MUFG Debit x Apple Pay PASMO: ¥1,000 Amazon Gift Card

The offer at a glance

MUFG Bank (三菱ＵＦＪ銀行) is running this for holders of its debit card, the 三菱ＵＦＪデビット. Add the card to Apple Pay, then use it to top up the PASMO in your iPhone or to buy a commuter pass. Reach ¥5,000 in total during the period and you get a ¥1,000 Amazon Gift Card.

The title says “第2弾” (Round 2) because the same offer already ran once earlier this year; that page has since been taken down. In other words, this is a recurring campaign, so missing it is not fatal.

Who can join, and what to line up first

There is no “new customers only” gate here, but three sets of rules apply at once — the bank’s, Apple’s and PASMO’s. Check these four things before you start.

On the first point: if you have neither the account nor the card yet, there is still time. You can get a usable card number the same day and load it into Apple Pay (see section 6). If you are still choosing a bank, our MUFG Bank guide for foreign residents covers account opening, fees and the everyday perks.

Three steps, with the Japanese menu labels

MUFG presents this as STEP 1–3. The Japanese screens are given below in full so you can match them on your phone. Note that the entry does not have to come first — if you have already charged during the period, entering afterwards still counts.

1. Enter the campaign in MUFG Direct

   Log into MUFG Direct and follow 「ホーム」(Home) > 「ニュース・キャンペーン」(News & campaigns) > 「キャンペーンエントリー」(Campaign entry), then enter this campaign. The same screen shows whether your entry went through. MUFG says it cannot answer individual queries about entry status, so check it yourself once. Entry requires MUFG Direct access, and the bank notes that some accounts cannot use online banking depending on what they are used for — sort that out first if it applies to you.

2. Add the MUFG debit card to Apple Pay

   There are two routes. Through the 「三菱ＵＦＪ銀行」 bank app you can set it up without the physical card in hand, but that route works only for the JCB debit card. Through Apple’s Wallet app you need the physical card to hand, but both Visa and JCB are supported. If you set the card up in Apple Pay before the campaign started, that still counts — no need to redo it.

3. Charge Apple Pay PASMO, or buy a commuter pass

   Either the PASMO app or Apple Wallet works. In the PASMO app, tap 「入金（チャージ）」(Top up), then for the payment method choose 「Apple Pay」and not 「クレジットカード」, and select your MUFG debit card. Commuter passes are bought from the pass section of the PASMO app; both commuter (通勤) and student (通学) passes have their own flow. Only the total over the period needs to reach ¥5,000, so you can split it across several top-ups.

How much to charge: the maths

The reward is a flat ¥1,000 regardless of how much you load. So the effective rate only falls as you charge more, and the floor is pinned at ¥5,000 by the conditions. The conclusion is not subtle.

Three numbers worth remembering

• The balance ceiling is ¥20,000. That is the most Apple Pay PASMO will hold. If you are already sitting on ¥16,000, a single ¥5,000 top-up will not fit — spend some down first.
• Do it in one go. The charge amount is entered or selected in the app, and the presets differ by entry point. Loading ¥5,000 in a single transaction is the simplest way to avoid finishing a few yen short.
• Issuing PASMO from Wallet needs ¥1,000 up front. That amount counts too, so ¥4,000 more gets you over the line.

12 ways to end up disqualified

When people “do everything and get nothing”, the reason is almost always in the small print at the bottom of the page. Here is MUFG’s 「ご留意事項」(points to note) in plain English, plus the constraints that come from the PASMO side.

One more, not in the small print

A PASMO balance is only refunded when you close the account, it requires membership registration first, and a ¥210 refund fee applies (if the balance is under ¥210, the whole balance goes to the fee). So load this ¥5,000 as money you were going to spend anyway. “Take the gift card, then cash out” loses money to the fee and risks tripping items 8 and 9 above. Section 8 covers where the balance goes instead.

No MUFG debit card yet? The fastest route

The MUFG debit card has no annual fee, is open to anyone aged 15 or over (excluding junior-high students) living in Japan, and pays 0.2% cashback automatically on shopping — no redemption step. Being a debit card, there is no credit check; the money leaves your account as you spend.

One detail that trips people up: the cashback cycle differs by brand. On the Visa debit card it is “1st to last day of the month → paid on the 25th of the following month”. On the JCB debit card it is “16th of the month to the 15th of the next → paid on the 25th of the month after that“. Bank holidays push payment to the next business day.

Two shortest paths

• You already bank with MUFG: log into the 「三菱ＵＦＪ銀行」 app and apply from 【サービス】(Services) → 【デビットカード】(Debit card). The card is issued instantly — the number appears right after you apply, so you can use it before the plastic arrives (which takes about 7–10 days). If you want to be in Apple Pay the same day, choose JCB: the “no physical card needed” setup route only supports the JCB debit card.
• You don’t have an account yet: use 「スマート口座開設」(Smart account opening) to open the account and apply for the debit card together. This takes a few days, so start by mid-October to be comfortable against the 31 October deadline. Our MUFG account-opening guide for foreign residents walks through the paperwork.

Two other offers running alongside

If you are comparing the wider MUFG line-up, there is the credit-card side in our MUFG Card guide (7% at partner stores, up to 20%) and the JCB Card guide. If what you actually want is a debit card with a strong base rate, Dai-ichi Life NEOBANK (1.5% debit cashback) beats 0.2% by a wide margin, and running one of each is a common arrangement. For the other two megabanks, see our SMBC + Olive guide and Mizuho guide.

Should you put a commuter pass on this?

A pass purchase does qualify, but since the reward is fixed at ¥1,000, the more expensive your pass, the worse this campaign looks. Credit card rewards, by contrast, scale with the amount. The two cross somewhere.

Railway-affiliated cards (Tokyu, Tobu, Keio, Odakyu and so on) generally offer bonus points on commuter pass purchases, but the rate, the cap and the conditions — such as registering your PASMO number to your membership account — differ by issuer. So rather than quote any one card, put your own card’s rate into the table below.

The break-even is one division: 1,000 ÷ your card’s reward rate. At 1% that is ¥100,000, at 3% about ¥33,300, at 5% exactly ¥20,000. Below that line, buy the pass through this campaign; above it, buy it on your own card.

If you commute on JR East, the whole reward logic is a different system. See our JRE CARD guide (3.5% in station buildings, pass built into the card), the JRE POINT guide, and on the banking side JRE BANK (40%-off Shinkansen vouchers).

Spending the ¥5,000 you just loaded

Since refunds cost ¥210, the answer is to spend it, not to reclaim it.

• As e-money. PASMO’s own site lists convenience stores, vending machines, restaurants, taxis, coin lockers, car parks and bicycle parking. It draws on the same stored-value balance you ride on; a commuter pass sits separately and does not touch it.
• Register for ride points. PASMO itself has no points programme — ride points are run separately by each railway operator, each with its own sign-up. Tokyo Metro’s “Metpo” is a good example: since 22 May 2024, mobile PASMO users can both register and load their points entirely inside the PASMO app, with no trip to a station machine (plastic PASMO cards still need the station equipment). Points transfer back in units of 10, at 1 point = ¥1, with no fee. Registration uses the 17-character PASMO ID beginning with “PB”, which you can see by tapping the card image in the PASMO app. Toei Subway’s “ToKoPo” and other operators each have their own scheme, so check the relevant official site.
• Don’t buy things you don’t need. True of every top-up campaign: this is only free money if the ¥5,000 was already headed for your transport and convenience-store spending.

To thicken up everyday rewards more systematically, see our guides to nanaco (up to 11% back at 7-Eleven), FamiPay (up to 13%), ONE BANK (formerly B/43) and IDARE (2% annual yield prepaid). For turning accumulated points into the most purchasing power, Welkatsu (an effective 33% off on the 20th of each month) is the steadiest exit.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is this a prize draw?

No. The official wording is 「もれなくAmazonギフトカード1,000円分プレゼント」, meaning everyone who meets the three conditions receives it. There is no stated cap on the number of winners.

Q. I already have the debit card and set it up in Apple Pay long ago. Do I still qualify?

Yes. MUFG states that neither the date you joined nor the date you set up Apple Pay matters. All you need to add is the entry and, during the period, at least ¥5,000 in PASMO charges or pass purchases.

Q. I charged first and entered afterwards. Does that count?

Yes. The official note says the order of condition (1) does not matter, and that entering after charging or buying a pass is still eligible. The entry itself must be completed within the campaign period.

Q. Does charging Suica count?

No. This campaign is limited to Apple Pay PASMO, and other transit IC cards such as ICOCA are likewise out of scope.

Q. Can I take part with an Android phone?

No. The conditions specifically require adding the card to Apple Pay and charging Apple Pay PASMO, so you need an iPhone or Apple Watch. MUFG’s Samsung Pay campaign was a separate offer and ended on 31 August 2026.

Q. Visa or JCB debit — which is safer here?

MUFG lists both as eligible. However, PASMO’s own FAQ states that Diners Club (except Mastercard) and some Visa brands issued in Japan cannot be used from the Wallet app to charge PASMO or buy passes, because of Apple Pay’s specifications. If you hold the Visa debit card, test with a small charge first; if you want certainty, use the JCB debit card. The setup route that works without the physical card is also JCB-only.

Q. Does the ¥5,000 have to be a single charge?

No. The condition is a total of ¥5,000 or more across the period, so you can split it. Just remember that Apple Pay PASMO holds a maximum of ¥20,000.

Q. When does the Amazon Gift Card arrive?

MUFG says by the end of December 2026, sent to whichever address is registered as 「メールアドレス1」in MUFG Direct at the time of sending. Expect to wait roughly two months after qualifying.

Q. What if the email never arrives?

MUFG states clearly that the gift card email is not re-sent, so take care not to delete it. Before you finish, allow mail from 「@mufg.jp」 and confirm that 「メールアドレス1」 holds an address you actually read.

Q. I have several MUFG accounts and cards. Can I get the reward more than once?

MUFG’s wording is that with multiple accounts, a single entry makes every debit card registered in MUFG Direct eligible, but that spending on cards tied to different accounts is not combined. Spreading your spending therefore makes it harder to reach ¥5,000; keep it on one card.

Q. What happens if I refund the commuter pass afterwards?

If the refund brings your PASMO spending for the period below ¥5,000 before the gift card is sent, you are excluded from delivery.

Q. Does the PASMO charge itself earn the debit card’s 0.2% cashback?

The campaign page says nothing about this, so it is safer not to count on the 0.2%; check your actual statement. As supporting evidence, the JCB cashback campaign running at the same time explicitly lists “e-money top-ups” and “transit IC top-ups” among excluded transactions — transit IC top-ups being carved out of standard rewards is common across the industry. The ¥1,000 from this campaign is separate from any standard cashback in any case.

Sources and disclaimers

• MUFG Bank — the campaign page (conditions and the full list of points to note)
• MUFG Bank — MUFG debit campaigns and offers (the concurrent campaigns)
• MUFG Bank — features of the MUFG debit card and the JCB debit card page (annual fee, 0.2% cashback, payment cycles, eligibility)
• JCB — new cardholder cashback campaign (10%, caps, and “transit IC top-ups” among excluded transactions)
• Apple Pay PASMO support — is a charge required when issuing a new PASMO? (also the Diners / some-Visa limitation)
• Apple Pay PASMO support — the ¥20,000 balance ceiling
• Mobile PASMO and Apple Pay PASMO — refunds and refund fees (the ¥210 stored-value refund fee)
• Apple Pay PASMO — charging from the PASMO app, buying a commuter pass, using PASMO for shopping
• Tokyo Metro — mobile PASMO users can register for Metpo and load points online (from 22 May 2024), plus Metpo and ToKoPo