[Actual Amount Simulation] Comparing 3 Credit Cards with 150,000 Yen Monthly Spending | Returns Range from 750 to 3,150 Yen

*This article uses affiliate advertising (A8.net).

*The stated reward conditions were verified on each card's official website as of August 2026. Please be sure to check the official website for the latest conditions.

Last time, I wrote about how choosing based solely on reward rates can lead to losses. This time, we will verify that with numbers.

To give the conclusion first, even with the same 150,000 yen monthly expenditure, the return varies by more than four times, from 750 yen to 3,150 yen. What creates this difference is not the card's specifications.

Premise: Breakdown of monthly spending

For comparison, we assume the following expenses. This is for a person living alone, with a lifestyle split about half-and-half between cooking at home and eating out.

Category: Convenience Store / Monthly: 15,000 yen

Category: Supermarket/Groceries / Monthly: 35,000 yen

Category: Fast Food/Cafe / Monthly: 8,000 yen

Category: Online Shopping / Monthly: 25,000 yen

Category: Mobile/Utilities / Monthly: 18,000 yen

Category: Transportation / Monthly: 12,000 yen

Category: Clothing/Daily Necessities / Monthly: 20,000 yen

Category: Other (Books, Hobbies, etc.) / Monthly: 17,000 yen

Category: Total / Monthly: 150,000 yen

We will calculate how many points are returned when this 150,000 yen is consolidated onto a single card.

Recruit Card (Standard 1.2%)

Since it is 1.2% no matter where you use it, the calculation is finished in an instant.

150,000 yen × 1.2% = 1,800 points

There are no conditions or exceptions. This simplicity is its strength.

However, there is a limit on electronic money top-ups, and if you use that frequently, the return will decrease. This has not been included in the current assumption.

This characteristic of "not needing to remember conditions" is especially effective for your first card (4 criteria to look for in your first card (coming soon)).

Sumitomo Mitsui Card (NL) (Standard 0.5% + 7% at eligible stores)

We will divide this into eligible stores and others. The 7% applies when you use smartphone touch payment at eligible convenience stores and restaurants.

Category: Eligible convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, etc.) / Amount: 15,000 yen / Reward rate: 7% / Points: 1,050

Category: Eligible restaurants (McDonald's, Saizeriya, Doutor, etc.) / Amount: 8,000 yen / Reward rate: 7% / Points: 560

Category: Others / Amount: 127,000 yen / Reward rate: 0.5% / Points: 635

Category: Total / Points: 2,245

It surpassed the Recruit Card by 445 points. Even though the standard reward rate is less than half, it reverses the outcome.

However, there is a prerequisite. These figures assume that the 23,000 yen spent at convenience stores and cafes was all paid for using smartphone touch payment. If you insert the physical card to pay, this 23,000 yen will also be at 0.5%.

Let's calculate the case where you pay with the physical card.

150,000 yen × 0.5% = 750 points

It drops to less than half of the Recruit Card.With the same card, just changing the payment method creates a difference of nearly three times.

For cards with conditional high rewards, you can reduce missed opportunities by shifting spending that doesn't meet the conditions to another card (Conditions under which carrying two cards becomes rational (coming soon)).

Epos Card (Standard 0.5% + special offers)

If calculated only by points,

150,000 yen × 0.5% = 750 points

It is in last place. If we end here, the conclusion would be that it is a "low reward rate card."

However, the real value of the Epos Card lies in its special offers. Let's add the following action to this assumption.

• Buying 20,000 yen worth of clothing and daily necessities during the Marui 10% off period → 2,000 yen discount
• Go to Aeon Cinema once a month (1,400 yen via Epos Toku Plaza) → The difference from the general admission price. Here, we will calculate it conservatively as 400 yen.

Total 2,400 yen. Combined with the 750 points, the effective return becomes equivalent to 3,150 yen.

There are about 10,000 other special offers besides those listed here. Since the amount changes depending on how many apply to your daily life, you can check the eligible stores on the official Epos Toku Plaza to find your own figure. A trial calculation of just the special offers accumulated over a year is summarized in this article.

Of course, these are figures for someone who "goes to Marui and watches movies." For those who do neither, it remains a 750-point card. I wrote about who should avoid this card in the 4 cases where it is not suitable (coming soon).

Since the facilities eligible for special offers change, it is best to check the official site to see how many apply to your daily life before making a decision. → Check special offer details on the official Epos Card website

Comparing the results

Card: Epos Card / Return (equivalent amount): 3,150 yen / Prerequisites: If you use Marui + watch movies once a month

Card: Sumitomo Mitsui Card (NL) / Return (equivalent amount): 2,245 yen / Prerequisites: If you pay at convenience stores/cafes using smartphone touch payment

Card: Recruit Card / Return (equivalent amount): 1,800 yen / Prerequisites: No conditions

Card: Sumitomo Mitsui Card (NL) / Return (equivalent amount): 750 yen / Prerequisites: If you pay with the physical card

Card: Epos Card / Return (equivalent amount): 750 yen / Prerequisites: If you do not use special offers

Even with the same 150,000 yen, there is a difference of more than 4 times, from 750 yen to 3,150 yen. And what creates this difference is not the card's specifications, but the user's behavior.

What can be said from this calculation

The ranking table changes if the prerequisites change. Therefore, rather than looking for the "#1 card," it is faster to determine your own prerequisites first.

The order to check is as follows.

1. List your top 3 spending categories

2. Consider whether you can switch to smartphone payment (if you cannot, exclude conditional high-return cards from your candidates)

3. Check the chains of stores you visit often (Marui, Aeon, specific convenience stores, etc.)

4. After that, plug in your own numbers and calculate

Once you fill in these four, you can narrow your candidates down to about two. Once you reach that point, it doesn't make much difference which one you choose.

Rather than blindly trusting the rankings in comparison articles, I believe that calculating your own spending just once will lead to a more satisfying choice in the end.

The spending calculation ends here, but calculating gains and losses on the asset side (such as cryptocurrency) is a different story. That is covered by our sister media → Why you should not calculate cryptocurrency gains and losses by hand (Gains and Losses Calculation Lab)

Supplement: Factors not used in this simulation

To simplify the calculation, the following factors were not included. In reality, these also have an effect.

• Overseas travel accident insurance — The Epos Card includes this with no annual fee, but it has been a usage-based benefit since October 2023 (Click here for application conditions)
• New member campaigns — These change depending on the time of year, so please check the official website
• Invitation to Gold — Invitations are sent based on usage history of the standard card, and if you apply via an invitation, the annual fee becomes free for life (the order for that is here (coming soon))
• Timing of Marui's 10% off sales — Held 4 times a year. The amount saved depends on whether you can consolidate your shopping (next dates and application deadlines (coming soon))

Summary of this article

• Even with the same 150,000 yen monthly spending, the return varies by more than 4 times, from 750 yen to 3,150 yen
• What creates the difference is not the card's specs, but the payment method and whether you use the special offers
• The Sumitomo Mitsui Card (NL) remains at 0.5% unless you use smartphone touch payment
• For the Epos Card, only those who use the special offers will rank at the top

If you calculate with your own spending and find that the special offer type seems to fit your needs, the next step is to check the details of the Epos Card (annual fee free for life) on the official website. The application conditions themselves are organized here. Since conditions are subject to change, please be sure to check the latest information on the official website.