Which Tokyo Metro card should you get? All 2 compared
A decision page for readers who have already settled on Tokyo Metro 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 ¥2,200–¥15,400. The axis that actually decides it: commuting and station-retail spend, and where the linked points are usable.
Issued by Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. · 2 cards recorded, 2 open to new applications · verified 2026-08-13
Which one to get
If you want one answer, start with the To Me Card Prime PASMO — ¥2,200 a year and a 0.5% published base rate. If you already know what you want the card for, take the matching row instead.
| Use case | Card | Annual fee | Fee condition | Base rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way in | To Me Card Prime PASMOGeneral | ¥2,200 | First year free · waiver available | 0.5% | Tokyo Metro commuter benefits |
| Best premium / travel tier | ANA To Me Card PASMO JCB GoldGold | ¥15,400 | — | 1% | ANA + Tokyo Metro premium route |
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.
- This lineup has no permanently free card, so the entry tier is a recurring cost from day one. Compare its lowest-fee option against a no-fee card from another issuer before committing to the ecosystem.
- These cards do not all earn the same currency: the lineup spans J-POINT / Metro Points / ANA miles and Metro Points / issuer points. A higher rate in a programme you cannot redeem well is worth less than a lower rate in one you can.
- 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
No card here is free to hold on ordinary payment terms. The cheapest annual fee is ¥2,200, and you pay it whether or not you use the card.
| Card | Grade | Annual fee | Fee condition | Networks | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Me Card Prime PASMO | General | ¥2,200 | First year free · waiver available | Visa · Mastercard · JCB | Open to new applications |
| ANA To Me Card PASMO JCB Gold | Gold | ¥15,400 | — | JCB | Open 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
These cards earn into 2 different programmes. Rates in different currencies are not comparable until you fix what a point is worth to you.
| Card | Base rate | Earns | Comparison-site range | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Me Card Prime PASMO | 0.5% | Metro Points / issuer points | — | ¥2,200 |
| ANA To Me Card PASMO JCB Gold | 1% | J-POINT / Metro Points / ANA miles | — | ¥15,400 |
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.
| Card | Annual fee | Base rate | Best for | Main edge | Caution / status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Me Card Prime PASMOGeneral | ¥2,200 | 0.5% | Tokyo Metro commuter benefits | Tokyo Metro ride points and PASMO auto-charge | Network issuers and waiver conditions differ |
| ANA To Me Card PASMO JCB GoldGold | ¥15,400 | 1% | ANA + Tokyo Metro premium route | Metro and ANA plus gold benefits | Transfer rules and fee |
The last three columns are the English research record for each card. Signup campaigns are deliberately excluded — they are not standing value.
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.
| Card | Insurance | Lounge | Family / ETC | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Me Card Prime PASMO | Travel insurance by issuer | — | Family/ETC available | 18+ |
| ANA To Me Card PASMO JCB Gold | Travel insurance | Domestic lounges | Family/ETC available | 20+ with stable income |
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 ¥2,640,000 of eligible spend a year.
| From | Up to | Extra fee | Extra rate | Break-even spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Me Card Prime PASMO | ANA To Me Card PASMO JCB Gold | ¥13,200 | +0.5% | ¥2,640,000 |
- 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 check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Credit limit | Almost 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 limits | Check 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 limits | Confirm 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 use | Verify 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 Tokyo Metro card should I get?
For most people the starting point is the To Me Card Prime PASMO — ¥2,200 a year and a 0.5% published base rate. Move up to the ANA To Me Card PASMO JCB Gold (¥15,400 a year and a 1% published base rate) only when the extra fee is repaid by earning and by benefits you will genuinely use. Tokyo Metro decides eligibility and credit limits, so check the current terms on the issuer page before you apply.
Is a paid Tokyo Metro card worth the annual fee?
On rewards alone, the ¥13,200 step from the To Me Card Prime PASMO to the ANA To Me Card PASMO JCB Gold is repaid at about ¥2,640,000 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 Tokyo Metro cards earn the same points?
No. The lineup spans J-POINT / Metro Points / ANA miles and Metro Points / issuer points. Rates in different currencies are not directly comparable, so decide how you would redeem before you compare them.
Does Tokyo Metro have a no-annual-fee card?
Not as recorded on 2026-08-16: none of the 2 personal cards you can choose between here is permanently free, and the cheapest is ¥2,200. If you do not want a recurring fee, compare a no-fee card from another issuer.
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.
- www.jcca-office.gr.jp
- www.to-me-card.jp/admission/tome-prime/index.html
- www.to-me-card.jp/admission/tome-ana-gold
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.