American Express Gold Preferred Card
All time high offer until 3/31! American Express' premiere card in Japan, the Gold Preferred card offers an outsized first year bonus for the annual fee, and has a ton of additional dining and hotel perks for even greater value.
Sign Up Bonus
130,000 AMEX Membership Rewards Plus
First Year Value
¥224,650
(breakdown below)Annual Fee
¥39,600
Foreigner-Friendly Score
80 / 100
Sign Up Bonus Details
The sign up bonus for this card is an impressive 130,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points. The bonus is structured as follows:
- 20,000 bonus points after spending ¥500,000 in the first 3 months
- 100,000 additional bonus points after spending ¥1,000,000 in the first 6 months
- 10,000 points after spending ¥1,000,000 in the first 6 months
We estimate that AMEX Membership Rewards points are worth ¥1.60 each, valuing this sign up promotion at nearly ¥208,000! This is one of the highest offers we've seen and we recommend applying soon.
Card Perks
The Gold Preferred card offers numerous perks which help to offset the annual fee. On top of a metal card, you get practical benefits including travel credits, dining benefits, and improved points earning potential. You also get a free upgrade to American Express Membership Rewards Plus, which gives you a better transfer ratio to airline miles and hotel points.
- Metal Card
- Up to 2 free household cards
- Priority Pass - Annual membership fee waiver plus two free visits at airport lounges
- 20% back at Pocket Concierge dining (up to ¥10,000 per year)
- Gold Dining benefit - Free course meal for one person when dining with 2+ people (¥10,000 value)
- 20% back at Starbucks (up to ¥5,000 per year)
- Seibu Prince Global Rewards Gold Membership (valued at ¥5,000)
- Free Membership Rewards Plus upgrade (a ¥3,300 value)
If you decide to keep the card for a second year, you'll also receive the following benefits.
- Free Stay Gift - One night stay at a hotel for two people (requires ¥2,000,000 annual spending the previous year)
- ¥10,000 AMEX Travel Credit
Our conservative estimate of these perks values them at ¥16,650 per year, assuming you use at least half of available benefits in the first year. If you frequently spend on dining, though, you can easily maximize the value of this card with just a few dinners with friends!
Earning Rewards
The Gold Preferred card excels at online and travel purchases, and is best suited to someone who frequently purchases flights, goods on Amazon / Yahoo Shopping, etc. as you'll earn up to 3x the points on all of those purchases.
| Earn Rate | Type of Spending |
|---|---|
| 4% | 4x points on travel purchases booked with American Express Travel Online |
| 3% | 3x points on purchases at Amazon, Yahoo Shopping, Apple App Store, Uber Eats, Yodobashi Camera, Japan Airlines, ikyu.com, HIS |
| 1% | 1x points on all other spending |
Redeeming and Spending Rewards
Since this card comes with a free upgrade to Membership Rewards Plus, your points go even further when transfering to partner airlines and hotels. For instance, with the just the sign up bonus of 130,000 you would be able to do the following:
- Transfer 85,000 Membership Rewards to ANA Mileage Club for a Business Class roundtrip to Hawaii
- Transfer ~105,000 Membership Rewards for a luxury stay at the Ritz Carlton Tokyo or Kyoto
- Transfer ~110,000 to Air France (Flying Blue) for a direct roundtrip flight from Tokyo to Paris
How Foreigner-Friendly is American Express?
Applying for credit cards in Japan can be a bit difficult for foreign residents, but luckily American Express is one of the better card issuers in handling issues that foreign residents often run in to.
American Express makes applying easier for foreign residents with the following measures:
- Allows Long Names: No matter how long your name is (including middle name), AMEX supports entering your full name in alphabetical characters to match your residence card.
- Easier Application Processing If You Have an Overseas AMEX: Though not a guarantee of approval, if you have an AMEX card issued overseas in good standing, you can enter the number on the application and use that credit history to apply.
- Global Point Transfers: If you have an AMEX issued overseas, you can transfer your Membership Rewards points from one country to another at the prevailing exchange rate. The only exception is transfering from the US to Japan which will be at a 1:1 ratio. You will need to call to initiate this process. Not an advertised feature, but extremely lucrative in some cases!
- English Phone Support: There are customer service options in English, making it easier if you're not comfortable with Japanese.
The only downside is that if you cannot read Japanese, the application process and website is still entirely in Japanese. You can use a translation tool to navigate the application, however.
Our Verdict
The American Express Gold Preferred Card presents exceptional value for cardholders who can maximize its benefits. The impressive 130,000-point welcome bonus effectively covers two years of annual fees. The metal card design adds a nice touch, and the comprehensive suite of travel and dining benefits makes this card particularly attractive for frequent travelers and dining enthusiasts in Japan.
While the ¥39,600 annual fee is substantial, the card's benefits can easily exceed this cost when fully utilized. We highly recommend this card at the current sign up bonus.