MoneyInJapan

Which AEON Financial Service card should you get? All 17 compared

A decision page for readers who have already settled on AEON Financial Service and only need to pick the right card in the lineup. All 17 are compared here — 15 of them open to new applications, with annual fees of ¥0. The axis that actually decides it: how much of your shopping goes to these stores, and sale-day rules.

Issued by AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd. · 17 cards recorded, 15 open to new applications · verified 2026-08-16

Which one to get

If you want one answer, start with the AEON Card Minions — no annual fee and a 0.5% published base rate. If you already know what you want the card for, take the matching row instead.

Use caseCardAnnual feeFee conditionBase rateBest for
Best no-fee starting pointAEON Card MinionsGeneralFree0.5%Entertainment discounts
Best premium / travel tierAEON Card SelectGeneralFree0.5%Bank, WAON and credit in one
Best specialist / co-brandAEON Card Select Mickey Mouse DesignGeneralFree0.5%Disney design

Each row is selected from the recorded data by rule — cheapest fee, a stated waiver, the highest published rate within a grade — not by editorial preference. Nothing here reflects how likely you are to be approved.

How to decide inside this lineup

2 rules apply to this lineup. Work down them in order — the first one usually settles it.

  1. Start with the strongest no-fee card, and move up only when a paid tier has a waiver you will actually reach, a milestone bonus you would hit anyway, or a recurring benefit worth more than its fee.
  2. These cards do not all earn the same currency: the lineup spans JAL miles, JAL miles / JR Kyushu Q points, WAON POINT, WAON POINT / Benesse points and 2 more. A higher rate in a programme you cannot redeem well is worth less than a lower rate in one you can.

Each rule is triggered by the recorded fees, grades, programmes and payment types rather than written per provider, so it changes when the lineup does.

Annual fees and what they really cost

15 of the 15 personal cards you can choose between here have no annual fee. The fee is the only cost you pay whether or not you use the card, so it is the first column to read.

CardGradeAnnual feeFee conditionNetworksAvailability
AEON Card MinionsGeneralFreeMastercardOpen to new applications
AEON Card SelectGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
AEON Card Select Mickey Mouse DesignGeneralFreeJCBOpen to new applications
AEON Card Select MinionsGeneralFreeMastercardOpen to new applications
AEON Card Select Toy Story DesignGeneralFreeJCBOpen to new applications
AEON Card WAON IntegratedGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
AEON JMB CardGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
AEON Suica CardGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
Benesse AEON CardGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
Cosmo The Card OpusGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
JMB JQ SUGOCAGeneralFreeVisaOpen to new applications
KASUMI CardGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
Kojima x Bic Camera CardGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
Sports Authority CardGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBClosed to new applications
TGC CardGeneralFreeJCBOpen to new applications
Welcia CardGeneralFreeVisa · Mastercard · JCBOpen to new applications
AEON Gold CardGoldFreeInvitation onlyVisa · Mastercard · JCBInvitation or upgrade only

A waiver or a free first year still means you pay the fee until the condition is met. Family cards, ETC cards and optional programmes can carry their own charges, which are not in this column — check the issuer page. All amounts include tax.

Earning rates and what they earn into

These cards earn into 6 different programmes. Rates in different currencies are not comparable until you fix what a point is worth to you.

The base rate is the figure the issuer publishes; where none is published the cell is blank rather than estimated. The comparison-site range is calculated by Kakaku.com under its own assumptions about redemption value and bonus conditions — it is a secondary signal, not an issuer claim.

Every card compared

All 17 cards, ordered by grade and then by fee, with what each is for and what to watch on it.

CardAnnual feeBase rateBest forMain edgeCaution / status
AEON Card MinionsGeneralFree0.5%Entertainment discountsCinema/USJ offers subject to termsCaps and exclusions
AEON Card SelectGeneralFree0.5%Bank, WAON and credit in oneAEON Group 2x; WAON auto-charge; customer appreciation discountsRequires AEON Bank; non-AEON base return is modest
AEON Card Select Mickey Mouse DesignGeneralFree0.5%Disney designSame core Select benefitsJCB only
AEON Card Select MinionsGeneralFree0.5%Cinema-oriented benefitsCinema and Universal-related offers subject to caps/current termsTicket caps and purchase channel rules
AEON Card Select Toy Story DesignGeneralFree0.5%Disney/Pixar designAEON 2x; WAON auto-charge; invite path to Gold after conditionsJCB only; AEON Bank required
AEON Card WAON IntegratedGeneralFree0.5%Straightforward AEON retail cardAEON Group 2x and appreciation-day discountsNo AEON Bank Select bonuses
AEON JMB CardGeneralFree0.5%No-fee direct JAL mileage routeDirect JAL-mile earning plus JMB WAONLower base mile return than premium airline cards
AEON Suica CardGeneralFree0.5%AEON plus SuicaSuica function and AEON benefitsPoint transfer and recharge earning need checking
Benesse AEON CardGeneralFree0.5%Useful for Benesse customersBenesse benefitsNiche ecosystem
Cosmo The Card OpusGeneralFree0.5%Fuel-oriented savingsCosmo Oil fuel benefitsSavings depend on station/price structure
JMB JQ SUGOCAGeneralFree0.5%Multi-ecosystem regional cardJAL/JR Kyushu/SUGOCA integrationComplex point routing
KASUMI CardGeneralFree0.5%Regional supermarket savingsKASUMI discount days/bonusesRegional relevance
Kojima x Bic Camera CardGeneralFree0.5%Electronics retail integrationKojima/Bic benefitsPoint treatment varies by merchant/payment
Sports Authority CardGeneralFree0.5%Sports retail discountsSports Authority member discountsStore-specific value
TGC CardGeneralFree0.5%Fashion/cinema benefitsAEON cinema and TGC benefits subject to termsBenefit caps
Welcia CardGeneralFree0.5%Strong for regular Welcia users and WAON POINT redemptionsWelcia Group 1.5%; monthly day bonuses can reach 10% under official conditionsiD/Apple Pay can earn a lower Welcia rate; dates/eligible stores matter
AEON Gold CardGoldFree0.5%No-fee gold after qualificationGold services after qualificationNot generally directly application-accessible

The last three columns are the English research record for each card. Signup campaigns are deliberately excluded — they are not standing value.

How the points actually work

Most of this lineup earns under one rule — WAON POINT. What you actually receive is decided less by the headline rate than by the excluded transactions and the expiry below.

How it is earned
1 WAON POINT per ¥200 eligible card spend; generally 2 per ¥200 at eligible AEON Group stores
Bonus earning
AEON Group double points, customer appreciation days, card/store-specific campaigns
Eligible spend
Eligible card shopping; some utilities/rent can earn
Excluded or reduced spend
Fees, cash advances and issuer-designated transactions; WAON POINT and electronic-money WAON points are distinct
Caps
Discount days, cinema and store bonuses have card/store/date limits
Expiry
Maximum 2 years based on first award month in each annual cycle
Best redemption route
1-point=¥1 checkout or WAON charge; use before cycle expiry
What a point is worth
1 point=¥1 at eligible stores or after WAON charge

This block is shown only when most of the lineup really does earn under the same rule, so one card’s terms are never presented as the provider’s.

Benefits, and what switches them on

17 of these cards have a recorded insurance, lounge, family-card or eligibility term. What decides a benefit’s value is not whether it exists but what switches it on.

CardInsuranceLoungeFamily / ETCEligibility
AEON Card SelectPurchase protectionFamily/ETC available18+; graduation-year exception stated
AEON Card Select Mickey Mouse DesignSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
AEON Card Select Toy Story DesignSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
AEON Card Select MinionsSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
AEON Card WAON IntegratedPurchase protectionFamily/ETC available18+
AEON Card MinionsSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
TGC CardSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
Cosmo The Card OpusSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
AEON Suica CardTravel insurance subject to termsETC available18+
JMB JQ SUGOCASee official pageETC available18+
AEON JMB CardSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
Benesse AEON CardSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
KASUMI CardSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
Sports Authority CardSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
Kojima x Bic Camera CardSee official pageFamily/ETC available18+
Welcia CardSee official pageAEON common benefits and Welcia customer-appreciation routesFamily, ETC, Apple Pay and AEON iD18+ subject to issuer conditions
AEON Gold CardTravel/Shopping coverDomestic lounges subject to current termsFamily/ETC availableInvitation/qualification required

A blank cell means nothing was recorded, not that the benefit is absent. Travel insurance in Japan is often conditional on paying for part of the trip with the card, and lounge access usually caps visits and charges for guests — the activation rule is on the issuer page.

Upgrade maths: what a higher tier has to return

The issuer does not publish a single base rate across these tiers, so a rewards break-even cannot be calculated here. The fee difference has to be judged on benefits you will actually use.

Reward-only break-even spend
incremental annual fee ÷ incremental effective reward rateThe eligible spend at which the higher tier’s extra earning covers its extra fee, and nothing more.
Upgrade net value
incremental rewards + used credits + used benefits + family-card savings − incremental annual feeCount a credit or benefit only at the value you would actually redeem, not at its advertised value.
Milestone expected value
milestone benefit value × probability you reach the threshold without changing how you spendIf reaching the threshold requires new spending, the milestone is a cost, not a benefit.

These figures use the published base rate only — no merchant multipliers, milestones, insurance, lounge access or family-card savings. Adding spending you would not otherwise do always breaks the arithmetic.

Check these on the issuer page before applying

The tables above narrow the choice; only the issuer can settle it. Check these four things on the official page before you apply.

What to checkWhy it matters
Credit limitAlmost every issuer sets an individual limit after underwriting. Do not infer a usable limit from the card’s tier unless an official public range is stated.
Rewards limitsCheck monthly and annual bonus caps, annual-spend thresholds, whether enrolment is required, and whether taxes, utilities, e-money charging, securities accumulation, fees or cash advances earn a reduced rate or nothing at all.
Benefit limitsConfirm what activates the insurance, who is covered, lounge visit and guest rules, reservation channels, blackout dates, and whether a benefit renews by calendar year, membership year or card anniversary.
Payment and overseas useVerify the foreign transaction fee, cash-advance terms, installment and revolving settings, the accepted network, and mobile-wallet compatibility.

Important cautions

This page is a comparison, not advice. These hold whichever card you pick.

  • This is a comparison guide, not approval advice. Issuers decide eligibility and credit limits, and nothing here predicts either.
  • Never increase spending to reach a points threshold or a fee waiver. Interest and unnecessary purchases overwhelm rewards quickly.
  • Use a conservative point value. The same point is worth different amounts as a statement credit, as merchant spend, as miles or as a limited campaign reward.
  • Invitation, campaign, insurance and lounge terms change. Re-check the official terms immediately before applying.
  • If you are a foreign resident, confirm accepted identification, name and address matching, Japanese-language requirements and any bank-account condition directly with the issuer.

Common questions

Which AEON Financial Service card should I get?

For most people the starting point is the AEON Card Minions — no annual fee and a 0.5% published base rate. Move up to the AEON Card Select (no annual fee and a 0.5% published base rate) only when the extra fee is repaid by earning and by benefits you will genuinely use. AEON Financial Service decides eligibility and credit limits, so check the current terms on the issuer page before you apply.

Do all AEON Financial Service cards earn the same points?

No. The lineup spans JAL miles, JAL miles / JR Kyushu Q points, WAON POINT, WAON POINT / Benesse points and 2 more. Rates in different currencies are not directly comparable, so decide how you would redeem before you compare them.

Sources and freshness

Everything on this page comes from the issuer’s own product and lineup pages, and from the points programme’s official pages, as checked on 2026-08-16.

Report a correction

Card facts are from the research database as of 2026-08-16; the points and benefit records are from the 2026-08-17 pass. Fees, benefits, campaigns and application rules change without notice. If something here is wrong, tell us on the corrections page.

Choosing inside another provider