Epos Card
エポスカードNo-annual-fee credit card · Marui (Epos)
- Annual fee
- Free
- Rewards
- 1P / ¥200
- English
- No
A no-annual-fee Visa card issued by Epos Card, with Epos Points and partner benefits subject to current terms.
Epos Points guide
The Marui-issued point currency: a ¥1-per-point value, a two-year expiry, and an upgrade path where the gold tier changes the maths.
Direct answers
Epos Points are earned at about 1 point per ¥200 and redeem at roughly ¥1 each; the base rate is modest, and most of the program’s value sits in the gold-tier invitation and its bonus structure.
Key points
- Operator: Epos Card (Marui group); earned on the Epos card range.
- Base earning is about 1 point per ¥200 of eligible spend — roughly 0.5% at a ¥1-per-point value.
- Points ordinarily expire two years after they are added, with exceptions under issuer rules.
- The gold tier can be reached by invitation, after which its annual fee is waived permanently.
- Gold adds selectable bonus shops and an annual spend bonus that changes the effective rate materially.
How the base program works
Epos Points are the currency of Epos Card, the Marui group issuer. Base accrual on the standard no-fee card is about one point per ¥200 of eligible spend, and points are generally valued at ¥1 each when redeemed, which puts the plain base return near 0.5%. Partner shops and campaign offers award extra points on their own conditions, and those are separate from the base rate. Points ordinarily expire two years after they are credited; extensions and exceptions follow the issuer’s rules rather than an activity-based mechanism like Rakuten’s, so a dormant balance is genuinely at risk.
Why the gold tier changes the calculation
Read on the base rate alone, Epos looks unremarkable. The program’s real structure is the upgrade path: cardholders who meet the issuer’s conditions can be invited to the gold tier, and on the invitation route the gold annual fee is waived permanently rather than charged each year. Gold then adds two things that move the effective rate — a set of shops the member selects for elevated earning, and a bonus tied to annual spend levels. For someone who routes ordinary household spending through the card and reaches those levels, the combination is worth substantially more than the 0.5% headline; for someone who does not, it is not. The honest framing is that Epos is a program whose value depends on reaching and using the gold tier, not on the entry card’s base rate. Note that neither the invitation nor its timing is something this site can predict — the issuer decides, and we make no claim about how easily any individual is invited.
Who this is for
- Marui shoppers and people willing to consolidate spend toward the gold tier
What this is not
- People who want a high base rate from the entry card alone
Important cautions
- Points expire two years after they are added — dormant balances are lost, not extended.
Related products & services
Epos Gold Card
エポスゴールドカードOptimizable fee-waivable gold · Marui (Epos)
- Annual fee
- Free
- Rewards
- 0.5%
- FX fee
- 3.85%
- English
- No
A ¥5,000 gold Visa that becomes permanently free by invitation, family-gold referral or ¥500,000 of qualifying annual spend — one of Japan’s most optimizable cards through selected-shop bonuses and annual awards.
Epos Platinum Card
エポスプラチナカードAnnual-bonus-optimized platinum · Marui (Epos)
- Annual fee
- ¥30,000
- Rewards
- 0.5%
- FX fee
- 3.85%
- English
- No
A Visa platinum: ¥30,000 for direct applicants or ¥20,000 by invitation, with Priority Pass, concierge and annual bonus points starting at 20,000 for ¥1,000,000 of spend.
Frequently asked questions
Do points expire in Japan, and how do I avoid losing them?
Many do. Some points expire a fixed period after earning; others (like campaign or “limited-time” points) expire much sooner than regular points. To avoid losing them, concentrate on one ecosystem so balances stay active, spend limited-time points quickly on everyday items, and check the expiry rules in the app. Do not spend more just to “use up” points — that defeats the purpose.
Which no-fee cards have a base near 1%?
Rakuten Card, PayPay Card, d Card, au PAY Card, and JCB Card W are prominent no-annual-fee examples with an ordinary rate near one percent in their own point system. Choose by the redemption ecosystem you already use, not by the headline rate alone.