【Latest Guide】Credit Card Investment Trust Arbitrage in Japan
💡 Key Takeaways
- 8 different methods available for investment trust arbitrage
- Using all methods: 7,000+ JPY/month → 84,000+ JPY/year!
- Even without credit cards, Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Cash alone is worth doing!
📢 Who Is This For?
- “I want cashback from investment purchases, but don’t have much to invest long-term…”
- “What if the fund drops? The cashback won’t cover the losses!”
- “I want to know the latest methods for investment trust arbitrage!”
If these concerns resonate with you, this guide is for you!
What Is “Credit Card Investment Trust Arbitrage”?
Many Japanese brokerages and credit card companies offer point rewards when you purchase investment trusts using “Credit Card Auto-Investment” (クレカ積立).
🤔 But You Might Have These Concerns:
- “I want the points, but don’t have money for long-term investing…”
- “If the fund drops, I’ll lose more than the points I earn!”
💡 The Solution: Immediate Sell Strategy!
The concept is simple:
- Buy low-volatility investment trusts (like domestic bond funds) with credit cards
- Sell immediately after 2-3 days once settlement completes
- This way, you don’t actually hold investments long-term
- Just collect the credit card cashback!
⚠️ About Legality & Risks
Honestly, this is a gray area strategy.
However, since you’re free to decide when to buy and sell investment trusts, “account termination” will never happen.
(Future countermeasures like “no cashback for immediate sells” are possible…)
Risk Disclosure: While this method has lower risk, fund price fluctuation risk still exists. I believe it’s profitable long-term, but cannot guarantee it. Please make your own judgment.
📜 Historical Background: The Golden Era Has Passed
💔 Methods That Worked Before But Are Now Defunct:
- EPOS Card × tsumiki Securities – Used to offer 0.5% cashback counting toward million yen challenge, now discontinued
- JQ Card × Saison Fund – Was a popular method, now discontinued
- Several other brokerages – Gradually reduced or eliminated cashback
Important Notice:
Methods in this article are based on the latest policies. Brokerages can change terms anytime. There used to be 10+ methods, but they’ve gradually been eliminated. Cherish the methods still available and stay updated on policy changes!
🎯 Latest: Available Brokerage × Credit Card Combinations
Here are the 8 methods I’m currently using, ranked by recommendation:
| Rating | Brokerage × Credit Card | Cashback | Monthly Limit | Monthly Earnings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Cash |
0.5%~3.5% | 50,000 JPY | Up to 1,750 JPY | Buy gift cards at convenience stores ⚠️ New policy: Convenience store purchases now cause losses Rate varies by recharge route No credit card needed! |
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Card |
0.5%~1.0% | 100,000 JPY | Up to 1,000 JPY | Rate varies by fund and card type Stackable with Rakuten Cash! |
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | SBI Securities × Sumitomo Mitsui Card NL Gold Recommended |
0.0%~3.0% | 100,000 JPY | 0~3,000 JPY | Standard card requires annual spending threshold Recommended: NL Gold – Free forever with 1M JPY/year spend → NL Gold Complete Guide |
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Monex Securities × Monex Card (d Card) |
~1.1% | 100,000 JPY | Up to 730 JPY | 0~50K: 1.1% 50~70K: 0.6% 70~100K: 0.2% Limited fund selection |
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Mitsubishi UFJ eスマート × au PAY Card au User Benefits |
0.5%~1.0% (Up to 3.0% with special conditions) |
100,000 JPY | 500~1,000 JPY | Gold Card for 1.0% au User Guide Coming Soon |
| ⭐⭐⭐ | Monex Securities × d-Pay Balance |
0.5% | Effective 50,000 JPY | Up to 250 JPY | No credit card needed |
| ⭐⭐ | MUFG Bank Main Bank Plus |
0.3% | 100,000 JPY | Up to 300 JPY | No credit card needed Deducted from bank balance |
| ⭐ | Daiwa Connect Securities × Saison Card |
0.1%~1.0% (Effective ~0.5%) |
100,000 JPY | Effective 500 JPY | Same-month sell = no cashback Must hold until next month |
| ⭐ | PayPay Securities × PayPay Card |
0.7% | 100,000 JPY | 700 JPY | Terms state immediate sell may not receive cashback Proceed at your own risk |
Rate varies by recharge route
✓ No credit card needed!
✓ Stackable with Rakuten Cash!
NL Gold Recommended
✓ NL Gold: Free forever with 1M JPY/year spend
→ NL Gold Complete Guide
⚠️ Limited fund selection
au User Benefits
(Up to 3.0% with special conditions)
au User Guide Coming Soon
Deducted from bank balance
(Effective ~0.5%)
📋 Detailed Breakdown (By Recommendation)
🥇 #1 Recommendation: Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Cash
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Purchase Date | Freely configurable |
| Cashback Rate | 0.5%~3.5% |
| Monthly Limit | 50,000 JPY |
| Monthly Earnings | Up to 1,750 JPY |
Why #1 Recommendation?
- ✓ No credit card needed!
- ✓ Cashback rate can reach 3.5% with the right recharge route!
- ✓ Flexible purchase date, easy operation
Buy Rakuten Gift Cards at convenience stores, recharge to “Rakuten Cash”, then purchase investment trusts.
⚠️ New Policy Change:
Rakuten Gift Cards purchased at convenience stores now cause losses when recharged to Rakuten Cash. This route is no longer viable!
Use other recharge routes (like Rakuten Card recharge) to achieve 3.5% cashback.
Rakuten Cash investment itself offers 0.5% cashback, but with Rakuten Card recharge route, you can boost it to 3.5%!
🥇 #2 Recommendation: Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Card
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Purchase Date | 1st business day of month (8th for some users) |
| Cashback Rate | 0.5%~1.0% |
| Monthly Limit | 100,000 JPY |
| Monthly Earnings | Up to 1,000 JPY |
Advantages
- ✓ With certain conditions, anyone can get 1% cashback = 1,000 JPY/month!
- ✓ Stackable with Rakuten Cash! Combined monthly earnings: 2,750 JPY!
🎁 Rakuten Card Referral Bonus
Get extra bonus by applying through referral link!
🥇 #3 Recommendation: SBI Securities × Sumitomo Mitsui Card (NL Gold Recommended)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Purchase Date | 1st or 3rd of each month |
| Cashback Rate | 0.0%~3.0% |
| Monthly Limit | 100,000 JPY |
| Monthly Earnings | 0~3,000 JPY |
✅ Recommended Plan: NL Gold Card
Sumitomo Mitsui Card Gold (NL) is the best choice:
- ✓ Annual fee waived permanently with 1M JPY annual spend
- ✓ 1M JPY annual spend → 1.0% credit card investment cashback
- ✓ 100K JPY/month × 12 months = 12,000 JPY/year
- ✓ Additional 10,000 JPY annual spending bonus
Total: 22,000 JPY annual returns, and free annual fee from year 2 onwards!
🎯 NL Gold’s Super High Cashback!
Up to 20% cashback at convenience stores & McDonald’s:
- 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart
- McDonald’s, Doutor, Saizeriya
- Pay via V-Point App scan → Up to 20% cashback
💡 Advanced Technique: V-Points → WAON POINT → Welcia 1.5× Value
Convert earned V-Points to WAON POINTS, then use at Welcia drugstores on the 20th of each month for 1.5× purchasing power!
⚠️ The Standard Card (NL) Trap
Major downgrade since November 2024!
- ✗ Annual spend under 100K JPY → 0% cashback!
- ✗ Investment amounts don’t count toward annual spend!
- ✗ Even with 100K-1M annual spend, only 0.75% cashback
Conclusion: Skip the standard NL card, go straight for NL Gold!
📝 NL Gold Card Detailed Strategy
How to reach 1M JPY annual spend? How to maximize returns?
Daily spending optimization, million yen challenge techniques, Welcia utilization
🎁 Sumitomo Mitsui Card NL Gold Referral Bonus
Get extra bonus by applying through referral link!
🥈 #4 Recommendation: Monex Securities × Monex Card (d Card)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Purchase Date | 3 business days before 20th (d Card: 1st of month) |
| Cashback Rate | ~1.1% 0~50K: 1.1% 50~70K: 0.6% 70~100K: 0.2% |
| Monthly Limit | 100,000 JPY |
| Monthly Earnings | Up to 730 JPY |
Advantages
- ✓ Average 0.73% for 100K is high among major brokerages
- ✓ Monex Points can be converted to other company points, very flexible
- ✓ Can use d Card instead of Monex Card, earn d Points
⚠️ Important Note
Monex Securities excluded all domestic bond funds from credit card investment since 2024!
Too many people were doing immediate sells… Now you must choose slightly higher-risk funds like “Tawara No-Load Balance (Conservative)”.
🥉 #5 Recommendation: Mitsubishi UFJ eスマート Securities × au PAY Card
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Purchase Date | 2nd business day of month |
| Cashback Rate | 0.5%~1.0% (Gold Card) Up to 3.0% with special conditions |
| Monthly Limit | 100,000 JPY |
| Monthly Earnings | 500~1,000 JPY |
Basic Version Advantages
- ✓ Standard card 0.5%, Gold card unconditionally 1.0%
🔥 au User Super Benefits! au User Guide Coming Soon
If you’re an au mobile user + subscribed to “au Money Activity Plan+”
First year up to 3.0% cashback!
50K JPY/month × 3.0% = 1,500 JPY/month → 18,000 JPY/year!
Hints: Requires NISA account + Gold Card + Money Activity Plan + other conditions
Basic Version (For regular users): au PAY Standard Card 0.5%, Gold Card 1.0%
This part doesn’t require au mobile – anyone can use it!
Other Options
⭐⭐⭐ Monex Securities × d-Pay Balance (Up to 250 JPY/month)
- Cashback Rate: 0.5%
- Monthly Limit: Effective 50,000 JPY (max 250pt reward)
- Advantage: No credit card needed
⭐⭐ MUFG Bank Main Bank Plus (Up to 300 JPY/month)
- Cashback Rate: 0.3%
- Monthly Limit: 100,000 JPY
- Advantage: No credit card needed, deducted from bank balance
⭐ Daiwa Connect Securities × Saison Card (Effective 500 JPY/month)
- Cashback Rate: Standard 0.5%, Platinum 1.0% (not recommended)
- Monthly Limit: 100,000 JPY
- Note: Same-month purchase and sell doesn’t qualify for cashback, must hold until next month
⭐ PayPay Securities × PayPay Card (700 JPY/month but risky)
- Cashback Rate: 0.7%
- Monthly Limit: 100,000 JPY
- Note: Terms state immediate sell may not qualify for cashback
💰 Complete Earnings Calculation Table
🎯 If Using All Methods – Complete Earnings Overview
| Brokerage × Credit Card | Monthly Investment | Cashback Rate | Monthly Earnings | Annual Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Cash | 50,000 JPY | 3.5% | 1,750 JPY | 21,000 JPY |
| Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Card | 100,000 JPY | 1.0% | 1,000 JPY | 12,000 JPY |
| SBI Securities × SMCC NL Gold | 100,000 JPY | 1.0% | 1,000 JPY | 12,000 JPY |
| Monex Securities × Monex Card | 100,000 JPY | 0.73% | 730 JPY | 8,760 JPY |
| Mitsubishi UFJ eスマート × au PAY Gold | 100,000 JPY | 1.0% | 1,000 JPY | 12,000 JPY |
| Monex Securities × d-Pay Balance | 50,000 JPY | 0.5% | 250 JPY | 3,000 JPY |
| MUFG Bank | 100,000 JPY | 0.3% | 300 JPY | 3,600 JPY |
| Total | 600,000 JPY/month | – | 6,030 JPY/month | 72,360 JPY/year |
💡 Reality Check
Capital Required:
- Since you’re borrowing from credit cards then repaying, you can start with effectively 0 JPY capital!
- Funds are sold within 2-3 days, returned T+3, minimal cash lockup
Time Investment:
- Monthly operation time: About 20 minutes
- Tasks: Click sell button, withdraw funds
- Annual earnings: 72,360 JPY
- Hourly rate equivalent: 3,000~3,600 JPY/hour
Better than convenience store part-time jobs, and you can do it from home!
🎯 Recommended Combination Plans
💚 Conservative Plan (~3,500 JPY/month)
- Rakuten Securities (Cash 50K + Card 100K) → 2,750 JPY
- SBI Securities (NL Gold, 100K) → 1,000 JPY
- Monex Securities (100K) → 730 JPY
Annual Earnings: ~53,760 JPY | Capital Needed: Effectively 0 JPY (credit card)
💙 Aggressive Plan (~6,000+ JPY/month)
Conservative Plan + all of the following:
- Mitsubishi UFJ eスマート Securities (100K) → +1,000 JPY
- Monex × d-Pay (50K) → +250 JPY
- MUFG Bank (100K) → +300 JPY
Annual Earnings: ~72,360 JPY | Capital Needed: Effectively 0 JPY (credit card)
⚠️ Not Recommended:
- ✗ PayPay Securities – Terms state immediate sell may not qualify
- ✗ Daiwa Connect Securities – Same-month sell doesn’t qualify, complicated
⚠️ Risks & Precautions
Main Risks
- Price Fluctuation Risk – Bond funds are stable but still have fluctuations
- Policy Change Risk – Brokerages can reduce cashback anytime (has happened many times)
- Immediate Sell Restrictions – Monex already excluded bond funds, others may follow
- Credit Card Bill Pressure – Must repay before statement date
Countermeasures
- ✓ Don’t rely on just one brokerage, diversify to 2-3
- ✓ Choose funds with high bond allocation
- ✓ Watch BOJ policies, avoid interest rate change days
🎯 Recommended Beginner Path
Recommended Starting Order
Step 1: Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Cash (No card needed, learn the process)
Step 2: Rakuten Securities × Rakuten Card (Stackable, double your earnings)
Step 3: SBI Securities × SMCC NL Gold (High returns + convenience store 20% cashback)
Step 4: Monex Securities × d Card (Stable returns)
Step 5: Add other brokerages as needed
💡 Important Reminders
- Don’t apply for too many credit cards in a short period (affects credit score)
- Recommended: 1-2 cards per month
- Practice with Rakuten Cash first, expand after you’re comfortable
📚 Recommended Funds (Latest Edition)
Monex Securities Recommended Funds
- Tawara No-Load Balance (Conservative) – Higher bond ratio, relatively stable
- Mitsubishi UFJ Domestic Bond Index – If still available
Other Brokerages Recommended Funds
- eMAXIS Slim Domestic Bond Index – Most stable
- Mitsubishi UFJ Domestic Bond Index – Low trust fee
- Nissay Domestic Bond Index – Low volatility
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will my account get banned?
A: No cases reported so far.
Q: How much capital do I need?
A: Effectively 0 JPY to start! Since you’re borrowing from credit cards and repaying, funds are sold within 2-3 days, minimal cash lockup.
Q: Which brokerage is best?
A: Recommendation order: Rakuten Securities > SBI Securities (NL Gold) > Monex Securities > Mitsubishi UFJ eスマート Securities
Q: Can I still do SBI Securities?
A: Yes, but Sumitomo Mitsui Card Gold (NL) is recommended!
Q: How do I use the au special benefits?
A: au mobile users + au Money Activity Plan+ can get 3.0% first year!
📝 Summary
Credit card investment trust arbitrage is still viable and legal. Key points:
- ✓ Prioritize Rakuten Securities and SBI Securities (NL Gold) – Stable and reliable
- ✓ For SBI Securities, use NL Gold card – Standard card isn’t worth it
- ✓ Start with effectively 0 JPY capital – Use credit cards for advance payment
- ✓ Diversify across multiple accounts – Hedge against single brokerage policy changes
- △ Accept slightly higher volatility – Monex can’t buy pure bond funds anymore
- ✓ Set realistic expectations – 53,000~72,000 JPY annually is the realistic range
This strategy won’t make you rich, but works great for:
- Monthly Netflix/Disney+ subscription fees
- Occasional nice meals out
- LCC flight ticket subsidies
- Part of your passive income
20 minutes of work per month, 53,000~72,000 JPY annually, hourly rate equivalent of 3,000+ JPY, better than part-time jobs, and you can do it from home!
⚠️ Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Investments carry risks. Please make careful decisions based on your own judgment.
Brokerage policies may change at any time. Please refer to official websites for the latest information.
The author of this article is not responsible for any investment losses.