MoneyInJapan

Which bitFlyer card should you get? All 2 compared

A decision page for readers who have already settled on bitFlyer and only need to pick the right card in the lineup. All 2 are compared here — 2 of them open to new applications, with annual fees of ¥0–¥16,500. The axis that actually decides it: how the reward is paid, and the price risk you take by holding it.

Issued by bitFlyer, Inc. · 2 cards recorded, 2 open to new applications · verified 2026-08-13

Which one to get

If you want one answer, start with the bitFlyer Credit Card — 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 pointbitFlyer Credit CardGeneralFree0.5%Automatic crypto reward
Best paid card with a fee-waiver pathbitFlyer Platinum CardPlatinum¥16,500Waiver available1%Higher crypto earning

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

3 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. Every card here earns Bitcoin rewards, so the rate is comparable across the lineup — but only once you fix a realistic value for one point in the redemption you would actually use.
  3. This lineup has more than one grade, so an upgrade is an arithmetic question: divide the extra annual fee by the extra published rate to get the spend that repays it, then add only the benefits and milestones you expect to use.

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

1 of the 2 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
bitFlyer Credit CardGeneralFreeMastercardOpen to new applications
bitFlyer Platinum CardPlatinum¥16,500Waiver availableMastercardOpen to new applications

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

Every card here earns Bitcoin rewards, so the published rates in this table are directly comparable.

CardBase rateEarnsComparison-site rangeAnnual fee
bitFlyer Credit Card0.5%Bitcoin rewards Free
bitFlyer Platinum Card1%Bitcoin rewards ¥16,500

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 2 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
bitFlyer Credit CardGeneralFree0.5%Automatic crypto rewardBitcoin rewards on spendCrypto price volatility and tax/accounting
bitFlyer Platinum CardPlatinum¥16,5001%Higher crypto earningHigher Bitcoin rewards and premium benefitsFee/waiver and crypto volatility

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. What you actually receive is decided less by the headline rate than by the excluded transactions and the expiry below.

How it is earned
A fixed or card-tier percentage of eligible spend is returned as cash, bill credit or Bitcoin
Bonus earning
Card tier, annual-spend and campaign bonuses
Eligible spend
Eligible card shopping
Excluded or reduced spend
Fees, cash advances and issuer-designated transactions
Caps
Minimum payout, annual/campaign and crypto-account rules
Expiry
Cash credit follows billing; crypto does not expire but market value changes
Best redemption route
Cash credit for certainty; Bitcoin only if comfortable with volatility and tax treatment

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

2 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
bitFlyer Credit CardSee official pageSee official page20+
bitFlyer Platinum CardTravel insuranceAirport lounge benefitsSee official page20+

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 cheapest rung here pays for itself at ¥3,300,000 of eligible spend a year.

FromUp toExtra feeExtra rateBreak-even spend
bitFlyer Credit CardbitFlyer Platinum Card¥16,500+0.5%¥3,300,000
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 bitFlyer card should I get?

For most people the starting point is the bitFlyer Credit Card — no annual fee and a 0.5% published base rate. bitFlyer decides eligibility and credit limits, so check the current terms on the issuer page before you apply.

Is a paid bitFlyer card worth the annual fee?

On rewards alone, the ¥16,500 step from the bitFlyer Credit Card to the bitFlyer Platinum Card is repaid at about ¥3,300,000 of eligible spend a year, because the published rate only rises by 0.5%. Below that, the upgrade has to be justified by benefits you actually use.

Do all bitFlyer cards earn the same points?

Yes — every card in this lineup earns Bitcoin rewards. The earning unit, the excluded transactions and the expiry still differ by card, so compare the redemption you would use rather than the headline rate alone.

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 2026-08-13.

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.

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