This is a regular topic for surveys here, so here is DIMSDRIVE Research’s latest look at credit cards.
Demographics
Betwen the 10th and 26th of February 2009 11,961 members of the DIMSDRIVE Monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.1% of the sample were male, 1.0% in their teens, 12.6% in their twenties, 33.2% in their thirties, 31.0% in their forties, 15.3% in their fifties, and 6.9% aged sixty or older. Note that since this is a PC internet-based online survey, there will be a bit of bias in the sample towards higher-earning households.
“Foreigners can’t get credit cards” is one of the most popular fallacies in Japan. It is true that foreigners, especially those younger, working on jobs with yearly contracts, and with no credit history in Japan do find it difficult, if not impossible, to get one, but there is no credible evidence of systematic discrimination against foreigners, as my walletful of Japanese plastic will attest to. I have experienced anomalies, however, such as when both my wife and I applied for a UFJ card, the bank that provides my mortgage and that I pay my salary into, and she got four times the credit limit that I got, despite zero salary!
The latest credit card I got was a Toho Cinema’s MasterCard, which is good value if you’re a regular cinema goer – six visits and you get the seventh visit free, and even discount tickets bought elsewhere count toward the six movies, and their online booking system is very smooth and bilingual.
Regarding Q3 and few being interested in card design, I actually cancelled a card because they stopped putting Miffy on the front… I also want to get a loud Hello Kitty card just to use abroad!
Have you ever been refused for a Japanese credit card?
Research results
Q1: How many credit cards do you have? (Sample size=11,961)
| None (to end of survey) |
12.9% |
| One |
16.1% |
| Two |
19.0% |
| Three or more |
52.0% |
Excluding teenagers, there was very little variation in card ownership by age, and men were just a couple of percentage points more likely to have credit cards.
Q2: Who is the issuer for your main credit card? (Sample size=10,423)
| JCB |
21.2% |
| Mitsu Sumotomo Visa |
16.8% |
| Saison |
9.6% |
| Aeon |
7.7% |
| NICOS |
5.1% |
| OMC |
4.5% |
| DC |
4.4% |
| Orico |
3.3% |
| UC |
2.9% |
| Life |
2.1% |
| UFJ |
1.9% |
| Idemitsu |
1.5% |
| iy |
1.4% |
| View |
1.2% |
| American Express |
1.1% |
| JACCS |
1.0% |
| DCMX |
0.7% |
| City |
0.5% |
| Diners Club |
0.5% |
| Other |
9.7% |
| Don’t know which company’s card |
1.4% |
| Carry cards but don’t use them (to Q8) |
1.5% |
Q3: Why do you use your main credit card? (Sample size=10,127, multiple answer)
| No annual fee |
50.8% |
| Can get points, mileage |
31.6% |
| Card is offered by a shop I frequent |
23.7% |
| Point award percentage is high |
18.6% |
| Lots of shops, web sites where I can use it |
13.5% |
| Get discounts with it |
12.5% |
| Card is offered by bank I use |
11.2% |
| Can use overseas |
9.2% |
| Can use with ETC |
8.8% |
| Has attractive membership perks |
7.2% |
| It’s the only card I have |
5.3% |
| Bills, etc, are easy to understand |
3.8% |
| Good customer service |
3.3% |
| Has status |
2.4% |
| Like the design |
2.2% |
| Other |
3.7% |
| No particular reason |
9.0% |
Q4: At what times do you use your main credit card? (Sample size=10,127, multiple answer)
| When internet shopping |
58.5% |
| When buying expensive items |
51.9% |
| For everyday shopping (food, etc) |
49.6% |
| When I’ve no cash on hand |
39.2% |
| When I want to get points, mileage |
32.6% |
| When paying for utilities |
27.5% |
| When I can only pay by card |
24.2% |
| For ETC |
22.0% |
| When shopping, etc, overseas |
18.7% |
| When I want a discount |
10.7% |
| When I want to pay later |
10.1% |
| Other |
1.7% |
| No particular time |
4.0% |
Q5: Where do you use your main credit card? (Sample size=10,127, multiple answer)
| Internet shopping |
52.2% |
| Department store, fashion mall |
44.5% |
| Electrical superstore |
40.1% |
| Supermarket |
35.2% |
| Shopping mall |
31.5% |
| Petrol (gas) station |
30.3% |
| Hotel, leisure facility |
25.9% |
| Eating place |
24.2% |
| ETC |
22.3% |
| DIY store, discount store |
20.0% |
| Station, airport (ticket purchase, etc) |
17.9% |
| Overseas |
17.5% |
| Drugstore |
11.8% |
| Convenience store |
9.2% |
| Taxi |
5.1% |
| Other |
1.5% |
| Nowhere in particular |
4.8% |
Q6: On average, about how much per month do you spend using your main credit card? (Sample size=10,127)
| Under 5,000 yen |
15.2% |
| 5,000 to 9,999 yen |
18.0% |
| 10,000 to 29,999 yen |
26.7% |
| 30,000 to 49,999 yen |
15.8% |
| 50,000 to 99,999 yen |
13.2% |
| 100,000 to 299,999 yen |
5.9% |
| 300,000 yen or more |
0.7% |
| Don’t know |
4.5% |
Q7: Which of the following have you experienced with your credit card? (Sample size=10,127, multiple answer)
| Spent too much |
33.7% |
| Lost track of how much I spent |
28.7% |
| Forgot the repayment date |
14.8% |
| Forgot which card I used to pay |
13.4% |
| Forgot my PIN |
12.0% |
| Broke the spending limit and couldn’t use the card |
8.1% |
| Lost the card |
7.1% |
| Card expired |
4.4% |
| Dodgy expenses were revealed on the bill |
1.3% |
| Threw away the new card by mistake |
0.7% |
| None of the above |
35.7% |
Q8: What kinds of crimes have you been a victim of in relation with your credit card? (Sample size=10,423, multiple answer)
| Had a card stolen |
4.1% |
| Had someone else use my card |
2.8% |
| Was a victim of skimming |
1.4% |
| Personal information, PIN was stolen |
0.5% |
| Has a victim of phishing |
0.l5% |
| Had other problem |
0.7% |
| Not had any problems |
89.2% |
| Don’t want to answer |
2.5% |
Q9: What do you pay attention to regarding the security of your credit card? (Sample size=10,423, multiple answer)
| Don’t use birthday or other easily-understood PIN |
36.1% |
| Only use at trustworthy locations |
33.2% |
| Sign in kanji |
25.6% |
| Try not to use at all |
20.3% |
| Only carry card when I need to use it |
8.9% |
| Don’t use it on the internet |
6.0% |
| Regularly change the PIN |
2.2% |
| Other |
1.0% |
| Don’t take any particular measures |
25.6% |
| Don’t want to answer |
2.2% |
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