Zero savings even with a 10 million yen income? Why office workers should design their 'daily payments' and how to choose a Rakuten Card

For those who have no money left even with an annual income of 10 million yen. Why office workers should design their 'daily payments'

'If my income goes up, money will naturally be left over.'

You might vaguely think so. But in reality, there are many office workers who, even as they step up to annual incomes of 8 million, 10 million, or even 12 million yen, find that for some reason, they have no money left at the end of each month.

The reason is very simple. 'Because as income increases, your standard of living quietly slides up along with it.'.

• Moving to a slightly more expensive apartment

• Eating out on weekends becomes a bit more luxurious

• Subscriptions increase one by one

• Child education expenses and leisure costs increase

• Shopping on Rakuten Ichiba and Amazon becomes a little more casual than before

None of these are what you would call 'flashy luxury.' That is precisely why the person themselves doesn't really realize they are wasting money. This is the danger of 'silent spending increases,' which high-income office workers are prone to falling into.'silent spending increases'.

Even when I look at the household finances of office workers, I feel that there are many cases where, despite having the 'earning power,' their 'design of daily expenses' is quite sloppy. They are interested in investments and side jobs. But they just let the living expenses and fixed costs that must be paid every month flow out without much thought.

This is a very wasteful situation.

Of course, just getting a Rakuten Card won't make you a wealthy person. And just because you've saved up points doesn't mean your life will change dramatically.

However, letting expenses that occur every month flow out without recovering anything can be said to be throwing away the small room for improvement that office workers have.

'Before hitting it big with investments, first organize your daily payments'

This is what I want to convey in this article.

1. Office workers' money leaks out without them noticing

The expenses of office workers are quite similar every month.

Food costs, daily necessities, communication costs, electricity bills, gas bills, water bills, insurance, subscriptions, children's goods, hometown tax donations, online shopping, and payments for travel or business trips. These are the monies that flow out every month even if you do nothing.

Conversely, it means if you design this properly, you can create a system where points accumulate automatically every month.

The important thing is not to work hard at saving money.

• Searching for cheap stores every time

• Searching for coupons every time

• Keeping detailed household accounts every time

Continuing this for a long time is quite difficult. It is especially unsuitable for office workers who are busy and tired from their daily work.

That is why you should turn it into a system. Consolidate your daily payments onto one card as much as possible. If you use Rakuten Ichiba or Rakuten Furusato Nozei, consolidate them onto a Rakuten Card. Pay fixed costs with the card whenever possible.

What you are doing is modest. However, such modest systems continue to work automatically once you have created them.

2. Reduce 'losses' before trying to increase your annual income

Increasing your annual income by 1 million yen is not easy. Changing jobs, getting promoted, growing a side business, getting certifications, building a track record—all of these take a lot of time and energy.

Moreover, even if your annual income increases by 1 million yen, your take-home pay will not increase by that full amount because taxes and social insurance premiums will be deducted.

On the other hand, you can start building a system to turn your monthly expenses into points today.

Of course, that alone will not drastically change your life. However, if you are someone spending 100,000, 200,000, or 300,000 yen every month and processing those payments casually with cash or various cards, there is definitely room for improvement.

Living expenses occur every month without fail. So, why not recover a portion of them as points? Isn't this a small 'capitalism hack' that busy office workers should start with?

3. Why Rakuten Card is easy to use as your 'first card'

The strength of the Rakuten Card is not its flashiness. Its greatest strength is that it is easy to start with no annual fee.

Credit cards suit different people in different ways.

• People who want to stay at luxury hotels

• People who want to save miles and go on trips

• People who just don't want to pay an annual fee

• Those who want to align with the e-commerce malls they use daily, such as Rakuten Ichiba or Amazon

The correct answer varies from person to person. Among the options, the Rakuten Card is a very well-balanced choice for many office workers. The reason is that it is easy to integrate into daily life.

Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Furusato Nozei, Rakuten Travel, Rakuten Securities, Rakuten Mobile, and Rakuten Pay. If you already use even a few Rakuten services, the Rakuten Card will blend smoothly into your daily routine.

Gold and Platinum cards with high annual fees are powerful if you know how to use them. However, for those who don't, they are just fixed costs (wasted spending). In that sense, the Rakuten Card is ideal for the simple purpose of 'turning living expenses into points first'.

Who the Rakuten Card is for

• People who use Rakuten Ichiba occasionally

• People who use Rakuten Furusato Nozei

• People who want to start with a card that has no annual fee

• People who find it troublesome to research the fine details of credit card benefits

In particular, I feel it is a great match for those who use 'Rakuten Furusato Nozei'.

Furusato Nozei is a system where the higher an office worker's annual income, the larger their potential contribution limit tends to be. In other words, the amount of each payment also becomes larger. How you handle those payments makes a big difference in whether you miss out on points.

4. Conditions for those who should consider the 'Rakuten Premium Card'

On the other hand, as a higher-tier option than the standard Rakuten Card, there is also the 'Rakuten Premium Card'.

The Rakuten Premium Card is a card with an annual fee of 11,000 yen (tax included) [1]. Considering that the regular Rakuten Card has no annual fee, it is not a card I can recommend to everyone.

I do not recommend getting it just because it is a 'higher-tier card and seems good.' Since there is an annual fee, you need to rationally judge whether you can 'break even' based on your own lifestyle.

Specifically, the following types of people should consider the Rakuten Premium Card.

1. People with high usage amounts on Rakuten Ichiba or Rakuten Furusato Nozei

2. People who consistently make monthly credit card investments with Rakuten Securities

3. People who travel abroad or go on business trips several times a year

4. People who find value in airport lounges or Priority Pass

When considering a premium card, what is important is not just the return rate, but the 'acquisition limit' and 'automatic recovery'.

In fact, if you look only at the return rate on Rakuten Ichiba, due to service revisions, the Rakuten Premium Card is not as overwhelmingly advantageous as it used to be. However, there is a difference in the 'monthly acquisition limit' as follows.

• Standard Rakuten Card: SPU monthly acquisition limit 1,000 points

• Rakuten Premium Card: SPU monthly acquisition limit 5,000 points

This difference in limits becomes especially important for 'Rakuten Furusato Nozei' (hometown tax donation).
The higher an office worker's annual income, the larger their Furusato Nozei donation amount will be. When donating in bulk in the tens to hundreds of thousands of yen, a standard card may reach its limit, potentially causing you to miss out on points. The premium card plays the role of preventing this 'loss due to limits'.

Compatibility with New NISA and Credit Card Investment

Another point that cannot be overlooked when considering the Rakuten Premium Card is credit card investment at Rakuten Securities.

When paying for investment trusts with a credit card at Rakuten Securities (up to 100,000 yen per month), the return rate varies depending on the card rank.

• Standard Rakuten Card: Return rate 0.5% (for low-cost investment trusts, etc.)

• Rakuten Premium Card: Return rate 1.0%

For example, let's consider the case of investing 100,000 yen every month (1.2 million yen per year) via credit card [4].

• Standard Rakuten Card (0.5%): Annual 6,000 points

• Rakuten Premium Card (1.0%): Annual 12,000 points

This difference amounts to 6,000 points per year.
Since the annual fee for the premium card is 11,000 yen (tax included), it is calculated that you can effectively 'automatically recover' more than half of the annual fee just by setting up credit card investment.

For those who originally plan to build assets steadily every month through the new NISA or similar programs, this difference in return rate is a factor that cannot be ignored.

Accept that Priority Pass is 'up to 5 times per year'

The Rakuten Premium Card comes with a complimentary 'Priority Pass,' which allows you to use airport lounges around the world[3].

However, there is a point to note. Due to a service revision, it is now limited to “a maximum of 5 free uses per year” (facilities other than lounges, such as restaurants and spas, are not eligible for free access).

While this may not be enough for those who frequently fly overseas, for employees who feel that “being able to spend time comfortably at the airport during one or two trips a year or a few business trips abroad is enough,” this is a benefit that offers plenty of value even with a 5-visit annual limit[3].

5. [Summary] Which one should you choose?

The way to choose is very simple.

• If you are unsure, start with the 'Rakuten Card' (no annual fee):
  For those who want to start with zero costs and want to smartly turn their daily living expenses into points, the standard card offers more than enough benefits.

• If the conditions fit, the 'Rakuten Premium Card' (11,000 yen annual fee):
  For those with large monthly credit card investment amounts, high-income households with significant hometown tax donations (Furusato Nozei), or those who travel abroad several times a year, switching to the Premium Card allows you to efficiently prevent missed opportunities.

Start by using it with no annual fee, and consider switching to a higher-tier card once your frequency of using Rakuten Ichiba or your investment amounts increase. This order is the safest and ensures no mistakes.

Finally: Don't let your life be distorted by points

Lastly, I would like to share something very important.

“Do not buy unnecessary things just to earn points.”

Buying things you didn't plan to purchase just because of the “Shopping Marathon” or because “points will double with one more store” is counterproductive. That is not saving; it is simply wasteful spending.

Buy only what you need, and smartly and calmly collect points from fixed costs you would have paid anyway and from your hometown tax donations. Why not review your daily payment design as the first step toward smart household management?

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