I'm travelling to Japan soon for 1.5 weeks and is thinking of getting the UOB JCB Card specifically just for this trip. Is it worth it?

Hi Anon!

Really intrigued by your question- I've heard of people getting a credit card to use solely for a trip overseas, but I've never really looked into it.

Since you're looking to use it only for your trip to Japan, I'll leave out all the local perks.

Here are the main perks of the UOB JCB Card:

• 5 % Rebate on all spend in Yen (capped at $50 per calendar month)

• Complimentary airport lounge access exclusively for Singapore issued UOB JCB Cards (till 31 Dec 2020)

• JCB Plaza Lounge free access in Tokyo and Kyoto

• 10% discount on LUGGAGE-FREE TRAVEL (till 31 March 2020)

• Up to 20% off Airport Limousine Bus tickets (till 30 Jun 2020)

• Kansai Rail Pass- 10% off + other special offers (till 30 Jun 2020)

• 30% off Tokyo Tower Main observatory ticket (till 30 Jun 2020)

• 10% off Tokyo Tower Official Shop The Sky (till 30 Jun 2020)

• Major Japan Drugstores- Up to 5% off with min spend of 30,000 Yen (till 30 Sep 2020)

• First-year card fee waiver

If you're looking to visit these areas and landmarks, maybe getting this card would be a good idea! In my experience, it's really very easy to spend $1000+ within a week in Japan, and hence maxing out the $50 cashback should be no problem! You won't have to pay fees with the first-year card fee waiver, so I think it's not a bad idea to get this card! Why not get some cashback to ease the guilt of spending ;)

The Milelion actually published an article wrt this here, and although it's dated (some of the promotions have expired), it still provides a decent gauge on what this card gives you in Japan.

Hope this helps!