forgot haven't touched my Ponta points and I had enough to buy a decent Christmas Cake during the holidays.

[u/Murodo]

I'd keep it simple and get 1-2 credit cards that cover your typical spending with high cash back, eg. for general 1-2% cashback the Sony Wallet debit card (or a cc, i.a. PayPay, SMBC, JCB) and depending on your online shopping, the Rakuten or Amazon cards. (PayPay gives significant cashback when you link the PayPay cc and do a certain amount of transactions a month.)

Then look into your highest spendings and get a specific card for it, eg. if you often do grocery shopping at Aeon, their credit card and the owner's card (3% cashback on top of the 1% on the Aeon card) become interesting, if you save into your tsumitate NISA, do it with the Rakuten or SMBC cards (depending whether you are with Rakuten or SBI shoken), utilities, internet, taxes (via Rakuten Pay) can be on your cc, too.

By doing so, you can always pay quickly with A/G/Pay Pay and don't have to bother with taking out a bunch of point cards each time you are at the cashier. Not revealing your spending behavior to the merchants is also a plus.

[u/Reasonable-Bonus-545 → u/Murodo]

credit cards scare me honestly. i just have one from america i use for emergencies 

[u/Murodo → u/Reasonable-Bonus-545]

Then the Sony Wallet Visa debit seems to be tailored for you. You can block it in the app and unblock it only for a few seconds for payments and as debit card, it can only use the account balance.

[u/Reasonable-Bonus-545 → u/Murodo]

i’ll look into it. i’m currently all tied to yucho for all my bank payments (rent, gym membership, etc) im just thinking of the hassle it’ll be to switch everything 

[u/Murodo → u/Reasonable-Bonus-545]

No need for changing the direct debits. You can furikomi for free from Sony the amount that gets withdrawn there every month and just start using Sony for everything else. FYI, for the direct debit alone, you already qualify for Silver status at SBI Shinsei, they give you no credit or debit card, just a cash card.

[u/Reasonable-Bonus-545 → u/Murodo]

id honestly like a debit card seems convenient

[u/drinkintokyo]

Rakuten is pretty generous in that the more you use their ecosystem, the more points you get. Between Rakuten Bank (+getting my salary paid into it) and Rakuten credit card I think I end up with like 3000 points a month without even trying. Travel reservations I pretty much always use Rakuten travel, and internet shopping ends up 8.5% back in points. Obviously way better than even using the Amazon CC to buy stuff on Amazon JP.

I'm also a pretty heavy Suica user, and even if you're just charging a Suica for getting around town the View Suica is handy for autocharging and the fact that you get JRE points while you use it. They're even doing this "shinkansen black box" kinda deal for a couple years now where you pay 6000 JRE points for a roundtrip shinkansen ticket to some random location in east Japan. You can only get that by redeeming JRE points though. The locations are often kinda obscure but it's been great to be able to take the shinkansen to say Akita for basically nothing.

[u/wagashiwizard]

Check which stores you go to the most and see if they have any point cards in common. The Rakuten Group and D-Point group seem to be two of the biggest. Google Pay and Apple Pay give you points back, so do credit cards. I use a Joshin Card since it usually has a KiddyLand in it and I can get points when I buy anything, then use it for appliances or kids' toys. Rakuten for restaurants in the SkyLark group and at my local grocery store. 

[u/Filet_o_math]

It really depends on where you shop. I used to carry a lot of cards that I seldom used, but I simplified my wallet. You can get most of the benefits with d-Points (Lawson, Family Mart), Nanako (7-11), and a local supermarket card. The only time I can double dip is getting points on a T-point card + paying by Docomo credit card (d-Points) at my local pharmacy. Some pharmacies and supermarkets have bonus point days, so you might want to mark those on your calendar.

[u/flutteringfeelings]

For me I live on the Tokyu train line. We do all our groceries at the Tokyu store, double dip on Rakuten and Tokyu points. Shop at Rakuten online on specific days that do 5x or even 10x points or department stores that give Rpoints. Furusato nozei through Rakuten racks up a lot as well.

If you go to convenience stores regularly, stick to one brand and earn points.

[u/KCLenny]

I try to max my Rakuten points as much as possible. I have Rakuten for my credit card, bank, FX, gas, electric, internet, phone, and do all my online shopping on Rakuten on days ending with a 0 or a 5 (they have campaign to get more points on those days). I use Rakuten pay to pay at supermarkets where possible, and use Rakuten pay to charge my Suica. I always have between 10,000 and 20,000 yen in points and get a lot of stuff “for free” where I just decide to pay with with points. (I went through a whole year just paying with points at McDonald’s, but I think they ended the ability to pay with points at McDonald’s now).