Epos Card's Overseas Travel Insurance Cannot Be Used Just by 'Having It' | Accurately Organizing the Usage-Based Coverage Since October 2023

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* The information provided was verified on the official website as of August 2026. Coverage details and application conditions are subject to change. Please be sure to check the latest conditions on the official website before actually traveling.

You still see explanations stating that "Epos Card has automatic overseas travel insurance despite having no annual fee."

This is outdated information. The conditions have changed for trips departing from Japan on or after October 1, 2023.

Leaving the country while believing old articles, receiving treatment locally, and then finding out "it was not covered"—this is an accident that can actually happen.

The positioning of this card itself is summarized in an article comparing three no-annual-fee cards, and the annual value including benefits is summarized in this calculation. This article only covers insurance conditions.

What has changed

: Application Conditions / Until September 30, 2023: Automatic coverage (just by having it) / From October 1, 2023: Usage-based coverage (payment of travel expenses required)

: Accidental Death/Disability / Until September 30, 2023: Up to 5 million yen / From October 1, 2023: Up to 30 million yen

: Liability / Until September 30, 2023: Up to 20 million yen / From October 1, 2023: Up to 30 million yen

While the conditions have become stricter, the coverage amount has increased significantly. It is often written as a "deterioration," but looking only at the amount, it is an increase. For those who can meet the conditions, it has actually become more generous.

Since coverage amounts and application conditions are subject to revision, please check the latest details on the official website's overseas travel accident insurance page before departure. The figures in this article are also as of August 2026.

Conditions for application

According to the official website's guidance, the condition is to pay for "travel expenses" from the time you leave your residence in Japan until you return home using your Epos Card.

"Travel expenses" here refers to the cost of a package tour involving an overnight stay, or the fare for public transportation. This is where it is easily misunderstood.

Items that qualify

• Airfare/Ship fare
• Package tour costs
• Train, bus, or taxi fares (public transportation) from your home to the airport

Items that are not covered

• Expressway tolls, gasoline costs, and parking fees when traveling to the airport by private car — These are not covered as they are not public transportation.
• Meals and hotel costs at your destination (these are not travel-related fares)

You can meet the requirements just by paying for the train fare from your home to the airport with your Epos Card. A payment of a few hundred yen will activate coverage of up to 30 million yen.

Notes when using transportation IC cards

You can meet the requirements by charging your transportation IC card (Suica, PASMO, etc.) with your Epos Card and using that IC card to ride eligible public transportation.

However, just charging the card is not enough. When filing an insurance claim, the following two items are required:

• A usage statement showing that the charge was made from your Epos Card
• The IC card's usage history showing the boarding section

Since IC card usage history may become unavailable after a certain period, if you are worried, it is easier to prove by paying for a ticket at a ticket machine with your card or purchasing an express ticket to the airport with your card.

Note that you cannot perform this operation if you do not have the card with you. The number of days until issuance varies depending on the receipt method, so if you have travel plans, it is safer to check the flow from application to receipt in advance.

This is a summary based on information as of August 2026. The scope of eligible expenses may be revised, so please check the official website before departure.

Current coverage details

Item: Accidental Death/Disability / Coverage Amount: Up to 30 million yen

Item: Liability / Coverage Amount: Up to 30 million yen

Item: Disease Treatment Expenses / Coverage Amount: 2.7 million yen

Item: Injury Treatment Expenses / Coverage Amount: 2 million yen

Item: Rescuer Expenses / Coverage Amount: 1 million yen

Medical expenses overseas are far removed from Japanese standards. Reports of appendicitis surgery costing over 2 million yen are not uncommon. The 2.7 million yen for disease treatment and 2 million yen for injury treatment limit is quite generous for a card with no annual fee.

Common mistakes

1. Paying for transportation to the destination with cash or another card — This is the most common mistake. Before you depart, decide which payments you will make with your Epos Card.

2. Paying with a family member's card, making your portion ineligible — Eligibility is determined by whose travel expenses were paid with whose card.

3. Assuming it is automatically included based on old articles — Articles from before September 2023 have different conditions.

4. The card issuance does not arrive in time for the trip — Mail delivery takes several days to a week (if you are currently choosing your first card, click here (coming soon)).

Comparing with insurance premiums

If you purchase overseas travel insurance separately, it typically costs around 3,000 to 6,000 yen for a one-week trip. If you go twice a year, that's around 10,000 yen.

Since the Epos Card has no annual fee for life, this cost becomes unnecessary just by using the card to pay for your train fare to the airport.

However, coverage details vary depending on the insurance product. If you have a pre-existing condition, are staying for a long period, or participate in dangerous sports, card-attached insurance may not be enough. Using the card-attached insurance as a base and supplementing the missing parts with a separate insurance policy is a realistic approach.

Also, if you have multiple cards, injury and illness treatment coverage can generally be combined (death and residual disability coverage is limited to the highest single amount). If you travel frequently, it is worth considering a combination of two cards (coming soon).

Gold cards offer more extensive coverage, but there is a specific order to obtaining one with a 0 yen annual fee (the route to getting a Gold card with a 0 yen annual fee (coming soon)).

Summary

• Usage-based coverage applies from October 1, 2023 onwards. It is not applied just by holding the card.
• The condition is to pay for travel expenses (including transportation) with an Epos Card. Train fare to the airport is also acceptable.
• In exchange for stricter conditions, the coverage amount has been increased (Injury death/residual disability up to 30 million yen).
• The annual fee is free for life, so as long as you meet the conditions, there is no insurance premium cost.

Whether it is worth getting a card just for this insurance depends on the frequency of your travel. If you go even once a year, you are saving the 3,000 to 6,000 yen of a separate insurance policy. Since the annual fee is free for life, the cost in years you don't travel is zero. → Check the details of the Epos Card (no annual fee for life) on the official website

Conditions and coverage amounts are subject to change, so be sure to check the latest information on the official website before you depart.

The application deadline calculated back from Marui's 10% off is summarized here (coming soon), and the conditions for those for whom this card is not suitable are summarized here (coming soon).