Maximum Reduction Rates of Over 20% Depending on How You Use Your Credit Card! The Best “No Annual Fee Credit Cards

In August this year, the credit card industry was hit with shocking news.

The annual fee for the Marriott Bon Voyage American Express Premium Card (commonly known as the MBA) increased by more than 30,000 yen from 49,500 yen to 82,500 yen, and the conditions for achieving free nights at Marriott-affiliated hotels, a key benefit, were also made more stringent. The decline in the attractiveness of the MBA, which used to represent the best value-priced credit cards, has raised suspicions among consumers that a chain of “deterioration” of fee-based cards may occur, and interest in free credit cards has grown instead,” said Yoshio Akiyama, a financial planner.

However, which card to choose from among the numerous “free credit cards” with no annual fee and no joining fee? Financial writer Seita Ikeda says, “It is beneficial to use different cards according to your “economic zone.

Part 1: “Use different cards according to your economic zone to get the best deal! Research on the best “no annual fee credit cards”].

Up to 21% off at Starbucks!

The best way to get the most out of a free credit card is to use a card that matches your economic sphere as your main card and a card that suits your everyday shopping and lifestyle as a sub-card. For example, the “Amazon Prime MasterCard” is a card that can be issued to Amazon Prime members and offers a 2% discount when making purchases at Amazon.

For those who often travel by public transportation, the “Bic Camera Suica Card” is recommended. There is no annual fee for the first year, and no annual fee for the second and subsequent years as long as you use the card once a year. JRE points are redeemed for 1.5% when recharging to Mobile Suica, and 5% for commuter passes. In addition, when shopping at Bic Camera, you can receive up to 11.5% of points if you pay with Suica charged by “Bic Camera Suica Card”.

If you have a FamilyMart near your home, there is no harm in getting a “Famima Card”. Akio Iwata, a consumer affairs journalist, says, “Even if you accumulate points, don’t forget to spend them.

Akio Iwata, a consumer journalist, says, “Even if you have accumulated points, you may forget to use them or get tired of managing them, but you don’t have to worry about that with the Famima Card because you can use them at FamilyMart. This is because 3% of the points you spend at FamilyMart will be discounted from your bill instead of being redeemed for points. Furthermore, if you link this card to Famima’s “Famipay” application, the discount rate increases up to 5%.”

Although the number of users is limited, the “JCB Card W” can provide a high reduction rate under certain conditions. Furthermore, if you use a certain “secret trick,” the reduction rate can reach up to 21%.

The basic redemption rate is 1%, but you can earn “OkiDoki points,” which are redeemable for 1 point per transaction at Amazon. This translates to 3.5 yen per point when used at Amazon, so the actual redemption rate is 3.5%. Furthermore, when using Starbucks, instead of paying with cash or card, you can purchase “Starbucks eGift” with “JCB Card W” first, and pay from there, you can get up to 21% reduction. Once enrolled, the card can be used after the age of 40,” said Akiyama.

Even if you use the “Mitsubishi UFJ Card,” which has no age limit, you can aim for a 20% reduction.

The “MUFG Card” offers a 7% redemption rate at participating stores such as Seven-Eleven, Lawson, and Sushiro. In addition, if you fulfill several conditions one by one, such as logging into the “MUFG Card App” once a month and spending 50,000 yen or more per month, you can get up to 20% reduction. Even if you don’t meet all the conditions, you can rest assured that the redemption rate will increase step by step,” said Iwata.

Those who find it troublesome to distinguish between the different conditions of use and economic zones need only keep in mind two cards: the “Recruit Card” and the “P-one Card Standard.

The “Recruit Card” has the largest basic reduction rate of 1.2% among free cards.
P-one Card Standard,” issued by Pocketcard Co., Ltd. since 2003, is a rare type of card that neither rewards points nor gives discounts on the bill, but automatically gives a 1% discount on the monthly bill. It is recommended for people who don’t want to worry about how to save money,” says Ikeda.

There are ways to save money without spending money on credit cards. Why not try to get a card that fits your lifestyle while referring to the table below?

From the October 17, 2025 issue of FRIDAY