How to Choose an SFC Card #4 Family First: Maximizing Benefits and Coverage for Your Family

C. Family First: Maximizing Benefits and Coverage for Your Family

The goal is to maximize status sharing through family cards, as well as overseas travel insurance coverage, specifically providing the most comprehensive family coverage. Users with this profile prioritize
"peace of mind" and "comprehensive coverage" over cost-effectiveness.

Recommended Card: ANA JCB Gold

While most ANA Gold cards require travel expenses to be charged to the card for overseas travel insurance to apply, only the JCB brandincludes automatic coverage, including family riders, and furthermore, card usage increases the coverage for accidental death or residual disability of the primary cardholder to 100 million yen.

Because of this, high-value overseas travel accident insurance is applied not only to the primary cardholder and family members (spouse, parents, and children 18 or older excluding high school students) but also to children under 19 through family riders.

If you travel frequently as a family or if family members travel abroad alone, this comprehensive family coverage is a sufficient reason to pay the high annual fee.

Overseas Travel Insurance Coverage for Primary and Family Members (by Brand)

• VISA/Mastercard Gold (Insurance Guide)

  • Treatment Expenses: Up to 1.5 million yen

  • Rescuer Expenses: Up to 1 million yen

  • Liability: Up to 30 million yen

  • Personal Effects Damage: Up to 500,000 yen per trip (3,000 yen deductible)

  • Domestic Flight Delay Insurance: Connection delay/lost baggage = 20,000 yen, Departure delay/baggage delay = 10,000 yen

• JCB Gold (Insurance Guide)

  • Treatment Expenses: Up to 3 million yen

  • Rescuer Expenses: Up to 4 million yen

  • Liability: Up to 100 million yen

  • Personal Effects Damage: Up to 500,000 yen per trip (3,000 yen deductible)

  • Domestic/International Flight Delay Insurance: Connection delay, departure delay, baggage delay = 20,000 yen; baggage loss = 40,000 yen

• Amex Gold (Insurance Guide)

  • Medical treatment expenses: up to 3 million yen

  • Rescuer expenses: up to 4 million yen

  • Personal liability: up to 40 million yen

  • Personal effects damage: up to 500,000 yen per trip (3,000 yen deductible)

  • Overseas flight delay insurance (applies to primary cardholder only): connection delay/departure delay/baggage delay = 20,000 yen, lost baggage = 40,000 yen

• Diners (Insurance Guide)

  • Medical Expenses: Up to 3 million yen

  • Rescuer Expenses: Up to 4 million yen

  • Liability: Up to 100 million yen

  • Personal Effects: Up to 500,000 yen per trip (3,000 yen deductible)

  • Overseas Flight Delay Insurance: Connection delay, departure delay, baggage delay = 30,000 yen

Family Special Clause (Coverage for non-primary cardholders) Comparison

• VISA/Mastercard Gold

  • Medical Expenses/Rescuer Expenses: Up to 500,000 yen each

  • Liability: Up to 10 million yen

  • Personal Effects: Up to 150,000 yen per trip and per year (3,000 yen deductible)

• JCB Gold

  • Treatment costs/Rescuer expenses: Up to 2 million yen each

  • Liability: Up to 20 million yen

  • Personal effects damage: Up to 500,000 yen per trip (3,000 yen deductible)

• Amex Gold

  • Treatment costs: Up to 2 million yen

  • Rescuer expenses: Up to 3 million yen

  • Liability: Up to 40 million yen

  • Personal effects damage: Up to 500,000 yen per trip (3,000 yen deductible)

• Diners

  • No family coverage

Summary

• JCB Gold is the top candidate as it is the only one with automatic coverage: Furthermore, it offers coverage for treatment and rescuer expenses with a "2 million yen limit," which significantly exceeds the 500,000 yen limit of VISA/Mastercard.

• Amex also has generous coverage, but there are restrictions such as usage requirements and flight delay insurance that only applies to the primary cardholder.

• Although Diners boasts high-value coverage (such as 100 million yen in liability), it lacks family coverage, so it is not suitable if you are looking for peace of mind for family trips with children.

• VISA/Mastercard have weak family coverage, so they can be an option if you prioritize cost, but JCB/Amex are more reassuring if you prioritize coverage.

• No ANA card comes with flight delay insurance as family coverage. If youprioritize flight delay insurance for family members, please be sure to refer tothis article.

Note: Guidelines for coverage amounts in the era of a weak yen

Depending on your perspective on risk, the question of whether "JCB's 2 million yen treatment coverage is sufficient" may arise. Especially with the current rise in overseas medical costs due to the weak yen, it is necessary to reconsider the guidelines for coverage amounts. For more details, please also refer tothis article.

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