Mitsubishi UFJ Card Complete Guide
Free Forever × Up to 20% Back at Partner Stores
The Mitsubishi UFJ Card (三菱UFJカード) is a bank-issued credit card from Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS, part of Japan’s largest financial group MUFG. After massive upgrades in 2024–2025, it now stands alongside the SMBC Card (NL) as one of Japan’s two premier free-forever, high-cashback bank cards.
This guide covers everything: basic specs, the points system, partner stores, how to use points wisely, the Raku-Pay zero-cost trick, comparison with SMBC Card (NL), and the MUFG ecosystem.
📋 Basic Specs
| Annual Fee | Free forever (family cards also free) |
| Card Brands | Visa / Mastercard / JCB / AMEX (4 options) |
| Base Cashback | 0.5% (¥1,000 = 1 Global Point = ¥5 equivalent) |
| Partner Store Rate | 7% (up to 20%) |
| Points Validity | 2 years (from month earned) |
| Eligibility | 18+ (excluding high school students) |
| Mobile Pay | Apple Pay (QUICPay) / Visa Touch |
| Security | Numberless front / 24/7 monitoring |
| Insurance | Overseas travel injury (up to ¥20M, usage-based) |
| Sign-up Bonus | Up to ¥10,000 in points |
① Annual fee changed from ¥1,375 to free forever
② Partner store rate increased from 5.5% to 7%, stores expanded to 30 brands
③ Maximum rate increased from 15% to 20%
④ Global Point Wallet payment app launched — spend points directly
⑤ Credit card investment (tsumitate) started at Mitsubishi UFJ eSmart Securities
⑥ Points calculation improved: all partner stores now aggregated together
🔥 How the 7% Partner Store Cashback Works
When you use the Mitsubishi UFJ Card at partner stores, the system automatically adds 6.5% Special Points on top of the 0.5% base rate, totaling 7% cashback (no setup required).
🏪 Partner Stores (Visa / Mastercard / JCB)
As of March 2026, approximately 30 brands are included:
🛒 Supermarkets
🏪 Convenience Stores
🍽️ Restaurants
🥤 Other
The biggest differentiator of the Mitsubishi UFJ Card is that supermarkets are included as partner stores. The rival SMBC Card (NL) covers restaurants well but has no supermarket partners. With food prices rising in Japan, getting 7% back on your daily grocery shopping is a huge advantage.
📈 How to Reach Up to 20% Cashback
On top of the 7% base rate at partner stores, you can stack up to an additional 13% through the “Point Up Program,” reaching a maximum of 20%.
Prerequisite: Your card payment account must be set to MUFG Bank.
📊 Rate Breakdown
Base: 7.0% (automatic at partner stores)
➕ Card Service Actions (up to +3.5%)
② Spend ¥50,000+ on the card per month → +0.5%
③ Use Apple Pay (QUICPay) or charge Global Point Wallet → +0.5%
④ Register for Raku-Pay / revolving ¥10K+ / card loan ¥10K+ → +2.0% (⭐ Zero-cost Raku-Pay trick below)
➕ MUFG Group Services (up to +4.5%)
⑥ Receive salary/pension at MUFG Bank → +1.0%
⑦ MUFG group investment (tsumitate) ¥10K+/month → +1.0%
⑧ MUFG Bank mortgage → +1.0%
⑨ Register MUFG Bank account with COIN+ → +0.5% (just link your account in AirWallet)
➕ Specific Service Card Payments (up to +5.0%)
📱 Mobile phone bill / ⚡ Electricity / 🍎 Apple services (App Store, iCloud+, etc.) / 📺 ABEMA Premium / 📚 Nikkei Digital / 🎬 Hulu / 🚗 Mitsui Car Shares / 🍔 Uber Eats, etc.
Realistic target: 10%–14% cashback
Achieving 20% requires meeting every condition, which is tough. But reaching 10%+ is straightforward:
MUFG Bank autopay → Direct login → App login → Apple Pay → Mobile bill on card → Electricity on card
These are all routine activities. Add the Raku-Pay registration (+2%) trick described below, and 12%+ is easily achievable at zero cost.
・Special Points apply to a maximum of ¥50,000/month in partner store spending (all stores combined)
・Spending beyond ¥50,000 earns only the base 0.5% rate
・Calculation period: 16th of each month to 15th of the next
💰 Best Ways to Use Global Points
Points earned on the Mitsubishi UFJ Card are called “Global Points.” The value of 1 Point ranges from ¥3 to ¥5 depending on how you redeem them, so choosing wisely is crucial.
🏆 Recommended (1P = ¥5)
| Redemption | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Global Point Wallet | 1P = ¥5 ✅ | Best option! Usable at Visa Touch stores & online. Plus automatic 0.5% cashback on spending |
| Amazon Gift Card | 1P = ¥5 ✅ | Instant exchange via app. Great for Amazon shoppers |
| Apple Gift Card | 1P = ¥5 ✅ | For Apple users |
| Google Play Gift Code | 1P = ¥5 ✅ | For Android users |
⚠️ Avoid These
| Redemption | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ponta / d Points | 1P = ¥4 | 20% value loss |
| Statement credit | 1P = ¥4 | Convenient but lower value |
| Rakuten Points | 1P = ¥3 | ❌ Worst option — 40% value loss |
⚔️ Mitsubishi UFJ Card vs SMBC Card (NL)
| Comparison | Mitsubishi UFJ | SMBC Card (NL) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | Free | Free |
| Base Rate | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Partner Store Rate | 7% (up to 20%) | 7% (up to 20%) |
| Card Brands | Visa/MC/JCB/AMEX | Visa/MC |
| Supermarkets | OK, Tokyu, etc. 13+ | ❌ None |
| Restaurants | Matsuya, Sushiro, etc. | McDonald’s, Yoshinoya, Saizeriya, etc. |
| Convenience Stores | 7-11, Lawson | 7-11, Lawson, MiniStop, etc. |
| Investment | eSmart Securities (0.5%) | SBI Securities (0.5%) |
・Frequent supermarket shoppers → Mitsubishi UFJ Card
・Frequent McDonald’s, Yoshinoya, Saizeriya diners → SMBC Card (NL)
・Both cards are free, so using them for different stores is the optimal strategy.
If you already have a SMBC Card, adding a Mitsubishi UFJ Card as your supermarket card is highly recommended.
🏦 MUFG Ecosystem: More Than Just a Card
↕️ Payment link
🏦 MUFG Bank — Rate boost, ATM benefits, salary deposit
↕️ Auto fund transfer
📈 Mitsubishi UFJ eSmart Securities — Card tsumitate (up to 1%), NISA
↕️ Points integration
📱 Global Point Wallet — Points spending outlet
↕️ Account link
🤖 WealthNavi — Robo-advisor
・Emutto Points: Unified MUFG group points system
・Loyalty Program: Tier-based perks based on service usage across MUFG
・MUFG Bank app becomes the unified hub for banking, securities, and cards
🔓 Raku-Pay: Zero-Cost Trick for +2% Cashback
Raku-Pay (楽Pay) registration adds +2% to your cashback rate — the single highest bonus in the program. Despite being a “revolving payment” service, you can use it without paying any fees.
Key insight: Registration alone qualifies you. No revolving fees required.
Raku-Pay lets you set a monthly payment ceiling. If your monthly spending stays below that ceiling, no revolving interest is charged — it works exactly like a normal one-time payment. The Point Up Program only checks whether you’re “registered” for Raku-Pay, not whether you actually incurred any fees.
📝 How to Set It Up
Step 2: Set your monthly ceiling to the maximum ¥100,000
Step 3: Keep your card spending below ¥100,000/month
Step 4: Done! You get +2% with zero fees
Since the card is best used as a partner-store-only sub-card (¥50,000 Special Points cap), you’d naturally stay well under ¥100,000.
・If you exceed the ceiling, the excess becomes revolving debt at ~15% APR. Monitor your spending closely
・For large purchases (electronics, etc.), raise the ceiling first or use a different card
・Can be canceled anytime on My Digital Connect
・New registration + ¥10,000 spending = ¥2,000 cashback bonus campaign
🧠 More Money-Saving Tips
Tip 1: Dedicated supermarket card
¥40,000/month at OK Store × 7% = ¥2,800/month = ¥33,600/year in points. Stack to 10%+ and you’re saving over ¥40,000 annually.
Tip 2: POINT名人.com for online shopping
Shop via MUFG NICOS’s portal “POINT名人.com” (Amazon, Rakuten, etc.) for up to 25x bonus points. Stackable with other point sites.
Tip 3: Card tsumitate → instant sell
Invest ¥100,000/month via card at Mitsubishi UFJ eSmart Securities for 0.5% (¥500) in points. Gold card gets 1%. See our credit card tsumitate arbitrage guide.
Tip 4: Two-card combo
Use a high base-rate card like Rakuten Card (1%) as your main card for fixed expenses, and the Mitsubishi UFJ Card as your partner-store sub-card.
Tip 5: First-timer 10% bonus
New members automatically get 10% cashback at partner stores until the 15th of the second month after enrollment. Focus partner store spending during this window.
Tip 6: Wallet app gives 0.5% cashback on cashback
Points charged to the Wallet app earn an additional 0.5% automatic cashback on spending — points on your points.
Tip 7: Family card points pool together
Family cards (also free) earn the same 7% at partner stores, and points automatically pool into the primary account.
Tip 8: Global Point Denki — 3% on electricity
Sign up for MUFG’s electricity service and pay with the card for 3% cashback on your electric bill, stackable with the +1% program condition.
Tip 9: COIN+ (AirWallet) — just register, no spending needed
The +0.5% for “registering MUFG Bank with COIN+” only requires linking your bank account in AirWallet. No actual AirWallet spending is necessary.
Tip 10: Main Bank Plus — automatic banking perks
Setting MUFG Bank as your card payment account automatically activates “Main Bank Plus” banking benefits, including free ATM off-hours fees.
🚨 Common Pitfalls
✅ Physical card touch payment → 7% eligible
✅ Apple Pay (QUICPay) → 7% eligible
❌ Smartphone Visa Touch → NOT eligible!
❌ Google Pay → NOT eligible!
Android users must carry the physical card. iPhone users should use Apple Pay (QUICPay mode).
Previously, Special Points were calculated per store separately. Now all partner store spending is aggregated together, so small purchases are no longer wasted.
Raku-Pay bonus: Free shopping insurance
While registered for Raku-Pay, you automatically get Shopping Partner Insurance: items purchased with the card are covered for 90 days against damage/theft (¥3,000 deductible per incident). Free insurance on top of free +2%.
💎 Card Tiers
| Feature | Standard | Gold | Platinum AMEX |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | Free | ¥11,000 | ¥22,000 |
| Partner Rate | Up to 20% | Up to 20% | Up to 20% |
| Tsumitate Rate | 0.5% | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Annual Bonus | None | ¥11,000 at ¥1M spend | None |
| Airport Lounges | ❌ | Domestic | Domestic + Priority Pass |
⚠️ Key Caveats
2. Point exchange rates vary from ¥3–5 per point — always use Wallet or Amazon (¥5/pt)
3. Special Points cap at ¥50,000/month across all partner stores
4. 7%+ stacking requires MUFG Bank as your payment account
5. Smartphone Visa Touch / Google Pay not eligible for 7% — see pitfalls above
🎁 Sign-Up Bonus & Referral
New members can earn up to ¥10,000 in points (requires ¥100,000 spending within 2 months). Signing up through a referral link gives additional bonus points on top of the standard offer.
❓ FAQ
Can foreigners in Japan apply?
Is 0.5% base rate too low?
Do I need an MUFG Bank account?
Which card brand should I choose?
🏦 Related Services
MUFG Bank (¥1,500 referral bonus)
Set as your card payment account for automatic rate boosts plus Main Bank Plus ATM fee waivers.
AirWallet (Register for +0.5% — no spending required)
Just link your MUFG Bank account in the app. No actual AirWallet transactions needed.
